Chapter title- it’s just your illusion

CHAPTER SIX 

Rohan POV

The line dropped without a response, and every vein in my body pulsed with rage.

My wolf lunged inside me, claws scraping at my skin. Brielle was my bride—my Luna-to-be. No one was allowed to touch her. No one.

And yet… Ella had kidnapped her at my wedding in front of the world.

I clenched my jaw as I sped down the highway, following the address she’d texted me. An abandoned steel warehouse on the outskirts of the city. Desolate, silent and tainted with her scent.

She told me to come alone and I did.

Not because she commanded it—never that, but because Brielle’s life mattered more than my pride, more than my anger, more than anything.

My car screeched as I pulled up. I stepped out and the gravel crunched under my boots. The air smelled of rust, smoke, and something sweeter—her. Ella’s wolf. A scent I once knew far too well.

I shoved the massive steel doors open.

She stood in the center of the warehouse, her back to me. Her hair was in dark waves down her spine. 

The moonlight spilled through the broken windows, illuminating her like she belonged in the shadows. Like she thrived there.

“Where is she?” I growled.

Ella slowly turned, her lips lifting into a smirk. “Still impatient. Some things never change.”

“Cut the bullshit, Ella. What do you want?”

She tilted her head, studying me with an unsettling calmness. “Rohan, Rohan… always so tense. I told you already. I want you to obey.”

I stepped closer, fists clenched. “You touched my woman. You abducted her. If you’ve harmed a single strand—”

“You’ll what?” she interrupted, amusement glittering in her eyes. “Kill me? We both know you won’t. Not when I’m the only one who knows the truth you’re so desperately trying to hide.”

Her words hit somewhere deep. Somewhere I didn’t want her to reach.

I forced my breathing steady. “If you think I fear you, you’re mistaken.”

“No,” she said softly. “You fear the truth.”

My wolf stilled.

Ella took slow steps toward me, heels echoing against the concrete. “Drop the act, Rohan.”

“Which act?”

“The strong, perfect Alpha who has it all.” She circled me like a predator studying prey. “The respected leader. The adored grandson. The devoted mate.” Her smile sharpened. “Except… you’re not a mate at all, are you?”

My pulse tightened.

“Watch yourself,” I warned.

She ignored me. “You’re cursed, Rohan.”

Her words sliced the air like a blade. My jaw flexed painfully.

“I don’t know what lies you’ve convinced yourself of,” I said, forcing calm. “But Brielle is my mate.”

“Really?” Ella arched a brow. “Your true mate? Chosen by the Moon Goddess?”

“Yes.”

Her laughter rang cruelly through the warehouse. “No, Rohan. She wasn’t.”

My heart thudded once.

Ella stepped closer until her breath mixed with mine. “I know all your secrets. Your wolf knows it too. You may fool the world… but not me.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, I know it too well.” She placed a finger on my chest. “You were never granted a mate. The Moon Goddess never marked you. You were cursed. Markless. Mateless. A lone Alpha destined to rule alone.”

Her voice darkened. “And your precious wedding? Just a performance. A distraction so your pack won’t discover the truth—that their Alpha is unchosen by the Moon.”

I stepped back, so much anger was burning through me. “You know nothing about my pack.”

“I know everything,” she whispered. “Including the reason your father died.”

My eyes snapped to hers.

“Ah,” she smirked. “There it is. That look. You know what I’m saying is true.”

“Where is Brielle?” I demanded again, voice rougher than before.

Ella stared at me, her expression unreadable. “Safe. For now.”

My wolf snarled violently. “If you touch her—”

“I didn’t bring you here to harm her,” she said. “I brought you here to face the truth.”

“The truth,” I repeated bitterly. “You mean your delusions.”

“Is it?” She raised a brow. “You chose Brielle because she’s convenient. Because she’s loyal. Because she worships you. But not because she’s your mate. You know that.”

“Enough!”

“Do you feel the bond?” she pressed. “Tell me, Rohan. Does your wolf pull toward her? Does her scent anchor you? Does your chest burn when she cries? When she bleed?”

My throat tightened.

“Stop talking,” I growled.

But she stepped closer again, eyes lit with something dangerous—knowledge.

“Your wolf never recognized her,” she whispered. “And you know it.”

My fists shook. I wanted to deny every word. To shout at her. To rip her apart.

But my silence answered for me.

Ella’s smirk returned. “I thought so.”

I exhaled slowly. “What exactly do you want from me?”

She leaned in. “Simple. Submit it to me.”

My vision blurred with rage. “You’re insane.”

“Am I?” She shrugged. “I could tell the world what you really are. I could let every pack hear that the great Alpha Rohan, king’s bloodline and heir to the throne is cursed. Mateless. A disgrace to the Moon.”

My wolf snarled but felt the blow.

Ella’s next words dropped like thunder.

“And if I reveal it… your pack will crumble. Your enemies will rise. Your claim to the throne will vanish.”

I swallowed hard.

“And Brielle?” I asked quietly.

Ella’s smirk softened into something disturbingly gentle. “She’s fine. I don’t want to hurt her. I’m not a monster like your father.”

“Don’t—bring him—into this,” I growled.

“Oh, I will,” she said. “Until you stop pretending. Until you admit it.”

“Admit what?”

“That you’re not cursed by chance and you know that.” Her eyes darkened.

My heartbeat pounded faster.

Ella whispered, “Your reign can end with the snap of my finger.”

My knees almost buckled.

But I forced myself upright. “You’re bluffing.”

“Your wolf knows I’m not.”

The warehouse fell silent. My breathing was harsh, my pulse loud.