14. Hallucinating.

Scott.

“She is a threat to the wolf clan.” Sage’s voice echoed loudly in my mind the moment I saw her being bullied.

The words replayed with brutal clarity, sharp and unwavering, as I watched the scene unfold in front of me.

A threat.

That was what she was.

And if Sage was right, then it only made sense that she should suffer. It was only right. After all, if she truly endangered the clan, then the quicker her downfall came, the better it would be for all of us.

That was the logic, the duty and ghe rule I was supposed to follow.

And yet, something inside me resisted it.

Something I couldn’t name, couldn’t fully understand, but couldn’t ignore either. That same something made my body move before my thoughts could catch up. Before I could reconsider, before I could remind myself who I was supposed to be.

And that same irrational part of me ended up pinning her against the wall.

My grip had been firm, almost instinctive, as if my body acted on its own without asking for permission from my mind. I stared at her then, close enough to feel the tension between us, and I really didn’t know what was wrong with me.

I didn’t understand why I had reacted that way.

It should have been simple. She was a human—weak, fragile and pathetic in comparison to what I was.

There was nothing about her that should have warranted hesitation, let alone this strange pull that kept twisting inside my chest.

It took everything in me not to lean in further… not to close the small distance that remained between us… not to claim those irritatingly inviting lips of hers.

The thought alone irritated me.

She was nothing like the women I could have. I was an Alpha. I could have anyone I wanted—any trained wolf, any noble-born female, anyone worthy of my status–not her.

And I had to keep reminding myself of that fact, over and over again, like a command carved into my instincts.

With that thought forcibly anchoring me back to reason, I pulled away abruptly, stepping back as though distance alone could fix whatever had just almost happened. I turned away from her immediately, breaking the tension that lingered between us like a dangerous thread.

“Get out!” I commanded sharply, my voice cutting through the air. “Now, before I lose my control,” I added, lower but more strained than I intended.

Because that was the truth.

Even I could feel it slipping.

Having anything to do with her was forbidden.

And if my brothers ever found out what I had just done, or even suspected what I had felt in that moment, they would not hesitate to look down on me. Worse, they would question my judgment, my control, and my strength as an Alpha.

And I could not afford that.

Not for her.

She left the room quickly, without hesitation, and the second the door shut behind her, I dragged a hand through my hair in frustration. My jaw tightened as I forced myself to breathe slowly, deeply, trying to suppress the heat still coiling uncomfortably inside my chest.

But it wasn’t helping.

My wolf stirred restlessly beneath my control, pushing against my restraint, growing louder, more agitated, more difficult to suppress with every passing second.

I pulled my shirt off immediately, the fabric slipping from my skin as I stood there, already thinking of heading straight for a cold bath.

The heat under my skin was becoming unbearable, crawling in a way that made my control feel thinner than usual. I barely had time to steady my breathing before the door suddenly pushed open.

And I swear, in that exact moment, I wished—more than anything—that it wouldn’t be her.

But as though the Moon Goddess herself had decided to mock me, Kayla appeared right in front of me.

Damn it.

My jaw tightened instantly, irritation flashing through me like lightning. “Don’t blame me for going all out, human,” I muttered under my breath, more to myself than to her, trying to keep whatever restraint I had left intact.

Yet something caught my attention immediately—she wasn’t speaking, she was just staring.

Her gaze lingered on my bare chest, slow and unashamed, like she had no intention of hiding her reaction.

And despite myself, I felt a slow, dangerous smirk tug at the corner of my lips. Pathetic human…and yet she had this strange ability to cloud my senses without even trying.

It was irritating.

It was worse than that—it was distracting.

Something inside me snapped in that moment, that irrational pull taking over before I could properly think it through. I stepped forward without hesitation, closing the distance between us in a few quick strides. My hand shot out, gripping her waist firmly, pulling her closer before she could even react.

She didn’t resist.

That alone made something in me flare.

And then I leaned in, capturing her lips in a kiss that was far too hungry, far too intense to be considered controlled. It was raw instinct, like something inside me had decided she belonged there without asking for permission.

“You are mine,” I said against her lips, my voice low but firm, making sure every word sank deep into her mind. “Mine.”

It didn’t matter if it was forbidden. Rules didn’t matter in that moment. She could be my secret—something hidden, something kept away from judgment and consequence.

I felt her respond immediately.

Kayla chuckled softly against my lips, breathless but amused. “I know,” she muttered in between the kisses, her voice teasing as she kissed me back without hesitation.

But something felt off.

Even through the haze clouding my mind, a small part of me began to register it. Kayla wouldn’t be this…eager. She wouldn’t respond like this.

The thought barely had time to form before I pulled back abruptly, my grip loosening as confusion cut through the fog in my head.

I shook my head once, trying to clear it and that was when everything shifted—only then did I realize it.

She wasn’t Kayla.

She was Lillian.

I took a step back immediately, my expression tightening as reality snapped back into place. My mind had been playing tricks on me—distorting what was in front of me, twisting perception into something it wasn’t. And in that instant, I understood the truth I had been trying to ignore.

This wasn’t attraction.

This was obsession.

“Scott, are you okay?” Lillian asked carefully, stepping closer as if unsure whether she should approach me or not.

My gaze sharpened slightly. “What day is it?” I asked suddenly, my voice lower now, more controlled.

She blinked, then smiled lightly. “Today is the day of the red moon,” she answered. “The red moon will be out in a few minutes.” Her smile widened a little as she said it, as though she found it comforting.

Shit! That explained everything.

Everything suddenly made sense in the worst possible way.

Lillian must think she is my obsession.