6

JAMES’S POV

The air in the council chamber was so thick it could be cut with a knife. The stench of stale testosterone and the palpable fear of five lower-ranking Alphas and three elders was giving me a migraine that Fenris was only making worse with his internal snarling.

"You have to do something, James!" Raymond, the oldest member of the council, bellowed. "The leader of the Dark World has moved his troops to within ten kilometers of the southern border!" the man roared.

I stared at him without offering a single word in response. My silence was heavier than any threat.

On the other side of the room, another Alpha stood up, slamming his fist against the table.

"Alpha, if I may, I believe you should give this matter more importance. Stop playing around with that thieving human who dishonored your seal! You’re keeping her in your quarters like she’s the crown jewel!" Alpha Liam spat.

I leaned back in my oak chair, watching Alpha Liam with a calmness that I knew terrified him.

"If you hit my table again, I’ll make sure it’s the last thing you ever hit with that hand," I said, my voice a lethal whisper. "The human is my responsibility. The seal was recovered. The matter is closed."

"It’s not closed," Raymond intervened again. "Ever since that human arrived at the pack, the attacks have been constant. She belongs to the King of the Dark World! Handing her over would avoid a war we aren't ready to fight after the last attack."

I was about to let out a roar that would shake the very foundations of the building when Kael, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, let out a dry, mocking chuckle.

"Handing over the human to avoid a fight?" Kael looked at Raymond with pure disdain. "Since when did the council of the Obsidian Pack become so cowardly? The King of the Dark World doesn’t want the girl, Raymond. He wants an excuse to get in here. If you give him the maid, he’ll be asking for your head tomorrow."

Everyone present froze in shock. For a moment, there was a deathly silence until Alpha Liam spoke up once more.

"The maid is a Trojan horse!" Liam insisted. "She could be a spy! James, give her to us. Let my warriors interrogate her in their own way. By nightfall, we’ll have the truth and a head to send back to the King of Darkness."

When I heard that, I felt Fenris claw at my insides with fury. The mere thought of those bastards' hands on Madeline’s skin made me bare my fangs involuntarily.

I would never accept that human as my mate. Never. But I wouldn’t let anyone lay a finger on her. After all, my wolf felt the mate bond; if something happens to her, it will weaken me.

I looked at everyone with darkness in my gaze and let my powerful Alpha aura bleed out of my pores, crushing the air in the room.

"The next person who suggests touching Madeline," I said, standing up slowly as everyone at the table backed away by pure survival instinct, "will die before they finish their sentence. This meeting is over. Kael, Marcus, get the patrols ready."

I stormed out of the chamber without waiting for a response, my boots echoing with fury against the marble. Kael followed close behind, his rhythmic steps trying to keep up with my Alpha stride.

"James, wait," Kael said when we reached a side hallway, far from the council’s prying ears.

I stopped dead in my tracks and spun around to face him. The image of Kael walking into my room this morning, sweaty and shirtless in front of Madeline, flashed through my mind like a burst of fire.

"And you," I pointed a finger at him, my voice vibrating with a dangerous warning, "walk into my quarters half-naked again and I’ll strip the skin off your back myself."

Kael blinked, startled, before a lopsided smirk played across his face.

"Are you talking about this morning? James, I was coming from the border, we were under attack…"

"I don’t care where you were coming from," I cut him off. "There are rules of protocol. She is my personal maid. My space is private. I don't want to see you parading yourself in front of her like a stallion in heat ever again. Am I clear?"

Kael let out a sigh, but his eyes shone with an understanding that irritated me to my core.

"Crystal clear, Alpha. I didn't know the great James Blackwood had become so territorial over a 'useless human'."

"Shut your mouth, Kael."

We continued walking toward the military wing. At a bend in the hallway, a group of three Delta warriors were talking in low voices. When they saw us, they tensed and saluted, but not before one of them, a guy named Rian, let out a comment in what he thought was an inaudible whisper.

"...can’t blame him. With assets like that human has, I’d forget about the pack’s problems for a night too. Those curves are something to get lost in."

The world turned red.

Before Rian could even blink, my hand was clamped around his throat, slamming him against the wall and lifting him off the ground until his boots dangled.

The sound of his trachea crunching under my strength was the only music that calmed Fenris for a split second.

"Repeat what you just said," I hissed, my face inches from his. My eyes were two amber embers, and my Alpha aura expanded with such violence that the other two warriors fell to their knees, trembling. "Say it!"

"I... Alpha... mercy..." the Delta stammered. His face was turning purple as his hands clawed uselessly at my forearm of steel.

"If you ever mention her name again, if you even think about her, I will rip out your tongue and force you to swallow it," I warned, my voice a roar that made the torches in the hallway flicker. "She is untouchable. She is my maid. Do you understand?"

I released him abruptly. Rian fell like a sack of dirty laundry, coughing and gasping, while his companions dragged him away, fleeing from my presence as if I were Death himself.

I stood there, panting, trying to retract my claws. Kael watched me from a few feet away with an expression of absolute seriousness that he rarely wore.

"What?" I snapped, turning toward him.

"James… what the hell was that?" Kael asked, his voice low. "You almost killed one of your best warriors over a hallway comment."

"He was disrespectful," I replied, straightening my tunic. "I do not tolerate insubordination."

"Don’t give me that bullshit," Kael stepped closer, following me as I resumed my pace. "I’ve known you since we were pups. I’ve seen guys say worse things about your lovers and you just laughed it off. But with her… James, you’ve been acting like a maniac since the moment that girl stepped foot in this mansion."

"Leave it alone, Kael. Mind your own business."

"This IS my business!" he roared, forcing me to stop. "I’m your Beta. If my Alpha loses his head over a human who doesn't even have a wolf, the pack is in danger. You’re obsessed, James."

"Do not say that word in my presence again," I threatened. "I submit to no one. Least of all to a slave."

Kael scoffed, shaking his head. "Keep telling yourself that while you watch her sleep. But let’s talk about what matters. What Raymond said in the meeting… the Dark King didn't know the human was here."

I stopped, my professional interest overriding my rage for a moment.

"What do you mean?"

Kael leaned in closer, dropping his voice until it was barely audible.

"I analyzed everything. The attacks started when she came here, but nobody saw me when I picked her up in the forest. I think there’s a spy who doesn't belong to the Dark World. Someone in this pack doesn't just want the girl dead, James."

I felt a sudden chill at the back of my neck. "Are you saying there’s a traitor here?"

"I’m saying Madeline isn't the spy," Kael concluded. "She’s the only shield you have. Whoever put that ring in her room knew you’d execute her without question. The plan failed because you didn't kill her. Now, the traitor is going to have to be much more direct."

Everything clicked. That ring had been hidden in a place Madeline didn't even know. Someone knew it would be the perfect excuse to get rid of her.

"Watch Raymond," I ordered. "And make sure no one goes near my quarters or my office. If the traitor wants to finish the job, they’ll have to go through me."

Without another word, I turned and raced toward the stairs. Someone wanted to hurt Madeline. I ran toward my room, where her scent was still mingled with the smell of cleaning supplies.

For some reason, I had to see her. I had to make sure she was still breathing. But as I reached for the door, the air changed drastically.

The scent of fresh blood and dark magic seeped from under the wood. My wolf let out a howl of agony that ripped through my throat.

"Madeline!" I roared, kicking the door down with a single blow.