Chapter 6

Matthew’s POV;

The problem with threats was that most people made them because they wanted someone to fear them enough to back down.

When I threatened someone, it usually meant I had already made up my mind.

Unfortunately, Kylie didn't seem to understand the difference. She stood there smiling as if a massive black wolf wasn't seconds away from ripping her throat out.

That smile got under my skin. It was too confident, almost like she knew something we didn’t.

My growl deepened. The sound vibrated through the clearing.

Kylie didn't even flinch.

Then something warm pressed against my chest.

I froze.

My eyes dropped.

Irene.

She had stepped around me at some point.

I hadn't even noticed.

Her hand rested against my fur, trembling slightly. Fear was written all over her face. It hit me when I realized it wasn’t fear of Kylie but of me.

The realization hit harder than it should have.

The anger burning through my veins suddenly lost some of its heat.

I stared at her. She swallowed.

Her fingers tightened slightly in my fur."Matthew."

My wolf hesitated. The rage didn't disappear.

But the way Irene was looking at me did something to me that I just couldn’t explain.

Was she scared I was probably going to destroy my own life?

I don’t blame her, she wasn’t wrong.

Suddenly my bones shifted and the familiar burn of the transformation rolled through me.

A second later, I was standing in my human form again, breathing raggedly while trying very hard not to look at Kylie.

"Exactly," Kylie said with a satisfied smile.

And just like that, I wanted to shift again.

"Leave." The word came out of me rough.

Kylie's smile widened. "I knew she'd calm you down."

Irene's hand immediately dropped from my chest.

I felt the loss of contact more than I should have.

What was going on with me? It was almost as if I had no control over myself whenever she’s around.

"What are you talking about?" Irene asked.

Kylie looked at her with something that almost resembled pity. "You still don't see it."

My jaw tightened. "Kylie."

I warned but she ignored it.

"He's already choosing you."

The clearing went quiet. Even the wind seemed to pause.

Irene frowned. "What does that mean?"

Kylie laughed softly. "You're smarter than that, darling."

I took a step forward.

She finally looked at me.

The amusement in her eyes faded slightly.

Good.

"Leave," I repeated.

For a second, I thought she'd push further.

Instead, she straightened her jacket. "You should be careful, Matthew."

"I don't take advice from blackmailers."

Her expression hardened. "There are bigger things happening than either of you understand."

That caught my attention.

Only for a second. But she noticed I had caught her bait.

Then she smiled slightly again and i loathed it

"You'll find out soon enough."

With that, she turned and walked away. I watched her disappear between the trees.

The moment her scent faded, the tension in my body shifted.

I wasn't focused on Kylie anymore but on Irene.

She stood a few feet away looking exhausted. Or was it confusion?

Because it looked like she was still trying to make sense of everything.

I understood that feeling. Nothing was making much sense either so I wasn’t expecting her to figure it out immediately.

For several seconds neither of us spoke.

But the silence felt strangely intimate.

Finally, Irene broke it.

"You almost killed her."

I rubbed a hand across my face. "She threatened you."

"She's my mother, Matthew."

So?

I didn’t care if it was a freaking Moon Goddess standing in front of me. As long as Irene was involved, I wasn’t going to take it lightly.

I looked away, toward the trees. Just wanted my eyes anywhere expect on her.

Another silence.

Then:

"You really would've fought everyone for me?"

I laughed once, but without humor. "You're asking that now?"

"That’s not the answer to what I asked, Matthew."

I looked at her.

Her hair was a mess from the hunt. There was dirt on her cheek. A small scratch near her jaw.

And despite everything, she was still standing here worrying about me.

Something in my chest tightened. "Yes."

Her eyes widened slightly.

I kept going.

"Yes, Irene. I would. You belong to me and no one touches what’s mine.” She flinched as I said.

“You wanted the truth, huh? There you have it."

She stared at me like she wasn't sure what to do with that answer.

Honestly?

Neither was I. Because every day pretending like I didn’t need her to survive became harder.

I took a slow breath, releasing my fingers from digging into my palm.. "We should get back."

She nodded and walked ahead of me.

***

A few hours later, I found Julian at the run-down watchtower near the northern ridge. Exactly where I expected him to be.

The place looked abandoned, just exactly how he liked his space.

He was leaning against the railing when I climbed the stairs. He didn’t even turn to look at me.

"You look terrible." I said as I sat down across from him.

"Good evening to you too."

Normally, that would've been enough to start ten minutes of insults. Julian loved dragging a joke out until I threatened to throw him off something high.

Instead, he only smirked once before the expression disappeared.

That immediately put me on edge.

"What happened?" he asked, staring at me.

I considered lying for the first two seconds.

Then I remembered who I was talking to.

Julian would figure it out eventually anyway.

“I had… problems.”

"What kind of problems?"

"Kylie." I replied.

His expression immediately sharpened.

"You don't like her?"

"Not even a little bit.” I answered quicker than I intended.

He leaned forward. "What did she do?"

I explained all he needed to know and by the time I finished, he looked irritated.

Which worried me a bit because Julian wasn't easily rattled.

"Something's off."

“Exactly what I’m saying, that woman isn’t acting like she’s trying to protect her daughter.” I said.

“No, I meant something else is off.” He stood and walked toward a table covered in papers.

“What’s that?”

I followed to Julian’s table which was filled with maps, notes, reports - the usual mess he made.

"I've been looking into Crescent Moon." He said.

My attention sharpened instantly. "What did you find?"

"Missing records."

I froze. "What?"

Julian tossed a file onto the table. "There should be seventy-three years of documented lineage records."

I picked it up. The file was thin. “This doesn’t feel like a file of 73 years.” I said.

"Those are twenty-eight, Matthew.” He looked at me.

I turned my head slowly to him. “Do you mean-?”

“Yes.”

“Someone had removed almost 50 years of lineage records.” I clenched my jaw.

“You think Kylie did it?” I continued.

Julian shook his head. "Maybe… I don't know."

Bullshit.

"But that's not the weird part." He continued.

Great, there was a weird part. Of course there was.

"What is it?"

“Every time I pulled on a thread connected to Irene, I found signs that someone had been there before me.” He said and my eyebrows furrowed immediately. “Meaning I’m not the only person looking into her.”

I stared at him. “You’re telling me somebody else is investigating Irene?”

Julian nodded. “And whoever they are, they must’ve been at it longer than I have.”

"When did you start noticing?" I finally asked.

Julian's jaw tightened slightly. "Before the wedding."

My head snapped toward him. "What?"

"Months before the wedding."

That didn't make sense. The entire reason Irene was important right now was because of the merger.

At least that's what I'd assumed.

The Council cared because of the merger. My father cared because of the merger. Hell, Kylie probably did too.

But if someone was already looking into Irene months before any of this happened...

Then the merger wasn't the reason.

It was just the latest piece.

I looked down at the scattered papers on the table.

Suddenly they felt heavier.

"What aren't we seeing?"

Julian let out a slow breath. "I don't know."

It felt like the answer was in front of us, we weren’t just seeing it. Like we’re both standing in the dark.

"Keep digging," I said.

Julian snorted. "I wasn't planning on stopping."

"Good."

Whoever was digging into Irene didn’t know what he was getting himself into, he must have a death wish. By the time I’m done with him… or her, they’ll beg for death.

"By the way,” he said casually, "for someone who keeps insisting Irene isn't his problem, you seem remarkably invested."

I closed my eyes. There it was, the sarcasm.

The man couldn't stay serious forever.

"Don't start."

"Oh, I'm definitely starting."

I groaned while he laughed.

"I mean it," he continued. "The last ten minutes sounded less like an investigation and more like a husband worried about his wife."

"Julian." I growled.

"I'm just saying."

I grabbed the nearest map and threw it at him.

He dodged it unfortunately.

“Say one more word and I’ll throw you off.”

He muttered something I couldn’t catch under his breath.

While he examined more papers on the table, I turned to the forest.

I didn’t know who was searching for her, why they wanted information about her but I knew one thing; they weren't going to get anywhere near her… not while I was breathing.