Chapter 06

Greyson

I can’t believe this is happening. After years, literal, agonisingly soul-crushing years of searching for our mate, she just… waltzes into our home. Not for sanctuary, not with an offering or a message. No. She came to steal from us.

And gods, she was beautiful.

I can still see her wild green eyes, narrowed in defiance even while tied to a chair. That mane of flaming hair I already want to bury my hands in, twist it, tug it, feel her melt against me, while I......

Fuck. I need to focus.

She broke into our home, easily I might add, and almost ended Asher’s bloodline. Okay… that part was kind of funny. The way he doubled over when she kneed him? Priceless.

But still, she was dangerous. Smart. And a threat to everything we’ve built.

I draw them both into my office; thankfully, it is on the other side of the house, far away from the soul-consuming scent that was still messing with my head. I shut the door behind us and let the silence settle, heavy and uncertain.

How the hell am I supposed to even start this conversation?

I glance at the two men who have been my brothers long before the Moon Goddess tied our fates together. We found each other as boys, each carrying our own broken pieces, and together we made something whole. The bond between us wasn’t just mystical; it was earned, bled for. Fought for.

Asher breaks the silence first. Of course he does. Sometimes his sunshine-and-honey personality is more useful than annoying.

“Sooo… we found our mate,” he says, dragging out the words like he’s still trying to convince himself it happened. “One rogue girl, three very dumb Alphas.”

Kayden snorts. “You’re the dumb one, you got dropped by her in five seconds flat.”

“That’s because I was not expecting someone there,” Asher fires back, throwing his hands up. “I didn’t expect her to be a literal feral fox. And for the record, she didn’t drop me—I let her go.”

“Sure you did,” I mutter, rubbing my temples.

This was chaos. We’re three Alphas, leaders of one of the strongest packs in the region, and we just got wrecked emotionally and physically by a rogue. A mate, no less.

“She was stealing classified documents,” Kayden says, finally getting serious. His hazel eyes darken, and I know that look. It’s the same one he gets before a battle. “We can’t ignore that.”

“I know.” My voice comes out rougher than I want. “But we also can’t ignore what she is to us.”

“We’re not letting her go,” Asher says firmly, surprising me. “Not after waiting this long.”

“No one’s letting her go,” I growl. “But she’s not here for us. She was here for something else. And we need to find out what.”

They both nod.

I sit back in my chair and stare at the ceiling. I can still feel the heat of her stare. Even tied up, she looked like she was planning twenty ways to escape, and kill us if we got in the way.

“What about the little one?” Kayden’s voice is softer now, hesitant. “She looked scared. We might be assholes, but we definitely don’t hurt children.”

“They’re sisters by the looks of it,” I reply, leaning back into the chair that suddenly feels too stiff. “Same eyes. Same fire, even if one of the flames is just smaller. Maybe… maybe we can use her to our advantage.”

“Hey…” Kayden starts, his jaw tightening, that warning tone creeping in.

But I cut him off before his temper gets the better of him. “You have my word that no harm will come to her, but she doesn't know that, and that will be useful.”

He stares at me for a long second. Really looks into me. And when he finally nods once, I know it means everything. I know what that gesture costs him. I know what his past looks like—what being powerless in the hands of stronger wolves did to him. I would never let that happen again. Not to anyone, and especially not to my mate’s sister.

Besides, my wolf already feels weirdly protective over the younger one. Kin of our mate. That counts for something.

“Look,” I sigh, dragging a hand down my face, exhaustion catching up fast, “let’s just put them in a room for now. Together. No guards inside, just posted outside. Let them settle. We’ll figure out the rest tonight, but for now, we need to rest; we’ve been awake for far too long now.”

No one points out the obvious—we were supposed to question two intruders, not stumble into a celestial joke where the rogues breaking into our home are fated to belong to us.

The Moon Goddess really has a sense of humor.

Asher and Kayden nod silently and leave, each heading for their respective rooms. I wait until the door clicks shut behind them before exhaling the breath I didn’t even know I was holding. The scent still lingers in the air, wild, forest-sweet and maddening. It wraps around my brain like a brand.

Mine.

I hate that I already know I’d burn the whole world if it meant keeping her.

I push off the desk and head for my own room, thoughts heavy, body heavier. Tomorrow, I’ll deal with the mate who broke into my home, tried to steal from me, and still somehow managed to steal me instead.

But right now, I need sleep to be able to think clearly.