CHAPTER 14

Michael’s POV

The council chamber had barely cooled from the earlier tension, but my Beta was already waiting when I stepped onto the lower terrace behind the manor.

Ryan stood by the edge of the stone railing with his arms crossed and eyes focused on the forest in the distance. The sky was beginning to darken and streaked with burning amber and violet clouds. A storm was coming. Not just in the sky but through blood.

“We’ve got a problem,” he said without turning.

“Start talking.”

“It’s not just border tests anymore, We’ve lost sixteen wolves in the last six days.” Ryan announced.

That snapped me still.

I stepped beside him, eyes narrowing. “How?”

“Found shredded and torn to pieces. Some near the West riverbed. Some close to the South ravine. The last one was just yesterday… three miles from our eastern border. Claw marks. Deep ones. Clean and savage.”

I gritted my teeth.

“Why wasn’t I told sooner?”

Ryan turned to face me. “Because they were scattered. At first, we thought it was a rogue pack. A challenge. Maybe even one of Mariel’s old allies testing you. But this… this feels personal.”

The name Mariel sent a flash of memory through my chest. Blood. Chains. Screams.

I shoved it down.

“How do we know it’s one wolf?” I asked, voice tight.

“Because all kills had one thing in common,” Ryan replied. “The scent. Faint, but distinct. Whoever’s doing this isn’t hiding they’re taunting. They leave enough of their mark to be recognized, but never enough to track far.”

“Cocky bastard,” I muttered.

Ryan’s mouth twisted grimly. “Or confident.”

I turned away from the forest, I was clenching and unclenching my fists. “We’ve given this wolf enough room to play. It’s time we go hunting.”

“I figured you’d say that,” Ryan said. “I’ve already started prepping a team. Elite trackers. Warriors from the inner circle. No one outside the pack suspects anything yet. We’ve kept it under wraps.”

“Good,” I said. “Keep it that way. The last thing we need is panic before we strike.”

“You want to lead the squad yourself?” He asked and I nodded.

Ten minutes later, I was back inside, pacing through the central corridor like a beast that hadn’t fed.

A young guard named Jaxon was posted near the side hall. Newly promoted. Eager. Loyal.

I stopped in front of him.

“Alpha,” he saluted immediately.

I looked him over, noting his straight spine and squared shoulders. He had the look of someone who still believed in proving himself every day.

Perfect.

“Jaxon,” I said. “I have a task for you.”

His eyes lit up. “Anything.”

“There’s a girl staying in the VIP guest wing. Her name is Audrey.”

His brows lifted just a fraction he’d heard of her. Of course he had. But to his credit, he didn’t ask questions.

“You are to stand guard outside her door until I return,” I said slowly, letting the weight of my words settle. “She is not to leave without an escort. No one enters her room unless she calls for them. If anything   and I mean anything seems off, you alert me. Immediately.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

“I’m trusting you with this,” I continued, stepping closer. “With her. You are not just guarding a guest. You’re guarding what’s mine.”

His eyes widened.

“Do you understand what that means?” I asked.

He nodded, his voice firm. “Yes, Alpha. With my life.”

“Good,” I said. “Because if anything happens to her while I’m gone…”

I let the silence do the rest of the talking.

He stiffened, understanding the threat behind my calm expression.

“I won’t fail you,” he said.

“You’d better not,” I replied, already turning to leave. “Because she’s worth more than this entire pack.”

I watched Jaxon square his shoulders and march off toward the guest wing with precise determination. I knew he would take the job seriously. Still, the knot in my chest didn’t ease.

Every instinct in me screamed not to leave her.

But if I didn’t handle this myself, it wouldn’t just be Audrey in danger it would be the entire pack.

Still, I couldn’t walk away without seeing her one more time.

My boots echoed softly across the stone halls as I approached her door. Two guards passed by and respectfully averted their gaze. I stopped in front of the guest suite and took a breath before knocking gently.

A pause.

Then her voice, soft and muted through the thick door.

“It’s open.”

I stepped in.

She was curled on the settee near the window, wrapped in a blanket, staring out at the dusk sky. Her hair was loose over her shoulders, and though her body was still, there was something in her expression that told me she hadn’t rested not really.

Her eyes flicked to me briefly. “Alpha.”

The sound of that word from her lips made something in me twist.

I crossed the room and stood in front of her, waiting for her to look at me properly.

“I’m leaving,” I said quietly.

Her fingers curled around the blanket. “Okay.” She said calmly without even asking where I was going to.

“I don’t know how long I’ll be gone.”

“Okay.”

There was no emotion in her tone. No anger. No relief. Just… distance.

Cold, polite distance.

I hated it more than I expected to.

“There’s been an escalation,” I added. “Something dangerous is hunting on our borders. It’s already taken too many lives.”

Her head turned back toward the window, her voice still quiet. “Okay.”

I stepped closer, crouching slightly so I could see her face. “I’ve assigned Jaxon to stay outside your room. No one gets in. No one gets close. If you need anything, he’s there.”

She gave the barest nod.

“I don’t want you to worry.”

“I won’t.”

I exhaled slowly. “Audrey ”

“Alpha,” she interrupted gently, finally looking at me with tired eyes. “You don’t have to explain anything. You don’t owe me anything.”

The words were said with respect, not bitterness. But the way she said them stung more than if she’d yelled.

Because she meant it.

Because she had already decided to accept being nothing.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” I said, softer now.

She nodded again. “Okay.”

I stood there a moment longer, searching her face for something anything. A flicker of hope. A thread of connection.

But she had already shut the door in her heart.

So I nodded once, turned, and left the room.

And this time, it was me who didn’t look back.