CHAPTER 15

Lana’s POV

The hallway felt colder than usual.

Or maybe it was because I saw him.

Michael.

I froze the moment I turned the corner and spotted him walking toward me... his usual  unreadable face, his eyes dark with that infernal Alpha calm that masked the monster underneath.

My hand unconsciously  moved to my neck.

The bruises had faded thanks to the healer, but the memory hadn’t.

The memory of his hand wrapped around my throat, the fear, the humiliation… the way I couldn’t breathe... not just physically, but emotionally.

Michael had never touched me like that before. Not even in anger. But yesterday…

Yesterday, he almost killed me.

And all because of her.

The stray.

The fragile-looking wolf he carried into the manor like she was made of gold and starlight. The one he defended publicly. The one who had ruined everything I’d worked so hard to build.

Michael’s gaze flicked toward me as he passed.

I held my chin high, refusing to meet his eyes.

But I couldn’t stop the tremor in my hand.

I clenched my fingers around the fabric of my sleeve, turning sharply into my room before I let the burning in my throat turn into something worse... tears.

I slammed the door behind me.

The silence of my room didn’t help.

I let out a scream and hurled one of the perfume bottles across the room. It shattered against the wall, spraying glass and rose oil.

I didn’t care.

I stormed to my dresser, snatched my phone, and dialed the only two people who would understand.

It didn’t even ring twice.

“Lana?” Kaylin’s voice chirped on the other end.

“You need to come over. Now. Bring Asha.”

There was a pause. “What happened? Is it Michael again?”

“Just come,” I snapped and ended the call.

Twenty minutes later, my two best friends were sprawled out in my room, sipping wine like we were planning a wedding... not a takedown.

Kaylin sat on the chaise, her legs tucked under her. She was always dressed like a fashion magazine had exploded in her closet... today was no different. Neon green heels, a pink halter top, and sparkling gold earrings. She looked like a summer cocktail.

Asha, on the other hand, leaned against the window ledge in her usual black outfit, She never said much. But when she did, people listened.

I stood pacing in front of them like a general before battle.

“There’s a problem,” I said, cutting to the chase.

Kaylin raised a brow. “Isn’t there always?”

“No. This is serious. Michael brought someone into the pack house.”

Asha’s eyes flicked toward me. “A guest?”

I laughed... bitter and dry. “A stray. A pathetic little thing he found in the woods. I don’t know where she came from or what spell she used, but she has him wrapped around her dirty, little fingers.”

Kaylin’s brows knit together. “Wait. You’re saying Michael... our Michael... brought in a rogue and didn’t kill her?”

“Worse,” I hissed. “He defended her. In public. Told me to mind my language. Told the entire room that she was staying in the manor as his guest. Not a word about me. Not one word.”

Kaylin looked stunned. “But… you’re engaged.”

“Not officially,” I muttered.

Asha tilted her head. “So what makes her special?”

I stopped pacing.

That was the question, wasn’t it?

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But it’s not just pity. You should have seen the way he looked at her. Like she was his. Like touching her meant something.”

Kaylin’s lips twisted in confusion. “Maybe he just felt sorry for her.”

I turned to her sharply. “Michael doesn’t do pity. You know that.”

“True.”

“I think,” I said, my voice lower now, “he’s been seeing her longer than we thought. That she’s not some random rogue. That she’s something more.”

“Maybe she’s his mate,” Kaylin said, half-joking.

I froze.

Asha didn’t laugh.

Kaylin’s eyes widened. “Wait. No. Lana... don’t look at me like that... ”

“She’s not his mate,” I said immediately. “She can’t be. He would have said something. He would have claimed her. There would have been a ceremony, a mark... ”

“Unless he’s hiding it,” Asha interrupted.

We both turned toward her.

“Hiding it?” Kaylin echoed.

Asha nodded slowly. “Think about it. If she’s his mate and he’s been trying to protect her, he wouldn’t parade her around. He’d keep her secret. Guard her. Until he could make a decision.”

I felt the blood drain from my face.

That would explain everything.

His coldness.

His rejection.

His rage when I spoke against her.

Kaylin chewed her lip. “But what if she’s just… convenient? You know how possessive he is. Maybe she was vulnerable and pretty, and he just... ”

“He choked me,” I snapped.

The room went silent.

“I accused him of cheating and he nearly killed me. You think he’d risk his title, his council seat, for a convenient fling?”

Kaylin said nothing.

Asha crossed her arms. “Then she’s a threat.”

“Yes,” I whispered. “And threats need to be dealt with.”

Kaylin finally looked up. “Lana… what are you saying?”

I turned toward the window, arms folded.

“I’m saying that this girl... this stray... has planted herself in our future. In my position. And if I don’t do something, she’ll become Luna before I ever get the chance.”

“So what do you want to do?” Asha asked.

“I don’t know,” I muttered. “Yet.”

Kaylin shifted on the chaise. “Maybe this’ll pass. Michael always comes back around. Maybe she’s just… a phase.”

Asha rolled her eyes. “Or maybe she’s the beginning of your end.”

Kaylin frowned. “That’s dramatic.”

“No,” Asha said quietly. “It’s truth. If this girl is the seed, then you need to cut her before she grows. Before she roots herself where you’re supposed to stand.”

I turned toward her slowly.

“You’re saying I should get rid of her?”

Asha shrugged. “Do you want to be Luna, or not?”

Kaylin opened her mouth to protest, but didn’t say anything.

Because deep down... we all knew.

This wasn’t just a rivalry.

This was war.

And in war, there were no rules.

Only survivors.