Chapter 58

ALPHA TRISTAN

"Just tidying up for a guest, Carmen," I replied, forcing a sharp, calculated smirk onto my face. I needed to look like a man who held all the cards, even as my heart hammered against my ribs like a caged beast. "Don't I look healthy and revitalized? Especially considering the bedridden, pathetic state you last saw me in." I moved with deliberate grace, taking my seat at the head of the hall as if it were a throne. "To what do I owe this... entirely unexpected visit?"

"Indeed, you look amazing, Tristan. It is quite the transformation," she said, her voice dripping with a sweetness that didn't reach her predatory eyes. "It’s a far cry from the shell of a man I saw a few months back, who was bedridden and teetering on the very brink of death." She smiled warmly at me, but the expression was as hollow as a winter frost.

As she smiled, I allowed myself a moment to truly look at her. Despite the danger she represented, Carmen was undeniably beautiful. I found myself comparing her to Yvonne, wondering if she, too, was fueled by a secret, unrequited love for her own Alpha. It would be an interesting variable to play with—to see if she could be swayed or compromised.

The reality I had learned from years of leading and observing was that a woman’s loyalty usually came with a price, and men were often too arrogant to realize when that price had changed. A woman is an investor; she puts her heart and her blade where she sees the most return. If the profit isn't there, she moves on. I had never seen a woman as pathologically dedicated as Yvonne, which led me to believe that somewhere deep in her core, this Carmen girl was nursing a similar obsession for Alpha Rune. If she was here merely to impress her master, then this encounter was destined to turn ugly very quickly.

"Well, you could call it a miracle of medicine and sheer willpower," I said, leaning back. "I didn’t know if I would make it, but as they say, the most profound things happen when we least expect them."

"I see." She turned slowly, her gaze sweeping across the Grand Hall, taking in every detail of my wealth and security. "I’d love to share in your miracle. However, I’m afraid I don't have the luxury of time for storytelling."

The Grand Hall felt smaller than usual, the air thick with the kind of heavy static that precedes a lightning strike. Carmen stood in the center of the room, her tactical gear matte and silent, looking at my polished, gilded world as if it were a heap of trash waiting for the incinerator. Harlan and Yvonne flanked me like twin pillars of Twilight Zone authority, but Carmen didn't look the least bit impressed.

"In that case, let’s get on with it then. You’re a long way from home, Carmen," I said, my voice dropping into a resolute, firm bass. "And you’re standing on my soil without an invitation. State your business clearly before I decide this is an act of war and treat it as such."

Carmen’s lips curved into a cold, mocking smirk. "Cut the bravado, Tristan. We both know why I’m here. Alpha Rune isn’t interested in your borders or your posturing; he’s interested in the girl you stole."

The accusation was pointed, and I knew immediately that this was going to be a very long, very dangerous day.

"Stole?" I raised an eyebrow, affecting an air of amused disbelief. "Jewels can be stolen. Cars can be stolen. I have never heard of a human being being 'stolen.' It’s a strange choice of words." I shot her a mocking expression, my eyes narrowed.

"Oh, please, stop the charade," she said, waving her hand dismissively as if brushing away a persistent fly. "You know exactly what I am talking about. Don't play the fool; it doesn't suit you."

"I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but I truly don’t. And since I don’t like to make assumptions in matters of pack law, I’d prefer if you told me exactly what you are doing in my house, uninvited, making such wild claims." A sly, dangerous smile appeared on my lips.

"Interesting. You claim a human can't be stolen, yet you broke into Mari's clinic and took what didn't belong to you," she countered, her voice gaining a hard, metallic edge. "You claim a human can't be stolen, yet you had your mistress here..." she paused, pointing a gloved finger at Yvonne, "...run away with Sara the moment you heard we were coming. That girl healed you, saving you from the cold hands of death, and then faked her own demise to lead us astray. But the Conqueror sees through your cheap stage plays. Where is she?"

Her icy tone was meant to be intimidating, a psychological weight designed to make me crumble. I felt a cold prickle of sweat at the base of my neck, a physical betrayal of my inner state, but I kept my face as immobile as granite.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about. The girl died in a tragic accident on Highway 25. It’s an open secret that Sara Lockwood is gone," I stated, my voice steady. "If you doubt it, you can exhume the body and have an autopsy as well as a DNA test done to verify whatever you wish. You can extend my warmest and deepest condolences to Rune, but if he is losing his mind to grief, that’s his problem, not mine. To come into my home and accuse me of kidnapping is a level of disrespect I will not tolerate."

"Disrespect?" Carmen laughed, a sharp, metallic sound that echoed off the high ceilings. "I carry the authority of Alpha Rune himself. He is a superior Alpha, Tristan. His reach spans territories and oceans you can only dream of. You don't get to lecture me about respect when you're hiding his property in your basement like a common thief."

Carmen refused to back down, and the insult stung. It was clear Rune had sent her specifically to belittle me, sending a message that I wasn't even worth his personal time. Regardless of what he thought of my rank, I was not going to let him have Sara.

Yvonne’s growl was low and feral. She stepped forward, her eyes flashing with a predatory light. She couldn't stand seeing Carmen verbally dismantle me in my own hall. "You’re a messenger, Carmen. Nothing more than a glorified errand girl. Don't let Rune’s shadow make you think you have a light of your own. You’re overstepping, and in this pack, we break the legs of those who overstep our boundaries."

Carmen turned her gaze to Yvonne, her eyes tracing over her with visible, calculated disgust. "And you must be the 'Right Hand.' Or is it the 'Right Bed-warmer' today? I’ve heard about your little sacrifices, Yvonne. Trading your dignity and your body to save your Alpha’s skin. It’s pathetic. You’re a soldier who plays at being a martyr while your Alpha plays at being a king. Neither of you is particularly good at your roles."

Yvonne’s face went white with fury. She moved toward Carmen, her hand twitching toward the concealed weapon at her hip. For a second, I thought the floor was about to be painted red. Carmen didn't flinch; she leaned in, meeting Yvonne’s rage with a chilling, predatory stillness that spoke of a lifetime of violence.

"How dare you come in here and speak to me in that manner? Have you completely lost your mind?" Yvonne roared, her voice trembling with the effort of not shifting.

"I will speak to you in whichever manner I please," Carmen retorted. "Your fierce loyalty is nothing but a smokescreen for your true, desperate desire. Deep down, you wish to warm his bed for more than just a political favor, but he sees you as nothing more than a useful toy. Do you deny this?"

"Oh! And how is your situation any different?" Yvonne’s tone dropped an octave, becoming dangerously icy. "You are practically vibrating with jealousy because Rune is in love with a woman you've never even heard of, even though you've been at his side your whole life. You and I are not that different, Carmen. We are both in love with men who will never truly love us back."

"Speak for yourself. I'm not a slut like you," Carmen said, smiling mischievously before winking at Yvonne. "Only a desperate, cheap slut would do the things you've—"

Carmen hadn't even finished her sentence when Yvonne’s hand blurred. The sound of the slap was like a whip cracking in the silence. Carmen’s head snapped to the side. "You dare...!!" she roared, her hand flying to her reddening cheek.

"Yes, I dare. Go tell your boyfriend that I slapped you," Yvonne bragged, her chest heaving. "If he has an issue with it, tell him to come face me himself."

"Enough!" Harlan barked, stepping between the two women before the situation escalated into a bloodbath. His voice was the only thing holding the room together. "This bickering is a pathetic waste of time. Shouting at each other won't bring anyone back from the dead, and it certainly won't satisfy Alpha Rune’s demands."

He looked at Carmen, his expression weary but firm. "What is the way out of this, Carmen? We can’t give you what we don't have. We cannot produce a ghost."

"Provide Sara Lockwood," Carmen stated, her voice flat and devoid of emotion now. "Hand her over, and we leave. It's that simple."

"I told you," I snapped, standing up to reinforce my point. "She isn't here." I caught the slip—for the first time, she had used the word "we." It meant an attack was imminent, that the small guard she came with was merely the tip of a much larger spear.

Harlan sighed and gestured toward the hallway. "If you don't believe the Alpha’s word, then search the pack lands. Walk every floor of this building. Check every room. If she’s here, find her. We won't stand in your way if it means ending this madness and proving our innocence."

Carmen stared at Harlan for a long beat, considering the offer. For a moment, I thought she’d take the bait and find the empty penthouse. But then, her eyes drifted back to me, seeing the slight, involuntary tension in my jaw.

"No," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "You’re too confident, Tristan. You’ve already hidden her. You’ve scrubbed the scent and tucked her into some hole in the ground." She stepped back, her guards shifting in perfect unison with her. "Keep your secrets for now. But know this: Rune does not forgive, and he does not forget. The retribution for this deception will be grander than anything your little pack can survive. You've chosen your hill, Alpha. I hope you're ready to die on it."

She turned on her heel and marched out, the heavy oak doors slamming shut behind her with a finality that felt like a tomb closing.

The silence that followed was suffocating. I exhaled a long breath I hadn't realized I was holding, my muscles finally beginning to unlock.

"This is your fault," Yvonne hissed, spinning on Harlan and then turning her venom toward me. "Both of you. We should have killed that girl the moment she arrived. We should have burnt her body and left no doubt for the world to find. Now, we have the Crescent Moon at our throats because you wanted a 'live-in maid.'"

"We did what we had to do to keep Tristan alive, Yvonne," Harlan argued, but his voice lacked his usual conviction. He knew the stakes had just been raised to an impossible level.

"You got us into a mess we can't get out of!" she screamed. She didn't wait for a response. She turned and began to stroll away, her anger radiating in every sharp, rhythmic click of her boots against the marble.

I didn't answer her. I couldn't. My mind was a swirling storm of fear, tactical errors, and impending war. But as I watched her walk away, my eyes couldn't help but settle on the sway of her hips, the tight line of her uniform accentuating a body I had finally, truly touched. Even in the middle of a looming catastrophe, a dark, shameful lust flared in my gut, competing with the cold, paralyzing dread of what Rune was about to do to us.