Chapter 7

ALPHA TRISTAN

I watched as Alpha Rune fled with Sara, burning with a toxic mixture of shame and white-hot anger as that humiliating moment replayed on a loop in my subconscious. Alpha Rune had dared to threaten to deal with me if I didn't give way like a common servant. How could he talk so condescendingly to me? How could he have the audacity to come onto my own pack lands and intimidate me in front of my own people? The memory of it felt like a brand against my skin.

I was deep in those dark thoughts when Harlan, my Beta on the council and my closest childhood friend, walked into my private chambers. I was so lost in my rage that I didn't even hear the door open; he actually had to tap me on the shoulder before I finally snapped back to reality.

"You seem deep in thought, Tristan. I truly hope you are not still dwelling on the unfortunate incident that occurred earlier today," Harlan said, his voice measured.

I gave him a dry, humorless smile—the kind that suggested I was one step away from a breaking point. It was absolutely maddening that everyone I knew seemed to disappear or shrink the moment Alpha Rune showed his face. I knew many people were terrified of him, but I never would have expected that my own elite guard would flee when he appeared, even though we clearly had the superior numbers against him.

"What do you think, Harlan? Rune came here, bullied me on my own soil, took away the criminal responsible for the death of the love of my life, and denied me my rightful revenge." I laid it all out for him, speaking slowly just in case he was too dense to read the obvious writing on the wall.

"It really does sound terrible when you put it like that," Harlan replied, pacing the room. "Perhaps, it simply was not her time to die yet. Think about it for a second—the rescue happened during the peak of the full moon. What are the actual odds that she would have survived being infected by a concentrated dose of wolfsbane?" Harlan asked in a low, conspiratorial voice.

Harlan was a master strategist and served as the head of my intelligence service. He had been born on the streets and survived for years as a starving orphan before I recognized the raw talent in him and drew him into my inner circle.

"Are you honestly suggesting that she deserves to live after murdering Claudia?" I thundered, the sound echoing off the stone walls and making it crystal clear that I wanted Sara dead. "I don't fucking care if the Moon Goddess herself decreed her survival; I will have my blood price! By the time I rip her head from her shoulders, I’d like to see a Moon Goddess try to bring her back from the dead again."

"I'm sorry I'm late to this discussion," Yvonne declared as she swept into the room. "I just received the formal word that we were essentially attacked on our own borders. I came as fast as I could. Is it actually true that he just walked away with her?"

Yvonne was one of my most trusted advisors. We shared a lot in common, most notably a deep-seated, simmering hatred for Alpha Rune and everything his pack represents. She had never liked Harlan, mostly because he always found a clever way to oppose every suggestion she made.

"Yeah," I replied with a heavy sigh of pure frustration. "Tell her exactly what happened, Harlan, will you?" I said dismissively, walking toward the window to stare out at the darkened forest.

I tried to sleep that night, but rest was a distant, impossible dream. I kept tossing and turning in my bed, consumed by a dual fire of grief and rage. There was grief over the tragic death of Claudia, and a burning rage that I had been prevented from avenging her. When I couldn't take the silence of the room anymore, I got up to take a walk through the moonlit halls and found Yvonne waiting for me in the lounge.

"Yvonne? Why are you still awake at this hour?" I asked, surprised to find her casually playing a video game on the large monitor.

She turned to look at me and offered a sharp, knowing smile. "I knew you wouldn't be able to sleep after Harlan explained the details of last night. I would have actually considered you a weakling if you had just carried on like nothing had happened. It’s quite obvious that Sara killed Claudia out of petty jealousy and is now trying to make it look like some tragic accident. You were right not to fall for her lies. It is even more insulting that Alpha Rune showed up in the manner he did and rescued her. As it stands, Tristan, you are owed a debt. The soul of Claudia will never find peace until her killer is finally brought to justice."

As she spoke, my blood began to boil again. "Tell me something I don't already know!" I snapped at her. "What can I actually do about it now that he's gone?"

"It's a life for a life, Tristan. Don't tell me you are just going to sit back and take this humiliation. Alpha Rune didn't just insult you; he insulted the entire Twilight Zone pack. His actions were a loud way of telling the world that he can take whatever he wants from us and we will do nothing. That is why he didn't even bother to bring an army—he came with only Kayvon, his assistant. He doesn't respect you."

Yvonne had a talent for putting me on edge, and the only person who usually countered her vitriol was Harlan. I was almost happy Harlan wasn't here right now, because he would have found some logical way to downplay Rune’s actions.

"What would you have me do, then? Rune would have reached his pack lands by now. His territory is a fortress; you can't just break in or out. And honestly, I don't think the Twilight Zone is ready for an all-out war with Alpha Rune. The last great war is barely eight years over. I don't want to be the one to start another." I spoke pensively, my mind weighing the costs.

"I would take that back if I were you. You are losing your edge, Tristan. By law, Sara is automatically your property as your rejected mate, and no one—not even a High Alpha—can legally take her from you."

She was still arguing her point when Harlan stepped back into the room. "Good morning, Boss. I see you couldn't sleep either?" he asked, but I immediately smelled something different on him—the scent of the outdoors and cold air.

"Where are you coming from, Harlan?" I asked, ignoring his question.

"I had him go out to investigate and track exactly where Alpha Rune was heading. Crescent Moon is a long distance from here; there is no way he could have reached the safety of his borders yet, especially since he’s traveling with a wounded woman." Yvonne replied before Harlan could even open his mouth.

"Ms. Yvonne is correct. Alpha Rune didn't run all the way back to Crescent Moon. He couldn't risk Sara dying from the wolfsbane infection before he got her to a healer..."

Hope began to stir in my chest as he spoke. "Go on," I urged.

"Sara is currently being held at the clinic of Healer Mari—a neutral healer from a neighboring pack just across the border."

"How very interesting," Yvonne purred, her eyes gleaming. "It seems the Moon Goddess has actually given you the perfect opportunity to take back what was stolen from you. Sara is your property, Tristan. Go take her back and avenge Claudia in your own way."