chapter 7

Knox patted his brother on the shoulder. “She’ll come around, brother. Just be patient.”

The young Lycan looked at him, frustrated. “And how do you know that? She just told me she’s in love with another male. How am I supposed to take that?”

Knox smiled. “Eddie, she’s just confused, that’s all.”

“You’re lucky your mate isn’t in love with someone else,” Eddie muttered with a dry chuckle. Knox slapped him lightly on the shoulder.

“She’s beautiful,” Eddie said, eyes fixed on Lydia dancing with her father.

“Yes, she is,” Knox replied, though his smile slowly faded.

“She’s good, too. She loves you. When I saw her smile at you, I was jealous,” Eddie added with a wistful smile.

Knox’s chest tightened.

Ah, look at this ignorant fool. He doesn’t even realize he’s adding salt to our wounds, Kai growled in his mind.

Knox chuckled softly. Of course Kai would speak up now. Then he heard laughter and turned to see Thalia and his brother Harold dancing in each other’s arms—kissing.

His stomach churned. He wanted nothing more than to hold his mate in his arms. But that felt impossible now.

He looked back toward Lydia—but she was gone.

“I’d better go for a run,” Eddie said. “This party’s the last place I want to be, and Sky’s begging to be free.”

Knox nodded. “Be careful.”

Eddie laughed. “I’m an Alpha myself—don’t forget that.”

“Yeah, I remember,” Knox said, giving him a playful nudge, and watched as his brother strode out of the ballroom.

“Where is Lydia?” Kai growled again.

“I don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to find out,” Knox replied.

“Well, you’d better. If she’s gone or eloped with another male, we won’t be getting our mates back.”

“Fool. Her mate is here. She can’t run away. And with who, anyway?”

“Who knows? Did you know when Eddie’s heart got broken?”

“I’m not telling him that,” Knox muttered, already following Lydia’s scent outside.

The pack house was large—almost as big as his—but still smaller. He followed the trail to the garden and found Lydia there, sweet-talking her sister. Then her sister left, and Lydia was alone. As she started to stand up, she suddenly collapsed.

Knox rushed forward, catching her before she hit the ground. She was burning up. He pulled her into his arms—and she immediately began to cool, gasping for breath.

“Lydia, stay with me. I’m here,” he whispered, cradling her gently and soothing her until she fell asleep in his arms.

For some reason, it felt right—like she belonged there.

Knox carried her up to his room. He didn’t know where hers was, and it was too risky to go to the first floor without waking Alpha Damon. So, he brought her to the penthouse suite they’d been given as guests—a single-story floor with multiple rooms, suitable for royalty.

He wondered if they’d known they were going to be mated.

But he shook his head at the thought.

“Alpha,” Brian, his Gamma, called out as he stepped into the hallway.

“Yes?” Knox responded, his voice deeper and more commanding than usual.

Brian froze when he saw who Knox was carrying. “Can’t wait until you’re officially mated, Alpha?” he teased with a wink.

Knox growled. He was used to Brian’s playful attitude.

“Don’t get the wrong idea, fool. She was—” He stopped himself. He couldn’t tell Brian the truth. If Brian knew Lydia wasn’t his mate, he’d think Knox was making excuses, and that would only complicate everything.

“She was out cold from drinking,” Knox lied quickly. “You know she’s a heavy drinker. I brought her up because I didn’t know my way around the pack house and didn’t want to mess anything up.”

Brian tilted his head. “But werewolves don’t get drunk.”

Knox cursed internally. He’d forgotten for a moment that Lydia wasn’t human.

“Well, that explains it then. She drank like a hundred cups. Anyway, I’m off,” Knox said hastily before Brian could press further. He opened the door to his suite, brought Lydia inside, laid her gently on the bed, took off her shoes, and wrapped a blanket around her body.

“She is beautiful,” Kai, his wolf, growled low in his mind.

Knox sighed. “She is... but she’s not our mate. Our mate is in another bedroom with my brother.”

“Stepbrother, Knox,” Kai reminded him sharply. “He isn’t your blood. Don’t soften. We’ve got competition to win.”

“Fine. My stepbrother. And God knows what they might be doing right now.” Knox clenched his jaw. “I don’t even want to think about it.” He sat at the small table facing the wall. “I just wish things hadn’t gone south. I should have my mate and get the hell out of here. I wonder how Mom would react if I told her about this.”

“You can’t tell Jasmine. She’d freak out,” Kai growled. “You know she’s not the type to go quiet. It could cost us our entire plan. We wait until Sleeping Beauty wakes up—then we figure out how to get our mate back. Simple.”

Knox stared at Lydia, studying every curve of her peaceful face. “I don’t know... but something about her calms me. When I held her earlier, her pain disappeared. What does it mean, Kai? Are you connected to her wolf or something?”

“What, do you think I’m some kind of Wi-Fi? Don’t be ridiculous,” Kai scoffed. “She’s not our mate. I can’t connect to her wolf. But you’re right—something about her scent keeps me on edge. Her aura is thick... heavy. It smells like... calm.”

“But what caused her pain? Is she sick? Poisoned?”

“Still don’t get it?” Kai said solemnly. “I hate to say it, but you should know. She broke down because her mate—your stepbrother—was having sex with your mate. When one half of a bond sleeps with someone else, it causes pain. Her mate was with Thalia. That’s why she’s hurting.”

Knox’s nostrils flared. Rage simmered under his skin.

His stepbrother. With his mate.

The thought alone made his blood boil.

He forced himself to stay composed. He knew his mate wouldn’t have slept with his stepbrother if she knew their scents had been mixed. Still, he couldn’t tell her. That would be reckless.

“I don’t get it,” he muttered. “I should be in pain like her.”

He glanced at Lydia. “But the moment I was with her, it felt like…” He couldn’t finish the sentence.

She’s not your mate, he reminded himself.

“I need to go for a run. It’s been a while,” he said as he stood up.

“And we’re just gonna leave her here?” Kai asked. “What if she wakes up?”

“She’ll figure it out. This is her pack house. Nothing’s going to happen to her. And if she needs answers, she knows how to find me,” Knox replied, looking back at Lydia one last time.

“Well, if you say so. Let’s run. I’m tired of riding in that box all day.”

“It’s not a box, Kai. It’s a car,” Knox grumbled.

“Of course I know, dumbass. I just slipped. You think you’re smarter than me, huh? Don’t forget, I helped you during that meeting when you didn’t even know what a mate bond was.”

Knox rolled his eyes. “That was years ago.”

“Yeah, and it’s still glued to your record. Hah!”

“Whatever. And stop laughing like a lunatic.”

Night had fallen. The moon hung low and bright, its silver light filtering through the trees. Knox walked quietly to the edge of the forest. Pack warriors were patrolling, but he moved with stealth, ducking behind trees until he reached the deeper forest.

He wasn’t supposed to be out here, but he didn’t care. He needed to run. It was the only thing that helped him and Kai calm down.

Running was their therapy.

Just as he was about to strip, he noticed something near the pack hospital. A figure was talking to a warrior. At first, Knox thought it was just a casual exchange—until the scent hit him.

He knew that scent.

It was a beta’s scent.

His eyes narrowed. Then he recognized it—it was Beta Kelvin, Alpha Damon’s beta… and Thalia’s father.

What’s he doing here? Knox thought, crouching in the shadows.

He watched as the beta shook hands with the warrior. The warrior slipped something into Kelvin’s pocket and rushed off into the forest. A minute later, he returned and gestured toward the darkness.

The beta thanked him and disappeared into the woods.

Knox hesitated. It wasn’t his business…

But something pushed him.

He followed Kelvin, who was now moving like a trained scout, masking his scent and trail—standard tracker tactics.

But Knox was a Lycan.

Ten times stronger than a wolf. Sharper in scent. Cleaner in step. Faster in speed. He tracked him easily—with Kai’s help.

They arrived at a small clearing surrounded by trees. The beta stopped.

Knox crouched low in the grass, completely silent.

Kelvin looked like he was waiting for someone.

And soon, someone came.

A cloaked figure emerged from the shadows. His face was hidden, his scent unnatural—blended, masked, unreadable. Knox couldn’t tell if he was a rogue, a werewolf, or something else. The scent was only... woods. Pure forest.

Only one kind of person could mask their scent like that.

An experienced warlock.

“You’re here,” the cloaked man said. “I’ve been waiting ages.”

Kelvin chuckled. “I had to shake off the underlings. Couldn’t have them tailing me here.”

“Good thinking, boy. You’ve done well. I was beginning to wonder if you’d failed.”

“You know I wouldn’t,” Kelvin said with pride. “There’s a reason Damon made me beta. I’ve got potential.”

The cloaked man nodded. “Perhaps. Now the plan is in motion. Time for phase two.”

“No. Be patient,” the man snapped. “We wait just a little longer. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“But I thought—”

“I said wait,” the cloaked man cut him off. “We’ll meet again. For now, follow the script.”

With a wave of his hand, he vanished—just a whoosh of air left in his place.

Knox watched in stunned silence.

What the hell is going on?

Kelvin sighed. “He better hurry.”

Then he turned and headed back toward the pack house.

Knox didn’t move.

“I can’t believe we just saw that,” Kai growled.

Knox nodded grimly. This changes everything.

“A Beta… meeting with a warlock?”

“What do we do?” Kai asked.

“Nothing,” Knox said. “Not yet. We wait and watch. It’s not our concern.”

“No—he’s plotting something,” Kai growled.

“I know. But things just got interesting.”

And he meant it.

This is becoming interesting