Where is She?

Chapter 5

Where is She?

Reece’s POV

The moment Damon roared those words, the peace in the cabin scattered. Kael’s face went from cold control to murderous rage. Damon looked ready to shift and rip apart the entire Silverpine patrol with his teeth.

And our little mate? Aria looked like a rabbit caught in a snare, her fear so sweet and ravishing in the air. I took a very deep breath, as if her fear was food for me to eat. So delicious. 

But all these were just…convenient. 

A rejected omega, a mythical White Wolf, and our fated mate, all delivered to our doorstep, and just then, enemies start to show? The timing was too perfect. It just smelled of setup and…Council manipulation. Cornelius was many things, but a fool wasn't one of them. What better way to destroy us than from the inside? To use a pretty, broken thing as a weapon to infiltrate our pack?

While my brothers were busy trying to protect the pack with anger, my mind was working. I needed to get her alone. I needed to see the truth behind those stormy gray eyes. She was a fucking spy.

"Kael," I said, my voice cutting through the noise. "Let me handle this."

Kael’s icy gaze snapped to me. "Handle what?"

"Her," I said, flicking my eyes toward Aria. “I'll keep her safe while you two keep them off.”

I saw the protest in Damon’s eyes, the instinct to shield her himself, but Kael, the pragmatic bastard, gave a sharp nod. He trusted me, even though he really didn't trust me and my unpredictability. 

Before Aria could utter a word, I had grabbed her by the arm. My grip was firm, but not cruel. "Come with me, little omega. We need to talk."

I pulled her from the room, down a narrow, hidden corridor behind a tapestry that led to the old wine cellar. It was a place where no one would find us. The sounds of my brothers' arguing faded away.

I pushed her inside and closed the heavy door, plunging us into near-darkness, the only light coming from a single, high window.

"Wha—what are you doing?" she stammered, backing away until she hit a rack of wine bottles. They clinked together, making sounds.

"Having a conversation," I said, leaning against the door, blocking her only exit. I let my eyes roam over her. The oversized sweater, the trembling hands, the wide, frightened eyes. She was the perfect picture of innocence. It was a very good act. "You have an interesting talent for showing up just when trouble arrives."

"I didn't—"

"Save it," I purred, pushing off the door and taking a slow step toward her. "Let's skip the part where you play the victim. Who sent you? Cornelius? The Council?"

Her chin trembled, but she held my gaze. "No one sent me. I ran. You saw me! I was half-dead!"

"Or very good at playing the part." I was in front of her now, so close I could feel the heat from her body. Her scent, that intoxicating mix of fear and arousal wrapped around me. The little bitch was turned on by this. I shook my head, shaking it off. There were more important things than her arousal right now. My wolf stirred, wanting to believe her. I shoved it down. "A White Wolf. Our fated mate. It's a lovely story. It's the kind of story a clever spy would tell our Sage to tell us. Or manipulate yourself to be a White Wolf.”

Tears welled in her eyes. "It's the truth."

"Is it?" I reached out, trailing a single finger down the side of her neck. She shuddered. Her pulse hammered under my touch, beating heavily. "Because from where I'm standing, you're a spy sent to distract us, to weaken us, to make us lower our guard."

"I'm not a weapon," she whispered, her voice breaking.

"Aren't you?" I leaned in, my lips hovering just beside her ear, "You've already got Damon wrapped around your little finger. Kael is fighting his instincts. And me…" I pulled back to look at her, letting her see the cold calculation in my eyes. "You fascinate me. But I don't trust you."

A single tear escaped and traced a path on her cheek. The sight sent an unwelcome pang through my chest. I ignored it.

"I have nothing," she choked out. "No one. Why can't you believe me?"

Right then, I realised she might not have anyone. She was an orphan, right? So she had not had any sort of love shown to her. She was hungry…practically starving for it. I could feel it.

My strategy shifted in an instant. If she was a spy, breaking her would require a different kind of pressure. If she wasn't… well, the method would work just as well to bind her to me.

"Maybe I want to," I said, my voice dropping, losing its edge and becoming something softer, like I was hypnotising her. "Maybe I look at you, and I see something real. But I need to be sure, Aria. I need to feel that you're real."

I cupped her face, my thumb wiping away that stray tear. Her breath hitched. She was so starved for affection, my touch was like food for her. I could feel her leaning into it, even as she tried to resist.

"You've never been touched with kindness, have you?" I murmured, my other hand coming to rest on her waist, pulling her just an inch closer. "Only with pain. Only to hurt."

She shook her head, more tears falling, her body trembling. "No."

"Let me show you the difference," I whispered, my lips brushing her temple. It was a ghost of a touch, but she melted against me, a soft, helpless sound escaping her lips. "Let me prove that not all touch is a weapon. Some can be safe and enjoyable.”

I lowered my head, my mouth hovering over hers. Her eyes were wide, confused, full of a desperate longing that was too raw to be fake. This wasn't an act. This was a broken girl, terrified and alone, being offered a crumb of warmth.

And I was the monster using it to manipulate her.

"Tell me you're not a spy," I breathed against her lips, my voice a seductive caress. "And I'll believe you. I'll protect you. I'll be the one you can trust."

It was a lie, it knew that, but I needed to get to the bottom of this.

She was trembling, her body caught between a long time of fear and the overwhelming pull of the mate bond. Her lips parted.

"I… I'm not…"

And then I kissed her.

It wasn't a gentle kiss. It was claimed as I devoured her. It was me pouring every ounce of my deceptive charm, every bit of my predatory need, into it. I kissed her like I was starving, and she was the first taste of food I had had in years. My hands slid into her hair, holding her still, as I plundered her mouth, tasting her tears, her fear, her shocking, innocent sweetness.

And she kissed me back.

Tentatively at first, then with a sudden, shocking fervor. Her small hands came up to clutch at my shoulders, holding on as if I were the only solid thing in her spinning world. A low moan vibrated in her throat, and the sound went straight to my cock. 

The bond between us snapped, flooding me with a sense of rightness… that this was true and that I was being a fucking jerk to her. And it scared me, more than the people at the gate. For a moment, I forgot she was a suspect. I forgot the curse. I forgot everything but the feel of her in my arms, the taste of her on my tongue.

I broke the kiss, both of us breathing heavily. Her eyes were glazed, her lips swollen. She looked thoroughly, completely wrecked.

"See?" I whispered, my forehead resting against hers, my voice rough with a desire that was suddenly, dangerously real. "That didn't hurt, did it?"

She just shook her head, dazed.

I smiled, a genuine, predatory smile. The first part of my plan was complete. I had her off-balance. I had her wanting me. 

"Good," I said, my voice dropping to a whisper. "Because they're getting closer. I can hear them. Your ex-mate is howling for you."

Her eyes widened in fresh terror.

"But I won't let him have you," I promised, sealing the lie with another soft, quick kiss. "I'm going to hide you. Somewhere safe. Somewhere only I know. You just have to do exactly as I say. Can you do that for me, Aria? Can you trust me?"

She looked up at me, her entire world reduced to the two of us in this dark cellar. I saw the war in her eyes, the instinct to survive against the desperate hope that I was her salvation.

She swallowed hard and gave a tiny, helpless nod.

Perfect.

I took her hand, lacing my fingers through hers. "Then let's go. Now."

I led her to a hidden hatch in the floor I used for emergencies, pulling it open to reveal a dark, earthy tunnel below.

"Down there," I instructed, helping her in. "Wait for me. Don't make a sound."

She looked down into the darkness, then back at me, her eyes full of a terrifying, fragile trust. "You'll come back for me?"

I gave her my most charming, reassuring smile, the one that had fooled kings and killers.

"Of course I will, darling," I said softly.

Just as she began to climb down, a thunderous crash came from the front of that tunnel, followed by a voice I knew all too well, roaring with alpha command.

"WHERE IS SHE, YOU TRAITORS?"

Aria gasped, her eyes flying to mine in panic.

I held her gaze, my smile never wavering.

"It seems Marcus has found his mate.” I tilted my head, watching as Marcus marched towards her.