Chapter 2 “𝐅𝐮𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞”

This was not where I was supposed to be. I should have been tearing through the forest, running for my life. But the winter cold was a death sentence on its own, and crossing the frozen border into Bloodvale Pack territory, the domain of the Alpha King, meant walking straight into my grave.

My only choice was to hide and figure out my next move.

Hiding in Liora's room was a special kind of madness. Desperation and the gut-wrenching fear of being caught had driven me into the nearest refuge. It just had to be hers.

Now curled into a tight ball inside her oversized dresser, I sent a silent prayer to any god who might be listening. Make me invisible. Please.

The door creaked open. My heart slammed against my ribs. I froze, one hand pressed tight to my chest, as soft, intimate laughter drifted into the room.

Liora. And a male voice I did not recognize.

Then came the sounds. Low moans. The wet, hungry smack of kisses. A sharp, breathless gasp.

"Micah," Liora breathed, and the world tilted.

Micah. The Gamma's son. They had been inseparable since childhood. But what in the name of the Moon Goddess was he doing in her private chambers? No woman of her status received a man alone unless he was her bonded mate.

Liora had been formally betrothed to King Kael since the age of five. She would not dare this. She could not.

Through the narrow slit between the dresser doors, I dared to look.

Liora was astride him, her skin flushed, her dark hair a wild mess. She moved with a rhythm that was both foreign and terrifying.

"Why did you stop?" Micah asked, his voice thick with irritation.

"I smell that loser again," Liora hissed, her nose wrinkling in disgust.

Loser. The word hit me like a shard of ice. That loser was me.

Micah let out an exasperated sigh. "She is probably just passing by in the hall. Do not tell me you want to stop because of that thing."

I swallowed hard, the insult burning in my throat. Why would they speak of me that way? Had I become so worthless that my very presence offended them?

Micah's voice dropped, turning somber. "After today, I will not have you anymore. You will be gone, married to King Kael."

"Oh, Micah," Liora purred, leaning down to brush her lips against his. "You will still have me. You are coming with me to the palace, remember?"

"As your personal guard, not your man," he corrected, his voice grim. "We had better be careful around Kael, or we will both lose our heads."

A sudden shout echoed from downstairs, sharp and commanding. "Search every room! Do not leave anywhere unchecked!"

My heart stopped.

No. No, no, no.

I cannot be caught now.

Liora scrambled off the bed, panic flashing in her eyes. "What the hell was that?"

"Hide," she hissed at Micah.

He rolled from the bed and slid underneath it just as the frame concealed him. Liora snatched a silk robe and tied it hastily around herself before stepping into the hallway.

I pressed my ear against the cool wood of the dresser, my chest heaving. Terror washed over me in sickening waves. I was trembling, exhausted, and utterly terrified.

If they found me now, there would be no trial. Only judgment.

"What is going on? Why are you searching all the rooms?" Fyina demanded in the hallway.

"We are looking for your servant girl," one of the men replied. "I am sorry, Mistress, but she must be found."

Fyina snorted in genuine confusion. "Servant girl?"

"The one sent to the Alpha this morning," the man clarified.

"Oh." Fyina began to say something more, but fell silent.

Then another voice spoke. "My Lord Beta."

It was my father.

"What is going on here?" he asked, his tone calm but edged.

"They are looking for Danika. Did she steal something? What did she steal?" Liora asked, her voice dripping with malicious eagerness.

Typical Liora. She lived for my downfall.

"What did my daughter do?" my father asked, his voice hardening.

"Forgive me for referring to your lady as a servant girl," the man said after a weighty pause. "She is wanted for killing the Alpha."

Three sharp, synchronized gasps pierced the hallway. I bit my lip so hard that the coppery taste of blood filled my mouth.

I had not meant to kill him. I still did not understand how it had happened.

Heavy footsteps stopped directly in front of the dresser. I stopped breathing. My entire body went rigid.

The world narrowed to the thin line of light between the doors.

Then, with a sudden violent scrape of wood, the drawer flew open.

Light flooded my hiding place. Micah crouched low before me, his eyes wide with surprise. We stared at each other in perfect, silent shock. He was supposed to be hidden, just like me.

I did not dare speak. I could only plead with my eyes. Please. Do not say anything.

His gaze held mine.

"My daughter would never do that," my father stated firmly from the hallway. The conviction in his voice made my eyes prick with tears.

"You do not know what that girl is capable of, my lord," Fyina replied.

"Danika has not returned, and no one will search my room," Liora added quickly. "You should look through the woodlands. She might be halfway to the border by now."

Of course. She was protecting her own secret, not me.

"If you find her, please inform the Pack House immediately," the man told my father. Footsteps retreated as the search party moved on.

As soon as the sound faded, Fyina's voice rose in a furious torrent. "I told you to throw that girl away and you refused. See what you have brought upon us! And now you go around calling her your daughter. What will people say?"

Her voice faded as she stormed deeper into the house, still ranting.

The bedroom door opened again. Liora swept back inside.

"I told you to hide, Micah. Do you want to get us into trouble?"

"Liora," Micah said calmly, "see who we have here."

"What?" She stepped closer. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw me crouched in her dresser, tangled in her fine silks and linens.

"Da—" she started, but Micah's hand shot out and clamped over her mouth, silencing her instantly.

I froze, stunned by his intervention.

---

This moment, I desperately wished for the heightened senses of a wolf. Sharper hearing would have let me catch every word of their hushed conversation.

Liora and Micah stood by the window, heads close together, whispering in urgent tones. I could not make out a single word. They kept glancing back at me as if I were livestock to be bartered. I did not trust them.

But I had no choice. I let out a quiet, resigned sigh.

The drawer opened once more. Both of them stood over me with unreadable expressions.

"We will let you go," Liora declared.

My eyes widened with a fragile spark of hope. It died quickly under cold suspicion.

"What is the catch?" I asked, my gaze darting warily between them.

The slow, cunning smiles that spread across their faces told me everything. I was not going to like their plan.