Chapter 12
Callan’s POV
There was something off in the air tonight. The kind of wrong that made you grit your teeth before the threat even showed itself. That’s why I led the patrol myself because no matter how well–trained my men are, instincts like this don’t get ignored.!
The forest was quiet, but it wasn’t peace. I’d barely spoken all night, just listened for a crack in the leaves, a ripple in the wards, anything that would explain the tension in my chest.
Halfway through the east perimeter, I sniffed in the air. “Foreign scent,” I muttered, halting the patrol.2
od out
One of my men paused and looked around with a growl. “You are right, Alpha. But it’s not a human scent, not a rogue’s either.
Then the headlights cut through the dark. A black SUV, sleek, tinted, and slow–rolling. The engine shut off. The door slammed. And stepped a man I didn’t need a damn introduction to
Zane.
I knew the name long before Tony told me the full story. Hell, every pack in the region had heard about the scandal brewing in Silverclaw The Luna stripped of her title. The blood transfusion. The miscarriage. The betrayal. But it hadn’t clicked until Tony dropped the news that the woman involved–the one who’d been humiliated, used, and thrown aside–was his cousin Quinn.!!
Standing face to face with the bastard now, it took everything in me not to shift on the spot and tear him to shreds. My wolf was clawing under my skin, demanding for a fight. My fists twitched with the need to grab him by the throat and end it all right here.
But I held myself back. Barely.
Because I needed to see how far he’d go. Needed to let him reveal his hand first.
Because if I was going to burn him down, I wanted to do it right
He didn’t hesitate Walked straight to the gate with that Take Alpha swagger like he thought this was still his territory to command. His
eyes were wild
“Is this where Quinn is?! Show her to mez
The guards bristled. One turned to me. “Alpha Callan, should we detain him?
I held up a hand. “No. Let’s hear him out.”
Zane stepped closer to the gate, his breath ragged like he’d been chasing ghosts. “I’ve searched every pack across t
the region. checked rogue lists and death records. This is the last place left I know she’s here. I can smell her.”
Even
I crossed my arms. “So now you think you’ve got a mate’s bloodhound nose? You smell a woman through territories? That’s not instinct, that’s obsession.”
He didn’t blink. Just kept scanning the trees, like he was trying to will her into the open. And truth be told, I was getting a little too aware of how right he might be
Quinn had been nearby. She’d gone out just minutes ago with a servant to pick apples. If she was still in the orchard clearing, she wasn’t
“You’ve spoken your delusion,” I said flatly “Now turn around and leave before I turn your ego into fertilizer.”
Zane’s head snapped toward me “You threaten an Alpha? I am Zane, Alpha of Silverclaw. What you’re doing is grounds for war“!
I didn’t even flinch “Good. Because if war’s what you want, I’ll give you more than you can handle.
He looked like he was about to argue, jaw tightening and words loading on his tongue. But then he stopped. Froze. His nostrils flared. He sniffed the air like a hound picking up a scent trail X
Law the shift in his eyes the moment it hit him. That sweet, wild scent. I knew it too. Because it had been driving me mad since the day she stepped into my tentory Quinn didn’t wear perfume, didn’t need to. She camed a scent that stuck in a man’s brain like heat from a
re you didn’t want to walk away from
“Uknewit” he muttered, now gazing directly at her
Quinn stood halfway behind a then tree line, her hair pulled back in a loose tie, a half–filled basket of apples hanging loosely from one hand. The other hand hovered near her side, like she’d just realized she’d walked into a trap. Her eyes locked with his–wide, startled, and Filled with dread i
Damn it the’d only gone out for a short walk with a servant I should’ve kept her inside Should’ve known Zane would push this far And now he’d seen her. That bastard had picked up her scent after all k
I could. He pushed through the guards and stormed across the field i
shouted “Quinn, come hereft
She slapped him, but it didn’t slow hum
“You’re coming with met You are my Luna You don’t get to hude here like some coward in a freak’s tentory’s
whether you like it or not. Subruie’s
es wobbling, shoulders sagging, eyes fückering with resistance. He was using his Alpha aurai
as losing
didn’t wait for permission
3:53 PM c c
Her body buckled. I saw her knees wobbling, shoulders sagging, eyes flickering with resistance. He was using his Alpha aura
And she was losing
My wolf didn’t wait for permission
PIN the ground with a snarl, massive paws
I shifted in a single breath, pain ripping through me as bone cracked and fur surged over skin pounding against the dirt as I charged ”
Zane caught the movement and shifted a heartbeat before I slammed into him, His form was fast but speed doesn’t matter when your opponent outweighs you and has fury on his side. We collided mid–field with bone–jarring force. Claws tore across flesh. Teeth snapped. I felt one of his fangs graze my shoulder, and I responded by driving my weight into him, lifting him clean off his feet.
The crack of his body slamming into a thick pine was satisfying. The tree shook. He landed hard, dirt kicking up around him. Blood ran down his side, but he still stood, panting, baring his teeth with that same smug expression like he didn’t just get flattened.
He was bleeding, breathing hard, and still acting like he had the upper hand. Typical
Then he turned and looked at her. “This isn’t over! You’re still mine! I’m still your Alphal
He ran, but I didn’t chase. Not because I couldn’t. But because she was still here. And she needed me more than he needed punishment?
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