Kyra’s POV
My wolf, Sylvia, let out a warning growl in my mind the mont Emily’s cloying jasmine scent invaded my shop. Thinking she had co here to fight, just like Sophia did, I greeted her with a cold stare. I didn’t an to be rude, but my lips curled back instinctively, a low rumble in my chest as she sauntered toward .
Yara excused herself with a aningful glance, her werewolf instincts picking up on the brewing confrontation between dominant females.
"What are you doing in my shop?" I asked. Sylvia bristled at the challenge in Emily’s posture.
"I just wanted to see what kind of she-wolf you are," Emily answered and sat comfortably in the chair in front of .
"Just tell what you want, Emily."
She chuckled. "I want Kieran. Can you give what I want?" Emily purred, dragging her claws—no, her manicured nails—across my counter table. "Kieran’s never kept a relationship this long before."
"Co on, Kyra. I didn’t co here to fight. I just want to know what makes you special. I want to try to see what Kieran sees in you that he didn’t see in . It can’t be your beauty, since I’m more beautiful than you."
I rolled my eyes. "Basically, he has feelings for , Emily. That’s the difference between you and ."
She chuckled again and nodded slowly. "Hmm. I guess so. That’s why I wanted to see you. I want to know how you move, how you speak, how you smile, how you talk. Maybe I can copy you and get him back."
I took a deep breath, calming my rising fury. "State your business or leave, Emily. This isn’t social hour."
She crossed her legs, that ridiculously short skirt riding up to reveal far too much. "I want what you have," she said bluntly. "Kieran’s mark. His bite. His knot."
"He’s not so trophy to be won," I snapped. "The mate bond doesn’t work that way."
Emily’s laugh was like nails on a chalkboard. "Oh please, we both know he didn’t claim you because he’d never truly fall for anyone. Before that?" She leaned forward, her scent turning acrid with jealousy. "He fucked you and wanted you as his mate just for his pack’s political tricks."
I clenched my fists, my nails biting into my palms as I fought for control.
"Leave. Now." My voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.
Emily just smirked, tossing a business card on the table with her phone number written in that loopy, girlish handwriting. "Call when you realize what kind of monster you’ve bound yourself to."
My blood ran cold. "What’s that supposed to an?"
She stood, deliberately swaying her hips in that exaggerated way. "Ask your daddy, sweetheart. Oh, wait..." She fake-pouted. "You haven’t spoken to Alpha Darian in what, three years?"
"You know my father?"
Emily just winked at . The shop door slamd open with enough force to rattle the windows. Kieran stood there, his blue eyes blazing with wolf-light, his massive fra blocking the entire doorway.
Emily had the good sense to pale. "K-Kieran! I was just—"
"Out." The single word vibrated with Alpha command, so potent even I felt it in my bones.
Emily scrambled past him. The mont she was gone, Kieran stord toward , his scent a turbulent storm of cedar and fury.
"What did she want?" he growled.
I quickly pocketed the card before he could see it. Sylvia urged caution as I grabbed Kieran’s arm, dragging him toward my office.
His rage was a living thing between us, but beneath it... was that fear? Why would an Alpha like Kieran be afraid of whatever ga Emily was playing?
"What did she do? What is she doing here?" Kieran asked, not giving a chance to ask what had angered him.
Sylvia growled low in my mind. "He is hiding sothing."
I forced calm into my voice. "She doesn’t have reason, Kieran. I guess she just wants to annoy ."
His jaw clenched hard enough that I heard his teeth grind. "Don’t lie to , Kyra. Emily doesn’t do anything without a purpose. What did she say?"
My own wolf bristled at his tone.
"Why are you so certain she ca with so purpose?" I countered, studying his face. "Am I missing sothing, Kieran?"
A shadow passed through his eyes—there and gone so fast I might have imagined it. Kieran exhaled sharply, his scent shifting from stormy cedar to sothing more controlled.
"Forgive , Kyra," he murmured, running a hand through his hair. "Rogue sightings near our borders have on edge."
Sylvia huffed skeptically. "Half-truth," she whispered in my mind.
I wasn’t convinced. Alphas didn’t lose control like this over rogue reports. "Is the pack in danger?" I pressed.
Kieran’s arms encircled my waist, pulling against his chest with possessive strength. "Nothing my mate needs to worry about," he murmured against my neck, resting his face on my shoulder. I lifted my arm and gently caressed his back.
I shivered, my body responding despite my suspicions. "You’re avoiding the question, Alpha," I managed to say, even as my fingers carded through his hair.
He chuckled. "We could stay like this all day," he deflected, nuzzling deeper into my shoulder.
Sylvia whined in frustration as I pulled back to study his face. "Kieran, I want to see my father."
His entire body went rigid. For three heartbeats, he didn’t breathe. Then—"Your father’s taken leave from the pack," he said carefully. "Gone to visit our allies in the Northern Territories."
I studied his face, my fingers tracing his jawline. "So that’s why you’ve been so stressed? Taking on his Alpha duties while he’s away?"
Kieran smiled. "The Northern alliance is crucial. He’s earned this diplomatic mission."
I bit my bottom lip, guilt twisting inside . Emily’s words echoed in my mind. Call your father.
"Then I’ll visit him when he returns," I said, but Kieran shook his head.
His arms tightened around . "I’ll be busy with pack business. I can’t go with you."
"But I can go alone."
He growled. "Not with rogues circling our borders." His large hand settled on my swollen belly. "I won’t let my pregnant mate travel alone," he rumbled. "When you visit your father, I’ll be by your side. But right now, you need rest."
The finality in his tone brooked no argunt, but as his lips found mine, Sylvia paced restlessly in my mind. "Sothing’s wrong," she whispered. "Why won’t he let us see our sire?"
I kissed him back with equal fervor, but the seed of doubt had been planted. Emily’s visit, Kieran’s overreaction, my father’s sudden absence... The pieces didn’t fit, and for the first ti since being together, I wondered what truths lay buried beneath Kieran’s carefully constructed lies.
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