Alexander POV


    Last night, out of some strange impulse, I had asked E about Liam’s pack-Nightshade.


    They were one of Ashw’srgest rivals, and one of the suspected packs in my parents’ death.


    But E had already fallen asleep by the time I asked if Liam came here with the intention of making her his Luna, which was probably for the best. The question had been impulsive, and if E was in cahoots with Liam, I couldn’t risk them finding out about my suspicions.


    I hadn’t been able to sleep well after that, though. The closeness of our bodies, the scent of her filling the room-she smelled like cherry blossoms and vani-was just too much.


    And to make matters worse, I had woken up with her in my arms, her slender body pressed firmly against mine, her hair brushing my cheek, her heart beating in tandem with mine.


    It felt so perfect.


    Too perfect.


    It was a good thing Sophia had entered at that moment before anything regrettable could happen. Her entrance had been a reminder of just how d I was that I had purposely ced E’s bedroom on the opposite side of the mansion, as far away as I possibly could.


    Because if my mate had been closer to me all these years… I would have fallen for her and it would have ruined everything.


    Still, I couldn’t help but be impressed by E’s diligence at breakfast. She not only seemed to be taking our new contract seriously, trying to help me rather than frustrate me, but also genuinely seemed knowledgeable about the pack.


    Maybe I had underestimated her all these years.


    But then again, if Gabriel was right and she was a spy, and I let her sit in on more meetings… who knew what she would do with our private pack information? Pass it on to Liam, perhaps?


    No, I couldn’t fall for it. It was too risky to start trusting her now. If anything, I needed to be more guarded.


    Suddenly, a snarl erupted from nearby, pulling me from my thoughts. Before I had a chance to react, something mmed into my side. I felt a ripping, searing pain as a w sliced across my thigh, tearing straight through the leather. The coppery tang of blood filled the air, and for a moment, my ears rang from the force of my head hitting the ground.


    The rogue leaped over me and skidded to a halt in the dirt, saliva dripping from its jaws.


    I quickly recovered just before it leapt again. I pulled the ruby knife from the sheath on my chest and stabbed upward as the rogue flew over me.


    My knife hit its mark. There was a sickening crunch, a whimper, and then I felt warm crimson liquid spill down onto my


    face.


    The rogue flopped off to the side, gushing blood into the dirt. It shrieked, twitched, then went still.


    I was catching my breath, on my knees, when Gabriel burst out of the nearby underbrush.


    “Alpha!” he gasped, rushing forward and helping me up. “Your leg-”


    “I’m fine,” I said, which was true. The rogue had gouged my leg pretty good, but with my Alpha healing, I’d be right as rain by tomorrow. And the adrenaline helped with the pain for now.


    Gabriel pursed his lips. “You were thinking about her again, weren’t you? You shouldn’t be distracted during a time like this.”


    My jaw ticked. “Trust me, I know.”


    With thest of the rogues handled-most of them killed, the rest sent running with their tails between their legs-we headed back to the pack grounds. Gabriel scolded me the entire way.


    “It’s because of that Liam guy,” Gabriel sighed, shaking his head. “You’re more jealous about their rtionship than you should be, and it’s getting into your head.”


    The mention of Liam made my face heat with anger. “I don’t care about them,” I said, but we both knew it was a lie.


    And when we returned and I saw E in Liam’s arms, my lie became even more apparent.


    E POV


    About halfway through the tour, we stopped by the smallke on the southern side of the pack grounds. The sun had begun to rise high in the sky, and the cool spring morning had turned surprisingly warm.


    The Board seemed pleased with my tour. Currently, they were mingling over by a table where Lilith had set up some refreshments.


    “I still don’t get why he has such little faith in me,” I grumbled as I sipped the coolvender lemonade Lilith had brought me. “It’s like he thinks I just sat around doing nothing for five years.”


    Lilith nced at me. “Men like him often don’t notice the effort women put in until it’s toote. Give him a few months of you not managing every party and household task, and he’ll realize what he threw away.”


    “Well. At least he agreed to divorce me.”


    “And you’re sure you’ll feelfortable cutting it that close? What if things don’t go perfectly his way and he pulls out of the contract or betrays you at the very end, leaving you with only three months to figure something else out?”


    “Alexander, for all his ws, takes a contract very seriously,” I replied. “He spent five years following our marriage contract to a fault. He won’t pull out of this one.”


    Lilith didn’t seem convinced, but she didn’t have a chance to say anything else, because a sudden gust of wind knocked over arge pitcher of iced tea, soaking the tablecloth and the nearby finger sandwiches.


    “Oh, confound it!” she muttered, hurrying away to clean up the mess.


    I was just about to follow her and help when Liam approached. “Mind if I join you?” he asked, gesturing to the tree I was sitting under.


    I nodded and moved aside so he could sit down beside me. The grass was cool and soft beneath us, and Liam tilted his head back against the tree, shutting his eyes for a moment and just enjoying the breeze.


    For a few minutes, we just sat like that, neither of us speaking. I felt like we were kids again, just enjoying each other’spany without the need for words. It was nice.


    Suddenly, I asked, “Do you still have it?”


    Liam cracked one blue eye open. “Have what?”


    “The ne I gave you. The one with the paper airne charm.”


    I half expected him not to even remember, but when he grinned conspiratorially and reached into his shirt, pulling out a familiar silver charm, I almost cried out with glee. “You did keep it,” I breathed, reaching out to touch the little pendant. It


    still looked brand new, not even a little tarnished.


    “How could I not?” he asked, slipping it back into his shirt before the others could see. “It’s the one thing I hold dear.”


    My heart softened at his words. I desperately wanted to know what happened at that camp. “Liam, what-”


    “Tell me what’s going on between you and Alexander.”


    I blinked, surprised. Liam steadily held my stare, that knowing gaze in his eyes. My throat bobbed. “Nothing. I don’t know


    “E. I spent every day for the past twelve years thinking about your smile. Something is different about it now-you’re not being genuine.”


    His observance should haveforted me. But all I felt was overwhelmed; if I told him the truth, would he give Ashw a bad review? Would Alexander not be able to campaign? Would he find a way to pull out of the contract if that happened, just like Lilith said?


    “Everything is fine, Liam. Really.”


    “You have to tell me, E. If you need help-”


    “I said I’m fine.” I stood abruptly, surprising both of us. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Liam was always sharp, but this… it felt different.


    “E-”


    “I’ll be right back,” I said, already moving away. “Wait here.”


    Liam stood, calling after me, but I hurried away without looking back. I wasn’t sure where I was going-I just needed to get


    away.


    Suddenly, Sophia unexpectedly appeared at my side. “Need some air?”


    “Something like that.”


    “How about the barn? I could use a moment to myself, too.”


    I hesitated, wanting to tell her to leave me alone. But the barn was nearby, and it wasn’t a bad idea; the smell of the hay always soothed me, and I enjoyed hearing the rhythmic munching of the cows as they chewed on their grain.


    With a nod, I allowed Sophia to lead me to the barn. The light dimmed significantly as we stepped inside, and without my wolf, my eyes had to take a moment to adjust. When they did, I saw Sophia climbing thedder to the hayloft.


    I followed her, finding her standing near the open hay door on the second floor. The breeze was rustling through her brte hair as she stood there, eyes closed. I joined her and did the same.


    “This does feel nice,” I muttered, and I meant it.


    “Yeah. It sure does.”


    Suddenly, I felt something shove against my lower back. I screamed, and before I had the chance to catch myself, I was falling out of the barn. The ground rushed toward me, and I braced myself for impact.


    But the impact never came. A pair of warm arms caught me just moments before I hit the ground, and we fell backwards into a pile of hay, golden needles flying up around us.


    Gasping, I looked up to see a pair of blue eyes staring down at me in shock.


    “Liam,” I whispered, “you caught me-”


    Suddenly, another pair of hands grabbed me and pulled me out of Liam’s grip. Someone lifted me off the ground, and the smell of sweat, blood, leather, bourbon, and woodfire smoke filled my nostrils.


    Alexander.