"Atst, I''ve caught you, you damn homewrecker."
"I wouldn''t say I''m shocked to see you, Amy," I reply, my voice steady despite the tension thickening the air between us, “but I''m definitely piecing things together. Not all of it, though. Can you exin why your mate wanted me captured?" I figure it''s worth a shot-she''s never one to keep things brief. Hopefully, she''s still talking.
"I want to be a Luna,” she states bluntly, her eyes burning with determination.
"Isn''t that what you already are? Your mate''s the Alpha of this rogue pack, which makes you their Luna by default. Didn''t they teach you how this works when you were a kid?” I say, my tone edged with disbelief. She responds with a light p-so much softer than the ones Dirk dishes out.
"Stupid bitch," she spits venomously. "I wanted to be Ryker''s Luna, and I almost had him—until your weak human self showed up. Why couldn''t you just stay away and let him hate you? He was this close to rejecting you. You don''t deserve to be his mate."
Her words hit my gut like a punch. I know I shouldn''t believe a single thing she says, but the doubt creeps in anyway. Was he really going to reject me for her? He never mentioned a thing. If he had, I would have let him go, especially at the beginning. I understand that he should have a mate who''s his equal, but now? Now he says he loves me. Or is that just the mate bond talking? He can''t just get rid of me because of it. I need to push these thoughts away, but it''s hard not to let her poison my mind.
"What was your n, anyway?" I ask, trying to keep my voice steady. "Kill me and then reject your own mate, hoping Ryker would choose you? You do realize he never would, right?"
"Of course he will! He''s been mine for so long. He was going to pick me before you showed up," she insists, her eyes zing with conviction.
"He''s never wanted a chosen mate," I say, rolling my eyes. "Anyone who knows him understands that. Clearly, you weren''t close enough to him to know that."
SLAP!
I wince, already dreading the reflection I''ll see when I finally get a look at my face.
"He''ll choose me if he knows what''s best for him," she deres. "He''ll reject you and im me. Otherwise, you''ll die. When Ryker ims me, I''ll reject Finn. It''s that simple."
"That''s your brilliant n?" I ask, my hands rubbing over my sore cheek. "Do you even realize how many holes there are in that idea? What do you n to do with the mate you already have if he refuses to ept your rejection?" I nod toward the tent''s entrance.
"I''ll reject him andmand him to ept me. He''s only pretending to be an alpha. I deserve a true-born alpha," she says, puffing up her chest as if she''s already won.
"And why exactly do you think that?" I ask, not even bothering to mask the boredom creeping into my voice. She''s clearly delusional.
"My dad is alpha-born, which means I have alpha blood. I deserve a full-blood alpha as my mate, and I will have Ryker," she says, stomping her foot like a petnt child. I''m honestly losing patience with her childish tantrums.
"So your dad isn''t an alpha running a pack? He''s just alpha-born?" I rify.
"He should be running a pack, but that''s going to change soon enough," she replies, her eyes wild with manic energy. I''m not sure if she''s still talking to me or just lost in her own thoughts.
"Is he trying to take something that doesn''t belong to him, too?" I ask, watching as she begins to pace nervously.
"Ryker''s pack belongs to us. It should have always belonged to us. Alpha Ryan never should have survived that attack. The n was wless. The warriors were in ce, and his car was sabotaged. If only he had died, we would have everything right here," she says, her voice dropping to a whisper filled with bitter resentment.
Wait-what? How does she know so many details about the attack on Alpha Ryan? Oh no. This can''t be real. Suddenly, it all makes sense—the carefully targeted attacks, the insider knowledge. This isn''t random at all.