Chapter 73
Chapter 73
GRAYSON
She fucking needs me.
And I couldn’t be there for her.
My girl is in pain, and I am locked in this goddamn room pretending I give a shit to what the elders have to say. I don’t like it when things don’t go in my way, but it turns out, it’s the same for the alpha. I pissed him off that’s why he shows up with his bastard.
“Riot cannot be the next alpha,” Aria’s father said giving me a look. I think it translates to ‘fuck you.’
My fists clench so hard my knuckles flash bone white. I want to tear through this table. Flip it. Smash it. Rip out Riot’s smug throat and remind every asshole sitting here that bloodlines don’t mean shit when you’ve got bite.
“Grayson,” the Alpha says, low and clipped.
I lift my head slowly, not really interested to what he’s about to say. “You’re twitching like you’ve got something to say,” he mutters.
Say?
No.
I want to howl.
I stare him down, slow and quiet, the way predators size up threats. “Riot doesn’t have the spine to lead,” I say, each word sharp enough to cut meat. “You want a wolf who’ll bow to you. Not one who’ll burn for the pack.”
That gets a reaction.
“He isn’t even here,” Elder Vass says, his voice clipped, like my words are beneath the room. “You slander a wolf who hasn’t had the chance to defend
himself.”
“I don’t need him here to know what he is.” I lean forward, hands braced against the table, spine bowed like I’m ready to pounce. “I’ve been leading this pack since I’m eighteen. You know what I am capable of.”
The Alpha watches me closely now. I know why he’s trying to stir this coup.
When I refused to mate Aria that day, that’s when he decided to show me he’s not bluffing.
He wants me cornered. Wants to punish me for saying no with an audience.
“And what are you capable of, son?” He smirks, eyes glinting with that same old fake interest. “When you can’t even find a good Luna for this pack?”
Luna.
Tch.
He thinks I’m vulnerable there. Thinks I’m unbalanced without a pretty bitch at my side to dress up the throne.
He’s wrong.
I push my chair back with a slow scrape – not loud, not rushed – just enough to make every ear twitch. My spine stretches as I rise, the bones along my back shifting with tension, like fur could rip through skin at any second.
My claws itch beneath my fingers. I don’t shift. Even if I want to. Instead, I plant both hands on the table- firm, wide stance, elbows locked.
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Chapter 73
1 look him in the eye.
“You think I need a Luna to prove I’m fit to lead?”
My voice is low. Not quiet. Low. That kind of voice that hunts in silence and still gets blood.
“I’ve led this pack without a mate, without your approval, and without kissing any elder’s ring. You want someone who fucks tradition and grovels for scraps–go find a tame dog.”
A muscle ticks in his jaw and I hope he knows it’s me saying he cannot and will never be control me.
“But if you want a wolf–one who knows every inch of these mountains, one who buried half your enemies without asking for permission–then you know damn well I’m the only name that matters.”
Elder Vass shifts, opens his mouth like he’s got something to say. He doesn’t get the chance. I slam my hand down–not to scare, just to interrupt – just to remind the room that I let them talk, not the other way around.
“Keep pushing. Keep throwing her name in my face. But don’t act surprised when I stop playing civil and start tearing out throats.”
And then I walk out of the room to ease Jessica’s pain. Shit. I almost forgot it’s just a week before her birthday. A week from now, her body’s going to betray her. And it’s already starting. I can tell. The way the bond flares, the way her moods sharpen, the way I wake up at night already hard, already starving for her like my instincts are weeks ahead of reality.
And what are they doing?
Trying to break her spine before it even begins.
I round the last corner just a few blocks away from her house when suddenly, a small hand stop me from moving.
“Move.” I don’t shout. I don’t bare teeth. But my body vibrates with the restraint it takes not to shove her out of the way.
Aria’s lips press together. “Grayson, you’re spiraling.”
No. I’m focused. For once in this fucked–up mess, I know exactly what I’m doing. What I’m running to. Who I’m choosing.
She tilts her head, the picture of concern. Or maybe performance. I can’t tell anymore. “You’re not thinking clearly. She’s not your mate, no matter how hard you pretend.”
“Get your hand off me.”
“I’m trying to help you. I’ve always tried to-”
“No. You tried to win.”
meet her eyes and she flinches. “You don’t understand-”
She says something else—I think. But I’m already moving. Already past her. Because every second wasted here is another second Jessica is in pain.
I’m halfway down the block when I hear it-
“Grayson!”
Crack.
I felt a hard slap across my face. Slowly, I turn my head, jaw tight as I control myself to not kill Aria right here, right now.
“I’m not done,” she snaps, voice trembling, “You don’t get to walk away from me. Not again. Not for her.”
I stare at her.
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Chapter 73
“You don’t decide where I go,” I say, voice low, sharp enough to bleed. “And you sure as hell don’t get to lay a hand on me.
She steps forward. “She’s manipulating you–”
“She’s hurting,” I snarl, stepping into her space now, towering over her, letting the full weight of alpha bleed into every word. “And you think this → gesture between us, to the slap, to her eyes, to every lie that ever passed her lips “-is more important than that?”
“She’s not your mate,” she hisses, desperate now. “She never was. I am. You think some brokeri girl with scars and an attitude can carry this pack? You’re not thinking clearly-”
“I’m thinking clearer than I ever have,” I bite back. “You want this title? This crown? Fine. Fight for it. But don’t touch what’s mine again.”
Her face twists–hurt, fury, panic. “Then tell me why my wolf said she’s your mate too!”
That. Stops. Me.
No.
That’s fucking impossible.
Aria takes a hesitant step closer, her breath hitching, eyes glistening with tears–fragile, raw, almost breaking. “Can’t you feel it, Grayson? Can’t you feel
us?”
I swallow hard. My muscles tense, and for a good fucking second, I swear, my wolf stirs inside me as if it fucking longs for Aria’s touch.
And that’s when something snaps inside me.
The wolf–my wolf–claws its way forward, not fully breaking skin but close enough that I feel fur rippling beneath the surface. A growl rips from my throat, primal and uncontrolled.
“Liar.” The word comes out mangled, half–human, half–beast. My canines lengthen, pressing against my bottom lip. “You’re fucking lying.”
Aria steps back, eyes widening. “Grayson, your eyes-”
I don’t care. I can feel my irises burning gold, the way they do when the wolf takes control. Good. Let it. Let her see what she’s provoking.
“You think! don’t know what you’re doing?” I snarl, advancing on her. “You think I can’t smell the desperation on you? The fucking deceit?”
She backs up against a tree, trapped. “It’s true! I swear it! Ask your wolf-”
My hand slams into the bark beside her head, splintering wood. “My wolf knows Jessica. Only Jessica.” I lean in close enough to see the pulse hammering in her throat. “My wolf would tear through anyone who tried to come between us.”
“Then why can I feel you?” she whispers, trembling but defiant. “Why do I dream about you? Why does my wolf howl
for yours
at night?”
Something cold slides down my spine. For a split second–just a fraction of a moment–my wolf hesitates. Listens. Sniffs.
And I hate it. I hate that my animal side even paused to consider her words.
“Pack magic,” I growl, leaning closer, letting her see the monster beneath my skin. “Witch spells. I don’t give a fuck what tricks you’re pl
won’t work.”
but they
Her hand reaches up, bold and desperate, to touch my face where she slapped me. “Listen to me.”
A whine builds in my chest, unbidden and unwanted.
“Stop that,” I growl, grabbing her throat with a clawed hand, careful not to pierce skin even in my rage. “Don’t you dare try to speak to my wolf”
“He already hears me,” Aria whispers, tears in her eyes but voice steady. “Ask him why he recognizes me. Ask him why he calms when I’m near?!
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Chapter 73
My wolf paces beneath my skin, confused and agitated. For the first time in my life, we’re not in sync, and it terrifies me.
“Jessica is my mate,” I insist, but my voice cracks on the last word. “My wolf close her.”
Aria’s hand reaches up slowly, touching the spot on my jaw still stinging from her slap. “Did he? Or did you?”
My wolf surges forward, pressing against my consciousness, trying to r
reach ho
I jerk back like I’ve been burned, horror washing through me,
“What the fuck are you doing to me?” I demand, voice breaking as I back away, fighting my own instincts.
“I’m not doing anything,” she says softly. “It’s already done. We’re already bound.”
AD
