The sound of tires on gravel jerked me from my thoughts as I sat on the bench outside the Pack Hospital, still reeling from being barred from my father's room. A sleek black SUV with tinted windows pulled up to the entrance, and my wolf stirred with sudden alertness.
*Someone powerful is here.*
The driver's door opened first, and a tall figure stepped out. Even after all these years, I recognized him instantly. Seth Duncan. His broad shoulders and chiseled jawline were exactly as I remembered from our academy days, though now there was an unmistakable aura of authority surrounding him—the mark of a true Alpha.
My heart stuttered painfully in my chest. What was he doing here?
Before I could process his arrival, one of Oliver's enforcers—Garrett—appeared beside me, his hand gripping my arm roughly.
"Back inside, Luna," he growled. "You shouldn't be here."
I winced as his fingers dug into my flesh, but before I could respond, a low rumble cut through the air—a sound so primal and powerful that Garrett immediately froze.
"That's not how you treat a Luna," Seth's voice carried across the courtyard, his Alpha tone making the air vibrate around us.
Garrett's eyes widened as he slowly turned to face Seth. I watched as the color drained from his face.
"A-Alpha Duncan," he stammered, his grip on my arm loosening. "I was just following orders."
Seth's eyes flashed gold as he stalked forward, his aura expanding until even I could feel its pressure. "Your Alpha isn't here to give orders. And even if he were, you'd do well to remember that a Luna commands respect."
With a final growl that sent Garrett stumbling backward, Seth turned to me. For a moment, we simply stared at each other—ten years of separation collapsing into nothing.
"Charlotte," he said softly, my name on his lips sending an unwelcome shiver down my spine.
"Seth," I replied, hating how my voice trembled. "What are you doing here?"
"Border treaty negotiations," he said smoothly, though his eyes never left mine. "But it seems I arrived at an interesting moment."
---
The guest house on the edge of our territory was small but elegant—a neutral space where visiting Alphas could stay without formally entering another pack's domain. Seth had insisted on bringing me here after witnessing my humiliation.
"You need sanctuary," he said as we sat across from each other at the small dining table. "At least until we sort this out."
"I don't need charity," I snapped, then immediately regretted my tone. "I'm sorry. I just... I've been alone with this for so long."
Seth's expression softened. "You're not alone anymore, Charlotte."
The way he said my name—like it was something precious—made my wolf stir restlessly.
"I've heard rumors," he continued, leaning forward. "About Oliver. About your father. I came to investigate, but seeing you there..."
"You believe me?" I asked, hardly daring to hope.
"Yes." His simple answer felt like a lifeline. "And I can help you. Legal counsel. Protection. Whatever you need."
For the first time in years, a male was validating my instincts instead of suppressing them. Tears pricked at my eyes before I could stop them.
"We need to gather evidence," I said quickly, changing the subject before I embarrassed myself further. "If Oliver is working with rogues—"
"Then we'll find proof," Seth finished. "Together."
His hand covered mine on the table, and the contact sent electricity racing up my arm. I pulled away, unsettled by my reaction.
"This is just strategic," I said firmly, more to myself than to him.
Seth's mouth quirked in a half-smile that reminded me painfully of our academy days. "Of course."
---
With Seth's delegation creating a diplomatic distraction for Oliver and Jones, I slipped through the service entrance of the Pack Hospital. The corridors were quiet, most of the staff attending to patients in the main wing.
I found Elena in her office, hunched over a microscope. She looked up as I entered, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Luna Charlotte," she whispered, glancing nervously at the door. "You shouldn't be here."
"I need answers, Elena," I said, closing the door behind me. "About my father."
Something shifted in her expression—fear giving way to resolve. She moved to a locked cabinet and produced a key from around her neck.
"I've been waiting for you to ask," she said quietly, unlocking the cabinet to reveal several vials of blood. "For ten years, I've been testing your father's samples."
She handed me a file filled with medical charts and chemical analyses. "It's Wolfsbane. Diluted, masked by alcohol—specifically in that imported whiskey Oliver brings him every night."
My hands trembled as I flipped through the pages. "You knew?"
"I suspected," Elena admitted, her voice breaking. "But Oliver controlled everything—the tests, the treatments. He said I was imagining things, that my healing abilities were failing me."
"Not anymore," I said, a new determination hardening within me. "We have proof now."
As Elena nodded, a shadow passed across her face. "Be careful, Charlotte. If Oliver discovers we know..."
"He won't," I promised, though we both knew it was a lie. The game had changed, and Oliver would do anything to protect his secrets.
Including eliminating anyone who stood in his way.
