Chapter 4
Kya's POV
Alpha Thane covered the marks with his hand, fumbling with the collar of his shirt. “Oh, that? Must’ve been during sparring practice earlier. You know how rowdy the younger wolves get.”
I kept quiet, as I watched his guilt eat away at him through the cracks in his usually confident demeanour.
His father had no intention of staying for long. “I want to believe everything is going well,” he said.
Thane immediately cut in. “Of course, father, nothing could go wrong. I've treated her like the angel she is. Isn't that right, Luna?”
I mumbled a yes and pretended to go attend to the fire.
When I closed the kitchen door, I heard his father say, “Is there something strange going on in your Luna?”
“She's just being unnecessary jealous, father. She thinks I have anything to do with Celine. You all know that's a fallacy. My loyalty is to this pack and I shall vehemently fight anything that's threatens to disturb our peace.”
It was a shame how disloyalty had reduced Alpha Thane to a lying wimp. When his father left, I went back to the room and pointed again at the mark on his neck.
“You said that was a wound you got from practice?” I desperately needed him to tell me the truth. I wanted to find traces of his love for me.
But he stared blankly at me and before I could press further, Thane stood abruptly, his voice flustered. “I need a shower,” he announced, disappearing into the adjacent room.
As the water started running, a knock at the door startled me.
I opened it to find Celine standing there. She wasn’t initially from our pack, though her posture screamed confidence, and her emerald-green eyes sparkled with foreknowledge. She wore an outfit designed to arrest attention, and her jewelry—a necklace and bracelets adorned with red stones—gleamed under the neon light.
“Oh, Luna Kya,” Celine said sweetly, and anyone could be swooned by her voice. “I didn’t mean to disturb you this late. Alpha Thane left his briefcase at the council meeting, and I thought I’d deliver it personally.”
She held out a silver briefcase, but I immediately noticed that the scent oozing from her was the same surrounding Alpha Thane.
My insides burned with rage as my werewolf growled.
I stepped aside, gesturing for her to come in. “He’s in the shower. You can wait here if you’d like.”
Celine sauntered past me, her lips curling into a smile as if she’d won some unspoken battle. She placed the folder on the table with deliberate carelessness and then held up a small lunchbox.
“I also brought him a late-night snack, that's if you gracefully let me, my Luna,” she said, her voice laced with false coolness. “He didn’t eat much earlier.”
My gaze landed on the box, and my heart tightened. The smell of the pizza nd sauce inside was unmistakable—it was from the Silvery Shadows Cavern, the place Thane had promised to take me to for dinner tonight.
“He didn't eat much earlier?” I said, holding her gaze.
She shrugged with fake innocence. “A wild guess, I'd say, seeing that I am his personal assistant.”
It was clear enough that she was out to cause me trouble. She also didn’t need to say more; her actions were screaming the truth I already knew.
If this had been months ago, I might have lost control. I might have screamed, demanded answers, and turned the room upside down in a fit of rage. But now? I simply felt empty, all the years gnawing agape in the middle of my stomach.
“You’re very thoughtful,” I said in a leveled tone.
Before Celine could reply, Thane’s voice sounded from the bathroom. “Kya, did you move my cinnamon oil? I made plans to make use of it tonight, but I can't find it anywhere.”
I didn’t respond, my silence saying more than words ever could. The truth was, I had been slowly packing for days now, retrieving items that were mine.
Thane stepped into the room, a towel draped over his shoulders and his hair damp. His expression shifted instantly when he saw Celine.
“Celine? Why brings you here?” His voice was hoarse, almost tense, and his eyes flicked toward me, filled with unease.
Celine pressed her lips together in a mock pout, feigning innocence. “Alpha, I came to deliver your briefcase which contained the council's documents. They’re important for tomorrow’s meeting.”
Thane frowned, his jaw tightening. “Fine. Take them to the study upstairs.”
He turned to me, his tone softening. “Kya, it’s late. You should get some rest. I’ll deal with this and join you soon.”
I nodded, retreating to the bedroom. The moment I closed the door, I turned off the lights and moved to my hidden desk.
Sliding open a compartment, I retrieved a small device. The study wasn’t just a place for council discussions—it was also where I had hidden a surveillance cam weeks ago.
As I activated the device, the glowing screen revealed the study in real time.
What I saw made my blood run cold.
