The floorboards don’t creak. That’s the first thing Brier notices as she slips through the shadows of the alpha’s bedroom. Six years of training have taught her to move like smoke, and tonight all that practice finally pays off. Her fingers tighten around the hilt of her blade, gleaming with poison she applied hours earlier.
One cut. That’s all it will take. Moonlight spills through the tall windows, casting everything in silver and making the massive four-poster bed look like an altar. And there, sprawled across dark sheets like he doesn’t have a care in the world, is her target.
His face is all masculine lines, strong jaw, straight nose, relaxed in sleep. He looks harmless. Completely, utterly human. Brier frowns.
She knows what shifters are. Savage beasts who wear human faces to lure in prey, who pretend to be civilized when they aren’t. She forces herself to think of her parents, the house fire that claimed them when she was sixteen, the coven that found her broken and alone and explained the truth: it hadn’t been an accident. Shifters killed them, just like they’d killed so many others.
She creeps closer, magic humming under her skin like a second heartbeat. The alpha looks younger than she expected. Pathetic, she thinks. He’s dangerous.
She raises the blade. One quick motion and—
His eyes snap open, startlingly blue. For a heartbeat that stretches into eternity, they just stare at each other. Then, impossibly, he smiles.
Not a grimace of fear or a snarl of rage, but a genuine smile, soft and almost pleased. Her heart does something stupid, a little skip that rushes heat to her cheeks. The unexpected reaction enrages her. She snarls and drives the blade down, but his hand shoots up, fingers wrapping around her wrist with inhuman speed.
“No,” he says quietly, voice deep and rough with sleep. “I don’t think so. ”
She fights his grip, twisting and pulling, but he’s stronger than he looks. Much stronger.
The blade tumbles from her fingers as he rolls them both, pinning her beneath him on the massive bed. “Let me go,” she spits, bucking against his weight. “Get off me, you animal! ”
His eyes shift to gold, pupils dilating as he stares down at her.
To her absolute horror, his nose skims along her throat, and he inhales deeply. “What the hell are you doing? ”
“You smell like wildflowers,” he murmurs, almost reverent. “I smell like your death,” she shoots back.
“Now let me go. ”
The bedroom door bursts open, and suddenly the room is full of people. Large, intimidating people who move with the fluid grace of predators. “Alpha, are you all right?
” a woman with short cropped hair rushes forward. “I’m fine, Laura,” the alpha says, perfectly calm despite pinning a would-be assassin to his bed. “Just had an unexpected visitor. ”
A man with scars across his jaw spots the blade on the floor, and his expression darkens.
“She was trying to attack you. ”
“Trying being the operative word,” the alpha says, sounding suspiciously amused. “Her technique needs work. ”
“My technique is perfect,” Brier snarls, renewing her struggles.
“I’m going to end you. ”
“Lara,” the alpha interrupts, finally lifting his weight off her but keeping one hand firmly around her wrist. “Would you mind escorting our guest to the holding cells? I think she needs some time to cool down.
”
“My pleasure,” Lara says grimly, hauling Brier to her feet with surprising strength. As they drag her toward the door, Brier twists back for one last look. The alpha sits on the edge of his bed, completely unruffled, watching her with those unsettling blue eyes. And damn him, he’s still smiling.
“This isn’t over,” she shouts as they pull her into the hallway. “I’ll find a way to finish what I started. ”
His low chuckle follows her down the corridor, and she hates how the sound makes her traitorous heart race. Two days.
Brier has been trapped in this barbaric cell for two whole days. Stone walls, a heavy door reinforced with iron, and even the lock appears warded against magic. These animals are more prepared than she gave them credit for. Her guard nods toward the untouched tray of food.
“How are you enjoying your breakfast? ”
Brier grabs the plate and hurls it at the bars. Ceramic shatters satisfyingly. “So I guess that means you still won’t tell us who sent you.
”
“Take these off and I’ll show you,” she snarls, holding up her wrists to display the silver cuffs locked around them, burning against her skin and nullifying her magic. “And have you casting a spell? I don’t think so. ”
She flips him off with both hands.
“Just you wait. I’ll get out of here soon enough. ”
“Bold of you to make threats while being held in a cell. ”
“And bold of you to try to go after the alpha of all people.
”
“You’re right,” Brier says sweetly. “Next time, I’ll go straight for you. ”
A low snarl escapes the guard’s throat before a deep, calm voice cuts through: “Marco. ”
The guard immediately steps back from the bars.
“Alpha, I was just—”
“I know what you were doing. Go. ”
Marco hesitates, then his footsteps fade down the corridor, leaving Brier alone with the person she least wants to see. The alpha doesn’t speak immediately.
He just looks at her, taking in everything from her tangled hair to her wrinkled clothes. “What? ” she finally snaps. “You want an apology or something?
You’re not getting one. ”
“What’s your name? ”
The question catches her off guard. “What?
”
“Your name? ”
“It’s go screw yourself. ”
His mouth curves into that infuriating smirk. “Apparently, you won’t tell us who sent you either.
”
“Maybe I sent myself. ”
“And why is that? What did I ever do to you? ”
Brier pauses.
“I don’t like your face. ”
He raises an eyebrow. “Well, I don’t,” she insists. “It’s too… symmetrical.
Sharp-featured. Perfect. ”
“Take your time,” he says mildly. “It’ll come to you.
”
The patronizing tone makes her want to scream. “What do you even plan to do with me? You can’t keep me here forever. ”
“Actually, I do intend to keep you forever.
”
Brier stares. “Why? The second you let your guard down, I’m just going to come for you again. ”
His gaze lingers on her face, tracing her features.
She shifts, unnerved. “Stop staring at me. It’s creepy. ”
His jaw tightens.
“If I intend to keep you forever,” he says finally, quieter now, “it is because…” He trails off. “Because what? Spit it out. ”
“Because you’re my mate.
”
Brier blinks, certain she misheard. “Excuse me? What did you just say? ”
“You’re my mate,” he repeats, tension visible in his shoulders.
“I’m not your anything. ”
“Fate says otherwise,” comes his reply. “Fate? What the hell does that mean?
”
He explains patiently: all shifters have destined mates, one person they’re meant to bond with for life. Finding your mate is rare, a gift most never receive. “Whoa, okay,” Brier interrupts. “I don’t like where you’re going with this.
You’re messing with me, right? Trying to confuse me into giving you information? ”
When he doesn’t even crack a smile, her shock turns to fury. “What kind of sick sense of humor is this?
”
“I’m very serious. When I saw you in my room, I knew the bond. It’s like nothing I’ve ever felt. Even now, being near you, I can sense your emotions.
”
“Oh good,” Brier snarls. “Then I hope you feel my complete and utter disgust for you. ”
Something flickers across his face. Hurt, maybe, but gone so quickly she might have imagined it.
He continues, explaining that these connections are sacred to his people. When you find your mate, they become the most important thing in your world. “I’m telling you this so you’ll know that I would never hurt you. Not ever.
”
The earnestness in his voice, the way he looks at her like she’s something precious, destabilizes her completely. “Do you really feel nothing when you look at me? ” he asks quietly. Her body begins to shake.
She can’t listen to this anymore. “I feel complete and utter horror,” she spits. He nods slowly, like he expected that. “I hope to change that.
I want you to feel safe with me. ”
“Go away! ”
Wolves killed her parents. Wolves are monsters.
This is just another trick, another lie designed to make her lower her guard. She won’t fall for it. Three days pass since the alpha dropped his ridiculous bombshell, and Brier is still reeling from the audacity. Mate, he claimed she was his mate.
What kind of manipulative monster invents something like that? The worst part is everyone seems to be in on the charade. She overheard Marco talking to another guard: “Poor Alpha. To think that’s his mate, a witch who tried to kill him.
Maybe she’s enchanted him somehow. ” “You think a witch could fake a mate bond? ” “I don’t know, but something’s not right about this whole situation. ”
It infuriates her how committed they all are to the act.
The alpha has been visiting her cell every evening, not to interrogate her but just to sit and try to make conversation. This is his strategy, she realizes. Make her believe in some ridiculous mate bond fairy tale until she’s so confused and emotionally compromised that she spills everything about the coven. It’s brilliant in a sick way.
Probably effective on weaker minds. But Brier is not one of those girls. She’s totally, one hundred percent indifferent to this man’s stupidly beautiful eyes. The mere thought that he considers her so easily swayed makes her blood boil.
“Are you comfortable enough? ” he’d asked yesterday. “The nights are getting colder. I could have someone bring you another blanket.
”
“I could have someone bring you a knife to the throat,” she’d snarled back. He just smiled, that patient, understanding smile that made her want to scream. Tonight he’s back, and this time he’s brought a book. “I thought you might be getting bored.
This is one of my favorites. ”
“Because I couldn’t care less,” Brier cuts him off. “I don’t want to hear your voice. ”
He’s quiet for a moment.
“All right, I’ll just sit here then. Maybe read to myself. ”
And he does. He actually sits there reading silently while she glares at him from across the cell.
This is exactly what the coven warned them about. Wolves are master manipulators, able to present themselves as harmless while plotting their victim’s destruction. Sister Thorne had drummed it into all the initiates: never trust their human faces, never forget what they really are underneath. Brier thinks of the other girls in the coven.
Sarah, whose parents died in a car accident that was really a shifter attack. Elena, who barely survived when wolves broke into her family’s house. They’re probably worried sick about her right now. Meanwhile, that idiot alpha is still sitting there, occasionally glancing up with something almost hopeful in his expression.
That loser must think whatever he’s doing is working. And come to think of it…
A slow smile spreads across Brier’s face. His little act could work in her favor. If he wants to manipulate her by pretending to be some kind of caring, devoted soulmate, then she’ll let him think he’s succeeding.
She’ll make him believe she’s starting to fall for his act. And when his guard is down, she’ll strike. At worst, she can feed him false information. At best, she might actually escape.
“So, what’s it about? ” she asks suddenly. He looks up, startled. “I’m sorry?
”
“Your book,” Brier says, injecting just the right amount of reluctant curiosity into her voice. “Oh, I’m just rereading the Odyssey. ”
“Right. What’s it about?
”
“You don’t know what the Odyssey is about? ” the man asks, looking affronted. Brier feels herself blush. “Of course I do.
Just checking you do, that’s all. ”
The alpha snorts, which makes her want to shake him. Instead, she sends him her sweetest smile. “Could you maybe read it to me?
I mean, if it’s not too much trouble. ”
The smile that crosses his face is so genuine that for a moment she almost feels guilt. “It’s no trouble at all. ”
Brier hides her smirk.
Two days into her brilliant manipulation plan, and Brier is making excellent progress. The first night she simply listened to him read, asking strategic questions about the wife’s motivations—because who waits for a dude that long? By the second night, she made carefully timed observations that made him pause and look at her with something approaching interest. Soon he’ll be eating out of the palm of her hand.
So when the alpha arrives for his evening reading session, she’s prepared with her next move. “Could I get some fresh air? ” she asks, batting her eyelashes. He pauses, one eyebrow raising slightly.
“I’m going stir crazy,” she explains, forcing vulnerability into her voice. Something almost amused crosses his expression. “I suppose dinner upstairs wouldn’t be unreasonable. You’d have to remain cuffed, of course.
”
“Of course,” Brier agrees quickly. Twenty minutes later, she’s following him up a stone staircase, her magic-suppressing cuffs firmly in place. The house above the dungeons is nothing like what she expected from murderous beasts. It’s elegant, warm wood and expensive furniture with actual artwork on the walls.
“This is nice,” she says, injecting surprise while cataloging escape routes. The dining room is massive, dominated by a table that could easily seat twenty. He gestures for her to sit at the far end while he takes his place at the head, putting a good ten feet between them. “What’s wrong?
Worried I’m going to stick my fork in your eye? ”
“A little bit, yes,” he admits with that infuriating half-smile. Before she can respond, a middle-aged woman hurries in. “Alpha, I’m sorry to interrupt, but we need to discuss the Morrison account.
”
The alpha sighs, setting down his fork as a stack of documents appears beside his plate. Fifteen minutes pass. “Do you actually plan to eat now? ” Brier asks.
The door opens again. A younger man rushes in. “Alpha, there’s been a boundary dispute with the Riverside pack. ”
Brier takes another bite of her chicken, watching the alpha eye his cooling dinner with longing.
“You were saying? ” he asks when he’s done. She gestures with her fork. “I was saying that at this rate, Penelope will sooner see her missing husband than you get to eat.
”
The door flies open yet again. Lara, still in guard uniform: “Alpha, the new security protocols need your approval. ”
The alpha pushes his plate away with a resigned expression while Brier finishes her chicken and starts on her vegetables. By the time Lara leaves, Brier reaches for dessert and the man hasn’t taken a single bite.
“I mean, who needs food anyway? ” she asks. He sighs. “Being alpha means being responsible for everyone in the pack.
Their problems become my problems. ”
“Right? You mean they can’t think for themselves? ”
“That’s not what I—”
An older man barges in.
“Alpha, forgive me, but the Henderson contract…”
“Oh, come on,” Brier snaps. “The man is eating. Can’t you give it a rest? ”
The sudden silence is deafening.
The alpha blinks at her, startled by her outburst, but he doesn’t protest. Soon enough, the room clears, leaving them alone. “Thank you,” he says quietly, looking unsure for the first time since she’s met him. Brier shrugs.
“You can’t possibly deal with business every five minutes. ”
He sighs. “Well, I do run several businesses that employ pack members, handle disputes, negotiate with other packs, maintain relationships with human authorities. ”
Brier stares.
“Businesses. Negotiations. Human authorities,” she repeats. The alpha pauses.
“Yes. So they don’t discover what we are. ”
Brier nods knowingly. “Oh, you mean covering up all the murders.
”
His fork freezes halfway to his mouth. “The murders? ”
“All the humans you kill,” Brier explains. “You know, to appease your wolves with blood so you can maintain your shifts.
”
For a moment, the alpha just stares at her, his face completely blank. “Excuse me, what? ”
“Oh, come on. I’m a witch, not exactly human.
I know what you are. ”
“And what is it that you think we are? ”
The confusion in his voice sounds genuine, but she knows better than to trust it. “Did you just say we kill humans for blood to maintain our shifts?
”
Brier flinches. Do wolves pretend not to do that? Maybe it’s some kind of pack taboo. “Is that why…” The alpha runs a hand through his hair, looking genuinely thrown.
“Who told you this? ”
The question hits too close. Brier immediately shuts down. This is it.
The real interrogation begins. “None of us commit murders,” the alpha continues, leaning forward with concern on his face. “It’s against our laws to harm humans. We have strict policies.
”
“Liar. ” The word tears from her throat before she can stop it. Images flash through her mind: her parents’ house engulfed in flames, the coven’s explanation of what really happened, wolves moving through the night. Her breathing becomes shallow.
“I’m not lying,” the alpha says, urgent but soothing. “No one kills humans. No one is going to hurt you. You’re safe here.
”
But she can’t hear him over the roaring in her ears. Can’t see past the visions: her parents screaming her name, fire everywhere, shapes of wolves moving through smoke. “Stop,” she whispers, her voice breaking. “They killed them.
They killed my parents. Sister Thorne showed me. She explained it to me. ”
The sobs come without warning, harsh and painful, ripping through her chest.
She’s sixteen again, standing in the ashes of her home, completely alone. Suddenly the alpha is beside her, hands on her shoulders, warm and steady. “Hey,” he murmurs, low and soothing. “You’re safe.
Just breathe with me. All right. ”
His thumbs trace gentle circles on her shoulders, and the relief is so immediate, so profound, it leaves her gasping. “I’ve got you,” he says quietly, his hands moving to cup her face.
“Whatever they told you, whatever they made you believe, none of it was real. ”
His voice is so certain, so gentle, that for a moment she almost believes him. Almost. But the images keep flickering behind her eyes.
Fire. Screaming. Shadow. She gasps, clinging to him even as her mind screams that he’s the enemy, that his touch shouldn’t comfort her.
“I don’t understand,” she cries, her voice raw. “What’s happening? ”
She’s falling apart in the arms of her enemy, and she doesn’t even know why. The last thing she’s aware of is his arms tightening around her as consciousness slips away.
Consciousness comes in fragments. Brier feels like she’s swimming up from the bottom of a deep, dark pool. She’s lying on something soft—a bed—but exhaustion weighs her down like lead. Voices drift through the haze, low and urgent.
Footsteps pace across hardwood. “Alpha, she’s too unstable. If she’s really your fated mate, she—”
“All the more reason to get rid of her. ”
“I want to know who did this to my mate.
Contact every pack, every contact we have. Someone fed her those lies. Someone twisted her mind, and I want to know who. ”
A heavy sigh.
“West, listen to yourself. You’re already not being rational about this. ”
West. So that’s his name.
She hadn’t even thought to ask. Not even when Sister Thorne told her she’d earned her first mark and her next assignment would be her first kill. She loses consciousness again. The next time awareness finds her, it’s night.
Warm, solid arms are wrapped around her, and it takes a moment to realize she’s being held. Blue eyes meet hers in the dim light. “Sorry,” the alpha says quietly. “You thrash a lot when I don’t hold you.
”
“Your name is West? ” she asks, voice rougher than she expected. “Sleep,” he murmurs, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. The tenderness confuses her.
“Did you drug me? ”
His jaw tightens. “No. Your body exhausted itself with stress.
”
Her eyes drift closed again to the sound of his steady breathing. When she wakes a third time, she keeps her eyes shut, listening. She feels the presence of magic beside her—but this magic is wrong. Dark and twisted, the kind that makes her skin crawl.
The temperature in the room seems to drop. “Well, she’s a witch, that’s for sure. ” An unfamiliar voice, male, oddly melodic. West exhales, frustrated.
“Right. But is she in danger? Is she under some sort of spell? ”
“No, not that I can tell.
”
She feels the bed shift, and then cold fingers wrap around her wrist. Brier’s eyes snap open. A man with copper hair and green eyes leans over her, skin pale as parchment, darkness emanating from him like heat from a fire. “You have dark magic,” she breathes, pulling away.
“So do you,” he says calmly, looking at her arm. Brier follows his gaze. Her coven mark glows faintly through her skin, pulsing with a sickly green light. That mark is supposed to stay hidden.
How is it visible now? She tries to scramble away, but the dark magician makes a disapproving sound and places one finger against her forehead. His touch is like ice, and darkness rushes in again. The next time she wakes, West is beside her, and fury blazes through her immediately.
“What did you do to me? ” she demands. “Nothing,” he says, but he looks troubled. Haunted, even.
She remembers the dark magician seeing her mark. If the alpha now knows something that could lead him to the coven, she needs to escape. When a knock comes at the door and he gets up to leave, she seizes her chance. “West.
”
The sound of his name makes him pause. Time to double down on her manipulation, she thinks. Make him believe she’s starting to trust him. “Stay with me,” she asks, making her voice small and vulnerable.
“Please. ”
The effect is immediate. His entire posture softens, something raw and grateful in his expression. She lets a small, shy smile curve her lips.
“Thank you,” she whispers, looking up through her lashes. “I just… I don’t want to be alone right now. ”
His hand moves like he wants to reach for her before stopping himself. “Could you…?
” She bites her lip. “Could you hold me like before? I feel safer when you’re close. ”
He freezes, staring at her suspiciously.
But the second his arms settle around her, he sort of melts, breathing deepening as he buries his face in her hair. He inhales slowly, deeply, like he can’t help himself. For a moment, she almost believes—no. He’s probably pretending, trying to make her drop her guard.
Well, two can play at this game. She sinks deeper into his embrace and presses a soft kiss to the skin just below his jaw. His pulse jumps beneath her lips. She stretches up and presses her lips to his.
The kiss is nothing like she expected. His lips are warm and soft. But West doesn’t respond. He goes completely frozen, like a statue.
She pulls back, confused. “That’s it? ”
He clears his throat. “You should rest.
”
“Rest? ” She can’t keep the edge out of her voice. “That’s all you’ve got after I just kissed you? ”
One eyebrow raises.
“Thank you. ”
She seriously considers shaking him. “I thought I was your fated mate. Your destiny or whatever.
”
West looks like he’s trying not to laugh. “You are. ”
“So doesn’t that mean you’d be interested in kissing me? ”
West studies her face for a moment, something almost predatory in his watch.
“You don’t actually want to kiss me,” he decides, sounding quite certain. Brier startles. “What? Of course I do.
”
“No. I can feel it through our bond. Whatever you’re planning, Brier, it’s not going to work. ”
Well, crap.
The fact that he can sense her emotions through some supernatural connection is definitely not something the coven prepared her for. If she wants to get out of here, if she wants to warn the coven before it’s too late, she’s going to have to step up her game considerably. Three weeks. Three entire weeks of trying to seduce a man who claims she’s his destined mate, and Brier has absolutely nothing to show for it.
“Want to make out? ” she asks casually, draping herself across West’s desk. It’s become her catchphrase at this point, tossed out at random intervals. All part of her carefully calculated plan to earn his trust and ultimately escape.
Except West doesn’t even look up. At least she’s no longer in that cold cell. Now she has a bedroom, a nice one, with soft blankets and a view of the mountains. Of course, she’s still wearing those annoying magic-suppressing cuffs, and there’s always someone watching her—either West or one of his trusted guards.
Her attempts at seduction have been embarrassingly unsuccessful. Actually, embarrassing doesn’t begin to cover the spectacular disasters of her so-called brilliant plans. There was the massage incident where she complained of sore shoulders, batting her eyelashes so dramatically she probably looked like she had something in her eye. The plan was genius: get his hands on her, distract him, snatch the keys to her cuffs from his pocket.
Instead, she turned into human putty the second his fingers touched her, making sounds that would get her kicked out of a respectable library. Then there was the dinner disaster. She spent days sweet-talking the cook into letting her prepare a special meal for West. The centerpiece of her plan: three different bottles of wine, perfect for loosening his tongue about the coven.
Or maybe those cuff keys. Three hours later, West was annoyingly sober while she couldn’t remember how many fingers she had. “The room is spinning,” she slurred, clinging to his shirt. “How are you still standing?
”
“Shifters have a strong metabolism,” he’d replied with that infuriating gentleness. “Alcohol doesn’t affect us the same way. ”
She responded by throwing up on his shoes. And so the weeks went, each plan more elaborate than the last, each failure more spectacular.
She’d tried everything short of interpretive dance to break through his defenses—all for the mission, of course. Not because she enjoyed the way his eyes lit up when she made him laugh. Definitely not. She tells herself she’s collecting intelligence when she notices how intently he listens to every concern brought to him, or how he never raises his voice.
The only thing is, none of this fits with what Sister Thorne taught her about shifters. But Brier pushes the doubt away. It’s all an act, she reminds herself. Just like her own.
This morning, the house is in chaos when West brings her downstairs for breakfast. Pack members rush about with decorations, furniture being moved. “What’s happening? ” Brier asks, watching in growing confusion as more pack members arrive, carrying everything from flowers to what appears to be a crystal fountain.
West shrugs, guiding her to the dining room with a hand at the small of her back. “No, but seriously. What’s with all the excitement? ”
He looks up, blinking as if lost in thought.
“The excitement? ”
“There’s an army of people transforming your house. Surely you must have noticed. ”
She crosses her arms until he sighs.
“Fine. There’s a party being thrown. ”
“A party? You mean you’re throwing a party?
”
“Not exactly. ”
“What does that mean? ”
The alpha shifts uncomfortably. “It means the party is being thrown for me.
”
“For you? Why would—? ”
“For my birthday,” West interrupts with a slight wince. Brier freezes.
His birthday. Today. Not that she cares, obviously. It’s just information she should have been told for mission purposes.
“When were you going to tell me? ” she asks. “I wasn’t aware it was that relevant information,” West replies mildly. Brier scoffs.
“Right. So I take it I’m not invited, then? ”
She means it as a joke, but something in his expression makes her pause. “Wait, are you serious?
You’re not inviting me? ”
West sighs, running a hand through his hair. “Come on, Brier. You know why that’s not a good idea.
” When she just gapes at him, he adds, “You might try to escape. ”
“Escape? ” Brier exclaims dramatically. West gives her a flat look-making her scoff.
A crowded party with everyone distracted is the perfect opportunity to slip away. But the fact that he naturally assumes this is something she would do only makes her want to prove him wrong-by showing up in a nice dress and staying by his side all night. Ha, jokes on him. “Well, what do you expect me to do?
” she snaps. “Stay in my room the entire night? ”
West’s expression turns apologetic, which only infuriates her more. Hours later, Brier paces her room like a caged animal—which technically she is.
“Can’t believe him,” she mutters. “It’s not like I’d try to assassinate him at his own birthday party. ”
The more she thinks about it, the more annoyed she becomes. “How am I supposed to get him a gift if I don’t know it’s his birthday?
” she grumbles, flopping onto her bed. “Now I just look rude. ”
Not that she cares what West thinks, obviously. This is purely strategic.
Earning his trust requires certain social niceties. That’s all. The distant sounds of the party filter up through her window. Laughter, music, clinking glasses.
Whatever. She doesn’t care. Nope. Eventually, she tries to sleep, but it isn’t long before something yanks her back awake.
A discomfort, vague and insistent, like an itch she can’t quite locate. Her head throbs, and there’s a strange pressure in her chest. Brier sits up, rubbing her temples. The feeling persists, a restless unease radiating through her entire body.
It feels almost like anxiety, but not quite. Like she’s forgotten something important but can’t remember what. “Girl, just go back to sleep,” she tells herself firmly. But she can’t.
The feeling grows stronger, more insistent. Not physical, exactly. More like a pull, a tug on something deep inside her that says she needs to be somewhere else. With someone else.
With West. The thought comes from nowhere, sudden and startling. But the moment it surfaces, she knows it’s true. Something’s wrong with West.
She doesn’t know how she knows. She just does. “I’m being stupid,” she mumbles, but she’s already on her feet, moving toward the door. She throws it open, startling the guard stationed outside.
“I need to go downstairs. ”
The guard, a burly man she doesn’t recognize, looks unimpressed. “Nice try. Back in your room.
”
“You don’t understand. I need to see West. ”
“The alpha is busy entertaining guests, and you’re not invited. ”
A second guard appears.
“Problem? ”
“The witch wants to crash the party. ”
“Look,” Brier says, keeping her voice level, “I need to check on West. He’s unwell.
”
That gets their attention. “How would you know that? ”
Brier opens her mouth, then closes it. How does she know?
She has no idea. She just does. “I’m his mate,” she says finally, surprising herself as much as them. “I can tell.
”
She doesn’t believe in the mate bond. It’s nonsense, a fairy tale West invented to manipulate her. But right now, it’s the only explanation she has for this strange certainty. “Go get him,” Brier instructs.
“Tell him there’s a very important phone call with very important people waiting for him in his office. But there isn’t,” the first guard protests. “Everyone important is here. ”
“Right,” Brier says, crossing her arms.
“So if he comes, you’ll know I’m right. ”
The guards exchange a look before the second one nods. “I’ll wait in his office. ”
Soon enough, Brier paces the office, trying to make sense of what just happened.
Just when she’s beginning to think her ploy hasn’t worked, the door opens and West steps in. “Brier,” he says, clearly surprised. “The guard said there was an urgent call. ”
“You’re welcome.
”
“What? ”
“Oh, come on. You don’t feel well. I can tell.
”
The words hang in the air between them, and suddenly Brier pauses, struck by the strangeness of it. How could she tell? She pushes the thought aside, focusing on the opportunity in front of her. West looks off-balance, vulnerable even.
This could be her chance to finally get under his skin. “So, what’s wrong? ” she asks. “Nothing,” he says, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides.
“Liar,” she says, softer than she intended. West sighs, lowering himself carefully into his chair. “Don’t worry about it. ”
“So, you admit something’s up.
” Brier moves closer. “What is it? ”
Another sigh, deeper this time. “Fine.
It’s because of the bond. ” His eyes have a feverish gleam. “The mate bond requires that I spend time with you, stay close to you. And because I’ve done so a lot recently, the bond has grown.
And now…” he trails off, looking away. “Now what? ”
West meets her eyes, and the intensity makes her breath catch. “Now it requires that I be with you.
That I claim you. ”
“Claim me? ” Brier lets out a forced laugh. “You ain’t claiming me, buddy.
”
“Yes, I am aware. ” West winces. Brier stares, the reality slowly sinking in. “You’re serious, aren’t you?
This bond thing, it’s not a joke. It’s not a manipulation tactic. ”
“I would never lie about something like this,” West says quietly. “To us, mate bonds are sacred.
”
For a moment, Brier doesn’t know what to say. If this is true, if the bond is real, then what else might be false? “Okay,” she says finally, pushing the troubling thoughts aside. “So, what do we do?
How do we make you feel better? ”
West looks distinctly uncomfortable. “You said you needed to be close to me,” Brier prompts. “Yes,” he admits reluctantly, the word coming out almost as a growl.
Physically close. That’s what he means. Her eyes widen. “Don’t,” West says immediately, reading her expression.
He pushes himself to his feet and backs away. “Oh, come on,” Brier says, advancing. “I have to—Brier. ”
“Want to make out?
” she interrupts triumphantly. Something snaps in West’s expression. “No, I don’t want to make out. ” His eyes flash fully gold, his breathing ragged.
“I don’t want to touch you,” he says almost a snarl. “I don’t want to get anywhere near physical intimacy with you when you obviously do not feel the need or want to touch me back at all. ”
The vehemence takes her aback. “You are my mate, Brier.
And it might not mean much to you, but to me, you’re everything. Your scent, your feelings—I feel connected to you in ways I’ve never felt before in my life and never will again. ” He growls. “So forgive me, but I don’t think I can bring myself to touch you and have you feel absolutely nothing.
”
She cuts him off by pressing her lips to his. It’s impulsive, unplanned, the exact opposite of her calculated seduction attempts. She doesn’t even know why she does it, only that she can’t stand to hear him talk like that for another second. West freezes for a heartbeat, rigid with shock.
Then he responds—a brief, desperate press of lips—before tearing himself away, chest heaving. “Stop being stupid,” Brier sighs, kissing him again. A sound tears from his throat, half growl, half groan. Suddenly his arms are around her, pulling her against him, and the kiss is nothing like before.
This is raw and hungry, the culmination of weeks of denied desire. His mouth moves against hers with an urgency that steals her breath, and Brier finds herself responding with equal fervor. But more shocking than the physical sensation is what she feels emotionally. Somehow, impossibly, she can sense West’s feelings—a tidal wave of need, desire, relief that makes her heart stutter.
A desperate edge, like a man who’s been starving finally given a feast. She pulls back, gasping. “Wow,” she says, grinning. “You’re so into me.
”
West groans, eyes molten gold. Their lips meet again, and this time Brier melts against him as he lifts her onto his desk. The mate bond. It’s real.
The realization should terrify her. Instead, it sends a thrill through her entire body. Just as his hands slide to her hips, West suddenly pulls back. “What?
” Brier pouts. West hesitates. “Brier, there’s something you should know. ” His eyes, still more gold than blue, are troubled.
“It’s about your coven. About Sister Thorne. ”
Brier pushes away from West, panic flaring. “How do you know about the coven?
” she demands. “What they told you, what they’ve been telling you your whole life—it’s not what you think. ”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. ”
“Please calm down.
”
The softness in his voice only makes her angrier. “Leave my coven alone. ” She backs toward the door. “You don’t understand,” West says, pained.
“They’ve been lying to you. ”
“You’re the liar. ”
West’s shoulders slump. “Remember the man who came to see you when you were unconscious?
With the copper hair? The dark magic user? ”
“You can’t seriously believe anything a dark magician says. ”
“Your coven uses black magic, too,” West says quietly, his eyes pleading.
“That mark on your arm proves it. ”
Brier’s hand instinctively covers her forearm. “You should never have seen that. ”
“It’s a siphon mark, Brier.
It draws magic from you. It’s been placed on you to siphon magic to whoever put it there. Your coven leader, I imagine. ”
“I would know if my magic had been siphoned.
It’s mine. It’s part of me. ”
“Except if it isn’t yours,” West murmurs. “The magician who came here, his name is Adrien.
He’s very powerful, capable of granting any wish for a price. ”
“So he’s made a pact with a demon. That’s shady as hell. Where did you even find this guy?
”
“A friend from another pack vouched for him. Adrien is bound to grant wishes, but he always explains the potential consequences—that you’ll pay with what you love most. ” West’s jaw tightens. “He told me he once granted a witch a wish: the power to draw a shifter’s magic to herself by killing them.
I believe this witch, Annabella Thorne was her name, placed that mark on you and other members of your coven. She draws magic from the mark every time one of you kills a shifter in her stead. ”
“No,” Brier exclaims, recoiling. “That’s not true.
The coven is about protecting humans from shifters. We’re the good guys. ”
West’s expression softens with something like pity. “Right.
And we’re the murderers who kill to be able to shift. Brier, that isn’t true. Surely you know this by now. ”
Brier falls silent, her mind racing.
She’s never actually seen a shifter kill to maintain their form. Nothing about West or his pack matches what Sister Thorne taught. But Sister Thorne wouldn’t lie, wouldn’t use them like that. And wolves killed her parents.
They did. Suddenly, pain lances through Brier’s head, sharp and unexpected. Images flash: fire, screaming, shadow of wolves moving through smoke. “Wolves killed my parents,” she whispers, pressing her hands to her temples.
West reaches for her, desperate. “No, that’s what they made you believe. They conditioned you. I looked into your parents’ death, Brier.
It was an accident. ”
“No! Get away from me. ”
She flees to her room and slams the door shut.
Her head throbs. Images come faster: her childhood home engulfed in flames, her parents’ screams. “It can’t all have been a lie,” she whispers to herself. “It can’t.
”
But what if West is telling the truth? What if Sister Thorne has been using her, using all of them? What if the mark isn’t a symbol of belonging but a brand of ownership? No.
West is the liar. His plan worked—he tricked her into thinking that mate bond nonsense was real. And now that he can tell she believes him, he thinks she’ll turn on the coven. Except she felt him when they’d kissed.
How genuinely happy he’d felt. That can’t have been a lie. Nothing makes sense. “Hello, Brier.
”
Brier jumps to her feet, whirling toward the voice. Standing by her window as if she materialized from thin air is Elena—a fellow witch from the coven, with her distinctive silver-streaked dark hair and sharp green eyes. Elena presses a finger to her lips. “Shh.
I’ve put a cloaking spell on myself, so I can’t be seen or heard. But you aren’t cloaked, so if you speak, the wolves will hear. ”
Brier closes her mouth, trying to convey her questions through gestures. “I’m here to rescue you, of course.
After you went missing, Sister Thorne concluded you’d been captured. ” Elena moves closer, voice dropping. “I’ve been observing you undetected. I must say, I’m impressed.
You’ve done magnificently, tricking the alpha, getting so close to him. This is going to be really handy for the next part of the plan. ”
Brier mouths, “The plan? ”
Elena nods, her smile turning predatory.
“The plan to kill the alpha. Of course, I’m here to help. ” She adds, “Don’t worry, sister. Together, we will get rid of him and his evil ways for good.
”
Brier paces, unable to sit still. “Will you stop moving? ” Elena hisses. “You’re making me dizzy.
”
Brier ignores her, mind racing. West’s words keep echoing, mingling with Sister Thorne’s teachings until she doesn’t know what to believe anymore. “Here,” Elena says, pulling out a small silver tube. “You’ll need this.
”
A lipstick. “What’s that for? ”
Elena smirks. “Poison.
Put it on before you see him next. Kiss him, and he won’t see a thing coming. ”
Brier’s blood turns to ice. Wolfsbane, turned into the poison she helped develop herself.
A lethal concoction designed to kill shifters fast—virtually undetectable. The truly insidious part is that it doesn’t make victims feel sick. Instead, it induces euphoria, ensuring they never realize they’re dying until it’s too late. “Go on, take it.
”
Brier takes the lipstick with numb fingers, her mind conjuring images of West laughing, eyes bright with artificial joy as the poison steals through his system. “This won’t work. He can feel what I feel. ”
“Well, make sure to keep calm.
”
Brier’s anxiety spikes. “I can’t just—”
“You can’t? ” Elena interrupts, expression hardening. “Sister Thorne was right.
They got to you. ”
“West is different. He wouldn’t kill innocent people. ”
Elena stares.
“You’ve only been here a month, and already you’re on his side. ”
“It’s not just him. This magician came, and he said our marks…”
“It doesn’t matter. Sister Thorne will sort you out.
”
Brier freezes. Elena’s lips curve into a grim smile. “I was just testing you anyway. I don’t need you to do anything anymore.
I already took care of it. ” She holds up the lipstick. “It’s done. ”
Brier’s hand flies to her mouth.
“He’s been poisoned already? ”
Elena lunges forward, clamping a hand over Brier’s mouth. “Shut up, will you? They’ll hear.
”
But Brier barely registers her words. All she can think about is West. The warmth of his lips. The way he held her.
She glances at the door, calculating. “We need to leave. Now. ”
Elena blinks.
“Now? ”
“Yes, now. If we wait, everyone will be after us. ”
Elena studies her face, clearly suspicious.
“So, what do you suggest? ”
“Take off my cuffs,” Brier says, extending her wrists. “I can use my magic to help us escape. ”
Elena’s eyes narrow.
“Nice try, Brier, but I don’t trust you. Ever since I told you about the alpha being poisoned, there’s been blatant fear in your eyes. ”
“Well, obviously. He’s the alpha of this pack.
His people are going to come after us. ”
“That’s not why you’re afraid, though, is it? You’re worried about him. You care about him,” she adds, sounding horrified.
Brier’s heart sinks. “Fine. Then you should go now before they find out what happened. I’ll stay here, cover for you.
”
Elena falters. “And leave you behind? ”
“I’ll be fine. I can say I had no idea what you were planning.
”
For a moment, real concern flashes across Elena’s face. “Brier, I can’t just leave you here alone. You’ll be the first person they’ll blame for this. They’ll hurt you.
”
Brier seizes the moment. She grabs a crystal paperweight from the nightstand and slams it into the back of Elena’s head. “I’m sorry,” Brier murmurs as she collapses. Elena isn’t evil, just another pawn in Sister Thorne’s game.
Brier searches her pockets, hoping for an antidote. Nothing. Panic rises, but Brier forces it down. Think.
Her eyes catch on a silver ring on Elena’s finger—the cloaking spell. She slips it onto her own finger, and the air shimmers. Working quickly, she binds and gags Elena with strips of bed sheet. Then, invisible, she slips into the corridor.
Music and laughter echo from the grand hall. Her heart races as she enters the crowded room, eyes scanning until she finds West. He stands near the center, surrounded by well-wishers, face flushed and eyes bright, looking like a man who’s had a bit too much to drink on his birthday. But Brier knows better.
The artificial brightness in his eyes, the slight looseness in his movements—these aren’t signs of intoxication. She pushes through the crowd. “West! ” she exclaims, slipping the ring off.
“Quick, you need to—”
“Brier. ” He blinks in surprise. Up close, she can see the sheen of sweat on his forehead, the rapid pulse at his throat. Before she can say a word, he sweeps her into his arms, nuzzling his face against her neck.
“You came back,” he sighs, sounding perfectly content. “West,” she tries, but he’s not listening. “You smell so good,” he chuckles, his lips brushing her ear. Lara approaches, expression wary.
“Alpha, is this really a good idea? Having her here? ”
West beams, arm tightening around Brier’s waist. “She is my mate,” he declares, words slurring slightly.
“I want her with me all the time. ”
Seeing him sway on his feet, Lara’s face falls. “Alpha, is everything okay? ”
“West, listen to me,” Brier says urgently.
“You need help. You’re—”
“I’m fine, Brier. ” He tries to kiss her again. “He’s not fine,” Brier tells Lara.
“He’s been poisoned. Remove my cuffs so I can help him. ”
“I don’t think so. ”
“Come on,” Brier says to West.
“Tell them to uncuff me, please. ”
He looks down at her, smile fading as his head drops to her shoulder. “I can’t,” he sighs, sagging against her. “Then you’d leave me.
”
“West, I’m not going to leave. I’m going to heal you. Trust me. You know I’m not lying.
”
He looks at her through heavy-lidded eyes. “Okay,” he begins, but the word trails off as his eyes roll back. “West! ” Brier cries, struggling to keep him upright as he collapses.
Lara rushes forward, and together they lower him gently to the floor. Around them, the party dissolves into chaos. “What did you do? ” Lara demands, eyes shooting daggers at Brier.
“It wasn’t me. Well, it was, but I didn’t know. ”
Wrong answer, Brier realizes as Lara looks like she’s about to end her right there. “Arrest her.
She’s done something to the alpha. ”
Guards grab Brier’s arms and begin dragging her away from West. She struggles. “No!
You don’t understand. He’s dying. You’ve got to let me heal him. ”
She’s screaming now, watching as Lara and others kneel beside West, trying to rouse him.
His face is deathly pale, an ashen pallor that terrifies her. “Please,” she begs. “If it were me, why would I try to warn him? Why would I ask you to let me help him?
”
Marco, one of the guards, gives her an uncertain look. “If we uncuff you, you could harm him further. ”
“Further than what? ” Brier asks, voice breaking as she points at West’s still form.
“He’s dying right now. ”
The guards continue dragging her away, but Lara suddenly looks up, expression conflicted. “Wait,” she calls out. The guards pause.
“Bring her back. And uncuff her. ”
“Are you sure we—? ”
“Now,” Lara snaps.
“She’s right. He’s dying, and she might be our only chance. ”
They bring Brier back to West’s side and remove her cuffs. The moment the restraints fall away, her magic surges back, wild and fierce, rushing through her like wildfire.
“Don’t try anything funny,” Lara warns. But Brier barely hears her. Her focus is entirely on West. She places her hands on his chest.
Other witches would need herbs, spells, an antidote. But Brier is a green witch. Plants are her gift. And wolfsbane, deadly as it is, is still a plant.
She closes her eyes, reaching into West’s body with her magic. There—the poison coils around his heart, floods his lungs, runs thick through his veins. Worse than she feared. She draws a steady breath and begins.
Her power moves carefully, precisely, withering the poison without harming him. It’s like pulling thorns from living flesh. Sweat beads on her brow. The pack is silent, watching, waiting, but she tunes them out.
“Come on,” she breathes. “Fight it, West. Stay with me. ”
Seconds drag.
Her strength fades, but she doesn’t stop. Then his heartbeat steadies. His breath deepens. Color returns to his cheeks.
Brier exhales, trembling. She hears Lara murmur something, feels the pack shift around her, but all she sees is West as his eyes flutter open. Blue. Clear.
Alive. “Brier,” he rasps. A sob breaks from her. “I’m here.
”
His hand finds her cheek, warm and solid. The pack watches in stunned silence, but none of that matters. West is alive, and he’s looking at her like she’s the only thing that makes sense. Elena sits stiffly on the cot, refusing to meet Brier’s eyes.
The room—comfortable but secure—has been her home for three days. “Come on, Elena,” Brier says, sliding a folder across the table. “Just look at the evidence. ”
“I don’t need to look at wolf propaganda.
I know what Sister Thorne taught us. ”
Brier sighs. “That’s the problem. She taught us lies.
”
Elena’s gaze snaps to hers, full of fury. “You’re the one who’s been lied to. Bewitched by that alpha. ”
“I thought that too,” Brier says gently.
“Until Lara showed me this. ”
She opens the folder. Police reports, news clippings, photos from the fire that killed her parents—gathered by West long before she trusted him. Faulty wiring.
An accident. Not shifters. Elena glances at the documents, then looks away. “They could be faked.
”
“I checked them myself. They’re real. ” Brier lays out more—interviews, insurance forms, autopsies. Nothing points to foul play or anything supernatural.
“And then there’s this. ”
She rolls up her sleeve, revealing her altered coven mark. “Adrien explained how it works. ”
Elena flinches at the name.
“I was scared of him too. But he showed me how Sister Thorne used our marks to siphon power. Every time we killed a shifter, she grew stronger. We were just batteries.
” Brier leans in. “Have you ever actually seen a shifter kill someone? Ever seen them need blood to survive? ”
Elena stays silent.
“She kept us isolated, filled our heads with horror stories. But they’re not monsters, Elena. We’ve been hunting innocents. ”
Silence stretches.
Then finally, Elena whispers, “I don’t know what to believe anymore. ”
Not acceptance, but a start. “Just think about it,” Brier says, rising. At the door, she hesitates.
“I miss you. The real you, not the weapon Sister Thorne made us. ”
She leaves quietly, ache deepening in her chest. Elena’s doubt had mirrored her own weeks ago, but rejection still hurts.
Brier climbs the grand staircase, feet moving on instinct. She spent the last few days in West’s chambers, watching over him. Through their bond, she feels his presence—steady, but still healing. He lies sprawled across the bed, eyes closed, breath slow and even.
Her gaze lingers, his face softer in sleep, no longer her enemy but something far more precious. When he stirs moments later, his eyes find hers instantly. “Hey,” he murmurs, voice rough with sleep. “Hey yourself,” she replies, aiming for carefree.
West’s expression shifts. “What’s wrong? You’re upset. ”
“I’m not upset.
”
One eyebrow raises. “How is Elena? ”
Brier sighs. There’s no hiding from the bond between them.
“Elena’s being stubborn. Like someone else I know. ”
West teases gently, “I just thought once I showed her the evidence about my parents, she’d at least consider the possibility that Sister Thorne lied. ”
West nods, understanding in his eyes.
He shifts, wincing. “Give her time. It took you weeks to start questioning your beliefs. ”
Here he is, trying to make her feel better when he was the one who almost died.
“You should be resting,” she says, guilt clouding her mind. “I’ve been resting for days. ”
Through their bond, she feels his weariness, the lingering effects of the poison. She winces.
This too, he notices. “It wasn’t your fault, Brier,” Wes tells her, reaching for her hand. His fingers hover just above hers, not quite touching, as if he doesn’t dare go further without permission. The hesitation makes her heart ache.
“Move over,” she decides, sitting beside him. West raises an eyebrow but complies. “You don’t have to do this,” he says quietly, though she can feel his pleasure humming through their bond. “It’s the least I can do.
Being the one who poisoned you and all. ”
West tenses at that. “Accidentally,” he attempts to joke, but the damage is done. Brier senses his unease.
For a horrible second, she thinks he’s nervous about being near her—the person who almost got him killed twice. But then she realizes it has nothing to do with that. Through their bond, he’s concerned that she’s sitting next to him out of guilt, that her closeness is born of obligation rather than desire. “I like touching you,” Brier declares, rolling her eyes at his surprised expression.
It’s the truth. Despite her lingering confusion, being close to him feels right in a way she can’t explain. West melts, pleasure seeping through their bond as he pulls her close. Through their bond, she feels his contentment growing, his pain receding slightly at her touch.
The mate bond, she’s learning, has healing properties of its own. “I also like talking with you,” Brier admits, emboldened by his warmth. Her fingers trace a hesitant pattern on his chest, feeling his heartbeat quicken. “In fact, I like everything about you.
”
West shifts, propping himself up on one elbow to look at her properly. “You like me? ” he asks, sounding so hopeful it nearly breaks her heart. Brier takes a deep breath and corrects, “Love.
I love you. ” She clears her throat, torn between looking away and cupping his face between her hands. The words hang between them, raw and honest. She feels their impact on him—a wave of intense emotion that momentarily takes her breath away.
“You don’t have to say anything back,” she adds quickly. “I know this is all complicated. ”
West’s hand lands over her mouth. “Brier,” he murmurs, “I’ve loved you since the moment you stood over me with that blade.
I’ve just been waiting for you to catch up. ”
Tears spring to her eyes. Through their bond, she feels the truth of it—how he held himself back, afraid of overwhelming her while she was still coming to terms with everything. “Well, you’re crazy,” she jokes tearfully.
“I was trying to kill you, remember? ”
West laughs, the sound bright and clear. “Even so. ” He leans down and presses his lips to hers in a gentle kiss.
Unlike their first passionate encounter, this is soft, reverent—a promise rather than a demand. She feels his love washing over her, warm and steady as sunlight. And deeper still, a profound relief that after all her hatred and suspicion, she’s finally seen him for who he truly is. “What are we going to do?
” she asks when they part. West’s eyes shine with emotion. Brier settles back against him, head on his chest. “We need to figure out how to help Elena and the others.
”
“Do you think we can? Save them? ”
“I don’t know,” West admits. “But we’ll try.
They’re your sisters, even if they don’t know it yet. ”
The quiet determination fills her with gratitude. “Thank you,” she whispers, pressing a kiss to his chest, right over his heart. “Thank you for not giving up on me.
”
West’s arms tighten around her, his love flowing through their bond. “You were always worth the wait, Brier. Always. ”
They fall quiet, content to simply be together, to feel the bond growing stronger with each passing moment.
Outside, the sun begins to set, casting the room in golden light. Whatever comes next, they’ll face it as one. It won’t be easy. The path ahead is uncertain, filled with challenges neither can predict.
But she has her mate now. “Together,” she murmurs, the word both a promise and a prayer. West presses a kiss to the top of her head, his voice soft but certain. “Together.
”
