Chapter 53

Isla POV

Still in shock, I froze in the hallway, my fingers tightening on the folds of my dress.

My pulse thudded hard in my ears. Banish him?

The words echoed inside me like a cruel drum.

Before either maid could glance my way, I slipped silently down the corridor, heart racing, fury building with every step.

Tristan. He couldn’t.

He wouldn’t.

But hadn’t he been dismissive towards me and had the guards cart Kieran away like he was some criminal?

Besides, if he knew that they might banish Kieran, why hadn’t he said something?

I stormed toward Tristan’s chambers, each stride fast and purposeful.

My blood boiled with too many emotions at once… anger, fear, and something I couldn’t name when it came to Kieran.

The guards at the door stiffened when they saw me coming, but I didn’t give them a chance to question me.

Or stop me.

“Move,” I ordered, my voice sharp enough to slice through stone.

The no-nonsense look on my face told them I wasn't in the mood for games.

They obeyed.

The door swung open, and there he was.

Tristan.

He stood at his desk, papers scattered before him, sharp edges cut into his face like a man who had the weight of a pack resting on his shoulders.

When he looked up, his eyes softened for a moment.

Then he saw the storm on my face, and his expression hardened back up.

“Isla…” he began, the word sounding like a warning, but I didn’t let him finish.

“What are you planning?” My voice cracked on the words.“What’s this I hear about Kieran being banished?”

His jaw clenched. Silence filled the chamber, broken only by the faint crackle of the fire behind him.

“Who told you that?” he asked carefully.

“It doesn’t matter!” I snapped. I stepped closer, my fists tight at my sides. “Are you really going to do it? Are you really going to cast him out like he’s nothing? He’s your brother, Tristan.”

For a moment, something flickered in his gaze….either pain or regret… but it was quickly gone before I could figure out what it was.

“This isn’t about brotherhood,” he said finally. “It’s about the pack’s safety. Kieran has crossed too many lines.”

I laughed bitterly. “Safety? Or your pride? Because from where I’m standing, he protected the pack and me by fighting off rogues! It only looks like you’re punishing him, not protecting anyone.”

Tristan’s eyes narrowed.

He stepped away from the desk, closing the distance between us. His presence was overwhelming as he's my Alpha, mate, and leader.

“Do you understand what you’re saying?” His voice was low, dangerous. “Kieran has defied me at every turn. He undermines my authority at every point, and now has got everyone on edge. I hate to break it to you but he’s a threat, Isla. Not just to me, but to you. To all of us.”

I shook my head, heat rising in my chest. “You can’t make me believe that. Not when you keep everything buried under half-truths. Not when you lock me out like I’m some person that you can't trust.”

Tristan’s nostrils flared. He reached out, gripping my arm… not harshly, but firmly enough to still me.

“You need to start trusting me,” he said. “I am your mate.”

The word mate should have grounded me. Instead, it cracked something open.

I met his gaze head-on, my voice trembling but fierce. “And what if I don’t trust you? Besides it's not like you've given me any reason to.”

His grip loosened. His brows furrowed, like I’d just stabbed him in the heart. “What are you saying?” he whispered.

I laughed again, but it came out bitter and raw. “Don't play dumb with me, Tristan. I know I'm just a placeholder and you're waiting for Vivianna to come back so you can toss me to the side. But aside from that, I know that you're also keeping secrets from me.”

He went very still.

Too still.

“What secrets?” he asked, his tone careful, measured.

I yanked my arm free, glaring at him. “Oh, come on, Tristan! I might not be the person you want but I'm not stupid either. I’m not some Luna who smiles prettily and accepts whatever scraps of lies you decide to feed me.”

For the first time since I barged in, he looked…disturbed.

I stepped closer, my voice dropping to a sharp whisper. “I don’t believe your excuses anymore. I don’t believe this…this silence. So if you want me to trust you, then tell me the truth. All of it. Right now.”

He opened his mouth. For one searing heartbeat, I thought he would. His lips parted, his chest rose with a ragged breath-

Then he stopped. His jaw clenched shut. Whatever words trembled on his tongue, he promptly swallowed them.

“No,” he said finally, the word breaking something inside me. “I'm sorry, Isla but it doesn't concern you.”

I staggered back, stung.

My heart hammered in my chest, every beat heavy with betrayal.

“Wow…” I say, my voice cracking. “I don't expect a lot from you. This is a sham relationship, and all of that, but I was hoping that you could see me as your equal. It's truly unfair you know…you expect me to trust you, to stand beside you, but you can’t even give me the truth?”

Tristan’s expression twisted with anguish, but he didn’t answer.

However, that was all the answer I needed.

The silence stretched between us like a chasm, wide and deadly.

At last, I turned away, my throat tight, my eyes burning.

“I won’t let you banish him,” I said quietly, my voice steel despite the tears threatening to fall. “Not without answers. Not without the truth.”

I didn’t wait for his response.

I shoved past him, past the guards, out into the cold night air.

The corridors blurred around me as I walked, fury and sorrow twisting into one.

I've tried one option, it's time to try another.

Kieran.

If Tristan wouldn’t tell me the truth, maybe Kieran would.

The thought burned bright in my chest, reckless and dangerous.

By the time I reached my chambers, I already knew what I had to do.

Tonight, I would find him.

No matter the cost.

The night pressed against the windows like a restless animal, whispering secrets into the stillness of the Alpha’s house. I couldn’t sleep—not with Tristan’s clipped words from earlier still burning in my head.

He had looked at me as if I were a pack member glass, something he needed to protect, but also something he needed to keep in place.

Stay away from Kieran.

His command rang in my ears, yet my heart rebelled.

It wasn’t just rebellion though… a part of it was ache.

I spent the next two hours trying to decide if the decision I was about to make was the right one.

By the time the moon was high, I had already made up my mind.