Chapter 107 Knox's Warning
Ryder POV
I watch Jolie leave my office, her shoulders tight with tension, and I want to follow her. I want to fix this immediately.
But I force myself to stay put.
She needs space, time to process. Chasing her right now will only make things worse.
The door opens five minutes later. Knox fills the frame, his expression grim.
"We need to talk." He closes the door behind him. "Now."
I lean back in my chair. "About?"
"About the fact that your mate just ran out of here crying." Knox crosses his arms. "Again."
"We had a disagreement." I keep my voice neutral. "We worked it out."
"Did you?" Knox moves closer. "Because from where I'm standing, that golden she-wolf is winning."
My hands curl into fists. "What are you talking about?"
"Seraphina." Knox's voice is flat. "She's playing games, Alpha. Getting in Jolie's head, making her doubt you. Making her doubt everything."
"I know." I say . "Luna already gave me the full report. Professional mate-breaker, hired to destroy bonds. We're documenting everything."
"That's not enough." Knox sits in the chair Jolie vacated. "She told Jolie you got her pregnant and abandoned her."
My wolf snarls to the surface. "She what?"
"Jolie came to me asking if it was true." Knox's eyes are hard. "If you'd left a pregnant lover to raise a pup alone. If that pup died because of the stress."
Ice floods my veins. "And you told her?"
"I told her it was bullshit." Knox leans forward. "But the fact that she asked me instead of coming straight to you? That's a problem, Ryder. Your mate doesn't trust you enough to check facts before believing lies."
The truth of it hits. "She did come to me, she used her empathy gift to verify I was telling the truth."
"After she already doubted you." Knox's voice is gentle now. "After Seraphina's words had already planted the seed. That's how manipulation works—it makes the victim do the destroyer's work for them."
I run a hand through my hair. "What am I supposed to do? I've told Jolie the truth. I've opened myself completely. I can't force her to trust me."
"No." Knox agrees. "But you can stop giving Seraphina ammunition."
"How?" I'm genuinely asking. "I've been honest about everything."
"Have you?" Knox tilts his head. "Because whatever history you and Seraphina have, you haven't told Jolie all of it. And that gap? That's where the poison lives."
My jaw clenches. "I told her we were lovers, that it was toxic. That I ended it."
"That's the sanitized version." Knox's voice is steady. "What you haven't told her is how toxic it really was. How Seraphina got under your skin, made you someone you didn't recognize. How it took months to shake her influence after you finally left."
"Because that makes me look weak." The words come out harsh. "My mate doesn't need to know I was stupid enough to let someone manipulate me like that."
"Your mate needs to know you're human." Knox stands. "That you've made mistakes, learned from them, and came out stronger. Right now, all she knows is you had a toxic ex you won't talk about in detail. That mystery? Seraphina's filling it with lies."
He's right. I hate it, but he's right.
"Tell her everything." Knox moves toward the door. "Before Seraphina does it for you. Because once that woman controls the narrative, you'll never get it back."
He leaves me alone with the weight of his words.
I find Cass in the common room, reviewing security footage.
"Have you talked to Jolie?" He doesn't look up from the screens. "Because she looked pretty upset earlier."
"We talked." I pour myself coffee. "Knox thinks I need to tell her more about Seraphina. About what that relationship really was."
"Knox is smart." Cass finally looks at me. "You planning to take his advice?"
"I don't know." I stare into the dark liquid. "Every time I try to talk to Jolie lately, she's busy. Healing someone, dealing with pack business, or so exhausted from glowing that she can barely stand."
"She's avoiding you." Cass says it like it's obvious.
The observation stings. "I know."
"Do you?" Cass turns in his chair. "Because I don't think you realize how bad it's getting. Your mate is slipping away, Ryder. Becoming more divine and less human every day. And you're letting it happen."
"What am I supposed to do?" My voice rises. "Force her to stop helping people? Lock her in our room until the glow fades? She has free will, Cass."
"I'm not saying control her." Cass stands. "I'm saying fight for her. Remind her why she's your mate in the first place. Because right now, Seraphina's showing more interest in Jolie's wellbeing than you are."
The accusation hits like a slap. "That's not fair."
"Isn't it?" Cass moves closer. "When's the last time you and Jolie did something together that wasn't pack business? When did you last take her riding, or cook her breakfast, or just sit with her without the weight of the world between you?"
I open my mouth to answer and realize I can't remember.
"Exactly." Cass claps me on the shoulder. "You're so busy managing threats and protecting her from dangers that you've forgotten to actually be with her. And Seraphina? She's noticed that gap and moved right into it."
"I'm trying to keep her safe." The defense sounds weak even to my ears.
"Safe from what?" Cass challenges. "The Council's gone, Thorne's dead. The threats you're protecting her from right now? They're all emotional. And you can't fight those with security protocols and strategic planning."
He's right. They're all right.
I've been so focused on external threats that I've missed the one destroying us from within.
"What do I do?"
"You be her mate." Cass's voice softens. "Not her alpha, not her protector, not her strategic partner. Just her mate. The wolf who claimed her, who loves her, who promised to stand beside her no matter what."
"And if she won't let me?" The fear spills out. "If she's too busy being divine to need me anymore?"
"Then you remind her she's still human underneath all that power." Cass moves toward the door. "Before she forgets completely."
I try to find Jolie that afternoon. She's in the medical bay with Doc, organizing supplies.
Through the window, I watch her move. No wasted energy, no unnecessary movements. She's conserving strength, still recovering from yesterday's healing session.
The silver glow is dimmer today but still present. A constant reminder that my mate is becoming something more than wolf, more than human.
Something I might not be able to hold onto.
I raise my hand to knock, to go in and talk to her.
But then Seraphina appears in the hallway, moving toward the medical bay with purposeful steps.
I melt back into the shadows, watching.
Seraphina knocks and enters. Through the window, I see Jolie look up, surprised but not unwelcoming.
They talk. I can't hear the words, but I read Jolie's body language. Tense at first, then relaxing slightly. Seraphina's gestures are open, sympathetic.
Whatever she's saying, Jolie is listening. My wolf snarls, wanting to burst in and drag Seraphina away from our mate.
But I force myself to stay still. This is what Knox was warning me about. Seraphina moving into the spaces I've left empty, building trust while I'm stuck on the outside looking in.
Jolie laughs at something Seraphina says. A small laugh, almost reluctant, but genuine.
When's the last time I made her laugh?
The question haunts me as I watch them through the glass, separated by more than just a window now.
Knox's words echo in my head: Your mate is slipping away, and you're letting it happen.