Chapter 171

LIAM

I pushed the cabin door with my boot and let it slam behind me, the cold air biting at my face like it wanted to finish what today had started.

My head was still buzzing from that stupid PE class, from the way Milicent’s eyes kept darting from me to those Silverfang twins like she was trying to choose which fire to burn herself with.

I should’ve been the one she gravitated to. I should’ve been the one she trusted. Instead she kept wearing that little frown, that one that told me she was trying so hard not to read too much into me, not to give me too much, not to let me see that her wolf kept circling mine even if she didn’t understand why.

The cabin smelled like burnt herbs and damp clothes and too many secrets stuffed into too tiny a space. I didn’t care. It was far enough off Silverfang land to stay unnoticed, close enough to run operations. Hidden just like everything else in my life. I walked toward the table where maps and photos and files were scattered like chaos had hands.

“Intel’s been leaked to Zayne,” the guy from last night said immediately, like he’d been rehearsing the line. He didn’t look up, just hovered near the table like a scared pup. “Your suspicions were right, young Alpha. They know.”

I stopped walking. For a breath. Then another. The fire inside me burned slow, thick, controlled… then it shot straight to my hands.

“That’s fine,” I muttered, cracking my knuckles because the anger needed an exit. “I still have my little defiant witch to play with.”

I pushed open the door to the back room, expecting to see her tied to the chair exactly where I left her, expecting her eyes to cut into me with that stubborn light that made me want to push my fingers into her mind and drag every secret out.

The chair was empty.

The ropes lay cut—cleanly.

My heart dropped. It didn’t fall with panic; it fell with rage. The kind of rage that sinks into bone and starts building a second heartbeat.

“She used magic to escape,” the guy behind me stuttered like he was trying to hide inside his own voice. “I—I don’t know how she—”

I grabbed him by the front of his shirt before he could finish and slammed him against the wall so hard dust rained down. His breath knocked out, eyes bulging like he didn’t expect the reaction, like he didn’t know what losing her meant to me, to the plan, to everything.

“You useless piece of—”

“Enough.” The voice didn’t just thunder. It cut. Like the word itself had claws. I froze up immediately.

My hand loosened before my brain even caught up. I turned, and the blood in my veins iced over. I dropped to one knee immediately.

“Alpha,” I breathed.

Alpha Gabriel stepped inside with a scowl on his face like the place offended him, like the air itself should’ve been cleaner in his presence. He didn’t look at me at first. Didn’t acknowledge the respect I offered him. He walked around the cabin slowly, scanning every corner like he could see the failures in the walls.

Then his eyes landed on me.

“So... your witch disappeared,” he said, voice cool, calm and deadly. “Your identity has been leaked. And you still haven’t gotten the girl.” He leaned in slightly.

“What a disgrace it is to have such an incompetent fool as a son.” The words landed like stones, but I kept my face still. My father didn’t tolerate weakness. Anger was allowed. Pain was not.

“I have a plan,” I said, finally lifting my gaze. He scoffed, then he laughed.

It was loud, cruel. The kind of laugh that stripped a man of every layer he had and left him with just the humiliation. “All your plans are useless,” Gabriel said. “No. We’ll do it my way.”

He walked past me, brushing my shoulder as if dismissing my existence. I rose slowly, jaw tight, throat burning with swallowed words. I wasn’t stupid enough to voice them.

“So,” he continued, “I hear my dear brother is involving himself in Silverfang matters again. How interesting.”

I clenched my fists. “It must have something to do with the superior Alpha,” I said slowly. “Not personal business.”

Gabriel tilted his head, unimpressed. “Gregory is a cunning man. Always has been.” He paused. “And a traitor. Never forget that.”

My father’s voice darkened at the edges, gaining that cold fire that made every omega in our pack tremble.

“Who knew he wasn’t just a backstabbing snake,” Gabriel muttered, “but also such a fool. His daughter carrying all that power—just waiting to be used—and he lets her run around playing some pathetic highschool romance game with two Silverfang pups?”

He sneered.

“Gregory and I were the best of brothers,” Gabriel continued, eyes distant with memories that still dripped poison. “Until he betrayed me. Spied for the Silverfang Alpha. Because of him, my takeover failed. Because of him, our pack lost half its claim to these lands.” I swallowed hard. I had heard the story a thousand times. It still made my stomach twist. How could a brother do that? To blood.

“That betrayal earned him the title of general,” Gabriel spat. “Loyal dog of the superior Alpha. And now everyone praises him the all powerful and mighty general.”

His gaze locked onto mine, sharp enough to slice skin. “My cousin will see reason,” I said quickly. “She’s not like her father. She'll give in whether she wants to or not.”

But inside, a different Aiden, my wolf whispered. "She’s not just a key. Not something to drain or chain. She could be an ally. A true one. Someone who could bring unity instead of destruction. Someone who deserved more than to be some power cow we milked for rank."

She was family. Even if Gregory was a traitor… she wasn’t. My father studied me too long, suspicion curling around his stare.

“You aren’t just using Milicent for power,” he said slowly. “You’re thinking something else.”

My throat locked, father stepped closer. “Let me remind you,” he said, voice cold, “I will use her as leverage to destroy Gregory for his treachery. That is her purpose.”

My chest tightened.

“And although incest has never been an issue in our bloodline,” Gabriel added casually, as if talking about the weather, “I will not permit it if it jeopardizes my plans, son.”

I straightened instantly.

“I would rather claw my own throat out,” I said, firm, steady, “than betray you or our pack.” He nodded once, accepting it.

“Good.” He exhaled once, long and slow, like he was bored of the whole conversation already.

“Now,” he said. “The plan is simple. Kidnap Milicent. No more games. No more flirting. No more playing the charming new guy.” The room felt like it shrank. “Bring her to me before tomorrow’s crack of dawn.”

My pulse stumbled. That was barely any time. That meant tonight. That meant everything had shifted. That meant the line I’d been dancing on shattered beneath me.

Gabriel turned away like the discussion was done, like my world hadn’t just been yanked apart and set on fire.

“Yes, Father.” I bowed again. “So be it,” I murmured.

MILICENT

The library always felt like the one place in this entire glittering, suffocating school where I could breathe a little without feeling someone’s eyes pressing into the back of my skull, so I tried to let the calm settle into me as I sat across from Fiona.

The girl was perched on the edge of her chair like she was ready to run if anyone sneezed too loud, her ginger curls frizzing out like her stress was trying to escape through her hair. I had my iced coffee, well, the watery remains of it—and my notes spread out in front of me.

But nothing on the page made sense because my mind kept circling what happened yesterday, then last night, then the stupid PE class this morning where Liam kept hovering like he owned the space around me.

“So,” Fiona said, leaning in, her voice low like she was preparing herself for a secret she didn’t want to hear but was too loyal not to. “Start from the top. And don’t skip the part where he called you special because I need to mentally slap him for that.”

I exhaled hard and dropped my pen. “I don’t even know where to start, Fi. Everything is… a mess. It’s like ever since my birthday the universe decided I needed extra chaos and just dumped it on my head.”

Fiona snorted. “When has the universe ever not dumped chaos on you?” I threw the crumpled wrapper of my straw at her. She dodged. Barely.

I rubbed my forehead with both hands. “I’m anxious. Like… the kind of anxious that sits in your throat and refuses to swallow. General Gregory showing up like some walking nightmare. Xander dragging me away like I was about to get sold. Zayne going feral on Liam. And Liam calling me special like he somehow knows me. He doesn’t even know me.”

“Okay, pause,” Fiona said, waving her hands like she was swatting flies. “I’m still trying to keep up but I feel like you’re living a whole telenovela behind my back. You think I’m the girl with answers? Babe, I don’t know anything. I’m scared just hearing it.”

I sighed. “I know… and I shouldn’t unload all this on you. But you’re the only one who listens without trying to control everything.”

Fiona softened, her tense shoulders easing a little. “I don’t know the answers, Millie… but I’m here, okay? I’m here until the end. Even if it’s the messy kind.” My phone buzzed.

Liam. Of course. I opened it only because ignoring him would make him show up faster.

LIAM: Hey. I’m sorry about earlier. I was out of line. I just can’t stand how possessive your mates are. It gets under my skin.

I scoffed. Of course he brought them up first.

ME: Tell me about it. They make me feel caged. And I don’t think any of us are ready for that kind of commitment.

He replied fast.

LIAM: You shouldn’t feel trapped in your own bond. That’s not how it’s supposed to be.

ME: Yeah well… my life isn’t exactly normal.

LIAM: What if we spend some time together? Clear your mind a bit.

I stared at the message, my stomach doing that weird roll it always did when things were about to go wrong but I pretended they weren’t.

ME: I’m at the library with Fiona right mow.

LIAM: Perfect. I can come there. There are still things about this school I can’t wrap my head around. Silverfang is tough as hell.

ME: Of course. Sure.

Fiona gasped dramatically. “Did you just—did you actually—Milicent you cannot be serious.”

“It’s just a meet-up,” I muttered, gathering my hair into a ponytail that still refused to stay neat. “He needs help with school stuff. And besides… we need to figure out who he is. What he wants.”

Fiona crossed her arms, lips pursed so tight she looked like she was holding back a scream. “I can’t believe I fell for that.”

“It’s not your fault,” I said, reaching for her hand. “But we’ll get to the bottom of this. I promise.”

She looked like she wanted to glue herself to me to make sure nothing happened, but after a long exhale, she nodded and stood. She pulled me into a tight hug, her arms squeezing like she was trying to transfer courage into my bloodstream.

“Good luck,” she whispered. “And don’t die.”

“I’ll do my best.”

She picked up her bag from the table, but as she swung it over her shoulder, my empty paper cup tipped off the desk and hit the floor with a soft clatter. Fiona jolted like a bomb exploded.

“Oh my gosh—did it spill? Did anything spill?” she panicked, bending instantly. “Relax,” I said, lifting it. “It’s empty. See? I finished it already. The books are safe.”

She pressed a hand to her chest. “Thank the Goddess. The librarian would’ve murdered me.” We both glanced at the old woman behind the desk—her hawk eyes already glaring our way like she smelled trouble brewing.

Fiona bolted. And then I was alone.

Well… for about three minutes.