Chapter 8 CHAPTER 8

Chapter 8 CHAPTER 8
Ophelia’s POV
I had to bite down hard on my lip to keep from laughing out loud.
This was payback. Sweet, sweet payback for all the times he'd scared the crap out of me today. First with those cold murder eyes at the marketplace, then nearly giving me a heart attack in this alley.
Who's terrifying now, huh?
"This is amazing," I thought gleefully. "The future tyrant, completely destroyed by a little ear action."
"You're evil," Hex said, but he sounded impressed.
"I'm efficient."

Ryan's POV
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
My pulse was hammering in my chest—fast, unsteady, out of control. My breath kept catching in my throat every time she moved.
This shouldn't be happening.
I'd always been cold inside. Empty. A void where feelings were supposed to be.
That emptiness had been my constant companion. It made everything easier. The beatings didn't hurt as much when you felt nothing. The insults slid off like water when you were already numb inside.
But now—
Now there was something.
Something stirring in that empty space. Something warm and foreign and completely unwelcome.
This strange, confusing girl made no sense.
She was doing something to me.
Something I didn't understand. Something I couldn't control.
Knox was restless, pacing inside my mind. Not aggressive—just... confused. Alert. Like he sensed something important but didn't know what.
When she leaned close, my breath had caught. When her fingers touched mine, something had sparked under my skin. When she blew on my ear—
My hand moved, slow and careful, toward the dagger hidden in my sleeve.
She couldn't stay alive.
This feeling—whatever it was—it was dangerous. It made me weak. Vulnerable.
And weakness got you killed.
I'd learned that lesson over and over. From Father. From Quinn. From every pack member who'd turned on me the moment Father's favor disappeared.
Trust no one. Feel nothing. Survive.
That was the only rule that mattered.
My fingers closed around the dagger's handle.
It would be easy. She was close, distracted, completely unaware of the danger. One quick movement.
She'd be dead before she even knew what happened.
Wind swept through the courtyard, scattering dead leaves across the cobblestones. The rustling sound was the only noise besides my own breathing.
I stood near the south wall, half-hidden in shadow. Waiting.
A figure dropped down from the wall—silent, precise. He was tall, dressed in dark clothes that blended with the night. One of mine.
He approached and dropped to one knee. "Sorry I'm late."
"Yeah, you are." I kept my voice low, cold. My fingers traced the edge of the dagger at my belt. "What took so long?"
"Quinn's got eyes everywhere." He looked up, his expression tight with frustration. "I followed your scent trail, should've been here days ago. But her people are crawling all over these territories. Had to take the long way around."
I nodded slowly. That tracked. Quinn wouldn't make this easy.
"Gather everyone," I said. "Station them around Windplain Pack's borders. I want you to check out every pack that had ties to Dustvalley."
His eyes widened slightly—just for a second—before his expression went neutral again. "All of them?"
"Every single one." I turned the dagger over in my hand, watching moonlight catch the blade. "Someone out there remembers what really happened. Someone knows the truth about what my father did."
"Understood." He rose to his feet, hesitated. "What about the girl?"
I froze. "What girl?"
"The Alpha's daughter. The one from Ironcliff." His tone was careful, testing. "Word is you're staying there now. Working for them."
My jaw tightened. "She's not your concern."
"With respect—if she's compromising the mission—"
"She's not." The words came out sharper than I meant them to. "She's... she's helping me. That's all you need to know."
He studied my face for a moment, then nodded. "Got it. I'll keep you updated."
He melted back into the shadows, gone as quickly as he'd appeared.
I stayed there, staring at my dagger.
Ophelia.
Why did you really help me? What's your angle?


Ophelia’s POV
I'd never seen anything so entertaining in my life.
The terrifying future tyrant who was supposed to slaughter thousands? Completely undone by a little ear-blowing.
"Stop that!" he finally managed to say.
"Why?" I was enjoying this way too much. "You look like you're about to explode. It's funny."
"It's not funny!"
"It really is."
He glared at me, but there was no real heat behind it. Just pure, concentrated embarrassment.
But then I saw his jaw clench.
Just a tiny movement, but enough to make me realize I should probably stop pushing my luck.
Because yeah, he was flustered and blushing and kind of adorable right now.
But he was also still a super powerful werewolf who could probably snap me in half if he wanted to.
Maybe I'd teased him enough.
I filed this information away for future use. Apparently, the key to handling Ryan was to fluster him into submission.
Who knew?
Although... yeah, I should definitely stop before he actually lost it and tried to murder me.
I'd had enough near-death experiences for one day.
"Okay, okay," I said, holding up my hands in surrender. "I'll stop. You look like you're gonna pass out or something."
He was breathing hard, his chest rising and falling rapidly. His eyes were still wide, slightly unfocused.
Like he didn't quite know what had just happened.
To be honest, I wasn't entirely sure either. That had started as a joke and somehow turned into... whatever that was.
"You're insane," he said finally.
"Yeah, probably." I sat back on my heels, putting a little more distance between us. "But at least I got you to stop looking all murder-y for a minute."
His expression shifted slightly. Something flickered in his eyes—something I couldn't quite read.
"Look," I said, my voice softer now. "I know you don't trust me. That's fine. But you're hurt, and you're alone, and—"
"Why do you care?" he interrupted.
Not angry this time. Just... confused. Like he genuinely couldn't understand why someone would help him.
My chest squeezed.
"The real reason," he added. "Not the guardian angel bullshit."
I hesitated. "You know what?" I said instead. "I'm Ophelia, by the way. From Ironcliff Pack. My dad's the Alpha."
He just stared at me.
"And I have a proposal for you."
His eyes narrowed. "What kind of proposal?"
"Come work for us." The words came out in a rush. "We've got plenty of room, good pay, food and lodging included. Everyone's pretty chill. No creeps or anything."
Okay, I couldn't just say 'come live with us as a charity case.' That would be humiliating for him. So I had to frame it as a job offer. Make it seem like I needed something from him, not the other way around.
"Think of it as my way of making up for the whole theft accusation thing," I continued. "You know, to clear my conscience. So we're cool, right?"
He was quiet for a long moment, just watching me.
I tried not to squirm under his gaze.
This was a good plan, right? If I kept him close, I could keep an eye on him. Make sure he didn't go full villain, before he was supposed to go back to Windplain Pack.
That was enough time to teach him basic human decency, right?
Save the future tyrant, feel like a hero. Win-win.
Except... He was the Alpha King's son. Would he even want to join some random small pack? Ironcliff wasn't exactly famous or powerful.
What if he said no?
"Fine."
I blinked. "Wait, what?"
"I said fine." His voice was flat. "I'll join your pack."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"That was... easier than I thought." I stared at him. "I was ready to give a whole speech. I had, like, bullet points prepared in my head and everything."
The corner of his mouth twitched. Almost like he wanted to smile but forgot how.
"Huh." I shook my head. "I mean, cool. Great. So you'll come with me?"
He nodded once.
"Awesome!" I started to reach for him, then hesitated. "Can you stand? Do you need help?"
"I'm fine."
"You keep saying that, but you're literally covered in blood and you can barely—"
He pushed himself to his feet before I could finish. Swayed a little but managed to stay upright.
"Okay, then." I stood up too, brushing dirt off my pants. "Let's get you back to Ironcliff before Jovie sends out a search party. She's probably freaking out right now."
Ryan nodded but didn't say anything.
I glanced at him as we started walking.
His face was blank again. No emotion. No expression.
Just those cold green eyes staring straight ahead.