Chapter 39 CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO SECOND PART
ALORA
Minutes later, Alex bursts through my door, his eyes still glowing silver. "Pack your things. We're moving you to the Alpha suite."
"What did they want?"
"You." His voice is harsh. "They know about you. About what you are."
My stomach drops. "How?"
"Someone talked. Someone in this pack leaked information to them." His hands clench into fists. "But that doesn't matter right now. What matters is keeping you safe."
"The Alpha suite?" I shake my head. "Alex, that's going to make the elders even angrier—"
"I don't care." He moves to my closet, pulling out clothes. "The Alpha suite is the most secure location in the pack house. Multiple exits, reinforced walls, guards I trust personally." He looks at me. "You're moving there tonight."
"And the moon run? Revealing myself to the pack?"
His jaw tightens. "Postponed. The Northern Pack showing up changed things. If they know about you, other packs might too. We need to reassess the situation."
Relief and disappointment war inside me. Part of me is glad for the reprieve. But another part, the part that's tired of hiding, feels frustrated.
"So I just keep hiding?" I move to help him pack. "For how long?"
"Until I figure out who betrayed us." His eyes meet mine, fierce and protective. "Until I know I can keep you safe during the reveal."
"You can't protect me from everything—"
"Watch me." The words are a promise and a threat. "No one is taking you from me, Alora. No one."
The possessiveness in his voice should scare me. Instead, it makes my wolf preen.
A knock on the door makes us both tense.
"Alpha?" Marcus's voice carries through the wood. "We need to talk. Now."
Alex opens the door, and I can see Marcus's expression is grim.
"What?" Alex demands.
"The Northern wolves, they didn't leave the territory." Marcus glances at me, then back to Alex. "They're camped just outside our borders. Watching."
"How many?"
"Three we can see. But there could be more hidden in the forest." Marcus runs a hand through his hair. "Alex, they're not going to leave without her."
"Then they'll die here." Alex's voice is cold. "Because they're not getting her."
"We can't go to war over one wolf—"
"She's not just one wolf." Alex's eyes flash. "She's my mate. And I will burn down every pack in five territories before I let anyone take her."
Marcus flinches at the vehemence in his voice. "The elders need to be informed—"
"No." Alex cuts him off. "The elders don't get a say in this. This is my decision."
"Alex, you're not thinking clearly—"
"I'm thinking perfectly clearly." He moves closer to Marcus, his power making the air heavy. "My mate is in danger. The Northern Pack is threatening what's mine. My response is exactly what it should be."
"Your response is exactly what the elders warned about." Marcus doesn't back down. "This is the bond talking, not you."
"Maybe it is." Alex's voice drops dangerously low. "Or maybe this is who I've always been, and you just never noticed. Either way, it doesn't change anything. She's mine. And I protect what's mine."
I watch this exchange, my heart sinking. This is what I feared. The bond is already affecting him, making him more volatile, more possessive. And it will only get worse from here.
"Alex." I step forward, placing a hand on his arm. "Maybe Marcus is right. Maybe we should talk to the elders—"
"No." He turns to me, his eyes softening slightly. "I'm not letting them make decisions about your safety. About our future."
"But if the bond is affecting you—"
"It is affecting me." He cups my face. "Of course it is. But that doesn't make my decisions wrong. It just makes them more urgent."
"That's the problem," Marcus says quietly. "You can't tell the difference anymore between bond-influenced decisions and rational ones."
Alex's jaw tightens, and I can see him fighting for control. Finally, he takes a deep breath.
"Fine. We'll inform the elders about the Northern Pack's presence. But my decision about Alora's safety stands." He looks at me. "You're moving to the Alpha suite. Tonight. Non-negotiable."
I nod, not trusting my voice.
"Marcus, double the patrols. I want eyes on those Northern wolves at all times. If they so much as breathe wrong, I want to know." He pauses. "And find out who leaked information about Alora. I want names by morning."
After Marcus leaves, Alex returns to packing my things. His movements are jerky, aggressive, his wolf clearly close to the surface.
"Alex." I move to stand in front of him. "Talk to me."
"About what?" But he won't meet my eyes.
"About what you're feeling. What the bond is doing to you."
He finally looks at me, and the intensity in his gaze makes my breath catch. "You want to know what I'm feeling? I'm feeling like every cell in my body is screaming to claim you. To mark you. To make sure every wolf in five territories knows you're mine." His hands grip my shoulders. "I'm feeling violent and possessive and irrational, and I don't care because all that matters is keeping you safe."
"That's the bond—"
"I don't care if it's the bond." His forehead rests against mine. "I don't care if I'm going mad. All I care about is you."
The confession breaks something inside me. "You should care. You should fight it—"
"I am fighting it." His voice is rough. "Every second of every day, I'm fighting the urge to lock you away somewhere only I can reach you. To kill anyone who looks at you wrong. To complete the bond and damn the consequences." His eyes close. "But I'm losing, Alora. Every day, the bond gets stronger, and my control gets weaker."
Tears burn my eyes. "Then we need to stop this. Before it destroys you—"
"It's too late for that." His hands tighten on my shoulders. "The bond is already there. Pushing me away won't make it disappear. It will only make it worse."
"Then what do we do?"
He pulls back, his expression resolute. "We face it together. We acknowledge what's happening and try to manage it as best we can." His thumb brushes my cheek. "And we trust that somehow, we'll find a way through this that doesn't end in tragedy."
I want to believe him. Want to have that kind of faith.
But as I look into his eyes, seeing the wildness there, the barely contained violence, I can't help but wonder if we're already past the point of no return.
If the bond madness has already taken hold.
And if there's any way to save him from what I am.
A howl pierces the night, long, mournful, and undeniably Northern Pack.
They're calling to me.
Trying to draw me out.
Alex's eyes flash silver, and I feel his wolf surge forward. "Get your things. We're moving you now."
As we gather my belongings and prepare to relocate to the Alpha suite, I can't shake the feeling that everything is about to change.
The Northern Pack knows about me.
The elders want me gone.
And Alex is slowly losing himself to a bond that history says will destroy us both.
Happy birthday to me.
The day everything I feared started coming true.