Leila's POV:
I had studied Drake long enough to know what made him tick. He was suspicious of , always watching, waiting for to reveal more of myself. As much as I wanted to let my guard down, I couldn't. Not yet. I had a mission—a purpose far greater than this bond between us. Falling in love wasn't in the plan, at least not until I avenged myself. My heart was a weapon I couldn't afford to surrender.
That evening, I went to Drake's office. I found him there, hunched over his desk, deep in concentration as he combed through docunts. The mont he noticed , his eyes flicked up, surprise briefly crossing his face before it settled into suspicion. I wasn't surprised by his reaction. He had been patient with , far more patient than I expected from an Alpha. The need to mark and mate their chosen one was hardwired into them. The fact that Drake had held back this long only fueled my curiosity. Was he truly so strong, or was there sothing else holding him back?
Layla, my wolf, stirred inside , a soft growl of uncertainty filling my mind. 'Doesn't he want us anymore?' she wondered, her voice laced with doubt. We had proven ourselves to him in every way possible—strength, skill, resilience. That should make him proud of us, right? Or was there sothing more that we had yet to uncover?
I pushed the doubt aside. Drake's restraint was impressive, but it didn't change the fact that I had my own plans. I had been training in secret long before I found myself here, back when I was nothing more than a slave. I had to learn how to fend for myself, to survive in a world that wanted to break . When I killed that wicked Alpha who held captive, I realized how powerful I truly was. Training, coupled with the Alpha blood running through my veins, had made a formidable opponent. That sa strength would carry through the rest of my plan.
But to make it work, I needed Drake to play his part. He would need a reason to wage war on the pack I despised—the Blood Moon Pack. And for that, I would give him just enough of the truth to ignite his rage, but not enough to reveal the full extent of who I truly was.
I approached him slowly, letting my presence sink in. His eyes narrowed, but there was a flicker of sothing else beneath the surface—desire, longing. He wanted to mark , I knew that much. Alphas weren't known for their patience when it ca to their mates. The fact that Drake had resisted for this long was surprising, even to . Layla was restless, craving the bond, but I held her back. Not yet. Not until I got what I wanted.
"I'll let you mark ," I said softly, letting my voice carry the weight of the offer. "But only if you eliminate the Blood Moon Pack."
The shift in his deanor was imdiate. His body went still, his eyes narrowing as he studied , trying to read between the lines of my request. He knew there was more to this than what I was telling him. And there was. But he didn't need to know everything. Not yet.
"Why?" he asked, his voice low and dangerous. "Why them?"
I smiled, stepping closer until I could feel the heat of his body. "They're a threat," I whispered, my eyes locking onto his. "To both of us."
He didn't move, but I could sense the tension in him, the battle raging inside. He wanted to believe , but the alpha in him was too smart to take my words at face value. He needed more—sothing to tip the scales.
So I gave him just enough. "I was a prisoner in that pack once," I said, letting a sliver of truth slip through my lips. "They're responsible for things you couldn't imagine. If you want safe...if you want to be yours...you'll take them out."
His jaw clenched, and I could see the conflict in his eyes. He wanted —there was no denying that. But could I push him far enough to start a war in my na?
Drake's POV:
She entered my office unannounced, catching off guard. It wasn't like her to barge in without warning, and it sent my instincts into overdrive. But nothing could have prepared for what ca next.
Her proposition—a deal, she called it—left reeling. She offered herself, her mark, in exchange for wiping out the Blood Moon Pack. The audacity of it was almost laughable, but the truth was, it stung. She didn't get it, did she? Did she even realize what mates ant, or was I just a pawn in so twisted ga she was playing? The mate bond wasn't sothing you bartered with. It was sacred. A connection that transcended everything else. And here she was, reducing it to so twisted negotiation.
I couldn't deny that the urge to mark her had been a constant tornt since I first laid eyes on her. Every day it got harder to resist, to hold back the instinct that demanded I claim her as mine. But I wanted her to co to willingly. I wanted her to want —not just as her mate but as her partner. I wasn't so beast that needed to be appeased with a deal. If I was going to mark her, it would be because she asked to, because she trusted , not because of so twisted contract. Did she think so little of ? Of us?
My wolf snarled inside , pacing with frustration. Didn't she know I'd burn the world to ashes if it ant keeping her safe? She didn't have to offer herself as so bargaining chip to make fight for her. I'd already kill for her if that's what it took.
Trying to keep my cool, I asked her the question that burned in my chest. "Why? Why are you offering yourself just so I can eliminate the Blood Moon Pack?"
It wasn't that I had any great love for the Blood Moon Pack. Hell, I didn't care much for them at all. But there were lines I didn't cross lightly. They had children, innocents. I knew what it was like to grow up without a pack, without parents. I had sworn to myself that I wouldn't make orphans out of pups if I could help it. Plus, I had a peace treaty with them. Breaking that treaty would spark a war—one that I wasn't sure would be worth the cost.
But when she answered, everything shifted. She said it was for both of us—that she had been a prisoner there. The words hit like a punch to the gut, and I felt my wolf rise, howling with rage. My mate, my Leila, had been held captive by them? The anger that coursed through was blinding. How dare they touch what was mine? How dare they imprison her?
I wanted to storm out right then and there, to tear apart the pack that had hurt her, but I forced myself to hold back. There was still sothing she wasn't telling . Sothing deeper, sothing dark. And I needed to know what it was before I did anything rash.
"Why were you a prisoner?" I asked, my voice low, trying to rein in my emotions. I needed answers, not more questions.
But she folded up in front of , shutting down as soon as I asked. She moved toward the door, but before leaving, she turned to look at over her shoulder. Her eyes were filled with sothing I couldn't quite place—pain, regret, anger. "Maybe I was wrong," she said softly. "I read the signs wrong. I fell for that stupid mate bond trap. After all, you're an Alpha, just like them."
Then she was gone, leaving standing there with those cryptic words ringing in my ears.
What the hell did she an by that? That I was like them? Like who? Other alphas? My mind spun with the implications, but one thing beca glaringly clear—Leila hated alphas. And that hatred ran deep.
She had closed herself off, refusing to trust , and now I had to figure out why. More importantly, I had to decide whether to chase her down and demand answers—or let her co to when she was ready. Either way, I knew one thing: I wasn't about to lose her. Not to her past, not to her fears, and sure as hell not to whatever secrets she was still keeping.
But if she thought she could make into the monster she saw in other alphas, she was dead wrong. I'd prove to her that I wasn't like them. Even if it ant breaking through her walls piece by piece.
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