Alpha Kingsley’s POV
By the time I returned to the pack house, night had fully settled over the territory.
But the unease hadn’t.
The forest still felt watched.
And I don’t believe in coincidences.
Andrew had already begun discreetly reviewing the patrol logs.
I didn’t want public accusations.
Not yet.
If there was a traitor, they would expose themselves eventually.
They always did.
I stepped into my chambers without knocking.
Olivia stood near the window, exactly where I expected her to be.
She turned the moment I entered.
Relief flooded her face.
And that’s when I felt it.
The bond.
It wasn’t fully claimed, but it pulsed between us — warm, steady.
No fear.
Just awareness.
“You’re back,” she breathed.
I closed the door behind me.
“Yes.”
Her eyes moved over me carefully, searching for injuries.
“You felt it,” I said quietly.
It wasn’t a question.
She hesitated.
“I don’t know what I felt… but something was wrong.”
Interesting.
The bond was strengthening faster than I anticipated.
I stepped closer.
Not threatening.
Not gentle.
Deliberate.
“You don’t have to understand it yet,” I said.
“But when something threatens me… you’ll feel it.”
Her eyes widened slightly.
“Why?”
I held her gaze.
“Because you’re tied to me whether you realize it or not.”
Her breathing shifted.
There it was again — that mixture of defiance and curiosity.
“And what if I don’t want to be?” she asked softly.
Argon growled.
I didn’t.
Instead, I closed the distance between us.
“Then you’ll have to fight harder,” I murmured.
She swallowed.
But she didn’t step back.
That alone was dangerous.
A knock interrupted the moment.
Three short taps.
Controlled.
I didn’t break eye contact when I said, “Enter.”
Senior Warrior Darius stepped inside.
Tall.
Decorated.
Trusted.
Or so I had believed.
His expression was tight — not panicked, but strained. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
“Alpha,” he bowed slightly.
“The perimeter logs have been gathered, as you requested.”
I studied him.
He had been in charge of assigning patrol rotations along the northern border.
Interesting.
“You were near the old forest line yesterday,” I said casually.
“Yes, Alpha.”
”Anything unusual?”
He paused.
Barely noticeable.
But I saw it.
“No, Alpha.”
A lie.
Not large.
But deliberate.
Argon’s claws scraped against my restraint.
He smells wrong.
I kept my voice calm.
“You’re dismissed.”
He left without hesitation.
But as the door shut, my mind sharpened.
Darius wasn’t reckless.
He wouldn’t act alone.
And the faint energy I had sensed at the border…
It didn’t belong to him.
It belonged to someone stronger.
Someone practiced.
Someone careful enough not to leave a signature.
Which meant they knew exactly what they were doing.
And they were close.
I turned back to Olivia.
She was watching me.
“What was that?” she asked.
“Nothing you need to worry about.”
Her jaw tightened.
“Is the pack in danger?”
”No,” I replied evenly.
“But someone — or a group — has set their eyes on us.”
And that was exactly why this was becoming complicated.
Because Olivia was no longer separate from my problems.
She was at the center of them.
Olivia’s POV
The room felt smaller when he looked at me like that.
Like I wasn’t just someone temporarily staying under his roof.
Like I was something else.
Something that already belonged to him — even if he hadn’t marked me.
And probably never would.
When that warrior entered, the air shifted.
The moment broke.
And for reasons I refused to examine too closely… I felt disappointed.
Stop daydreaming, Olivia.
You have no chance with him.
When the door closed, I stepped closer.
“You don’t think rogues are behind this,” I said carefully.
Kingsley’s gaze flickered to me.
“I don’t make judgments blindly.”
”That’s not what I meant.”
Silence stretched between us.
“You felt something else at the border, didn’t you?” I pressed.
His expression didn’t change.
But his eyes darkened.
“You’re observant.”
I folded my arms.
“You’re not the only one.”
He moved closer again.
“You should focus on surviving sharing a room with me,” he murmured.
My heart betrayed me instantly.
“I can handle that,” I replied, though my voice lacked conviction.
His hand lifted.
Not to grab.
Not to dominate.
Just to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
The gesture was unexpectedly gentle.
Far more dangerous than if he had pinned me against the wall.
“You’re shaking,” he observed.
“I’m not.”
”You are.”
His thumb brushed lightly along my jaw.
Electricity surged through me.
“You shouldn’t concern yourself with the pack’s affairs,” he said quietly.
“I understand my place,” I replied.
That made him still.
For the first time, something flickered across his face.
Not anger.
Not dominance.
Something softer.
Something almost… protective.
His hand slid from my jaw to my waist.
Firm.
Possessive.
But still controlled.
“You’ll stay close to me until I figure this out,” he said.
“That wasn’t a request, was it?”
”No.”
I should have argued.
I should have pushed him away.
But instead, my fingers curled into his shirt.
Just slightly.
And I felt his control fracture for half a second.
His breath deepened.
His grip tightened.
“You don’t understand what you’re doing,” he warned.
“Then explain it to me.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Charged.
The air between us felt like it might ignite.
His forehead nearly touched mine.
A slow smirk curved his lips.
“Careful, Olivia.”
”Or what?”
His eyes darkened fully.
“Or I’ll stop holding back.”
Heat flooded the space between us.
And just as I thought he might finally close the distance—
A distant howl tore through the night.
Urgent.
Alarm.
Kingsley stiffened instantly.
The air shifted.
That Alpha presence surged outward — cold, lethal, absolute.
The warmth vanished.
Only power remained.
And for the first time since arriving here…
I realized the threat wasn’t circling from a distance.
It was closing in.
Fast.