Chapter 3 Dangerous games

"The rogues at the eastern border have been dealt with."

Alpha Lucian's voice filled the great hall as he addressed the pack. I should have been listening to his words, focusing on pack business, but all I could think about was the way his eyes kept finding mine.

It wasn't my imagination. Every few minutes, his silver gaze would sweep across the room and land on me for just a moment too long.

My wolf purred with satisfaction.

"Additionally," the Alpha continued, "we'll be increasing patrols along the northern territory. I want teams of four, rotating every six hours."

I shifted in my seat, crossing my legs slowly. The movement made my dress ride up slightly. I saw the Alpha's eyes flick down, just for a second, before he forced his attention back to the crowd.

Good.

"Are there any questions?" he asked.

Silence. No one questioned the Alpha. Not directly.

"Then this meeting is-"

"I have a question."

The voice came from the back of the room. Jude.

My whole body tensed. What was he doing?

Alpha Lucian's expression darkened slightly. "Speak, Jude."

"Father, I... I wanted to address the situation with my rejected mate bond."

No. No, no, no. He wouldn't dare-

"There's nothing to address," the Alpha said coldly. "You betrayed your mate. The bond is broken. The matter is closed."

"But Father-"

"I said the matter is closed." The Alpha's voice dropped to a growl that made everyone in the room shrink back. Everyone except me.

I turned around to look at Jude. His face was red with embarrassment and anger. Lucy stood beside him, her hand on his arm, trying to pull him back.

"She rejected me," Jude said, his voice rising. "She didn't even give me a chance to explain-"

"You were in bed with her sister!" someone shouted from the crowd.

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the hall.

"Explain that!" another voice called out.

"Enough!" Alpha Lucian's command silenced everyone instantly. He stepped down from the platform, his massive frame radiating power and danger. "Jude, you will not make excuses for your actions. You dishonored your mate. You dishonored this pack. You are lucky I didn't banish you myself."

"Lucky?" Jude's voice cracked. "You call this lucky? I lost my mate! My wolf is dying inside me!"

"Then you should have thought of that before you betrayed her."

The Alpha turned away from his son dismissively and faced the pack again. "This meeting is over. Return to your duties."

People started filing out, whispering to each other. I stood up slowly, making sure to catch the Alpha's attention again.

Our eyes met. Held.

Something passed between us. Something dangerous and electric that made my skin tingle.

Then he turned and walked toward his office, the crowd parting before him like water.

I took a deep breath. This was it. This was my moment.

I started walking toward the hallway that led to his office, my heels clicking against the floor.

"Hailey, wait."

I froze. That voice.

I turned slowly to find Jude standing behind me, his green eyes pleading.

"Don't," I said coldly. "Don't say my name. You lost that right."

"Please, I just need to talk to you. Five minutes. That's all I'm asking."

"No."

"Hailey, please-"

"She said no, Jude."

Teddy appeared at my side, his arms crossed over his broad chest. His expression was hard as stone.

"This is between me and Hailey," Jude snapped.

"There is no 'you and Hailey' anymore," Teddy replied. "You made sure of that when you screwed her sister."

Jude's face twisted with anger. "This is none of your business, Teddy."

"It became my business when you hurt a member of this pack. When you dishonored all of us with your actions."

Other wolves were starting to gather, watching the confrontation. I could see Lucy hovering nearby, her face anxious.

"I don't have time for this," I said, turning away from Jude. "I have somewhere to be."

"Where? Where are you going?" Jude demanded.

I looked over my shoulder and smiled. It wasn't a kind smile. "None of your business. Not anymore."

I walked away, feeling his eyes burning into my back. Good. Let him wonder. Let him worry.

The hallway to the Alpha's office was empty and quiet. My heart pounded as I approached the heavy wooden door.

Was I really going to do this?

My wolf growled in encouragement. Yes. We were.

I raised my hand to knock, then hesitated. What would I even say? "Hi, Alpha, I want to seduce you to get revenge on your son"?

Before I could decide, the door swung open.

Alpha Lucian stood there, his silver eyes boring into mine. Up close, he was even more intimidating. Taller. Broader. The scent of him-pine and earth and raw power-made my wolf sit up and take notice.

"Hailey Moreno," he said, my name a rumble in his chest. "I wondered if you would come."

I blinked, surprised. "You... knew I would come here?"

"I know many things." He stepped aside, gesturing into his office. "Come in. We need to talk."

I hesitated for only a moment before walking past him into the office. The room was large, dominated by a massive desk and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. A fire crackled in the fireplace, casting dancing shadows on the walls.

The door closed behind me with a soft click.

We were alone.

"Sit," the Alpha said, gesturing to one of the leather chairs in front of his desk.

I sat, acutely aware of how short my dress was, how exposed I felt under his gaze.

He didn't sit behind his desk. Instead, he leaned against it, his arms crossed, looking down at me.

"Why are you here, Hailey?"

The question was simple, but loaded. I chose my words carefully.

"I wanted to thank you," I said. "For what you said at the meeting. About Jude."

"I said nothing that wasn't true. My son dishonored his mate bond. He dishonored you. He deserves every bit of shame he feels."

There was genuine anger in his voice. Disgust, even. It surprised me.

"Most fathers would defend their sons," I said quietly.

"Most sons don't deserve defending." He was quiet for a moment, then added, "I'm sorry for what he did to you. No wolf should ever experience a broken mate bond, especially not through betrayal."

The sympathy in his voice made something crack inside my chest. I hadn't expected kindness from him. I'd expected power, authority, maybe even interest. But not this.

"I'm fine," I lied.

"No, you're not. I can see the pain in your eyes. Your wolf is damaged."

"She'll heal."

"Will she?" He tilted his head, studying me. "Or will she simply learn to live with the rage?"

My breath caught. How did he know?

"You're wondering how I know," he continued, as if reading my mind. "It's because I've felt it, too. When my mate left, when she rejected our bond and disappeared, I thought I would die from the pain. My wolf wanted nothing but revenge for years."

"What did you do?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"I learned to channel it. To use it. To become stronger because of it, not in spite of it."

He moved then, walking around his desk to pour himself a drink from a crystal decanter. Whiskey, from the smell of it.

"Would you like one?" he asked.

"Yes."

He poured a second glass and handed it to me. Our fingers brushed, and I felt a jolt of electricity shoot up my arm.

From the way his eyes flashed, he felt it, too.

"You know," he said, sitting down in the chair next to mine instead of behind his desk, "you're playing a dangerous game, Hailey Moreno."

My heart stopped. "What do you mean?"

"Coming here. Wearing that dress. Looking at me the way you've been looking at me all night." His silver eyes held mine captive. "Did you think I wouldn't notice?"

Heat flooded my face. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Liar." He took a sip of his whiskey, never breaking eye contact. "You want revenge on my son. I understand that. What I don't understand is why you think using me is the way to get it."

I couldn't breathe. He knew. He'd known the whole time.

"I'm not-" I started, but he held up his hand.

"Don't insult my intelligence. You're here because you want to seduce me. You want Jude to know that you've moved on, that you've moved up. To an Alpha. To his father."

I should have been embarrassed. Ashamed, even. But I wasn't. Instead, I felt a strange sense of relief.

"You're right," I said, lifting my chin. "That's exactly why I'm here."

He smiled. It wasn't a kind smile. It was dangerous. Predatory.

"Finally. Honesty." He leaned forward, his face close to mine. "Let me be honest with you in return, Hailey. I've been watching you for a long time. Long before my son claimed you as his mate."

My heart hammered against my ribs. "What?"

"You were eighteen when the mate bond snapped into place between you and Jude. Do you remember what happened the day before?"

I thought back. That was two years ago. The day before my eighteenth birthday, I'd been...

"I was running in the woods," I said slowly. "In wolf form. I'd been training."

"You were. And I was there, watching from the shadows. I saw you take down a deer twice your size. I saw your strength, your grace, your determination. And I wanted you."

The admission hung in the air between us, heavy and dangerous.

"But then the next day, the mate bond snapped into place between you and my son. And I had to watch as you gave yourself to him. As you smiled at him. As you loved him."

His voice had gone rough, almost angry.

"I've been watching you for two years, Hailey. Watching and waiting and hating myself for wanting my son's mate. And now you come to me, offering yourself for revenge. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?"

I should have been scared. I should have run.

But my wolf was practically singing inside me.

"I'm not afraid of you," I whispered.

"You should be." He reached out and traced his finger along my jawline. The touch sent shivers down my spine. "Because if you start this, if you really want to play this game, I won't be gentle. I won't hold back. And when it's over, when you've had your revenge and Jude is broken at your feet, you'll be mine. Completely and utterly mine."

"That's not how this works," I said, but my voice was shaky. "This is just revenge. Nothing more."

He laughed, a dark, knowing sound.

"Keep telling yourself that, little wolf. But we both know the truth." He stood up, towering over me. "You're attracted to me. You have been since you walked into that meeting hall tonight. Maybe even before."

"I'm not-"

"Your scent gives you away. Arousal has a very distinctive smell."

Heat flooded my entire body. Oh, Goddess. Could he really smell that?

"Don't be embarrassed," he said, his voice dropping to a purr. "I'm aroused, too. I have been since I saw you in that dress."

This was spiraling out of control. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. I was supposed to be in control, to seduce him, to use him for my revenge.

But somehow, I was the one being seduced.

"I should go," I said, standing up quickly.

"Running away already?" He blocked my path to the door. "I thought you wanted revenge."

"I do. But not like this. Not-"

"Not what? Not with me in control?" He stepped closer, his body nearly touching mine. "That's the problem with revenge, Hailey. Once you start playing with fire, you're going to get burned."

"Maybe I want to get burned."

The words left my mouth before I could stop them.

His eyes flashed silver-his wolf surging forward.

"Be very careful what you wish for," he growled.

Then he stepped aside, clearing the path to the door.

"Go home, Hailey. Think about what you really want. Because if you come to me again, if you knock on this door one more time, there's no going back. Do you understand?"

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

I walked to the door on shaky legs. Just as I reached it, his voice stopped me.

"Hailey?"

I turned.

"That dress looks very good on you. Wear it again next time."

I fled.