Chapter 9 9

~ Ryder's POV ~

My wolf was raging inside me, claws scratching at the surface, ready to tear something apart. I slammed the door of my private room shut so hard the walls shook, the only people left inside were Julius, Blade, and me. No one else needed to hear this.

I turned on Julius, my eyes blazing with Alpha authority.

"You will never speak about my Luna that way again," I said, my voice low but deadly calm. "Disrespect her in front of me and anyone one more time, and you will face consequences you won't recover from. She is my Luna. That is not up for discussion."

Julius frowned, crossing his arms like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Alpha, what do you even mean? I was only looking out for you and for the pack! We can't have a mute Luna. How do you expect the Crescent Brotherhood to look at us now? Among the five packs in the alliance, you're the only one who didn't have a Luna for so long. And now you choose a mute girl? They'll mock us. The rival packs already sniffing around for our weakness and I'm sure they'll use this to tear us down."

His words stung like a bee. The Crescent Brotherhood was a group of powerful wolf packs that worked together for protection. We had meetings, shared secrets, and fought enemies side by side for centuries. But I didn't care about their opinions. Doris was mine, chosen by me or whatever magic made mates real.

I stepped closer, my voice dropping to a dangerous growl. "No. You do not raise your voice at my Luna. You do not challenge or insult her in front of the whole pack."

"And I don't care what the Crescent Brotherhood thinks. I don't care what any other pack whispers behind our backs. Doris is mine. End of story."

Julius clenched his jaw tight, veins popping in his neck. "Alpha, I-"

"I don't care what you meant," I snapped, cutting him off. ""You will respect her. In public. In private. Everywhere or you and I are going to have a much bigger problem than pack politics."

Blade shifted his weight, clearing his throat. "Alpha, you both should please calm down, I don't have any problem with our new Luna and-"

A sharp knock cut him off.

I didn't take my eyes off Julius. "Come in."

The door opened. One of the younger maids Lila stood there, face pale, hands twisting together.

"Alpha," she said in a rush, "there was a threat message left for the Luna. She's upstairs... she's shaking."

The room went still.

My blood turned cold, then fire.

I didn't think. I moved quickly.

I shoved past Lila, boots pounding the hallway. Blade was right behind me-Julius too, though I barely registered him. My heart slammed against my ribs with every step.

The stairs blurred. Voices from downstairs faded into nothing.

I reached her door and shoved it open.

Doris sat on the edge of the bed, knees pulled tight to her chest, arms wrapped around herself like she was trying to disappear. Her face was pale, eyes wide and glassy.

She was shaking small, uncontrollable tremors that made her shoulders jerk.

On the purple blanket beside her lay a single sheet of paper.

I crossed the room in three strides and snatched it up.

Big, angry red letters stared back at me.

"Hey new Luna welcome to hell and get ready to die like the previous Luna."

My stomach dropped.

I knew that handwriting.

The same jagged strokes.

The same red ink.

It was identical to the note they'd left pinned to my first mate's body two years ago, the one I'd found hanging from the pack gates like a broken doll.

My hand tightened around the paper until it crumpled.

I looked around the room wildly, the window was closed, curtains still. The door had been locked when the maid came in. No broken glass or forced entry.

How?

How did they get in?

My gaze snapped back to Doris. She was staring at the floor, tears sliding silently down her cheeks. Her fingers gripped the edge of the blanket so hard her knuckles were white.

I dropped to one knee in front of her, careful not to touch her yet. My voice came out rough, quieter than I meant.

"Doris are you okay?"

She didn't look up right away. Then slowly, she nodded just once, small and shaky.

I swallowed hard. "Did you see who left this?"

Another tiny shake of her head.

I reached out slowly, hesitated, then gently took her trembling hand in mine. Her skin was cold.

I helped her stand. She let me, but her legs wobbled like they might give out. I kept my arm around her shoulders loose, not tight, giving her room to pull away if she wanted. She didn't.

"Come with me," I said softly. "You're not staying in here for now."

I led her out. Blade and Julius were in the hallway, faces grim. Blade's eyes went straight to the crumpled paper in my fist. Julius looked pale.

"Maids," I barked over my shoulder. "Move everything from this room to my room. Now. Everything. She's staying with me until I figure this out."

One of the maids nodded quickly and hurried off.

I guided Doris down the hall toward my suite. She walked beside me, silent, still shaking. Every few steps her shoulder brushed mine, and I felt her flinch just a little like she wasn't sure if touching was allowed.

My room was at the end of the corridor. Bigger than hers though. Darker wood, heavier curtains, a wide bed with dark blue sheets. A fireplace sat cold in the corner. My scent was everywhere. Hers was faint and sweet like strawberries and something soft I couldn't name.

I opened the door and stepped aside so she could go in first.

She hesitated on the threshold, eyes flicking over the space. The bed looked huge. Too big for one person but small for two people who barely knew each other.

I couldn't risk making her any more uncomfortable.

I cleared my throat. "You take the bed. I'll sleep on the couch by the window or on the floor. Whatever makes you feel safe... I won't come in until nightfall, so make yourself comfortable."

She didn't move.

I rubbed the back of my neck, awkwardness crawling up my spine. "I know this is strange. We're not yet close and we haven't even really talked much. But after what happened" I lifted the crumpled note. "I can't let you stay alone. Not until I know how they got in and who they are."

She looked at me. Her eyes were red-rimmed, still wet. Slowly, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her notebook.

Her fingers shook as she opened it, flipped to a blank page, and wrote.

She held it out to me.

I read the words.

"I saw a man in black last night outside my window. He had a knife."

My blood went cold all over again.

I stared at the page, then at her. "Last night?"

She nodded.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She bit her lip, looked down, then wrote again.

I wanted to tell you when I woke up but after what you said downstairs I thought you wouldn't care.

The words hit harder than any punch.

I closed my eyes for a second, breathing through my nose. When I opened them, I kept my voice low. Steady.

"I said those things to protect you. To make the wrong people think you don't matter to me, so they wouldn't target you." I swallowed. "But I was wrong. They're coming for you anyway."

She stared at me, searching my face like she was trying to decide if she could believe me.

I took one careful step closer. "I'm sorry you heard that. I'm sorry you thought it was true. But you are not disposable, Doris. Not to me."

Her eyes filled again. She looked away, hugging the notebook to her chest.

I glanced back at the door. Maids were already carrying her things in.

I turned back to her. "Stay here tonight. I'll sleep on the couch. We'll figure this out. Together."

She gave the tiniest nod.

I exhaled, tension leaking out of my shoulders for the first time today.

But then I saw it.

On the hand of one of the maids, I saw red stains...

Was she the insider?

My heart slammed. Without thinking, I lunged toward her.