Chapter 3 CAELAN'S POV

CAELAN'S POV

I cleared my throat. "I think we should ask more questions and release her."

The words came out smoother than I expected, but Thalia's eyes were already slicing into me before I even finished. I was tired of being quiet, of letting her speak for both of us. Especially now, with something about this girl clawing at my instincts.

"Ask more questions?" Thalia repeated, her tone dripping with disbelief. "Release her? Since when do you do that with possible rogue spies, Caelan? You're the Alpha-you're meant to do away with her as soon as possible."

Her voice was low, like a warning shot before the storm. But I stood my ground.

"Thalia, listen-" I paused, trying to piece together the exact words that didn't sound ridiculous. "I really doubt she's a spy... or even a rogue, for that matter. She looked-lost. Disoriented. What if she's just had a concussion or something?"

Thalia's lips curled upward, not in a smile. More like a slow unsheathing of claws. "I was close to her. I didn't smell blood. I saw no injuries. If anything, she's hiding something. Don't underestimate her because she's female, my love."

There it was-that phrase again. My love. It usually worked like magic on me, and she knew it. My body would hum, my wolf would lean toward her, and I'd find myself nodding along to whatever she wanted.

But today... today, it didn't land the same.

That girl-Nyla-was different. I didn't know if it was a good thing or something dangerous, but she stirred something in me the moment I laid eyes on her. The pull was stronger than what I'd felt when I first met Thalia. And that-gods help me-was saying a lot.

When Nyla ran into me, when I caught her to stop her from falling flat on the ground... there was a flicker, something primal. Not lust. Not even curiosity. Something deeper. Ancient. And I hadn't been able to shake it since.

I never felt anything when I touched women that weren't Thalia. That was how I'd known she was my match. No one else could move me. No one else even stirred a whisper.

Until now.

"I still think questioning her is the smart thing to do," I said, more firmly.

Thalia scoffed. "But Caelan, she didn't tell us anything other than her first name. She was uncooperative. She didn't even acknowledge that she was in the presence of an Alpha. Do you really-?"

"Enough, Thalia." My voice was calm, but underneath it, a sharp edge was forming.

There were moments when I deferred to her judgment. She was tactful, intelligent, and politically skilled in ways that benefited us both. But on those rare occasions when we didn't agree, she became... unbearable.

A flash of movement in the doorway caught my attention.

"Well, the back-and-forths were entertaining enough," Ashir said, stepping into the room.

Of course he'd been eavesdropping. He was too skilled at it, and he made no apologies for it. His casual demeanor never fooled me-Ashir listened to everything and forgot nothing. The man was a walking archive of secrets. And, as much as it annoyed me, I needed that.

"What say you, Ashir?" I asked.

"I'd actually like to see the girl," he said, stretching lazily. "Your banter has left me very intrigued, Alpha. If, like Thalia, I believe she's a threat... we'll get rid of her."

---

She was screaming.

Loud, relentless screams that echoed off the stone walls of the holding cell. It was almost comical watching her thrash about. Ashir even stifled a laugh behind his hand. But Thalia didn't find it amusing in the slightest. One sharp snarl from her was enough to silence Nyla mid-scream.

The girl's chest heaved as her wild eyes landed on the three of us.

"Let me out," she snapped, voice still heavy with panic but laced with unmistakable defiance.

"Not until you tell us who you are and why you're here, rogue," Thalia responded coldly.

"I'm not a damn rogue, lady," Nyla shot back.

I blinked, surprised. So she wasn't weak after all. I'd thought she was when she'd let my men take her without a fight. But now? Her fire was showing.

"And I'd love to answer your questions," she continued, "except I don't remember a thing."

Interesting.

"In that case," Ashir said smoothly, "why don't you tell us what you do remember?"

This was why I kept him close-his mind worked like mine when it counted. His curiosity was dangerous, but it often unearthed truths others missed.

"I was asleep," Nyla began, her brows furrowed as she searched her own thoughts. "And then I woke up because it got warm. Really warm. Next thing I know, I'm lying in the middle of a witch's den."

Ashir let out a low laugh.

The way she said it, like it was the most absurd thing in the world, made it sound ridiculous. But I watched her closely, and every instinct in me told me she wasn't lying.

Still, something didn't add up. There was only one witch-or close enough to it-in our pack. Elda. And Elda didn't just find strangers and bring them home like stray dogs.

Thalia was the first to speak again. Her voice was sharp as broken glass.

"Are you playing with us, little wolf? Don't test my patience."

Nyla didn't even blink. Instead, she turned to me, like I was the only one in the room worth her time. Her gaze was challenging. Defiant. I felt it in my gut.

"Continue," I said quietly.

"There's nothing more to say," she replied. "I had to take a couple of turns to find my way out of that freaky room, and then I ran because-well, who even keeps skulls and totems as decor if not a witch?"

Skulls and totems.

Definitely Elda.

Ashir's face shifted as the realization dawned on him. I knew Thalia had figured it out too, but she said nothing. I was thinking the same thing they were.

What the hell was Elda doing with a girl who didn't remember anything-not even her last name?

"She needs to be escorted back to Elda then," Ashir said at last. "Who knows why she was there in the first place?"

"I'll-" Thalia started, but I cut her off.

"I'll take her back."

Silence.

"If she really is dangerous or a rogue, she could overpower you. Plus, Elda won't ask any questions as long as it's me she sees."

Thalia's jaw tightened. I could feel the waves of emotion rolling off her-anger, jealousy, frustration. All coiling tightly in her chest.

I didn't know why I said it. Why I needed to be the one to take Nyla back. But something in me was moving before I could reason it out.

I was making excuses, even as I said them aloud.

What was it about this Nyla figure?

She didn't look like someone important. She didn't act like someone special. But my instincts were screaming otherwise. There was a mystery wrapped around her like fog. And I was walking straight into it, unable to turn back.

Maybe it was the way she didn't cower. The way she looked me straight in the eyes when others bowed. Maybe it was the sense that something old-older than even Elda-was woven into her presence.

Or maybe I just needed to know why I felt like I already knew her.

As much as I believed in destiny, I believed more in shaping one's destiny to fit a purpose.

Nyla was making me question everything.