The Alpha's Dirty Little Secret No More

The next morning, I officially submitted my resignation to the elders, waiting only for my passport to leave.

Killian appeared.

"One last time," he ordered, buckling his seatbelt. "You've been in charge of the new East District development. Come with me for one final inspection, and then you can take your vacation."

In the back seat, Vivian was touching up her makeup in a compact mirror, her smile fake.

"Freya, thank you for everything," she said, her voice dripping with fake sympathy. "I heard Killian had your things cleared out. I feel awful, but he can be so… possessive when he wants something."

My knuckles turned white on the steering wheel.

I was their chauffeur. Brought along to watch his future Luna gloat.

The car entered a desolate mountain road.

Suddenly, a loud bang tore through the air.

The front left tire blew. The car swerved violently, spinning out of control.

I fought the wheel, but the impact sent us crashing toward the guardrail.

"Watch out!"

In the split second before we rolled, I saw Killian in the rearview mirror. He had already half-shifted into his wolf form.

Instinct took over.

He lunged, becoming a living shield for Vivian.

And me? I was nothing. A toy, forgotten in the driver's seat. Left to be crushed.

Glass shattered like a rainstorm.

Agony.

Something sharp pierced my abdomen.

A piece of the broken guardrail, plated in silver.

The metallic scent of blood filled the car.

"Killian… I'm so scared…" Vivian's voice was tearful.

She was completely unharmed, held like a precious jewel in Killian's arms.

"It's okay. I'm here." Killian's voice was so gentle it was alien to me.

He kicked the door open and jumped out, carrying Vivian.

I was trapped in the mangled driver's seat. The silver in my stomach was burning through my organs. Every breath was like swallowing lava.

Blood poured down my thighs, staining the seat red.

"Help… me…" I choked out.

Killian turned.

He saw me.

He saw the gruesome wound in my stomach, my pale face, my desperate eyes.

In the distance, the excited howls of Rogues echoed.

This was a planned ambush.

The roar of the rescue helicopter sounded overhead.

A rope ladder dropped down. It could only hold two people.

Killian grabbed the ladder, holding Vivian tight.

"Killian! What about Freya!" the rescue captain yelled. "She's badly wounded! That's silver poisoning!"

Killian looked down at a trembling Vivian, then back at me, covered in blood.

That single second of hesitation felt like a century.

Then he made his choice.

"Take Vivian first!" he roared, his voice cold and hard against the wind. "She's in shock!"

"But Freya is dying!"

"She's a warrior!" Killian roared. "Her healing factor is strong! She can take it! The next team will get her!"

The next team?

The sound of Rogue claws scraping on asphalt was already just feet away.

The helicopter slowly began to rise.

I lay in a pool of my own blood, my vision blurring.

I watched Killian hold Vivian, his most precious treasure in the world.

And I was just a disposable tool, a meat shield to be left behind.

In that moment, something inside me shattered.

Not a bone.

It was the golden thread that tied my soul to his. Our Mate Bond.

It was screaming.

The pain was worse than the wound in my stomach.

A Rogue’s claw rested on the edge of the broken window.

I closed my eyes.

If I live, I vowed to the darkness, I curse you, Killian Blackwood. You will be haunted by this. Forever.

————

In the helicopter, a violent tremor shot through Killian.

He snapped his head around, staring down at the fragile figure on the ground.

In the air, the scent that was Freya was turning into suffocating despair.

A wave of panic seized his heart, making it hard to breathe.

"Killian?" Vivian whimpered in his arms. "Your eyes… they're red…"

Killian’s hands were shaking.

His wolf was screaming. Go back. Go back to our Mate.

But a second later, he clenched his jaw, violently suppressing the insane urge.

She's strong. She'll be fine. She has to be.

He turned away and pressed a kiss to Vivian's forehead.

"Don't be scared," he said, his voice raspy. "We're going home."