THE ALPHA'S FORBIDDEN FLAME.

Talia's POV

I couldn't breathe.

The walls of Ramon's room felt closer than before, like they were inching in slowly, quietly, determined to crush me under the weight of everything I'd just learned, everything I hadn't learned yet.

Rogues.

A warning.

A message written in blood.

And me.

They referred to me as....

Your fucking Luna.

The words echoed in my head like a curse.

I sat on the edge of Ramon's bed, my arms wrapped tightly around myself, trying to stop the shaking that refused to leave.

The sheets still smelled like him...warm, masculine, faintly dangerous....and it only made my heart pound harder.

If I hadn't been here...

If I had gone back to my room...

I swallowed hard.

The image my mind painted was too vivid. Too terrifying.

A shattered window. There would have been hands grabbing me in the dark. And the blood on the floor...would have been my blood.

I stood up abruptly, pacing the room.

This was real now. Not just words. Not just threats whispered in the hallway or warnings spoken in hushed voices.

Someone had been close enough to enter this place. Close enough to leave a message.

Close enough to hurt me.

Or worse.

The door opened, and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

Ramon walked in, his presence filling the room instantly. His jaw was tight, his eyes dark with something fierce and barely restrained. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it for a moment, like he needed the support.

We stared at each other in silence.

Something had shifted.

The desire from earlier still lingered, heavy and unspoken, but now it was tangled with fear and anger and something deeper...something dangerous.

"They broke into my room," I said finally, my voice quiet but steady.

"How did you know?" he asked.

"I followed you," I replied.

"Yes," he replied.

"And left a message."

"Yes."

I exhaled sharply. "I want to know exactly what's going on."

He pushed off the door and crossed the room slowly. "You don't need to know everything."

"That's not your decision to make," I snapped.

His eyes flickered. Surprise. Then irritation.

"You're safer not knowing."

"I'm not safe either way!" I shot back. "They wrote that message because of me, Ramon. I deserve to know why."

He stopped a few feet away from me, running a hand through his hair.

"Sit down," he said.

"No."

His jaw clenched. "Talia..."

"No," I repeated. "I'm done being ordered around like I don't matter."

"How many times do I have to tell you not to challenge my words," he growled.

Silence stretched between us.

"Do not challenge my word," he said sharply. "Now, sit". He said.

I couldn't even argue, not with the look on his face.

Then, quietly, "They're rogues."

I already knew that, but hearing it out loud made my chest tighten.

"They're Zara's people," he continued. "A broken faction of my pack, who didn't like hearing the word no."

"What did you do to her?" I asked.

His eyes hardened. "What I had to."

That answer sent a chill through me.

"And now they're after you," he said, voice low. "Not because of who you are.....but because of what you mean to me."

I laughed bitterly. "That's supposed to make me feel better?"

"No," he admitted. "It's supposed to make you stay alive."

I turned away, walking toward the window.

"They called me your Luna," I said quietly.

He didn't respond.

"Why?" I pressed. "Why me?"

Because you're my mate.

I didn't say it. Neither did he. But it hung between us, heavy and unavoidable.

"I don't want to be a weapon," I whispered. "Or leverage. Or bait."

"You're not," he said immediately. "You're protected."

By him?

And that terrified me more than the rogues ever could.

A knock sounded at the door again, softer this time.

"Alpha," Mache's voice came through. "We have updates."

Ramon hesitated, then looked at me. "Stay here."

I didn't argue.

This time.

He opened the door, but not fully. Their voices dropped instantly, low and urgent. I tried not to listen.

I failed.

"...inner perimeter," Mache was saying.

"No signs of forced entry beyond the window. Someone knew the patrol routes."

My heart skipped.

"Meaning?" Ramon asked.

"Meaning it might be someone on the inside."

My blood turned to ice.

"There's more," Mache added. "We found a scent trail. It doesn't belong to any rogue we know."

Ramon cursed softly.

"What does that mean?" I whispered to myself.

"...and Alpha," Mache continued, "it's recent. Very recent."

Ramon went still.

"How recent?"

"Tonight."

I took a step back, my legs suddenly weak.

Someone inside this pack had helped them.

Someone who saw me every day. Smiled at me. Watched me.

The door shut.

Ramon turned slowly, his eyes finding mine instantly. He knew. He could probably smell my fear.

"You weren't supposed to hear that," he said.

"That was too late."

He sighed. "Talia...."

"There's a traitor," I said. "In your pack."

"Yes."

"What does that mean now?"

"It means that you'll always be in my room because of that."

The room felt unbearably small.

"I don't like this," I said. "I don't like being watched. Or hidden. Or treated like glass."

"I know."

"And I don't trust everyone here," I added.

His gaze sharpened. "You shouldn't."

My chest ached at that.

I turned toward the bed, exhaustion crashing into me all at once. Fear had a way of draining everything from you.

"I'm tired," I murmured.

"I'll be right here," he said.

I hesitated, then lay down, facing the wall. The mattress dipped slightly as he sat on the edge of the bed, but he didn't touch me.

That restraint felt louder than any embrace.

As my eyes slowly closed, one thought burned bright in my mind.

Someone close wanted me dead.

And until we found out who...

No one was safe.