Rhylie's heart filled with something far darker than jealousy. Something dangerous, as she saw Zane holding the woman who had come to ruin her plans
The curse had awoken and she wasn't about to let Scarlett claim its power.
Scarlett's POV
The exhaustion was starting to hit me as Zane and I approached the pack's main grounds. My encounter with the man or whatever he was at the heart of the curse had drained me, and all I wanted was to crawl into bed and forget about the darkness clinging to me like a pest.
But I knew better than to think rest would come that easily.
Zane walked beside me, his presence comforting yet filled with what I couldn't exactly pin down. He hadn't spoken much since we left the woods, and I could feel the questions buzzing in the air between us. I wasn't ready to face them, not now.
I was about to tell him I needed to get some rest when a voice, syrupy sweet but filled with something far more snaky, cut through the stillness of the night.
"There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere, darling."
I stopped mid-step, my eyes staring at a woman I had never seen before walked toward us with far too much confidence. Her long dark hair swept down her back in waves, and she wore a smile that was entirely too forced as her gaze was between Zane and me.
Rhylie.
So this was Zane's first mate.
Without waiting for an introduction, she wrapped her arms around Zane's and leaned into him as though she owned him, her head tilted back in what I could only describe as a perfect display of territorial sweetness.
"I've been worried about you, Zane," she purred, her eyes gleaming with fake concern. "You've been gone for hours. I had no idea you were out with... company."
She glanced at me then, her gaze sweeping over me as if I were a speck of dirt on her otherwise perfect world. The corners of her lips twitched into a saccharine smile, and I had to fight the urge to roll my eyes.
Oh, this is going to be fun.
Zane's body stiffened slightly beside her, and I could tell he was caught off guard by her sudden appearance. "Rhylie," he said, his voice hesitant, "this is Scarlett."
Rhylie's smile never faltered, but there was a gaze of something dangerous in her eyes. "Oh, Scarlett." She said my name like she was tasting something sour. "I've heard so much about you."
"I'm sure you have," I replied dryly, crossing my arms. "It's nice to finally meet you."
"Well," Rhylie said, her voice dripping with fake sweetness, "I didn't expect Zane to be keeping such... interesting company. It's been so long since we've had new faces around here."
I resisted the urge to scoff. "Yeah, well, I'm not exactly here for the social scene."
Her eyes flickered to my arm briefly, and I could tell she was sizing me up. "I'm sure you're not," she said, her smile sharp. "But don't overexert yourself. You wouldn't want to... *
overstay your welcome."
I raised an eyebrow, the challenge clear in her voice. "Don't worry about me. I'm not planning on staying where I'm not wanted."
Zane, sensing what was about to go down, cleared his throat awkwardly. "Rhylie, Scarlett, and I were just"
"Oh, darling, don't worry," she interrupted, giving his arm a gentle squeeze. "You don't need to explain. You're the alpha. You can be with whoever you like." She shot me a pointed look, her smile never shifting. "Although, some people should know their place."
I stared at her, trying to hold back a smirk. Oh, she wants to play that game.
"Well," I said, meeting her gaze with a look of mock understanding, "it's a good thing I'm not the type to stay in one place for too long. You know, keeping things... fresh."
Rhylie's smile faltered just slightly, but she recovered quickly. "How refreshing," she said, her voice tight. "It's always nice to meet someone who knows how to… exit."
I smiled sweetly at her. "Exactly. I make quite the impression when I leave."
Before she could respond, I turned to Zane. "I'm exhausted. I think I'll call it a night."
Zane opened his mouth to speak, but Rhylie beat him to it. "Oh, Scarlett, you must be exhausted," she said, her tone suddenly dripping with false concern. "It must be hard, you know, keeping up with... My alpha." she maplacedmphasis on the My alpha
I felt the burn of her insult, but I wasn't going to let her get the last word. "Don't worry, Rhylie. I've handled a lot worse. Your alpha is nothing I can't keep up with."
Her smile twitched, and I knew I'd hit a nerve.
Zane stood there, tired of what was going on between the two of us, but I didn't give him time to respond. "Goodnight, Zane," I said, my tone final as I turned on my heel and started walking toward my chamber.
As I walked away, I felt his gaze follow me, staring longer than it should have. I could feel the mate bond between us in play, pulling at him, and I knew Rhylie had seen it too.
Her fake concern wasn't just for show. She knew exactly what was happening between us, even if Zane wasn't fully aware yet. And it was driving her mad.
Just as I reached the entrance to my chamber, I heard Rhylie's voice, sickly sweet once more.
"Darling, I prepared your bath," she said, cutting into Zane's thoughts.
There was a brief pause, and then I heard him stammer something in response. I didn't need to look back to know he was following her.
I closed my door behind me, leaning against it for a moment as the weight of exhaustion finally settled in. I had known Zane's first mate would be trouble, but seeing her up close, feeling the venom behind her words... it was worse than I'd expected.
But I wasn't going to let her push me out. Not when I had bigger problems to deal with, like the curse, and the dark figure that haunted my thoughts, and very importantly, my revenge.
I let out a slow breath, pushing Rhylie from my mind. I had more important things to focus on. And no matter what, I wasn't going to let her or anyone else get in the way of what I needed to do.
Zane's POV
I couldn't stop staring after Scarlett as she walked away, her presence still hanging in the air even as she disappeared into the distance. There was something about her
something that drew me in no matter how hard I tried to resist. The bond between us was undeniable, and it was getting stronger every day.
"I know exactly what you feel, her wolf feels the same, but they can't trust us yet" Dalton my wolf said as if reading my thought which of course he did
But then Rhylie's voice cut through my thoughts, calling me back to reality. "Darling," she said again, her tone soft and sweet as honey, "your bath is ready."
I blinked, pulling myself back to the present. Rhylie was standing beside me, her hand still looped through my arm, looking up at me with that same affectionate smile she always wore. But something about it felt….just not right.
"Not right, I never liked her"
Dalton said but I paid no attention to him, rhylie has been with me through thick and thin
I cleared my throat, forcing a smile. "Right. Let's head to the chamber."
Rhylie beamed, pulling me toward the pack house. But even as I walked with her, my thoughts were still on Scarlett, the fire in her eyes, the way she'd stood her ground with Rhylie without missing a beat.
And the way my heart had raced when she looked at me.
As Rhylie held me as we walked toward my chambers, I tried to shake off the feeling gnawing at me. Scarlett was... different. She wasn't like anyone I'd met before. And no matter how much Rhylie tried to convince me otherwise, I couldn't ignore the pull between us.
I glanced at Rhylie out of the corner of my eye. She had been by my side for years and had supported me through the darkest times, but now...
Now everything was beginning to feel different.