Chapter 258:

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Demetri Contreras POV

I was reviewing documents on our border defenses, but my mind wasn’t on the words. The faint bruise on Haven’s wrist was a splinter under my skin.

I knew she was hiding something from me. She called it a “minor incident,” but I had felt the lingering shock in her heart, and something else—a sliver of cold intent.

This feeling of being shut out, of being excluded from her battles, made the beast inside me pace restlessly.

Jett, my shadow, appeared behind me without a sound.

𝖱𝘦𝖺𝘥 t𝗁𝘦 𝗹𝖺𝗍𝘦𝘴𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝖾𝗇𝗱𝗌 𝗈𝘯 g𝘢l𝘯𝘰𝘃𝘦𝗅𝘴.с𝗼m

He knelt on one knee, holding out a report. “Alpha. The matter you asked me to investigate is concluded.”

I didn’t turn around. “Speak.”

Jett’s voice was devoid of emotion, but his words made my blood run cold. “Two days ago, the Luna was attacked by two thugs in a merchant district alley. The intent was kidnapping. The Luna subdued them, and they were taken by the city guard. Under interrogation, they confessed the instigator was Charly Kramer.”

The words hit me like a physical blow. The report in my hand crumpled as my fingers tightened into a fist.

Charly Kramer. That stupid, venomous woman dared to touch what was mine.

My Haven. My healer. My light. She had faced that danger alone, in a place I did not know. Two men. In an alley. And she had fought them off herself.

And she had hidden it from me. To keep me from being “distracted.”

That realization was more painful, more infuriating, than any betrayal. It was a dismissal of my role as her Alpha, her mate, her protector. She had faced death without me.

The wolf inside me howled, screaming for blood, demanding to tear apart anyone and everyone who had brought her harm. The very air in the room grew heavy and cold.

Jett, sensing my murderous rage, bowed his head lower, his breathing shallow.

I closed my eyes, forcing down the urge to unleash absolute destruction. I couldn’t kill Charly. Not yet. It would ruin Haven’s plan. Yes, she had a plan. Jett’s report had also included the news of Darren beating Charly.

I knew this was her revenge. It was clever. It was effective. But I didn’t care.

I cared that she had tried to face it alone. That she had walked into danger, nearly been taken, and decided I didn’t need to know.

I opened my eyes. The ice-blue of my irises was now the color of ice in deepest winter.

“To Haven’s workshop,” I commanded Jett. “Now.”

Haven Kramer POV

I was focused on purifying the final drop of a compound when a crushing pressure slammed down on the building.

An Alpha’s aura. Demetri’s. And it was raw, untamed, and blazing with fury.

My heart plummeted. He knew.

The workshop door flew open with a bang. Demetri sat in his wheelchair, but he carried the presence of a conquering king. Behind him, Sonny and Phoebe looked terrified.

His cold gaze swept the room, finally landing on me. He looked at me as if I were a priceless treasure he’d just found shattered on the floor.

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