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The instant Caleb and Hunter crossed into Moonlight Pack territory, they could feel the weight of unfamiliar gazes on them. They were strangers here, and every corner of the territory pulsed with a force that was both welcoming and intimidating. But nothing deterred them. They prowled the area, their wolves on edge, noses sharp, senses alert, searching for any trace of Marissa. She couldn’t have gone far. She couldn’t have left them. Not like this.
Just when doubt began gnawing at their minds, they saw her. Marissa was strolling across a clearing, laughter sparkling in her eyes as she walked alongside a tall, dark- haired man with an aura that was unmistakably Alpha. The light in her face was something neither Caleb nor Hunter had ever seen before–a kind of softness that made her seem…different. But their surprise quickly morphed into something
darker.
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“That’s her.” Hunter muttered, his
voice thick with disbelief. “But…that man,
he’s not her family. And where’s the Mateship Ceremony?”
Caleb‘ s eyes narrowed, and a growl rumbled from his chest. “She‘ s bonded.” he whispered, almost choking on the words. He could smell it–the unmistakable scent of a newly mated pair, the tang of two wolves joined under the moon. Marissa hadn’t just left the pack. She‘ d mated with another Alpha.
“What the hell is she thinking?” Hunter growled, the betrayal like ice through his veins. Without another thought, they both strode forward, the anger simmering, unchecked.
“Marissa!” Caleb’s voice was sharp, raw with confusion and hurt. Marissa turned, her expression shifting as she recognized them. Her eyes held a calm they hadn’t expected, and it only stoked the fire of their
resentment.
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“Caleb. Hunter,” she greeted, her voice steady as she faced them. “What are you doing here?”
Hunter scoffed, disbelief twisting his face.
“What are we doing here? Are you serious? You disappeared, Marissa! No word, no explanation, and this is what we find? You‘ re here, mated to…him?”
The man beside Marissa–Idris, though they didn’t know it–watched them. silently, his gaze as dark and intense as a storm. Hunter and Caleb‘ s attention was solely on Marissa, but Idris‘ s protective energy filled the air, and Marissa felt it, like a steady pulse beside her own.
“I didn’t owe you an explanation,” she replied coolly, folding her arms over her chest. “My life isn’t bound to yours. I made my choice. You had no right to follow me here.”
“No right?” Caleb echoed, his face a mask of fury. “You think we’d let you just
walk away like that? That we wouldn’t
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come after you to find out why? We thought
He stopped himself, glancing at
Hunter, who looked equally torn between anger and hurt. “We thought we meant more to you than this.”
Marissa’s eyes remained cold and her tone remained firm. “You did. You both
meant everything to me once. But things changed the moment Ivy arrived, didn’t they?”
Caleb clenched his fists, his voice nearly a snarl. “So, what, this is revenge? You‘ re trying to make us jealous by throwing yourself at some random Alpha?”
Idris s expression shifted slightly, his eyes narrowing, but Marissa sent him a quick, reassuring look through their bond. I’ve got this. Let me handle them. Reluctantly, Idris took a step back, though every fiber in his body rebelled against the idea of watching his mate get confronted like this. Still, he respected her decision and hung back, but only just.
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“I don‘ t need to make anyone jealous, Marissa replied. “I left to find stability, and I found it.” She lifted her chin. “I‘ m mated now. I’m with someone who values me.”
Hunter’s eyes flashed, his voice
darkening. “Oh, so now we didn’t value you?”
“Did you?” Marissa’s gaze was sharp as teel. “From the moment Ivy arrived, you two acted like I barely existed. Like all the years we spent together were nothing. So, yes, I moved on. I found someone who would never make me feel like an afterthought.”
Caleb shook his head, bitterness clouding his features. “This isn’t about Ivy. You just wanted out. Fine. But don‘ t pretend you did it because we didn’t care.”
Marissa’s laugh was short and without humor. “Always? Only when it was convenient for you.” She shot a quick look. toward Idris, whose quiet strength filled.
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her with a renewed sense of calm.
But Hunter was unmoved. He scoffed, a mocking smile twisting his lips. “You‘ re mated to this guy, huh? Some random. Alpha?” He shook his head. “And you think he’ll give you what we couldn’t? It’s pathetic.”
Idris, despite himself, stepped forward, his patience finally fraying. “You don’t know. a thing about her. And you don‘ t know a thing about me.”
The authority in his voice sent a tremor. through Hunter and Caleb, though they refused to back down. Caleb‘ s jaw tightened, and he took a step forward, squaring off with Idris. “You think you‘ re good enough for her?” he challenged.
“We” ve known her our whole lives. And you–what are you to her?”
Marissa’s voice cut through the tension. like a blade. “Enough.” She looked between the two of them, her expression cool, unyielding. “This isn’t your
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business anymore. I’m not a pawn in your game, and I’m not your consolation prize. You have no right to stand here and question my choices.”
Hunter and Caleb‘ s faces twisted in a
mixture of rage and disbelief, still
convinced this was all a scheme of hers to
hurt them back.
“Oh, we get it,” Hunter sneered.
You‘ re doing this to punish us. But go head. Play your little game with him. Let’s see how long he sticks around once he realizes he’s just a tool for your revenge.”
Marissa felt her wolf stir within her, anger rippling through her. “This isn‘ t revenge. It’s my life, and I’ve chosen it. Now leave.”
But Hunter and Caleb were far from satisfied. Hunter opened his mouth, his anger about to spill over into a shouting match, when a commanding presence stilled him. Idris had straightened, and
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with a mere flick of his gaze, he summoned his warriors through the pack mind link.
It took only moments before two wolves appeared at Idris‘ s side, their expressions unreadable yet resolute. “Escort them out of Moonlight territory,” Idris ordered, hist voice like iron. “They don‘ t belong here.
Caleb’s face flushed, his fists clenching, ut he knew better than to challenge the
pha in his own land. Even if he didn’t now the true identity of the man before. him, the authority in Idris‘ s voice was unquestionable.
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