~ RONAN ~

Something is wrong. I can’t quite place what it is, but I can sense it. Whatever Roselle is hiding right now, she’s trying her best to bury her fear behind a smile.

"I’m damn sure that your fucking whore did something to her," Kael growls, the words dripping with contempt.

I don’t answer him immediately. The tour is still ongoing, and Roselle is right beside me. The last thing I want is for whatever is bothering me to slip through my expression and alarm her even further.

But as we make our way back to the pack house, I find myself watching her from the corner of my eye far more than I’m watching the road.

Her long lashes are fixed on the road. Unlike the first time I brought her to the pack, when she’d looked around with open curiosity, she’s staring ahead now with an intensity that’s hard to miss, as if she’s committing every turn, every corner, and every path to memory.

Don’t ask me how I know. I didn’t become the Alpha of one of the strongest packs by being oblivious.

"She’s mapping out the exit routes," Kael quips.

"I know," I reply.

"And you’re just going to let her?" he presses.

I suppress a sigh.

"And what exactly do you want me to do, Kael? Grab her wrists and demand to know why?"

He goes quiet, but keeps growling inwarldly.

I fucking know he’s worried. He’s convinced she’s memorizing the exits so she can run or pull something reckless. But I don’t see Roselle as that kind of person. Besides, I doubt she’d ever willingly return to Warren after everything she’s been through.

"You need to tone down the insecurity, Kael," I mutter. "Before you drive us into doing something crazy that she’ll end up hating us for."

"I’m not being insecure. It’s driving me crazy. Fucking crazy. Don’t you get it?" Kael snaps. "Who knows what that fucking bitch said to her? If your dumbass couldn’t notice it, I did. She became distant the moment Mara walked into her room, and now we nearly caught her getting half-eaten by our pack members."

"That was a coincidence. She was looking for Celeste. And we helped her."

"Yeah, we did." He scoffs. "Don’t you think it’s suspicious? First, she tries to get past the pack house, and now she’s memorizing the routes around our territory."

"What are you trying to insinuate?" I growl. "You’re just scared she’s going to run, and now you’re planting those thoughts in my head. Roselle isn’t thinking about that."

"Hell yeah, I bet she wasn’t until that slut got to her."

I grit my teeth.

"I warned you," Kael says, in his usual strict tone that says he’s genuinely fed up.

"I told you the first night, when she was throwing herself at you, to get her out, send her away, and cut that woman off completely. But no." A pause. "Because apparently keeping your dick in your pants was too much to ask, wasn’t it? Oh, wait, I forgot. The moment a woman bats her eyelashes at you, all common sense flies right out the fucking window."

I sigh.

If there were a market for trading wolves, Kael would’ve been gone years ago.

I swear, the bastard spends more time criticizing my life choices than actually being a wolf. Most people have to deal with judgment from others. I get harassed by a furry asshole living rent-free in my head. And somehow, he’s always convinced he’s the smartest one between us.

"I’m not slut-shaming anyone," I mutter under my breath.

"I wasn’t," Kael replies flatly. "I was shaming you specifically. There’s a difference."

By the time we make it back inside and I’ve walked her to her room, the garden visit already feels like hours ago. She thanks me with that careful smile again, I stand in the doorway for a moment longer than I need to, watching her settle back onto the bed.

"Good night,"

With a nod, I watch her climb back onto the bed. She raises her hands to sign, and for one embarrassingly hopeful second, I expect her to tell me not to leave, maybe ask me to stay, maybe give me a reason to spend another hour in this room.

Instead, she signs, "Thank you for today. I appreciate it."

I stare at her hands for a moment. Apparently, disappointment comes in many forms, and today it’s wearing a grateful smile.

Before shutting the door, my nose catches the faint scent of the masking spray I’d noticed earlier when I asked Roselle if someone had been in her room.

A wave of unease crawls down my spine.

If someone had walked in here while concealing their scent, it could only mean one thing, they didn’t want to be identified.

And if they didn’t want to be identified, whatever they were doing couldn’t have been good. They’re after her.

"Finally," Kael drawls, sounding far too pleased with himself. "Someone’s thinking with their brain and not their dick."

Ignoring Kael’s crude comment, I head straight for the guards stationed outside Roselle’s room.

Both men straighten immediately when they see me approaching.

"Did anyone go in there besides Celeste and Dr. Elias?" I ask.

They exchange a quick glance before shaking their heads.

"No, Alpha," one of them answers at once. "We were careful. No one entered the room apart from them."

A muscle in my jaw ticks. "You’re certain?"

"Absolutely, Alpha. We never left our posts."

I could tell that theyre telling the truth, but then again, that doesn’t mean someone would t habe possibly passed without them knowing. I’ve been strong at this game to start questioning what I smell.

It’s almost impossible for Dr. Elias or Celeste to have walked into that room carrying a masking spray.

Neither of them had a reason to hide their scent.

"I have a feeling," Kael says.

"Don’t."

I shut him down immediately, already knowing he’s about to say something ridiculous.

"I’m not confirming anything," he replies. "I’m saying I have a feeling. And my feelings have been right before."

"Your feelings have also been wrong before."

"Name one time."

"Now is not the time for this banter, Kael. Your concern should be figuring out who got into her room, not this."

Kael snorts.

"I’ve already placed my bet on Mara. You can keep running around in circles and working your ass off if you want."

My jaw clenches. "We don’t have proof."

"And yet somehow that has never stopped me from being right."

"That’s not how investigations work."

"Good thing I’m a wolf and not an investigator, then."

I suppress a groan. Sometimes I genuinely wonder if the Moon Goddess paired me with a wolf or a professional nuisance.

I stop abruptly in the hallway as a thought suddenly strikes me. Dr. Elias usually comes with nurses. Even if those nurses are among his most trusted staff, that doesn’t automatically rule them out. Trust can be misplaced, and loyalty can be bought.

A grim feeling settles in my chest. I open a mindlink to Elias.

"Are you still in the medical wing?" His response comes almost immediately.

"Yes, Alpha. Is something wrong?"

"Come to the east corridor. Now."

There is a brief pause before he replies, "I’m on my way."

I lean against the wall and wait, my arms crossed as I go over everything in my head.

Less than two minutes later, Elias appears at the end of the corridor. His stethoscope hangs around his neck, and the moment he sees my face, a frown forms between his brows.

"Alpha," he says, stopping in front of me. "What’s wrong?"

"When you checked on Roselle today, did you come alone?"

He shakes his head immediately.

"No. Nurse Liora was with me. She usually helps with dressing wounds."

"Anyone else?"

"No." He pauses. "Why?"

I study him for a moment. Elias has been with this pack for eleven years. In all that time, he has never given me a reason to doubt him. If anything, he’s one of the few people I trust without question.

"Someone entered Roselle’s room today," I say. "They used a masking spray."

His expression changes instantly.

"A masking spray?" he repeats.

I nod.

"I caught the scent when I left her room tonight. It was faint, but it was there."

Elias goes quiet.

I can practically see the thoughts running through his head, and judging by the tight set of his jaw, he doesn’t like where they’re leading.

"Liora has worked with me for three years," he says carefully. "I trust her."

I don’t say anything.

"But..." He sighs. "I did step away for a few minutes to take a call from the council physician. It couldn’t have been more than ten minutes."

My eyes narrow. "And Liora?"

"She stayed outside Roselle’s room."

"Alone?"

"Yes."

I hold his gaze. "And you’re certain she stayed outside?"

Elias opens his mouth, then closes it again. That tiny hesitation tells me more than words ever could.

"Elias."

A look of frustration crosses his face.

"I can’t say for sure," he admits. "I assumed she stayed outside. She had no reason to go into the room without me."