Alpha's Ruin: He Betrayed Me, I'll Make Him Kneel

Adam’s jaw hardened, locking so tight the bone looked ready to crack under the skin. His amber eyes grew dim, losing their warm fire. "Rhea—"

"Where is the pup, Alpha Thorne?" Elder Magnus asked, cutting into the low growl.

Adam’s head snapped toward the dais. "Safe," he replied.

"Safe is not a location, Alpha," Elder Seraphine said, her voice dry as old parchment.

"That is the only location this Council will get. For now," Adam shot back. His tone was smooth, but his scent carried a sharp, warning musk.

"Why won’t you just tell me where my son is?" Rhea snapped. Her voice was thin, strained to the breaking point. She took a ragged breath. "Haven’t you kept him from me long enough? Can’t you see what this is doing to me? How much this hurts?"

Adam looked down at her. A muscle in his jaw twitched, but he turned his back on her and faced the high elders again. "I will not reveal the boy’s location in this open chamber. I will only speak it to Elder Magnus. It must be under a blood oath so that his tongue is tied from repeating it too."

Rhea’s jaw dropped. She felt a sharp pain pierce her chest, so raw it made her knees weak. River howled inside her head.

Rhea clutched the fur over her heart. "Why, Adam?" she whispered, her voice barely a breath in the cold room. "Why are you doing this to me?"

"I have guarded the boy for months," Adam said, his voice flat. "I must be certain the ground is safe before I release his location to anyone else."

Rhea opened her mouth to snap back, but Adam placed a heavy palm on her shoulder. The heat of his hand grounded her shifting wolf. "I know your beast wants nothing more than to run to him. You will hold him again," he said softly, then he pulled his hand away. "But if you let your emotions cloud your judgment, you will not be able to keep him alive."

"I am his mother!" Rhea growled, her teeth baring.

"That is the exact problem," Adam said calmly.

Rhea stared at him. She did not blink. Her eyelids felt heavy, frozen by the shock. "Why—?"

Suddenly, a loud, mocking laugh broke the silence. Every head snapped toward Kaleb. He threw his head back, his thick chest shaking with bitter amusement. "It is absolutely beautiful to watch you two tear at each other. I knew your little alliance would rot, but I didn’t think the maggots would show up this soon," he taunted, his amber eyes glinting.

Rhea clenched her fists until her short claws dug into her palms, but she held her tongue.

Adam turned his head slowly, his face like carved stone. "Close your mouth, Kaleb."

"No!" Kaleb snarled, leaning forward over the wooden rail. "Are you sure you are protecting the boy from us, Thorne? Or are you protecting him from your own greedy belly?" He whipped his gaze back to Rhea, his nostrils flaring. "Have you even asked this beast why he pulled you from the dirt and saved your life?"

Rhea’s eyes flicked to Adam, but Adam kept his gaze fixed on Kaleb. His lips were a grim line. He said nothing.

"Remember what we are, Rhea. We are wolves! Bloody, vicious wolves!" Kaleb spat, his tone dripping with old venom. "We do not do favors. We always have a hidden motive. A selfish one."

Rhea swallowed hard, her throat dry. She looked from Kaleb’s wild face back to Adam’s cold mask. "Tell me he is lying," she whispered.

"Do not listen to a man backed into a corner," Adam said, his baritone steady. "He is grasping at dry grass."

Rhea’s eyes narrowed into sharp silver slits. Suspicion settled deep in her gut, heavy and cold. "Why did you save me, Adam? You never told me the real reason."

Adam looked down at her and shook his head. "There are reasons I cannot give you. Not today," he said. "You are letting him manipulate you. You are wiser than that."

"Or maybe I am just showing her that you are ashamed of the real reason yu went through the trouble of saving her. Another Alpha’s Luna," Kaleb accused with a sneer.

Adam stepped toward him, his massive shoulders blocking the light. "That is enough. Your desperation smells pathetic."

"Enough! Both of you!" Elder Magnus roared, slamming his fist down. The sound echoed off the stone walls. "What did you do with the Ironfang heir, Alpha Thorne?"

Adam looked back at the dais, his mouth locked shut.

"You must speak, Alpha," Elder Magnus warned, his silver-gray eyes flashing with authority. "The Council can and will sanction your pack for withholding an heir."

Adam’s jaw twitched again. He took a slow breath through his nose. "The boy is hidden—" He paused, his eyes darting across the room.

Rhea’s pupils dilated. Her heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird. Inside her mind, River’s ears stood straight up, every nerve ending taut as they waited for the word.

Adam looked at Rhea, then at the three elders. "He is hidden where no Alpha can touch him."

"Where, damn it!" Rhea barked. River’s deep, guttural tone bled completely into her human throat, making her voice scratchy and wild. "Tell me where, or tell me why you are hiding the truth!"

"Because every wolf who learns where that boy sleeps becomes another wolf who can sell him!" Adam’s amber eyes flashed with sudden, fiery frustration. And he snapped. "There is a silver bounty on the boy’s head!" he roared.

Rhea staggered back a step, her hand flying to her chest as if she had been struck by a physical blow. The cold air rushed into her lungs, and hot tears spilled over her lashes. "A bounty?" she whispered. "Who would put a bounty on his head? He is just a boy."

"No, Rhea," Adam said, his voice dropping into a heavy, brutal truth. "Your son stopped being just a boy the day he was born."

Rhea froze.

Adam looked directly at her. "He’s being hunted because whoever controls him, controls the secret to Ironfang’s unending victories."

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