Ashlee went to Kyle, outside, where he was keenly training his pack, pushing them to their limits. He didn’t notice her presence beside him until she playfully poked his bicep.

“Hey love, how did it go? What did he say?” Kyle was curious to know if his father had hurt her or if she was alright. He knew his girl was strong and able to endure, but he didn’t want her to have to.

“It was alright. Nothing happened. He just lectured me on respecting him.” She giggled, thinking about how she’d argued with his father. It felt like such a childish thing to do.

“Are you sure?” He pulled her closer, swinging his arm around her waist and tucking her hair behind her ears.

She stared at his face with her doe eyes. “I’m fine. Really.” She wrapped her arms around his torso. He smiled softly yet weakly at her and leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

“Thank you for not complaining about my weird family,” he muttered, resting his forehead against hers.

“Mine was way weirder. You didn’t complain either,” she whispered in a slightly broken voice. As strange as her family had been, she still missed them. If only her dad were still around; maybe they could have been really happy.

“I wouldn’t dare. I bet I’d live longer if I didn’t.” He chuckled, biting his lip.

“You’re always going to be a jerk.” She grumbled, lightly punching his stomach. She was careful not to hurt him since the last time she had, it had taken him a while to recover.

“It’s a bliss to tease you, sweetie.” He pulled her in, holding her tightly against his chest.

“Let me go, you sick pervert! I… I can’t breathe!” She hissed, trying to push him away. She could easily break free, but she didn’t want to use her strength. After all, their love had only just begun to spark.

“Why do you keep flaring up every time? They’re going to stick together anyway,” Diana chimed in, stretching her legs in preparation for her hunting practice.

“You shut up! What do you even know?” Heather swallowed her anger. She knew she could do nothing about it, and that was the worst part.

“Well, I know they’re mates. Most importantly, Alpha and Luna.” Diana rolled her eyes, annoyed by Heather.

“Luna?” Heather scoffed. “Over my dead body!” She couldn’t bear the sight of Ashlee.

“Heather! Heather!” Meredith, the youngest among them, came rushing over. She admired Heather too much, wanting to be as strong and elegant as her, though Heather found her too clingy.

“What is it, Meredith?” Heather asked, her attention on her exercises.

“I have breaking news you’ll love to hear,” Meredith squealed excitedly.

“Not another one of your fairytales, Meredith. We’re training, I don’t have time for—” Heather flashed Meredith an irritated look, but Meredith cut her off.

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“It’ll be worth it, I promise.” Meredith grinned.

Heather sighed and shook her head. “Go ahead.”

“You know Ciara? She’s that pretty girl who lives by the maid’s quarters,” Meredith said.

“No, Meredith, I don’t keep track of every maid in the house. That’s not my job.” Heather forced a tight smile at her.

“Oh.” Meredith didn’t seem fazed. “Anyway, I heard that on the night before Luna’s mother’s funeral, Alpha Kyle called Ciara to his office.” She glanced around before lowering her voice. “I heard she had her clothes off, but when she went to finally do it, he got angry, threw her on the floor, and yelled at her to get out. I think he really loves our Luna.” Meredith beamed, waiting for their reactions.

“What?” Diana and Heather screeched in unison.

“Yeah, Ciara’s boasting about it. She says he called her into the office and had her strip, but then he stopped. He got furious and slept with her. But some guards saw her get kicked out naked. Isn’t that sweet? He must really love our Luna,” Meredith smiled proudly.

“What the hell? I thought it was going to be juicy, but nothing happened,” Diana muttered, disappointed.

Heather’s eyes widened with intrigue. Finally, something useful. “Meredith, Meredith, Meredith! You’re an angel,” she said, shaking Meredith by her shoulders.

“Really?” Meredith asked, beaming.

“Of course! I can’t believe I just heard that.” Heather glanced over at Kyle and Ashlee, holding each other and laughing. An idea began to take shape.

“Why are you so excited about it? Nothing actually happened,” Diana said, giving Heather a strange look.

Heather glared at Ashlee and Kyle, lost in each other. “Only we know that. She doesn’t,” she murmured, smirking. Her plan was forming.

Meanwhile, Collin watched Kyle and Ashlee together, a fiery rage simmering in his chest. He wanted to make Kyle suffer the way he had, to make him feel the pain he endured.

“Alpha, are you alright?” Zoe approached him calmly, easily reading his expression.

He looked at her, realizing he was clenching his fists and gritting his teeth. “I’m fine, Zoe. Don’t worry. It’ll all be over soon, and we can rest.”

Somewhere deep down, he knew Zoe could see through him. She had an uncanny ability to understand everyone’s feelings and take care of them with kindness.

“Ryan’s gone for a moment. He’ll be back soon, and then you can go,” Zoe said, knowing he didn’t want to leave, though he had to. She didn’t want to see him suffer over a human girl.

“What’s so special about her, anyway?” Zoe mutteredthough Collin couldn’t hear her, his gaze fixed on Ashlee and Kyle.

“We should go back inside if you’re done,” Ashlee suggested, glancing around the training grounds.

Kyle narrowed his eyes. Something was up; she hadn’t told him everything about her meeting, and now she wanted to stay with him.

“What?” Ashlee giggled, holding his hand but starting to pull away.

“I smell something fishy,” he said, his eyes locked on hers.

“Oh, come on! There’s nothing. I just thought you’d been out for a long time. You should rest,” she said, shrugging and glancing away.

In a flash, Kyle spun her around, her small figure colliding with his solid chest. “Tell me, what’s really going on in that pretty little head of yours?” His voice was low and mischievous.

“Nothing. I told you, it’s nothing!” She couldn’t stop giggling.

“Something is up, sweetie. I can tell by your eyes.” He smirked, feeling her laughter vibrating through him.

“It’s nothing, for God’s sake!” she laughed, trying to pull away as his hands lingered on her waist.

“If you’re playing me, remember, I’m not going down alone,” he warned, grinning as he took in her beautiful smile. She looked like something he’d want to hold on to forever.

“What are you gonna do, then?” she asked, raising an eyebrow playfully.

He leaned closer, his cheek brushing hers, his breath warm against her skin. “I’m gonna eat you up,” he whispered with a wild grin.

She slapped his shoulder, embarrassed, her cheeks flushing a deep red. She could tell by his grin he meant it in the nastiest way.

“You sick pervert!” she exclaimed, pushing him back.

Still smirking, he spread his arms. “Come here. Let me show you what this pervert can do.” He advanced on her, and with a shriek, she dashed off, laughing as he chased her.