CHAPTER 10: THE ALPHA'S BLOOD
Hazel's POV
I lay on the thin, surprisingly soft mattress, my eyes traced the jagged cracks in the stone ceiling. My mind was a frantic carousel, spinning around five distinct, agonizing thoughts. Most of them were tactical—how to escape, how to flush the wolfsbane from my system, how to survive the royals—but the fifth one... the fifth one was a constant, throbbing heat. It was the memory of a kiss that felt like a betrayal of my entire bloodline.
And what exactly are these five thoughts
Flora's voice echoed in my mind, sounding far too smug for someone who had just sabotaged my freedom.
'Like I'll tell you,' I snapped back, my mental voice dripping with exhaustion. 'You stopped me from severing this god-forsaken bond. Worse, you forced my body to kiss that lunatic! What were you thinking, Flora? You practically handed him my dignity on a silver platter.'
I was thinking about what is better for both of u—
'Both of us, my ass,' I retorted. 'Flora, I get it. You want a mate. I want one too—more than anything, and you know that. I used to dream of the day the moon would choose for me. But time and time again, we see we're not Selene's favorite creation. AndI will not be the mate or the Luna to a man whose pack had a massive hand in my family's demise. I won't—'
The sharp, metallic jingle of keys cut through my internal monologue. I stiffened as the heavy iron gate groaned on its hinges. The sound of it locking again followed—*clack-clack*.
I let out a long, weary sigh. I really didn't have time for this. If flipping that delta as he called himself, over my shoulder earlier hadn't been a clear enough "leave me alone" signal, I had plenty more where that came from.
I rolled over, ready to snap at whatever guard had come to poke the caged animal, but the words died in my throat.
A girl was standing there. She didn't look like the guards or a maid. She was young, maybe a few years younger than me, with dark, wavy hair and eyes that held a startling clarity. She didn't look at me with the usual disgust or fear; she was just... staring. Curiously.
Who is this? I thought.
I think she must be our mate's relative, Flora whispered, her tone shifting to something softer, more inquisitive. She smells like him. Like chocolate and honey and rain and cedar, but sweeter. There is a strong resemblance in the jawline.
'Yeah, thanks for the genealogy report, but I didn't ask,' I grumbled, though I knew Flora was right. The family resemblance was undeniable.
"Are you the one who threw Marcus?" the girl asked suddenly. Her voice wasn't harsh; it was actually tinged with a bit of suppressed amusement.
I sat up slowly, my muscles screaming in protest. Marcus, he must be the delta. 'He was in my space. I don't like people in my space.'
The girl laughed. It was a light, genuine sound that felt completely out of place in a high-security cell. She stepped closer, ignoring the invisible line of danger I tried to project. "He's been a prick all day. Honestly, the whole barracks is talking about it. My brother is going to have a hard time living that down."
"Your brother?" I asked, my brow furrowing.
"Caleb is your brother?"
"Big brother," she clarified, leaning against the cold stone wall as if we were just two girls chatting in a dormitory. "I'm Sophie. And you... you're the Thornblood girl. The one the whole pack wants to hang from the rafters."
"Hazel," I said, my voice like flint. "My name is Hazel."
"Hazel," she repeated, testing the weight of it. She sat down on the edge of the small wooden table, swinging her legs. "You don't look like a monster. I mean, you look like you've been dragged through a swamp and poisoned—which, to be fair, you have—but you don't look like the devil my father used to describe."
I looked away, my chest tightening. "Your father and mine were at war, Sophie. In war, everyone is a monster to the person on the other side of the blade."
"True," she mused. "But my brother is currently pacing his office like a caged tiger because of you. I've never seen him this unhinged. Usually, Caleb is all 'duty' and 'honor' and 'boring Alpha stuff.' But today? He looks like he's seen a ghost. Or several."
I stayed silent, watching her. I was waiting for the trap. Waiting for her to start hurling insults or asking where my pack hid their treasures. But she just sat there, looking at me with an open-hearted curiosity that made my skin itch. It was harder to hate someone when they weren't throwing stones at you.
"Why are you here, Sophie?" I asked. "Did Caleb send you to soften me up? To see if the 'Thornblood witch' has any secrets?"
Sophie shook her head, her expression softening into something more serious. "He doesn't know I'm here. He's too busy dealing with... well, the mess he's made. I came because I wanted to see for myself. I wanted to see the girl who made my 'unshakeable' brother break his own rules. And honestly? I think the pack is wrong about you."
I felt a strange prickle in my eyes and blinked it away. I couldn't afford to be moved by a few kind words. This girl was the Alpha's blood. She was the enemy.
"You're being naive," I said, my voice colder than I felt. "I'm a Thornblood. My existence is a threat to everything you have."
"Maybe," she shrugged, standing up and walking toward the gate. "Or maybe you're just a girl who got dealt a really shitty hand by the goddess. I'll bring you some real food later. The guard-slop is barely edible."
She signaled the guard outside to let her out. As the door opened, she turned back and gave me a small, encouraging wink. "Hang in there, Hazel. Things are about to get really complicated around here, and I have a feeling you're going to need a friend."
The gate slammed shut, and the sound of her footsteps faded into the distance.
I sat back on the bed, the silence of the cell feeling heavier than before. Flora was unusually quiet, humming a satisfied little tune in the back of my mind.
She's sweet, Flora whispered.
'She's a weapon,' I corrected, though the thought felt oily in my mind.
I leaned my head back against the wall, my mind already beginning to stitch together a new plan. I had been looking for a way out, a way to burn this place down from the outside, but Sophie... Sophie was an unexpected gift.
She was the Alpha's sister. She was trusted.
She was "the sweet girl" who kept an open heart. If I could play my cards right, I could turn that curiosity into loyalty. I could use her to get information, to move through the pack house undetected, to find out exactly what Caleb was hiding.
I would make her my ally. I would make her my friend. And when the time came, she would be the one to inadvertently help me bring this entire pack to its knees. I would use her kindness as the very match that lit the fire.
The bond pulsed in my chest, a reminder of the man I was supposed to love, but I ignored it. If Caleb wanted me to pay for my family's sins, he was going to learn very quickly that a Thornblood never pays a debt without taking interest.
I looked at the cell door and felt a dark, cold smile touch my lips for the first time since my capture.
'Watch out, Sophie,' I thought. 'You shouldn't have opened your heart to a wolf who's already been bitten.'
I had a plan now. And for the first time, I wasn't just surviving. I was hunting.