Chapter 79

Darren

The door to Tracy’s office slammed against the wall as I stormed inside, the toxicology report from Aria’s hospital visit clutched tightly in my hand. Tracy looked up from her desk, her eyebrows shooting up with surprise.

“Darren!” She offered me one of her usual cheerful smiles—the sort of smile that could normally set everyone, even me, at ease.

But not today. Today, it felt like nothing more than a liar’s mask.

“Tracy,” I said, my voice low and controlled as I approached her desk. “Did you drug Aria?”

She blinked at me, her head tilting slightly in feigned confusion. “What? Darren, what are you talking about?”

“Liar,” my wolf hissed with disdain.

I threw the report onto her desk, the papers scattering slightly across the surface. “This,” I said sharply, pointing at the results. “A recreational werewolf drug was found in her system. A drug that shouldn’t even be available to humans. And yet, Aria—my mate—was nearly killed by it.”

Tracy’s eyes flickered to the report, her lips pressing into a thin line. For a split second, I thought I caught the faintest hint of a smirk on her face, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Darren, you’re upset, and I get it,” she said, her tone infuriatingly calm. “But I think you’re jumping to conclusions. You know I would never hurt Aria. She’s part of the team, isn’t she? And she’s our Luna, as I just learned last night.”

“Don’t play games with me,” I growled, my hand clenching tightly at my sides. “You were with her at the bar. You were the last person near her drink. Don’t insult my intelligence by pretending you don’t know anything.”

Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. She faltered briefly, and I could see the flicker of panic in her eyes. Still, she tried to recover, shaking her head as if I were speaking nonsense.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Aria was drinking all night last night. I think it’s pretty obvious that she had more than she could handle—”

“She had one drink,” I snapped, cutting her off. “One. And she left it with you when she went to the bathroom.”

Tracy’s composure cracked for just a moment, her lips twitching before she forced them into a thin smile. “You’re accusing me of something pretty serious, Alpha,” she said, her voice carefully measured. “I suggest you take a step back and really think about what you’re saying. You and I have been friends for so long! Do you seriously think I would—”

I slammed my hands on her desk, causing her to jump, and leaned forward until I was mere inches from her face. “Did. You. Drug. My. Mate?” I hissed.

Her nostrils flared with shock and a touch of fear, but she stayed silent. I could scent her unease in the room, though. It was thick and cloying, like perfume that was too heavy.

Fine. If she wanted to make this difficult, then I could oblige. I didn’t like to use the Voice very often, but in cases like this, it was more than necessary.

I straightened, taking a deep breath. My voice dropped lower, a rumble that reverberated through the room as I ordered, “Tell me the truth, Tracy.”

She flinched as the power of my Alpha Voice washed over her, her body trembling slightly as her resolve crumbled. I hated using it—despised the way it stripped my people of their agency—but this wasn’t the time for restraint. Not when Aria’s life had been put in jeopardy.

“Okay, fine. I did it,” she finally spat out, her voice dripping with venom. “Alright? I drugged her. Are you happy now?”

Rage boiled in my chest, my hands curling into fists so tightly that my knuckles turned white. I slammed one fist on the desk, the punch so forceful it splintered the wood around the impact.

“Why?” I demanded, my voice cracking through the room like a whip. “What the hell were you thinking, Tracy?”

Her eyes flashed with defiance, even as her hands trembled. “I was thinking about the pack,” she said sharply. “About you. About what’s best for all of us.”

“What’s best for us?” I repeated, incredulous. “You think nearly killing my mate was what’s best for us?”

“She’s a human, Darren!” Tracy hissed, standing from her chair and planting her hands on the desk. “A human mate is nothing but a liability. You know that. The elders know that. Everyone knows that.”

“That doesn’t give you the right to—”

“To what?” she interrupted, her voice rising. “To protect you? To protect the man I care about? To protect the pack? I did what I had to do because you’re too blinded by her to see the truth. She’s going to drag you down, Darren. She’s going to drag all of us down.”

I stared at her, the sheer audacity of her words leaving me momentarily speechless. Tracy was one of my oldest friends—I trusted her. Or at least, I thought I did.

“You think this was protecting me?” I said, my voice deadly quiet. “You think nearly killing her was helping me?”

“She’s already been marked, hasn’t she?” Tracy shot back, her eyes narrowing. “I can’t harm her directly, but I can’t let her weaken you, either. Don’t you see? If she dies, it’ll hurt you temporarily, but that’s better than letting her destroy everything we’ve built.”

I took a step closer, my body shaking with barely contained fury. “If my mate dies,” I growled, “I could be severely weakened. Permanently. Did that ever occur to you, Tracy? Or were you too busy trying to keep me all to yourself to think about the consequences?”

Her jaw tightened, and I knew I had struck a nerve. It was no secret to me that Tracy had always been… interested in me. Or rather, interested in being Luna. I had always staved off her attempts at seducing me, preferring to remain friends.

She told me that she was okay with being friends. I thought we were in the clear on that front.

But I was wrong. A fool.

“Better a moment of weakness than a lifetime of it,” she practically whispered. “She’s not like us, Darren. She’ll never understand what it means to be part of the pack. She’ll never be strong enough to stand by your side. You deserve a woman who can strengthen you and bring you to glory as Alpha King, not weaken you.”

“What, like you think you could fill that role?” I snarled.

She merely shrugged one shoulder.

“Either way, that’s not your decision to make,” I said coldly. “I’ll protect Aria with everything I have. Everything. And you…” I leaned closer, my voice dropping to a dangerous growl. “You’ve ruined any trust I had in you. Do you even realize what you’ve done?”

“I’ve done what you’re too afraid to do,” she snapped, her eyes blazing. “You’ve let yourself be seduced by a human, Darren. She’s not your equal. She’ll never be your equal. And the longer you keep her around, the weaker you will become.”

I stared at her, the weight of her betrayal sinking in like a dagger to the chest. I felt like the biggest fool that ever walked this planet, for trusting Tracy. But when it came to Aria, my head was clear.

“I don’t care what you think,” I finally said, my voice low and firm. “You’re banished from the pack. Get out of my sight.”

Her eyes widened for a split second before narrowing into a glare. She straightened, lifting her chin defiantly.

“You think you can just banish me and make this go away?” she said, her tone dripping with venom. “We’ll see about that. I’ve already sent the information to the elders.”

My heart stopped in my chest as I watched Tracy casually stand, grabbing her purse and her jacket as if she were simply clocking out of work for the day. She brushed past me, her shoulder slamming into me, hips swinging as she strode to the door.

“Let’s let the elders decide what’s best, hm?” she cooed, strutting out without so much as a glance back.