Chapter 30

Chapter 30

“Just what the F*CK did you think you were doing in my bed?!” I demanded, standing over Giselle as she lay on my floor, her cheek still red from the slap I’d given her.

To be honest, I regretted that. I’d just been so startled when she’d pursued me across the bed after I realized she wasn’t Kora that I hit her just to get her away.

“Well, as I recall, I was doing you.” Giselle sniffed, looking up at me with rage-filled eyes.

“Don’t give me that look.” I snarled.

“Why not? You hit me!” Giselle accused me.

“You R PED me!” I shot back.

Giselle snorted. “Please. Like a man can be r’ped. You liked it.”

It took everything in me not to tear her to shreds. “That’s not the truth, Giselle! I

didn’t WT it! Not with YOU

“You wanted it. On some level, you knew I wasn’t Kora. You remembered how good we are together.” Giselle reached for me. “We can have that again.”

I thought I was going to be sick. I gripped her wrist tightly and hauled her to her feet.

“See?” she said, walking her fingers up my chest. “I knew you’d come aro-”

“I’m taking out the trash,” I said, swatting her hand off my chest.

Giselle blinked. “Ex-excuse me?”

“I told you to leave the castle. You didn’t listen.” I carried her by her arm to the door, dangling her in the air like I had a wet cat by the tail.

“And I told you we’re going to be mated. I’m going to be your Luna, Mason Hale. You can’t just go back on your word.” Giselle snapped.

I stared at her. “When did I ever say you were going to be my Luna?”

“Why else would I sleep with you?” Giselle huffed.

I shook my head slowly. “Goddess, you’re a piece of work.”

“I really wish you’d quit all this nonsense with Kora and just realize the truth,” Giselle said.

“Truth?” I echoed.

“We belong together, Måson. I’m the only woman in this pack who is a fit Luna for you. Taking Kora as your Luna? Please. The pack will tear itself apart,” Giselle scoffed.

“I wish you’d realize the truth that you’ll never measure up to Kora. And I wouldn’t mate you if you were the last shifter on earth,” I replied, giving her a shake. Maybe it’d help some sense sink into her at last.

I was not so lucky. “It’s Kora, Mason. This is all because of Kora. She’s put some kind of spell on you. I’ll bet she conspired with some witch from the

Shadowmoon Pack.” Giselle said.

“You’re telling me there’s a witch in the Shadowmoon Pack?” I breathed slowly through my nose, latching onto the information.

Giselle’s eyes widened. “No, of… of course not!”

I gave her another shake. “How do you know this?”

“I-Mason it was just a figure of speech-”

“Bullsh*t.” I set her on her feet but did not let go of her wrist. I dragged her toward my study.

Eddie was standing outside it with a hand-wringing maid. “Alpha Hale! Thank the Goddess. I was just about to go find you! Misty here said that…” His eyes narrowed on Giselle.

He held up a small vial. purple droplets sliding around the inside of it as he rolled it back and forth between his fingers. “Missing something, Giselle?”

“What’s that?” I barked. “Everyone, in the office. I’m not having this conversation n*ked, out in the hall.”

“So, you’re having it n*ked inside the study?” Eddie asked.

I gave him a dark. I’m-not-in-the-mood look, and he simply nodded, shooing Misty inside while I hauled Giselle through the doorway and threw her near-n*ked a’s into a chair.

“It’s not what you think,” Giselle said quickly, though I could see the cogs working in her brain.

“Trying to work out what to tell me to think?” I asked silkily, leaning my frame over the chair.

full

“Misty thinks it’s a drug,” Eddie supplied, standing beside me while Misty made herself scarce in a corner.

“Is it a drug. Giselle?” Only a fool would ignore the danger in my tone.

Giselle, while a calculating, grasping bi tch, was no fool. “I… Alpha Hale…” “NOW it’s ‘Alpha Hale?” I seethed.

“Alpha.” Giselle swallowed. “I just thought you needed… to relax a bit. That’s all.”

I took the vial from Eddie and waved it back and forth slowly in front of her face. “Who is the witch from Shadowmoon who gave this to you, Giselle?”

“There’s n-no witch…” Giselle’s voice trembled.

I slammed my fist into the chair beside her head. The wood snapped, and the leather tore, the top of the chair hanging there like some dead thing.

“I didn’t meet with the witch! I just got the drug, okay?!” Giselle yelped, trying to scramble away from me.

There was nowhere to go.

“The name.” I growled. “I want a name.”

“Charlie. We met down in Fullbright, and I asked him to help me, and-” Giselle babbled.

“You know, I always suspected Charlie of being a traitor.” Eddie grumbled. “I’ll have him brought here and-

At the moment, I didn’t care about that. I wrapped my hand around Giselle’s throat. “The witch’s name.”

“Alpha.” Giselle pleaded. “You have to understand I did it all for you!”

I squeezed.

Giselle’s eyes bulged.

“D-Deborah!” she choked. “Deborah Shadowmoon!”

“Luna Regent. Alpha Lyle’s mother,” Eddie provided in a low tone.

I nodded. “Thank you, Giselle. That concludes our business. You may go.”

Giselle gasped for air when I released her, holding her n*eck. It would bruise.

I didn’t care.

“Alpha Hale,” she coughed. “I really did-”

“By ‘you may go, I mean I’m showing incredible restraint and am exiling you instead of killing you,” I said flatly. “Now, go pack your sh*t and get the F*CK out of my pack lands. Never. EVER. Come. Back.”

Giselle turned absolutely white. “You can’t do that! This is my home!”

I ignored her. “See to it she leaves within the hour, and escort her to the border personally.”

“Which border?” Eddie asked.

“Any border. I really don’t give a da mn.” I turned to the maid. “I assume she

threatened you?”

Misty’s eyes filled with tears and she bowed her head. “Yes, Alpha.”

“I’ll decide your punishment later. For now, get out of my sight,” I sighed.

“Yes, Alpha.” Misty scurried away.

“She did come forward this morning” Eddie murmured.

“I’ll take that into consideration.” I went to my desk and unlocked a bottom drawer.

Giselle threw herself at my feet. “Alpha, please!”

“Why is she still here?” I asked Eddie, not looking at Giselle.

Eddie grabbed Giselle by the shoulders. She scratched my ankle as she tried to cling to me, but I simply tugged my leg free. I didn’t watch as Eddie marched her out, wailing and screaming for me.

I pulled Oswald’s journal from the top of the desk drawer and laid it on my blotter, fl*pping to the final pages.

“Deborah…”” I read. “I will do as you ask.”

It was a f*cking witch. All this time, all this pain, and it was Shadowmoon’s f*cking

Luna witch.

I threw the journal across the room and buried my face in my hands.

Kora. How would she ever forgive me?