The Alpha's Unclaimed Mate novel Chapter 81

Chapter 81: Morally Grey, Mate Marks, and MOTHERF—

"Serena. Let me explain."

Elara caught the tent flap before it closed.

"First off, I wasn’t sure if you were the reason. I wasn’t going to put that on your conscience. And we were both just girls when it happened."

Serena gripped the edge of the table, her back to Elara.

"What was he referring to with my blood?"

"I don’t know why Garrett cut that off. Your blood was never an issue as far as I knew."

Elara’s voice cracked on the last word.

Serena didn’t turn around. If she looked at Elara right now, she would either forgive her too quickly or say something she couldn’t take back.

"Go freshen up, El."

Long after Elara left, the tent held the particular silence of a room that had just been argued in. Serena stared at the table surface and didn’t see it.

She didn’t notice that Hyran had entered until he sat down.

"You’re brooding," he observed. "I recognize the posture. I invented it."

Serena spoke, not looking up. "My mother grew up with Nightspire. He’s who Elara and I were trying to get to originally."

"Believe it or not," she added dryly.

He chuckled. "Why did you lie about your wolf to him?"

What he meant was: why did you lie about never having shifted. But he gave her the courtesy of the softer question.

"The truth..." She took a deep breath. "I haven’t shifted before. When people ask that question, I always say grey. I answered out of habit."

She didn’t meet his eyes. "With wolves, it’s odd for someone of my age to not have shifted."

"I was born in Drakenfell. I grew up with wolves. And I can count." Hyran paused, letting that land. "Your wolf came when you were cuffed."

"You would be correct."

"So what, your powers bloomed much later than your wolf. If you want to talk about embarrassing. For a mage, that’s way worse."

Serena burst out laughing.

"True."

"Everything with Nightspire is a game of chess," she said. "There was a reason he did that. I don’t believe he’s one of the five traitors, but he’s someone I’d classify as morally grey."

Hyran snorted. "There isn’t a person in this camp who isn’t morally grey. Some of us just hide it better than others."

"I hadn’t heard that was why Frostborne was invaded until today," she confessed, forcing her voice calm. "There hasn’t been a direct attack on Drakenfell in hundreds of years. It’s happened twice since I arrived." Her voice cracked. "My blood—"

Hyran cut her off mid-sentence. "What a remarkably self-important way to volunteer to die." He crossed his arms, expression flat. "No."

"You don’t know—"

Hyran held up one hand, and Serena stopped mid-sentence.

"You hand over the variable and the problem doesn’t go away. It accelerates." He leaned back, eyes narrowing. "Think."

"Or, it stops history from repeating," Serena countered. "I will not stand idle while they dismantle Skardos if it’s me they’re after."

"You are assuming they want your blood for something other than conquest," he said, in the tone of someone correcting arithmetic. "No king has ever gone to war for the reason he publicly claimed."

"Assume you’re right about the motive," Serena pressed. "Is there still a deal to be made? Everyone got along before I arrived."

Hyran considered her. Opened his mouth. Closed it.

Gavriel entered the tent at that moment.

"There she is." He grinned at her. "How does it feel to be the most wanted woman in Skardos? And I don’t mean that in the sexy way. I mean that in the ’multiple assassination attempts’ way."

Serena started to laugh, but it came out wrong, half-choked and wet.

Gavriel’s smile vanished. He crossed the space between them in two strides and pulled her into a hug.

"Don’t cry, Serena. Damn. He was just trying to rattle you."

"He didn’t rattle me, Gav."

Gavriel pulled back, holding her at arm’s length. Then he burst out laughing.

"Didn’t rattle you? You’re crying."

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