MATED TO THE SECRET ALPHA
Chapter 167: Funeral Drama

Chapter 167: Funeral Drama

"My Luna," Ryder’s lazy voice sounded from behind Reana. "I’ve been looking everywhere for you," he smiled calmly, but his eyes held a glint of something darker. However, it wasn’t for her; it was for the man bullying his woman.

He had felt his woman’s fears. Ryder had been with Zeta Detroit when he sensed it and teleported into the woods.

The sight of the idiot – Kael grated on his nerves. He had long wanted him dead. There are many ways he could kill him without raising suspicions, but his Luna.. He sighed inwardly.

"So... this is your boy toy? The one scratching your itch?" Kael sneered, his lips curled in contempt.

Before Reana could react, before even the insult could fully sink into her bones, a soft, chuckle trembled from Ryder’s lips.

It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t aggressive. It was far worse than that – it was amused, almost pitying, the way a predator might laugh at a mouse thinking itself a lion.

Kael stiffened, some primal instinct warning him, but it was too late.

In the blink of an eye, Ryder moved. One second he was a few steps behind Reana, the next he stood between her and Kael, his hand casually gripping the front of Kael’s shirt.

The forest seemed to hold its breath.

"You talk too much," Ryder said quietly, his voice a low vibration of threat beneath the lazy drawl.

Kael’s hands flew up to pry Ryder off, but before he could even gather strength, Ryder lifted him. Like he weighed no more than a feather.

Reana gasped, stepping back instinctively as Ryder drove Kael hard into the nearest tree, the bark splintering with the force of the impact.

Kael choked, struggling, but Ryder leaned in close, his forehead almost brushing Kael’s.

"If you ever," Ryder said, each word calm and precise, "speak about my woman like that again..." His eyes darkened to a shade that promised violence ancient and absolute. "You won’t have a tongue left in that slaughter house you call a mouth."

Kael, to his credit, managed a glare back, but it was weak, fueled more by wounded pride than true defiance.

Satisfied, Ryder released him, letting him crumple to the forest floor with a sick thud.

Without sparing another glance at the now gasping Kael, Ryder turned to Reana, his entire being softening instantly. He held out a hand, like none of the violence had ever happened.

"My Luna," he murmured again, a quiet reverence in the words, "shall we go?"

Reana, heart hammering against her ribs, slid her trembling fingers into his.

And just like that, Ryder led her away, as if he hadn’t just promised death with a smile. As if he hadn’t just broken the law. As if...

The crowd watched with shock. They didn’t get the time to react, to let what just happened sink in. They were just too stunned that a servant who had just broken the laws. Two laws! And the Luna did nothing!

....

"You broke the laws," Reana said calmly.

Not only did he start a fight in the pack’s sacred graveyard, he’d raised a hand to a high-ranking wolf.

The punishment for servants laying hands on higher-ranked wolves was brutal. Even if the higher-ranked wolf was trash like Kael.

As for causing a scene at the sacred graveyard, he could be banished.

They were strolling, hand in hand, away from the woods. Snowflakes drifted down around them, melting on their skin, dusting their clothes in soft white. Kira followed a few steps behind, her boots crunching quietly over the frozen ground.

"I had no choice," he said, squeezing her hand, his fingers cold.

"There’s always a choice," she replied, her eyes fixed ahead, her tone unshakably calm despite the weight of her words.

"Why were you scared?" He asked, turning his head to look at her. "Before I arrived, you were scared. What did he tell you?"

Reana turned too, locking eyes with him. "You knew?"

He nodded, a hint of something dark in his gaze. "I sensed it. You were trembling. Your heart was thumping too fast."

Reana exhaled. Her gaze turned back to the road, a tension growing in her shoulders. There was silence. A long one.

Ryder didn’t rush her. He simply walked beside her, their fingers still intertwined, sharing the cold and the quiet.

Finally, Reana spoke, her voice low, almost lost to the cool morning breeze.

"He’s poisoned me..."

Ryder’s steps slowed, his jaw tightening. His hand, still holding hers, tightened instinctively. But he said nothing.

"He said it’s called ’aging poison’. It has no cure. He said it devours other poisons..." she murmured, her words barely more than a whisper, hanging in the air like a death sentence. "He said it’s painless. He said–"

"Did you forget that you’re immune?"

Reana shook her head, a bitter smile creeping onto her lips, but it was hollow. "He said it breaks through the immunity."

Ryder stopped walking altogether, abruptly pulling her to a halt with him. His hand tightened around hers, grounding her, keeping her from floating away into fear.

"And you believe that?" he asked, his voice a sharp contrast to the delicate silence. It was firm, commanding, as though he was trying to force her to grasp the truth. "My blood is required to make a poison that could break immunity. But I don’t recall giving my blood to anyone."

Reana lifted her head, the snow clinging to her hair like tiny jewels. She stared at him, her eyes wide, as if the very ground beneath her had shifted. Her lips parted, but no words came out.

For a moment, the world seemed to stop spinning. Everything around her –the snow, the trees, even the distant crunch of Kira’s boots– faded into a blur. Her heart pounded. Was it possible?

She opened her mouth again, her voice trembling as she searched his eyes. "You... you really think he’s lying?"

Ryder stayed silent, suddenly remembering the bizarre shift in nature that he’d experienced twice. What if someone like him existed? If such a person did, their blood was no different from his...

What if Kael has access to that person’s blood?

His eyes narrowed as the possibility that his woman was truly poisoned settled at the pit of his stomach.

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