Chapter 3 The Edge of Secrets

Rhea's hands shook as she left the council chamber. The hum of voices still clung to the stone halls, fading as the elders scattered back to their duties. She tried to walk steady, chin high, but her chest was tight and her legs felt weak.

Thorne's words wouldn't stop echoing.

What your Alpha would say... if he knew whose eyes you were staring into last night.

She pressed a hand against her ribs, as if she could quiet her racing heart.

"Luna."

The voice snapped like a whip. She froze.

Thorne stepped from the shadows, his broad frame blocking the hall. His smirk spread slow, cruel, as his eyes slid over her.

"You looked pale during the meeting," he drawled. "Nervous. Almost like you're hiding something."

Her throat tightened. She forced her voice steady, though it came out softer than she wanted. "Move aside, Thorne. I need to return to the Alpha."

He chuckled, a low sound that made her stomach turn. "Of course. Run back to him. But I wonder how he'd feel knowing where you run at night."

Rhea stiffened. Her fingers curled into her skirts. "You saw nothing."

Thorne stepped closer, so close the heat of his body pressed into hers. His hand lifted, brushing a lock of hair from her face. The touch made bile rise in her throat.

"I saw enough," he murmured. "A rogue sniffing around the Luna. A Luna who didn't push him away."

Her pulse thundered. She stepped back, but he followed, crowding her against the wall.

"Imagine the Alpha's face," Thorne whispered, his breath hot on her skin. "When I tell him his Luna has a taste for rogues."

Rhea's chest seized. She wanted to scream, to shove him off, to fight... but fear rooted her to the stone. She was Luna only by title. Without power, without bond, she was nothing but prey in a cage.

"Stay away from me," she forced out, her voice breaking.

Thorne's grin widened. "Oh, I'll stay close, Luna. Very close. Until I decide the Alpha should know."

His hand trailed from her hair down to her shoulder. She flinched, pressing harder against the wall.

And then...

A snarl split the air.

The sound was low, savage, primal.

Rhea's breath caught.

From the far end of the hall, a figure stepped from the shadows. Broad shoulders, silver eyes burning like fire in the dark.

Jace.

Her stomach flipped. Her body trembled... not from fear this time, but from the raw heat sparking across her skin at the sight of him.

Thorne stiffened, his hand dropping to his blade. His smirk faltered. "Rogue," he spat.

Jace's lips pulled back, showing teeth sharp and glinting. His gaze wasn't on Thorne's blade. It was in his hand. The hand that had dared touch her.

"Take your hand off her," Jace growled, his voice deep and dangerous. "Or I'll rip it from your body."

The hall thickened with silence.

Rhea's pulse pounded so loud it drowned the world. She pressed back into the wall, her breath coming fast. Every part of her screamed danger, but another part... deep and aching... thrummed with relief.

Jace had come.

Thorne's eyes narrowed. "You shouldn't be here, mutt. The Alpha will skin you alive."

Jace took a step forward, slow and lethal. His presence rolled like thunder through the hall. "Try me."

The air crackled, heavy with the threat of violence.

Rhea's chest heaved. If they fought here, the guards would hear. The council would come. Dorian would know. She'd lose everything... her cover, her fragile place, maybe even her life.

"No," she gasped, forcing her voice through the storm. She pushed away from the wall, slipping between them. Her palms pressed against Jace's chest, hot and solid under her touch. The bond sparked wild at the contact, nearly stealing her breath.

"Please," she whispered, looking up into his blazing silver eyes. "Don't."

Jace's chest rose heavy under her hands. His jaw clenched. For a moment, she thought he might ignore her plea, tear into Thorne anyway. But then his gaze dropped to her face, and something shifted. His shoulders eased... slightly, but enough.

Thorne's laugh cut sharp. "Pathetic. The mighty rogue tamed by a girl who doesn't even want him."

Rhea flinched. The words struck deep, because wasn't it true? She couldn't want him. She wasn't allowed. And yet... her body told a different story. Her soul screamed another truth.

Jace's eyes darkened, but he stayed still.

Thorne smirked. "Enjoy your little game while it lasts, Luna. When I decide to speak, your Alpha will end him. And you."

He turned and stalked down the hall, his boots echoing hard against the stone.

The silence left behind pressed heavy.

Rhea sagged, her palms still flat on Jace's chest. She pulled back fast, her face burning, her hands trembling.

"You shouldn't be here," she whispered, her voice ragged. "You'll get us both killed."

Jace's eyes stayed locked on hers, burning with anger and something deeper. "I won't let him touch you again."

Her chest squeezed, the bond thrumming between them like a drumbeat. She wanted to believe him. Wanted to fall into his words, into his strength. But fear coiled tighter, louder than hope.

"You don't understand," she said, her throat tight. "He owns me. I can't escape."

Jace stepped closer, his hand lifting. This time he didn't stop. His fingers brushed her cheek, warm and rough, sparking fire through her veins.

"You're mine," he growled softly, his voice a vow. "No one owns you. Not him. Not anyone."

Her breath caught, her knees weak. She hated how much she wanted to lean into his touch, how much she ached to surrender.

But before she could answer...

The sound of footsteps echoed down the hall. Heavy. Sure. Commanding.

Dorian.

Her blood froze.

Jace's hand dropped. His eyes blazed with fury and hunger, but he melted back into the shadows just as the Alpha turned the corner.

Dorian's gaze landed on her at once. His smile was sharp, curious. "Luna. What are you doing here, alone?"

Rhea forced her lips into a smile, though her heart pounded so hard it hurt.

"Nothing," she whispered.

But she knew the truth.

She was standing on the edge of a secret that could destroy everything.