Page 32 of Betrayed Alpha Mate

Emily nods curtly. “Yes.” Her voice is steady. Controlled.

Too controlled, as if she rehearsed that single word a million times before this meeting.

We start the briefing. Grimes. Our next move will be when Emily is strong enough and trained enough to visit Swan's Island. The words blur together until Emily shifts in her seat, and a spark flickers across her fingertips.

It’s subtle. Barely visible, but I feel it even before my eyes catch it.

A pulse of heat rolls through my chest, sharp and immediate, like the bond just woke up and stretched. Emily stiffens, jaw tightening, and scoots her chair back another inch, clearing her throat discreetly as if a metaphorical collar is too tight around her neck.

The bond is a noose for her, and Nicholas seems to notice her discomfort.

“Oh…” he murmurs, eyes lighting with interest as he glances at his mate, Donna. “Is it just me, or did the room get a little…sparklier?”

Emily shoots him a glare. “Focus.”

“Hey, I am focused,” he says, holding up his hands. “Focused on the fact that every time Sean breathes in your direction, you glow like a damn Christmas tree.”

I choke on a laugh before I can stop myself. “That’s festive.”

Emily’s glare sharpens at Nicholas. “This isn’t funny.”

“No,” Hunter cuts in calmly. “It’s not.”

The room goes quiet. Donna clears her throat as she glares at Nicholas before turning back to Emily, saying gently, “Emily, can you try sensing Grimes’s energy? Just a small pulse. We’ve all tried, but the track is cold again.”

“He’s hiding from us because he knows who we are,” Arianna adds. “But he doesn’t know about you.”

Emily nods. “I’ll try,” she says as she closes her eyes and lifts her hands, but nothing happens.

Her brows furrow as she tries again.

Still nothing.

Frustration bleeds through the cracks in her composure, and I feel it like it’s my own. My fingers twitch at my sides, instinct screaming at me to move closer, to help.

She stands up from her seat, focused as she tries a third time, but her knees nearly buckle.

Before I can think, I’m there, beside her, reaching out and steadying her elbow. The reaction is instant. Gold light explodes from her palms, bright and violent, slamming into the far wall hard enough to rattle the windows. Power roars through the room, thick and undeniable, raising the hair on my arms.

The room goes dead silent.

Emily jerks away from me like she’s been burned, eyes wide with horror.

“What the hell was that?” Tyler breathes.

Delilah swallows, eyes fixed on Emily’s glowing hands. “Her powers are not controlled. Not yet, anyway.”

“They won’t be controlled, ever, unless she knows…” Arianna whispers, her head lowered as she stares at the table. All eyes fly to her.

“What are you talking about, babe?” Tyler asks his mate, but all she does is shrug.

“Donna?” Dominic asks his sister, but she has the same response, prompting me to realize that the witches know something the rest of us don’t. A secret, and not even Emily seems to know.

“What are you guys talking about? What don’t I know?” Emily asks Delilah.

“The-the ritual you performed…the lunar binding spell…” Delilah begins reluctantly. “It was designed for witches. Humans. It was never meant to bind to a werewolf.”

My stomach drops.