The room they gave her was too nice. Too warm. Too clean.
Selene sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the bowl of food placed on the nightstand. Meat stew, warm bread, and a glass of water. Everything smelled delicious, but she hadn't touched it.
She didn't trust them. Not yet.
Not even him.
Especially not him.
Kael.
Her mate.
She gritted her teeth and ran her fingers through her long black hair. She had trained her entire life to keep emotions out of her work. Attachments made you weak. But the way her heart had jumped when she looked into Kael's silver eyes told her one thing; she was already in trouble.
She hadn't expected this. No one had prepared her for what would happen if her mission collided with fate.
It wasn't supposed to be him.
It wasn't supposed to be anyone.
The knock on the door was soft but firm. She stood up fast, eyes narrowed. Her hand instinctively reached for the knife tucked in her boot. One habit she never broke.
"Come in," she said, keeping her voice calm.
The door opened. It was a woman, tall with dark braids and kind eyes. She wore a gray uniform and carried a folded blanket in her arms.
"I'm Maya," the woman said. "Beta Kael sent me to check on you."
"Beta?" Selene raised an eyebrow. "Not Alpha?"
Maya smiled lightly. "He doesn't like being called Alpha in private. Says he's not here to rule over anyone's breakfast."
Selene didn't smile back.
Maya walked in slowly, placed the blanket at the foot of the bed, and looked around the room.
"I thought you might need this. It gets cold at night."
Selene nodded once. "Thanks."
Maya hesitated, then asked, "What's your name?"
"Lena."
"You don't talk much, do you?"
"Only when I need to."
Another pause. Then Maya said, "You don't trust us. I get it. Rogues usually don't. But BloodMoon is different. We don't hurt people without reason."
Selene turned toward her, expression unreadable.
"What do you do when you find out someone's lying to you?"
Maya gave her a sharp look, but it softened quickly.
"That depends. On the lie. And the reason behind it."
Selene didn't answer. She was already asking herself that same question.
After Maya left, she finally locked the door, pulled the curtain over the window, and sat on the floor. The stew was cold now, but she forced herself to eat it. Her body needed energy, even if her mind was in chaos.
Later, when the moon was high and silence filled the house, she opened the small pouch hidden under her cloak. Inside was a thin notebook with codes, her handler's notes, and her target's profile.
Kael Donovan – Alpha of BloodMoon Pack. Dangerous. Unpredictable. Ruthless when threatened.
But nothing in that profile had said anything about a mate bond.
She flipped to a blank page and began to write.
Day One – Inside the pack house. Kael saw me. Spoke to me. I lied. He believed it. Or maybe he didn't. I felt the bond. It's real. And that changes everything.
She paused. Her pen hovered over the page.
He's not what I expected. He looked at me like he knew me. Like he had waited for me.
She closed the notebook and slipped it back into her cloak. Then she lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep.
Across the pack house, Kael sat alone in his study, a fire crackling in the hearth. His Beta, Orion, leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
"Are you sure about this?" Orion asked.
"She's hiding something," Kael said without hesitation.
"Then why didn't you reject her?"
Kael looked at the flames for a long time. His voice was low when he spoke again.
"Because she's my mate."
"Kael—"
"I know. I know what you're going to say. But there's something in her eyes. Something broken and sharp. She's dangerous, but she's also mine."
"You think she was sent here?"
Kael nodded slowly. "Maybe. But if she was, then someone sent the wrong girl."
Orion sighed. "You always did like a challenge."
Kael stood, his eyes glowing faintly under the firelight.
"I don't want to scare her off. Not yet. I want her to think she's safe. Let her settle in. Let her think she can outsmart me."
"And then?"
Kael looked out the window, toward the moonlit trees.
"Then I'll find out who she really is."
Back in her room, Selene finally closed her eyes. She knew tomorrow would be harder. She had crossed the border and earned a place inside the walls.
Now she had to play the part. The weak rogue. The grateful guest. The innocent mate.
She would smile when she had to. She would pretend to fall.
But she would never forget the truth.
She was a spy. She had a mission. And Kael Donovan was still the enemy.
Even if fate said otherwise.