22. MATEO

22

MATEO

How the fuck am I supposed to concentrate knowing that our Omega is pregnant—that we only have three months before our first child is brought into the world? I could have spent the rest of the month in her nest, loving her, telling her how precious she was but the darkness won’t wait for us.

The council room is too quiet, save for the faint scratch of a pen across paper and the rustle of documents being shifted. I sit at the head of the table, hunched over my father’s old files, my elbows braced on the smooth wood, my temples pounding as I try to make sense of any of this.

My father—Ilsa— and Calista. They made it all look so fucking easy. Even when the Nightshade pack was fractured, even when blood was running through the damn packlands, they still held control like it was natural . And now? Now everything feels like it’s slipping through my fingers and I don’t know how to stop it.

The documents in front of me are faded, notes scrawled in my father’s tight, deliberate handwriting. There’s nothing here, nothing that gives me answers—everything destroyed when the house in the crystal forest was burnt down and I have to bite back the urge to shove everything off the table and let it crash to the floor. I need something— anything .

Kehlani sits at the opposite head of the table, his posture unnervingly calm, one hand resting against his chin as he watches me. He’s flanked by Bo and Elias, both of whom look equally tense despite their silence. Bo’s fingers tap against the edge of the table, while Elias—one of the younger council members—glances at the papers in front of him as if they might suddenly change.

Maverick sits against the far wall, his dark eyes fixed on everything and nothing at once. He doesn’t say a word, doesn’t move, and yet I can feel him there. Watching. Observing. Like he’s seeing something the rest of us can’t.

“Anything yet?” Bo asks, breaking the silence.

I lift my head, running a hand through my hair as I glare at the scattered papers. “No,” I grit out. “There’s nothing useful here. My father made this look so simple. Even Calista…” I trail off, my voice bitter. “Even she managed to hold the pack together, evil or not. What the hell am I missing?”

Kehlani’s eyes flicker toward me and though he doesn’t say it, I can see the faintest trace of doubt in his gaze. It’s like a dagger in my chest, and I force myself to hold his stare.

“Maybe this isn’t about what you’re missing,” Kehlani says finally. “Maybe this is about what you’re holding onto.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Care to explain?”

Kehlani shrugs, his expression unreadable. “Your father built the Nightshades to survive in chaos. You’re trying to build something else, Mateo—something better. But you’re still looking to him, to her, for answers.” He leans back in his chair, folding his hands in his lap. “Maybe you need to stop trying to play by their rules.”

Before I can say anything, Maverick cuts into the conversation. “Kehlani, I don’t believe that’s true. Every time you speak, it feels like you’re protecting something—your pack, maybe? You’ll bring back the magic, but only if you can control it. And if you can’t?” He shrugs. “Then you’ll push for safety over everything else.”

Kehlani bristles at that. “And what’s so wrong with safety?”

Maverick doesn’t even blink. “Safety is one step away from stagnation.” My mind is already spiraling, already trying to piece everything together.

Nepheline’s whispers. The super wolf in town. Maverick’s growing magic, which he’s only just starting to train. River practically tearing himself apart trying to track down clues while the rest of us hit wall after wall.

Everything feels like it’s building , like the earth is shifting beneath our feet, and none of us can find solid ground. The worst part is that every time I turn around, Kehlani is trying to pull my pack out from under me. Whether on purpose or because he’s terrified of facing the threat head-on, I don’t fucking know but it’s pissing me off.

This is the third time this week we’ve been here and I’m fucking done.

I sift through a few more of the old papers in front of me—useless. They’ve brought me nothing but dead ends. I toss them back onto the table with a frustrated exhale, letting the sound cut through the suffocating silence.

“Kehlani,” I force out. “You’re on thin ice.”

His brow lifts slightly, an arrogant flicker of defiance in his silver eyes. He doesn’t say anything, so I press on, leaning forward to meet his stare head-on.

“You’ve been told before,” I continue, my tone darkening. “You don’t assert dominance here. This isn’t your pack and those wolves aren’t yours to influence. Poisoning some of my wolves with your fucking agenda? That crosses a line. I wasn’t going to bring it up but if I have to warn you one more time, you won’t like what happens next.”

Kehlani’s lips curl into something that isn’t quite a smile. It’s more like a smirk, laced with condescension. “I’m doing what’s necessary, Mateo. You’re not being smart about this.”

A growl rumbles low in my chest before I can stop it. River shifts subtly behind me—silent, steady, always watching—but his presence grounds me just enough to keep my wolf from snapping.

“You want to try that again?” I challenge, a dangerous edge to my voice.

Kehlani leans back, crossing his arms, clearly unbothered. “You’re ignoring the bigger picture. The darkness is spreading—it’s mixing with the magic and it’s going to consume everything if you don’t act.”

“You think I don’t know that?” I bite out, my hands curling into fists against the table. “You think I don’t see what’s happening to my pack? To my mate ?”

Silence falls like a hammer, and for the first time, Kehlani’s mask slips, just a little.

“Nepheline is untrained,” he says after a beat, his voice quieter but no less sharp. “Without Victoria guiding her—without our pack’s knowledge—she will fail and so will you. You’re letting your pride get in the way of survival.”

“Says the Alpha who didn’t want us to fight at all in the beginning. Says the Alpha whose words keep changing to support whatever agenda he has. You’re here to support us,” I say, forcing the words out slowly so there’s no mistaking my meaning. “Not to push your agenda. Not to divide my pack. If you can’t remember that, then this partnership isn’t going to work.”

Kehlani exhales through his nose, his silver eyes narrowing. “You need us.”

“I don’t work well with threats,” I snap, my voice dropping to a growl as I rise to my feet, leaning over the table to close the space between us. “If you’re not here to help—if you’re not here to trust us, to trust me —then I’ll have no problem sending you and your pack back home. I don’t care if you’ve got answers. I don’t care if you’ve got magic. If you can’t work with us, then you’ll leave. Do you understand me?”

After a long beat, he sighs, the sound almost reluctant. “This isn’t about you, Mateo,” he mutters, his voice quieter now. “It’s about survival. About the magic. Victoria knows how to guide it. Without her, you’re in over your head.”

I grind my teeth, biting back the sharp retort that rises to my lips. Of course, I’m in over my head. I know that better than anyone. But I’ll be damned if I let Kehlani act like we’re weak—like we’re something to control.

Maverick steps up beside me, his tone dripping with calm authority. “Mateo’s already told you where he stands. This is the last time we’ll have this conversation. Make your choice, Kehlani—either you’re with us or you’re not.”

Kehlani shoves back his chair so hard it scrapes against the wood, the sound slicing through the council room like a blade. His silver eyes are sharp, burning with frustration as he stands abruptly, his jaw tight. He looks ready to storm out, but before he can so much as turn toward the door, a soft but firm voice cuts through the tension.

“Kehlani.”

Victoria’s voice is calm—too calm—as she steps forward, her Beta, Lawrence, moving with her. She places a delicate hand on Kehlani’s arm, a silent order that freezes him in place. The authority she exudes is undeniable, but there’s something else there—concern, maybe even disappointment.

“Enough,” Victoria says softly, though her tone leaves no room for argument. Her gaze flicks to me, steady and measured. “Alpha Mateo, I apologize for my Alpha’s behavior. It was uncalled for.”

I push back in my chair, rising to my full height as my gaze locks onto hers. Apology or not, I’m done walking on eggshells around them. “No,” I say coolly, my voice cutting through the heavy air. “It’s not enough.”

Victoria stills, but her face remains carefully blank. Kehlani’s nostrils flare, his fists curling at his sides as though he’s barely holding himself together.

“Kehlani,” I growl, my Alpha tone rumbling in the room like a distant thunderclap, “you need to check your privilege. ”

His gaze snaps to mine, a flicker of something dark—something primal—crossing his face. It’s gone just as quickly, replaced by a thin layer of calm, but I see it. And so does everyone else in this room.

“There’s no excuse,” I continue, my voice sharp but controlled as I shift my attention to Victoria. “You can’t come into my pack, claiming you’re here to help, and let your Alpha act like this. I don’t care who he is. This is my house and I won’t tolerate it.”

Victoria dips her head slightly, though I can see the faint tension in her shoulders. “You’re right,” she says softly, glancing at Kehlani with a warning look before turning back to me. “I assure you, it won’t happen again.”

“It better not,” I bite out, holding her gaze a moment longer before Kehlani finally storms toward the door. He doesn’t slam it behind him—Victoria’s glare makes sure of that—but the silence he leaves in his wake is louder than any argument.

The room stays still for a long moment before Bo shifts in his seat, breaking the quiet.

“Mateo,” he says carefully, turning to face me. “Is it just me, or… is something wrong with Kehlani?”

I frown, crossing my arms as I regard Bo carefully. “Explain.”

Bo doesn’t hesitate. “He’s been off since he got here,” he says bluntly, his deep voice carrying just enough edge to make it clear he’s been holding this back for a while. “You remember what happened when he almost attacked River a few weeks ago?”

River nods from his spot at the edge of the room, his arms crossed. I do remember. Kehlani’s behavior that day was out of line, but we’d chalked it up to tension between the Sapphire wolves and the pack’s new dynamics.

Bo continues, “It’s not just that, though. He’s abrasive with every decision you make. He pushes back harder than anyone else and not in the way a wolf should. It’s personal . He acts like he’s fighting an instinct he can’t control.”

A nervous laugh bubbles in my throat. “You’re not seriously suggesting that Kehlani is one of the pack of the Forbidden, are you?”

Elias clears his throat, shaking his head, though his face is pale, his expression tight. “No,” he says slowly. “He’s not a traitor. But you don’t have to be to have that serum coursing through your veins. No self-respecting Alpha would ever launch himself at the pack Alpha’s mate. That doesn’t happen, Mateo. Not unless something’s wrong. Calista and Kylan? They attacked like that—wild, unpredictable, feral. None of the other wolves, even those opposed to you, ever stepped that far out of line.”

I stare at him, my chest tightening. I want to argue, to tell him he’s wrong, but I can’t. Because I’ve seen it too—the flash of something uncontrolled in Kehlani’s eyes. The anger that doesn’t fit. The instinct that shouldn’t exist.

“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath, raking a hand through my hair as I try to process it.

I close my eyes for a moment, exhaling slowly as I try to clear my head. My wolf is restless, pacing beneath the surface, but I force myself to focus on the weight of the moment—on the decision I know I have to make.

The only cure for the serum is for Kehlani to lose his wolf. And that… that would be a death sentence. When I open my eyes again, the room is waiting—silent, expectant.

“I’ll talk to him,” I say finally, though the words feel like ash on my tongue. “I’ll figure out what’s going on. But if he’s compromised, we’ll handle it.”

Bo nods, his face grim. “And if it’s too late?”

“Then we’ll do what we have to.”

I don’t want it to come to that. I can’t let it come to that.

But as I sit back in my chair, I can’t shake the nagging thought that this— all of this —is only the beginning.

And whatever darkness is clawing at us from the edges?

It’s getting closer.