A Mate's Betrayal, An Alpha's Claim.

Camila's POV

Warmth.

That was the first thing I felt when consciousness slowly pulled me back. A soft heat wrapped around me, chasing away the cold that had settled deep in my bones. The scent of earth, pine, and something distinctly masculine filled my senses, grounding me before I even opened my eyes.

I was no longer in the forest.

My eyelids felt heavy as I forced them open, blinking against the soft glow of candlelight. The ceiling above me was wooden, sturdy beams running across it. I shifted slightly, and a sharp pain flared in my shoulder, making me wince.

"You're awake."

The deep, familiar voice sent a jolt through me.

I turned my head, my muscles protesting the movement, and my breath caught when I saw him.

The man from the forest.

He stood near the fireplace, his arms crossed over his broad chest, watching me with unreadable eyes. The flickering flames cast shadows over his sharp features, accentuating the powerful lines of his jaw and the intensity of his gaze. He looked just as commanding as he had when he stopped the warriors—dangerous, yet… controlled.

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. "Where…?" My voice came out hoarse, barely above a whisper.

"My cabin," he answered simply. "You collapsed. You lost a lot of blood."

I shifted slightly, glancing down at myself. The torn remains of my dress had been replaced by a soft, oversized shirt that didn't belong to me. My injured shoulder was carefully wrapped in fresh bandages, the fabric tight but not uncomfortable.

Panic shot through me, and I tried to sit up, only to feel a strong hand press gently against my good shoulder, keeping me in place.

"Don't," he warned, his tone leaving no room for argument. "You're still weak."

My pulse pounded as I looked up at him. "Who are you?" I asked, my voice steadier now.

He held my gaze for a long moment before answering. "Nathaniel Blackwood."

My stomach twisted. I knew that name.

The Alpha of the Shadowcrest Pack.

Feared. Respected. Ruthless.

A man I had only heard whispers about but never thought I would meet.

And now, he had saved me.

Nathaniel Blackwood.

The name echoed in my mind, sending a cold shiver down my spine despite the warmth surrounding me. Shadowcrest's Alpha. A man known for his strength, his ruthlessness, and the way his enemies never lived to tell their tales.

I had fallen straight into the den of a wolf more dangerous than any I had ever encountered.

My fingers clenched the blanket draped over me, my body stiff with caution as I forced myself to meet his gaze. His dark eyes didn't waver, steady and unreadable, but there was something about the way he watched me that made my stomach twist. Not hostility. Not cruelty. Something else.

"I remember…" My voice was still hoarse, but I pushed through. "The forest. The warriors. You stopped them."

His jaw tensed slightly, as if the memory annoyed him. "They were out of line," he said simply.

Out of line? They had been ready to rip me apart. He had stopped them with nothing more than his presence, a single command.

Power.

It radiated from him, thick and suffocating, even when he wasn't speaking.

I swallowed. "Why?"

He tilted his head, as if considering the question. Then, after a long pause, he sighed and leaned back against the wooden table behind him.

"Because I don't like watching senseless violence," he said.

A strange answer for a man like him.

I didn't believe it.

I stared at him. That was it? That was his reason?

No.

That couldn't be all there was to it. Men like him didn't just act out of kindness.

I swallowed, suddenly hyperaware of the fact that I was alone with him. An Alpha. A powerful one. I had no idea what he wanted from me, what price came with his help.

And I wasn't sure I wanted to find out.

"I…" My voice trembled despite my best efforts. "You stopped them. But you didn't kill them."

A muscle ticked in his jaw. "Do you wish I had?"

I flinched at the question, at the weight behind it. No. I didn't wish for more bloodshed. But I did wish I knew what game he was playing.

"You're afraid of me."

The statement sent ice through my veins. He said it so easily, like it was fact. And maybe it was.

I forced myself to hold his gaze. "Should I be?"

His lips twitched, almost like he found my attempt at bravado amusing. But then the smirk faded, and something else flickered in his eyes. Something unreadable.

"If I wanted to hurt you, Camila, I would have left you in that forest."

I sucked in a sharp breath. He was right. He could have let the warriors tear me apart. Instead, he had stopped them. Saved me.

But why?

"What do you want from me?" I whispered.

Nathaniel exhaled slowly, as if debating his response. Then, after a moment, he simply said—

"Rest. We'll talk when you're stronger."

His tone left no room for argument. And despite the storm of questions swirling inside me, exhaustion weighed heavily on my body.

I wasn't safe. Not really.

But for now, I had no choice but to trust that I wasn't in immediate danger.

So, I let my eyes slip shut, even as my mind screamed that sleeping under an Alpha's roof was the most reckless thing I could do.

"You're not from this territory," Nathaniel said, his voice low and deliberate. His golden eyes flickered with something unreadable as he studied me. "You're running from Greene's pack, aren't you?"

I swallowed hard. My body ached from exhaustion, my limbs still weak, but his presence sent a fresh wave of tension through me. He already knew. There was no point in denying it.

Still, I hesitated.

What did he want from me? Why had he saved me?

My fingers curled around the blanket, my heart pounding against my ribs. I needed to be careful—one wrong word, one wrong move, and I could be right back in the hands of a monster. And I didn't know yet if Nathaniel was any different.

"Why did you save me?" I finally asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Nathaniel leaned against the table, watching me with an expression I couldn't quite read. There was no immediate answer, only the sound of the fire crackling in the background.

The silence stretched, thick with uncertainty, before he finally spoke.

"You were bleeding out in the middle of the forest," he said simply. "I could have left you there. But I didn't."

His words sent a shiver down my spine. There was no warmth in them, no reassurance—just a statement of fact. He was right. He could have left me to die. But that didn't mean I was safe now.

I pulled the blanket tighter around me, as if that could shield me from the weight of his gaze. "So why didn't you?"

Nathaniel's lips twitched, just slightly, as if he found my caution amusing. "Because I was curious."

Curious? That was hardly comforting.

I forced myself to hold his gaze, despite the way my instincts screamed at me to look away. "Curious about what?"

"About you, Camila Hayes." He stepped closer, his towering frame casting a shadow over the bed. My breath caught in my throat, fear and unease curling in my stomach.

"You know my name," I whispered.

Nathaniel's fingers twitched slightly at his side, his expression unreadable. "I've heard it before."

My pulse quickened. Did he know who I really was? What I had done?

I licked my dry lips, trying to keep my voice steady. "And what does that mean for me?"

Nathaniel tilted his head slightly, watching me like a predator sizing up prey. "That depends," he murmured.

My stomach twisted. This was bad. This was very, very bad.

Nathaniel's words lingered in the air, thick with an unspoken warning. That depends.

On what? Whether I was useful to him? Whether I was worth keeping alive?

I could feel my pulse hammering in my throat, my fingers clutching the blanket tighter as if that alone could shield me from the weight of his presence.

"You don't just hear a name like mine," I forced out, my voice quieter now, more wary. "Not unless you were looking for it."

Nathaniel's lips curved slightly—not quite a smirk, but close enough to make my stomach twist with unease. "You assume I was looking for you."

"Were you?"

A beat of silence. He didn't answer, not at first. Instead, he took a step closer, his golden eyes gleaming under the dim light of the fireplace.

"I was on my way to Silvercrest Park," he said, his voice as smooth as ever.

The words hit me like a stone to the chest. Silvercrest. Greene's domain.

My throat tightened, but I forced myself to stay still. To stay calm.

"Why?" I asked, though I wasn't sure I wanted to know the answer.

Nathaniel exhaled lightly, as if the question was expected. "I had a meeting with Alpha Greene."

The air felt colder suddenly. I swallowed hard, ignoring the way my body stiffened at the name. "Alpha Greene doesn't meet with people," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "He takes what he wants."

Nathaniel's gaze didn't waver. "That much is true."

The way he said it made my stomach churn.

I needed to tread carefully. This man—this Alpha—wasn't like Greene. That much I knew. But that didn't mean he wasn't dangerous in his own way.

"And what did you want?" I asked, pushing past the lump in my throat.

Nathaniel studied me for a moment before answering.

"Business."

The same vague, empty word Alpha Greene always used.

I clenched my hands beneath the blanket, my nails pressing into my palms. "What kind of business?"

His lips twitched again, amusement flickering in his gaze. "Persistent, aren't you?"

I didn't respond. I just waited.

Nathaniel finally sighed, tilting his head slightly. "I was purchasing slaves."

The words rang in my ears, sharp and unforgiving.

Slaves.

I inhaled sharply, the very sound of it making my stomach twist in revulsion. Of course. Silvercrest was known for it. The trade. The auctions. The lives sold to the highest bidder.

My blood ran cold. If Nathaniel had been dealing with them… did that mean—?

"You're here for the auction," I whispered, the words barely making it past my lips.

He didn't answer immediately, but the way his gaze held mine sent a jolt of fear through me.

"You can't—"

"I can," Nathaniel interrupted, his voice steady, unreadable. "And I will."

My breath hitched.

This was bad.

This was very, very bad.