The Silver Wolf (Diana and Talon) novel Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

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Chapter Seventeen

“How could that unranked warrior-that stupid, wolfless nobody-be the Alpha King’s mate?”

Hazel paced the length of the chamber like a caged predator, silk skirts swishing angrily around her legs as her fingers curled into fists. She couldn’t take the way the two Alphas talk about that wolfless bitch, so she left them and went to her room. The walls of her room, once a sanctuary of luxury and mirrors, now felt too small, too confining for the fury clawing through her chest.

“And Asher,” she hissed, lips curling in disgust. “Declaring her as his mate as well. As if that… that thing deserves to be claimed by anyone at all.”

Her reflection stared back at her from the polished glass-golden hair immaculate, eyes blazing with venom. She was beautiful. She was powerful. She was Luna.

Yet all she could see was Diana.

The image burned behind her eyes: the unranked warrior standing unbowed, blood on her hands, strength radiating from her like a silent challenge. No wolf. No title. No lineage worth speaking of.

And still-chosen.

“I should have killed that bitch when I had the chance,” Hazel snarled under her breath. “Or banished her from this pack long ago.”

She stopped abruptly, pressing her palm flat against the wall as if steadying herself.

“We need to do something about her,” she muttered. “I thought she would leave when her parents died. Any sane person would have broken, would have run.”

Her wolf stirred uneasily inside her, cautious where Hazel was reckless.

‘Hazel, Willow said softly, her voice echoing in Hazel’s mind. ‘We cannot take on Diana. She is far stronger than we are.’

Hazel scoffed, turning away as if she could physically dismiss the warning. “You always say that.” She laughed-sharp, humorless. “She doesn’t even have a wolf, Willow. She’s nothing more than a strong human playing warrior. No wolf. No bond. No protection.”

Hazel’s eyes gleamed as something dark and calculating settled over her expression. “It would be easy to kill her.”

Willow recoiled at the cold certainty in Hazel’s thoughts.

175

Chapter Seventeen

+25 Pomts

“And even if we can’t,” Hazel continued, voice lowering conspiratorially, “we can banish her. Push her far enough, frame her if we must. Once she’s gone, the path is clear.”

She smiled then-slow and deliberate. “Without her, I am certain I can seduce Alpha King Talon.”

Willow’s unease deepened.

“With my beauty,” Hazel went on, brushing her fingers down her own arm, “with my grace and power… he should have been mine from the start.”

A long silence stretched between them before Willow spoke again, her voice strained. ‘But… we already have a mate, Hazel.’

The words carried weight-pain.

‘You chose Asher. You even rejected our fated mate for him.’

The memory surged unbidden through Willow’s consciousness, raw and vivid. The moment of rejection. The tearing pain of the bond snapping. The quiet agony that followed.

Willow still felt it-the echo of what could have been. Her true mate: a humble warrior, kind-eyed and steady-hearted. Not powerful, not ambitious, but loyal. Good.

Now he had found his second chance.

Willow had seen them from afar once. Seen the way he looked at his new mate, reverent and protective. Seen the gentle way his hand rested on her rounded belly, swollen with life.

Their pup.

A sharp ache twisted inside Willow as she glanced down at Hazel’s body-perfect, beautiful…

and empty.

Her belly remained flat.

The grief lingered, silent and unacknowledged.

‘It hurts, Willow admitted quietly. ‘Seeing what could have been.’

Hazel’s expression hardened instantly.

“Stop that,” she snapped, slamming her palm against the wall. “That stupid warrior was never good enough for us.”

She turned, eyes blazing with ruthless conviction. “We deserve the best.”

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