Alpha, Your Lock Betrayed Me Chapter 01
Lysander Vane had entered my blood signature into the enchanted lockstone at his estate more times than I could count. Yet somehow, every time I came back, I had to register it all over again.
Every time I sliced open my palm and let the lockstone record my scent, he would say, “Come over whenever you want. You’re always welcome here.”
But whenever I returned, the magical ward still shut me out. “Identity unknown. Access denied.”
Locked out again, I stared at the lockstone’s silver glow and reached for Lysander through our mind link.
He answered in that familiar, apologetic tone.
“Sorry. One of my friends was messing around with the lockstone yesterday. They must’ve deleted your blood signature by accident while testing it.”
“Wait there for now. I’ll add it back when I get home.”
Next time. Always next time.
As I stood there, my wolf raked her claws restlessly through the back of my mind, and I remembered every excuse he had given the other times my blood signature disappeared.
The time before that, he claimed the lockstone was low on moonlight energy, even though Morrigan Croft’s blood signature still worked perfectly.
Last time, he said a squirrel had damaged the stone and he’d had to replace it. The truth was, Morrigan had complained that registering too many blood signatures was unsafe.
Every time, Lysander came up with another plausible “accident,” all so Morrigan could keep the estate to herself.
He never seemed to notice the lattice of scars already covering my palm.
Then he said, “We’ll talk when I get back. I’ll let you in.”
The instant the mind link went silent, I heard the crisp click of the lock turning from inside.
Morrigan knew I was outside. She locked the deadbolt anyway.
I rose and dusted off my pants.
Forget it.
I didn’t want to go through that door anymore.
…
Willa’s POV
The night wind slipped beneath my collar, making me shiver. My wolf shook out her fur in response.
I headed for the road and pulled out my phone to call a ride.
“Wait, why are you out here?”
I looked up. Torvin was walking toward me with a convenience-store bag in one hand.
Torvin was a mutual friend of Lysander and Morrigan, and the pack’s Gamma.
“Looking for Lysander?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “The door’s locked. I can’t get in.”
Torvin frowned, genuinely confused. “Isn’t Morrigan inside? She just sent a voice note to the group. She said she was putting together a dinner at Lysander’s place and told everyone to come over.”
He kept talking, oblivious to the color draining from my face.
“Does she come here often?” I asked.
He laughed. “All the time. Morrigan knows Lysander’s place better than anyone. We joke that she’s practically the lady of the manor.”
The moment the words left his mouth, he realized what he had said. His expression turned awkward.
He cleared his throat. “That’s not what I meant…”
I tried to force a smile and tell him it was fine, but my throat had closed up.
Torvin’s phone chimed with a group-chat notification.
I caught the name on his screen: “Lysander’s Boys.”
Morrigan had just sent a voice note. A string of teasing memes and reactions followed.
I could make out a few of the replies.
[On my way.]
[Save me some grilled oysters.]
Torvin quickly locked his screen. “Uh… want to come in with me? Maybe she’s busy at the grill and didn’t hear you knock.”
“We’re all friends, anyway.”
Right. We were all friends.
I was Lysander’s girlfriend, his future Luna. Yet in their circle, I was nothing more than an unwanted outsider.
I shook my head. “No, thanks.”
I turned and headed for the street.
A few steps later, I checked my phone despite myself.
Ten minutes earlier, he had texted me.
Lysander: [Give me a few minutes. I’m almost there. I’ll open the door for you.]
Another ten minutes passed. He never came.
When I turned my phone back on the next morning, I had two missed calls and two messages from the night before.
Lysander: [Why didn’t you wait for me?]
Lysander: [Morrigan was cooking. I couldn’t get away. Text me when you’re home.]