Their Secret Obsession (A Reverse Harem)

Chase's POV

"Connie... the girl..." he began hesitantly as we moved through the tunnels. I closed my eyes, a wave of frustration washing over me. The last thing I wanted was to hear about her.

"Not about her... about my sister," I started to say, but he held up a bony hand to silence me. His fingers were thin and skeletal; the skin stretched taut over knuckles that jutted out sharply. They trembled ever so slightly, whether from fear or urgency, I couldn't tell. "She is not your mate. She knows..." he stated plainly as he began to walk through the simmering darkness again. Following, I sighed as the relief exploded inside me, a sudden lightness piercing through the heavy atmosphere.

"She knows she is not my mate?" I asked to clarify, my heart pounding. Could it be that Connie had been deceiving me all along? That she was lying about the bond I thought we shared?

"Yes." He nodded. "She knows about your sister's deal... She knows everything. She is working with Astaroth. They all are." Compassion flickered in his eyes as he delivered the devastating news. My hands clenched into fists at my sides, anger boiling within me. "Lottie... How do you know that?" I demanded, my jaw tightening as rage coursed through my veins.

"Because I was there when she came to see him with an older man, an alpha. Astaroth agreed to their deal," he explained.

My mind reeled with the information. Shock and horror collided inside me, each emotion battling for dominance. Hatred seared through my veins like molten lava. Connie had been conspiring with Astaroth and an alpha to harm my sister. The betrayal cut deep, sharper than any blade.

"To what end?" I asked through gritted teeth. "What is it she wants?"

"She wants to be Luna." He sighed, his gaze distant. "She knows she cannot be Luna to the alphas while they pine for your sister. She cannot move against them without it blowing back on her, so..."

"I'm going to kill her," I seethed, not needing him to finish. The thought of Connie plotting against Lottie ignited a fury I hadn't known I was capable of.

"But Astaroth wiped her memories of it so it seemed convincing," he continued. "Although the plan is still very much set in her mind, she will not remember meeting him." I tried to process this. Connie wants to be Luna, but she can't while Knox and Kane are still bonded to Lottie. She knows about their secret, about everything. So she plans to eliminate Lottie altogether, removing any competition. The realisation made my stomach churn.

How could I have been so blind?

"Then why use me?" I asked, shaking my head. It didn't make sense. As I ran a hand through my hair, I felt the lingering aches of my still-healing wounds. The soreness served as a reminder of how much I'd already endured.

"To make them jealous. So when your sister is gone, they will want her-Connie. She wants it all done big, dramatically, so it's a story to tell through the years," he said.

I stared at him, suspicion creeping in. How did he know so much? He was a nobody in this infernal place, yet he held information that could change everything. "How do you know this?" I questioned, my tone edged with scepticism.

"I told you..." He met my gaze steadily. "No one ever notices me. They do not see me; they see him. I am just part of the furniture, filth to be ignored and dismissed. I hear all sorts of things," he nodded, a hint of bitterness in his voice. It seemed he was both amused and saddened by Astaroth's oversight.

"And you're sure the man you saw was an alpha?" I pressed, wondering who it could be. Alpha Sebastian, no doubt. He'd wanted Lottie gone for so long. She had replaced him, and now she carried pups. He had fallen lower in the line of succession. There was only one way to fix that: eliminate the babies before they were born-along with Lottie.

"I saw " He began to speak, but a deafening roar suddenly reverberated through the tunnel, causing the ground beneath us to tremble. "He's realised you're gone," Elias voiced urgently. "We must move faster." His eyes widened with fear, and he pulled back. We broke into a run, the narrow corridor twisting and turning. The air grew hotter, each breath burning my lungs. Behind us, the sounds of pursuit grew louder-inhuman growls and the clatter of claws on stone.

"Almost there!" Elias shouted, pointing ahead to a faint glow. We burst into a vast cavern, a swirling vortex of light suspended in the centre. "That's the portal," he explained. "It will take you back to your world."

"What about you?" I asked, concern gripping me.

"My place is here." He shook his head.

"No," I protested. "Come with me. You don't have to stay."

"I appreciate the offer, but my sins bind me here. Your path lies elsewhere." He smiled sadly. Before I could argue further, a shadow loomed over the entrance we had just emerged from. A monstrous figure, all fangs and fury, slowly advanced toward us. Toying with us. "Go!" Elias urged, positioning himself between me and the creature.

"Elias..."

"Go now! Live your life differently than I lived mine!" he urged as he stood to one side, he gestured for me to pass through. The portal was mesmerising-swirls of pink and purple light intertwined, scattered with flecks of gold. It radiated warmth and a strange, comforting energy, a stark contrast to the oppressive heat of this place.

"Come with me?" I asked one more time, pausing at the threshold. I held out my hand to the man who had

offered me so much help. Despiteet

his worn appearance and the darkness of this place, he had shown me kindness. He chuckled softly, a resigned smile tugging at his lips.

"No... unlike you, I deserve to be here." Before I could protest, he gave me a gentle push.

As I fell through the portal, the world around me blurred. Colours and lights swirled chaotically, and a sensation of weightlessness enveloped me. It was like tumbling through a kaleidoscope of emotions-fear, anger, hope all colliding at once. Heat and cold rushed past me in waves, and for a moment, I wasn't sure which way was up.

Then, just as suddenly, it was over. I landed on solid ground, the cool air filling my lungs. Gasping, I looked around to find myself back in the mortal realm. Night had fallen, and the stars glittered above like distant beacons.

I took a deep breath, the crisp air a stark contrast to the stifling heat of hell. Relief washed over me, but it was fleeting. The weight of what I'd learned pressed heavily on my shoulders.

"Thor?" I called out mentally.noveldrama

"I'm here," he responded. "I sensed everything. We have to act fast."

"Agreed, get me back to my brothers," I stated aloud, determination hardening within me. Connie's betrayal, the threat to Lottie-it all needed to be addressed immediately.

I stood up, dusting myself off just as Thor took over, cracking my bones as the transformation took place. "I'm coming, Lottie," I whispered into the night as my paws hit the ground, and we rushed back to the packhouse. "And I won't let them hurt you."