Page 51 of Alpha's Hated Mate

“Haven’t you ever wondered why Scarlets can only mate with Neutrals?” She leans forward, excitement making her voice rise. “And why areyouable to sleep with her without catching on fire?”

My silence seems to please her.

“I realized something Father never did—Neutrals also have special powers.” She taps a diagram on the screen. “They can ‘neutralize’ Scarlets. Neutral DNA is the key to controlling the beast and all Scarlets for that matter.”

Horror dawns on me. “Did you kidnap Neutrals too? Experiment on them?”

“I didn’t need to.” She smirks. “We were never tested, but why would we be? Our father was an Alpha, and you are too. There are no Neutral Alphas . . . until now. You sleeping with Saffron proves you are a Neutral, which means Mother likely is one.” She touches her chest. “And so am I.”

My head spins as I try to make sense of what she’s telling me.

She walks to a refrigeration unit and pulls out a vial of dark red liquid. “With my new version of the serum, I can create an army of controlled Scarlets with Neutrals, like us, as their generals.” Her voice drops to a reverent whisper. “We’ll kill that hybrid posing as the Luna Queen and make the royal line pure again.”

This is crazy. Maybe it’s late on-set grief of losing our father.

“What you say is treason.” I shake my head, bile rising in my throat. “This wasn’t what Dad wanted. You said so yourself. His goal was to benefit all wolf-kind—including Scarlets.”

Nadia’s face hardens. “And look where that got him.” She clutches the vial to her chest as if her heart hurt. “He was too short-sighted. I won’t make that same mistake.”

My throat constricts as I stare at my sister—or whoever this stranger is wearing her face. “I need a minute,” I say to buy time.

“Of course,” she says, placing the vial back into its refrigerated case with delicate precision. “It’s a lot to absorb.”

My sister has completely lost her fucking mind.Gone is the girl who used to cry when she accidentally stepped on bugs, replaced by this . . . zealot talking about armies and assassinating the Luna Queen.

Shit.She could be executed for treason. If we argue that she went insane from losing our father, maybe the Alpha King will take pity on her. I need to subdue her as quickly and painlesslyas possible so I can take her back to Moonhelm. Then, we can get her the help she needs.

But I need to keep her talking so I can find out where she’s keeping Saffron and the others first.

“I’m not the academic type, like you, so help me understand,” I force my voice to sound confused, rather than horrified. “How do you know that your formula works better than Father’s?”

“I used it on myself, of course.” Nadia beams.

“You’re behind the missing Scarlets?”

She nods rapidly.

“You kidnapped them?”

“No, I called them to me. They just have no choice but to listen.”

“Because you can transform like Father did. You’re the monster from the woods?”

“Monster?” She chuckles, straightening her posture. “I prefer ‘super wolf.’ And yes, I can shift into my normal wolf and then into the super wolf but, unlike Father, I maintain complete control.”

“But why attackme?”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m still learning the strength of my super wolf but I had to put Saffron with the other Scarlets. We need her as part of our army.” She steps closer, eyes bright with fanaticism. “Don’t you see? We’re meant to lead this revolution together, you as Alpha Commander. We will usher in the new age of wolf-kind!”

“Hmm . . . Alpha Commander?” I force my features into contemplation. “Where’s Saffron and the other Scarlets now?”

“Contained. Safe. Ready for our orders.”

“Well, if I’m going to be Alpha Commander, I want to know what I’m working with. I need to see our army.”

“Yes, of course!” Nadia practically bounces with excitement. “Follow me. They’re in the containment wing.”

She turns toward another door, punching a code into a keypad. As it beeps, I assess my options. I could attack her now, but if she transforms into that beast, I’d be outmatched. I need to get Saffron and the Scarlets first. We’ll have a much better chance to take down Nadia together.

---