CHAPTER 4

Trudeau's POV

I stretched my back, trying to ease out the stiffness I had acquired from my little skirmish with those rogues on the way back home. I would ask my Beta to look into it later, but right now, I had other matters to attend to.

Like the little wolfless woman I brought back with me. I could see the shock expression on her face from the corner of my eyes as I was referred to as Alpha Trudeau, I know a lot is going on in her head right now, and to make things more confusing for her was when I took of the silicone face mask I was wearing, and also took off the wig. Her eyes literally popped out of their sockets.

Something in her eyes intrigued me, but I couldn't dwell on it. I didn't want to dwell on it. I handed her over to my Beta, Cassandra and Gamma, Guillemette.

“Escort her to her room," I instructed, and walked away, leaving a stunned Audrey behind.

I got up to my room in mere seconds, struggling to keep my enraged wolf under control. Since the fight with those rogues, he hadn't been able to fully calm down, and I wasn't sure why. Of course, they were a minor bump in the road, because I was certain that anyone that came across those corpses would have a very large question marks sitting atop their heads.

Who called the attack? And why?

I had suspected that something like that would have happened, after all, being an Alpha meant that you had enemies waiting for the right moment to catch you and destroy you, but I had traveled under the guise of someone else, so I couldn't have been the target.

Were they after Audrey? I couldn't help but wonder.

Tired of asking questions that didn't get a quick enough answer, I went into the shower to freshen up.

Rivulets of water ran down my body, reminding me of all the struggles that I had gone through to get where I stood currently. Becoming the Alpha of Blue Lotus pack wasn't easy, and having to lead the pack was even harder, but I couldn't afford to be weak.

I despised weakness. Which was why the thought of having a wolfless breeder didn't sit right with me. For one, she can pass on her wolfless traits to my kids. The thought of it alone pissed me off.

I should have known something was up when Audrey's parents were too eager to give her away so easily because of money. A lot of rumors have spread around about me, thanks to all the previous breeders who ended up running away, so for them to just give her up despite all the freighting rumors, tell there's more to this story than meets the eye.

I finished showering, and got stressed, but still, my wolf refused to settle. Usually, I would have taken it as a sign that we needed a run in the moonlight, but this one seemed deeper and more serious than usual.

And it all started when I met Audrey in person.

While I pondered this recent realization on my bed, a knock came on the door, pulling me out of my thoughts.

“Come in,” I said, as I could already scent Cassandra.

“Alpha Trudeau," she called out, bowing slightly. “You asked for me?” she said, standing by the wall like some kind of sentinel. She was angry about something, and I could tell.

“Yes. But first, tell me what's bothering you.”

“Nothing. What do you need me to do?” she said after a sigh. Her black hair fell over her face like a dark river, sleek and smooth.

“I asked you a question, Cassie," I said, giving no room for an argument.

She groaned. “What were you think that you went all the way to Dawnstar Pack to get–"

“That I needed a breeder,” I cut her off, I could already feel my wolf stirring inside me, as he felt Cassie was about to say something stupid about Audrey.

“And you couldn't have found one from this pack? Why go outside and bring a stranger here? Even from the way she smells I can tell that she's not even that strong.”

Something about the way she said it rubbed me off the wrong way, but I dismissed the feeling. “Despite your . . . reservations, I have to do what is best for this pack.”

“I don't think this was the right course of action,” she protested.

“If you can't respect my decisions as my Beta, I don't see any reason why you should hold on to that position."

Her eyes widened in disbelief. I had gone overboard.

She schooled in her emotions, but I could tell that the damage had already been done. “You're right, Alpha,” she said, amidst gritted teeth. “I should have known my place.” She cleared her throat. “What would you have me do?”

I wanted to backtrack. To tell her that I didn't mean for my words to have come out so harshly, but I just couldn't. I didn't say anything wrong, even if I would have worded my communication better.

“We were attacked on our way from that woman's pack,” I said, focusing on business.

“I know.”

“I need to find out what caused the attack, and if there's any link between that and the recent Rogue sightings.”

“Did you get all of them?”

“I killed them all, but maybe I should have carried one back for questioning. They didn't seem to be the talking type though, and they were more intent on killing us. There was little time for logical thinking.”

Cassandra nodded. “Alright. I'll ask my men to begin investigating the attack. Is there anything else you'd like to add?”

“Also, don't be mean to her. I don't want a situation where she races back home like the others.” A little twinge of embarrassment rushed through me at the thought of that. “You wouldn't believe how hard it was to find people willing to give me their daughter.”

“That's because you let most people think that you're a monster, when you're not.”

I scoffed. “If you knew about everything I've done, you wouldn't be saying that. They all have a right to fear me, and they should.”

Cassandra released a small sigh and straightened her spine. Her shoulders relaxed. “So what's your plan for the woman?”

I looked out the window. A raven had perched by the window sill, looking inward. “She's nothing more than a means to an end. All she's here to do is to warm my bed, and make babies.”