"Benjamin?” Aleah exclaimed in surprise as she approached the gate of their home. Her voice trembled with confusion as her eyes met Benjamin’s figure, standing motionless just outside the property. His expression was inscrutable, his gaze fixed on their house as if lost in thought. The moment Benjamin spotted Aleah, his demeanor changed abruptly. He turned on his heel and walked away without uttering a single word, leaving her puzzled and slightly unsettled.
Aleah felt an urgency to stop him, calling out his name and quickening her pace toward him. Yet Benjamin moved swiftly, increasing the distance between them until he disappeared from view. As Aleah stood by the gate, her mind raced—this was the first time she had seen Benjamin near their home. He had always seemed like someone who preferred his own company, avoiding unnecessary social interactions. This unexpected visit and odd behavior made her wonder what could have brought him there.Inside the hou“They are after me. I need your help,” Benjamin said, his voice trembling as his eyes darted nervously around. Hunter frowned at his nephew’s words, bewildered by his frantic demeanor. Who was chasing him, and why did he appear so alarmed?“Tell me everything so I can help you,” Hunter responded calmly. “We can talk inside—” Hunter’s words were abruptly cut short as he studied Benjamin’s expression.It was evident that his nephew was running from something—or someone. Hunter couldn’t help but wonder: had Benjamin gotten entangled in trouble with rogues or some kind of syndicate?“No, I can’t. You might get into danger if they see me entering your house,” Benjamin interjected, his tone urgent, halting Hunter mid-sentence. Hunter’s mind began to whirl. What kind of mess had his nephew gotten himself into to appear so frightened?“Why come here if you’re
Any updates on the investigation I requested?" Hunter asked his team as he stepped into their conference room, where Rafael and the rest of the Astral Guardian members were seated. Hunter’s thoughts had been consumed by Benjamin ever since their encounter the day before. The young man’s troubled demeanor and Aleah’s cryptic warnings had sparked his concerns. To make matters worse, Benjamin had seemingly vanished—he hadn’t returned to the mansion, and all attempts to contact him had failed. Even his parents were growing increasingly anxious.As a law enforcer, Hunter felt an obligation to look into the situation, especially if his nephew was caught in a dangerous predicament. But beyond that, he couldn’t understand why Benjamin was being so secretive or who was chasing after him."It seems your nephew is in danger, Alpha Hunter," Joyril announced while activating the large monitor in front of the team. A map of interconnected data p
Aleah glanced toward the door of Claire's condo and said with curiosity, “It looks like you have a visitor.” She had just come over after her class to unwind and spend time with her friend. Since their return from the Espinosa family's private island, both Aleah and Claire had been caught up in their own busy schedules, leaving them little time to talk.“I’ll get it,” Aleah offered, looking back toward the kitchen where Claire was busy preparing snacks. The inviting aroma of freshly brewed coffee and baked pastries filled the air.As Aleah opened the door, the scene before her stunned her into silence. Benjamin, pale and visibly injured, stumbled forward and collapsed at her feet.“Benjamin!” Aleah exclaimed, panic rising in her chest as she knelt beside him. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the dark, spreading stain of blood on his abdomen. Her hands trembled slightly as she reached out to check if he was conscious.He
That’s insane! Why would you reopen a case that had long been closed?" exclaimed one of the Alphas Hunter was addressing, his voice rising with frustration. The Alpha King was also present during the discussion. Hunter expresses his intention to take over the case concerning illegal smuggling, which involved an international mafia. The case had been shelved for a long time because, according to the Alphas from other packs, it didn't involve rogues or members of their kind. They were taken aback when Hunter declared his interest in reopening the case. He withheld the fact that he wanted to reopen it due to his nephew's involvement.Another reason Hunter insisted on reopening the case was tied to a previous encounter with the mafia in Italy. He suspected that investigating the case could lead him to the missing lawyer of Aleah's grandfather. Hunter strongly believed that this case was connected to the rogues they had faced. Moreover, there was something about that lawyer th
Aleah's eyes fluttered open, a heavy grogginess still clouding her senses. She blinked a few times, her gaze drawn to the airplane window beside her. The soft, pale light of dawn spilled through the glass, illuminating the clouds below. For a moment, she struggled to process where she was. Then, like a jolt of electricity, it hit her. She wasn’t where she was supposed to be.Her heart raced as she shot to her feet, panic overtaking her. Just hours ago—or was it longer?—she’d been in the waiting room of the headquarters, idly scrolling through her phone, when a soldier approached her. “Miss Aleah, Mr. Hunter has sent for you. He’s already waiting in the car,” the man had said with a professional, almost robotic tone. Trusting the message without question, she followed him out to the sleek black car parked outside. The moment she stepped into the vehicle, a strange dizziness consumed her. She barely had time to register the unsettling sen
"What do you mean, he got involved with a syndicate?” Sebastian exclaimed in shock when Hunter revealed to their family what had happened to Benjamin and why he was in the hospital. Over the past few days, Benjamin’s parents had noticed that he barely came home. If Hunter hadn’t shared what happened to Benjamin, Sebastian might have organized a search party to find him.Benjamin’s parents said that Luke, his father, received a text message about his son, detailing what Benjamin had done. When Luke tried to contact Hunter, he couldn’t reach him. It wasn’t until a hospital staff member called to inform them that Benjamin was in the hospital that they rushed there.“What’s your plan now? How can we help Benjamin? If my grandson is innocent, why are these mafia people after him? And his friend who dragged him into this—do you have any updates?” the elderly man asked.“We’re still trying to find him,&r
Using the information Hunter received from an anonymous sender, he and his team carefully tracked down the remote location where Benjamin's friend was hiding. The friend was not only avoiding capture by the ruthless MAFIA but was also evading law enforcement authorities due to his involvement in questionable activities. His refuge was a dilapidated house tucked away in the farthest corners of a remote province, surrounded by overgrown vegetation and a deafening silence that suggested isolation.Upon reaching the area, Hunter's team worked strategically, positioning themselves to cover all possible exits. They ensured that no route was left uncovered, making it impossible for anyone inside the house to escape unnoticed. Hunter and Rafael volunteered to lead the search and cautiously approached the creaking wooden door of the house. As soon as they opened the door, chaos unfolded. A baseball bat came swinging toward them with frightening speed and force. Hunter’s exceptiona
"How are you?" Hunter asked Benjamin as he entered his hospital room. Benjamin was awake and out of danger. Rafael had already explained to him what had happened, including the capture of his friend, who confessed that he orchestrated the shooting to silence Benjamin."I am feeling better," Benjamin replied. "Officer Ramirez has told me everything." He added, "I never thought you would help me.""Don't get ahead of yourself. I didn't do it to help you. That was just my job," Hunter retorted, walking toward the table filled with fruits. "Your parents were worried about you. You shouldn't have made them worry," Hunter said as he picked up an apple."Were they? What's important to them is always Zane—the good, obedient son who fulfills their dreams," Benjamin remarked."You sound like a jealous ten-year-old," Hunter teased."What? Who's jealous?" Benjamin exclaimed, but he paused when Hunter threw an apple at him. He caught it effortlessly."Tell the
They really thought everything would be fine after the CEO got arrested and the data mine shut down. But nope—they were way off. The guy wasn’t done messing with Natasha. He found out all the video data sources were destroyed, and because of that, his company shut down and he lost his job. He blamed Natasha for all of it. He even showed up at the hospital, telling her that if she didn’t do what he wanted, he’d post the video from his cellphone online—and make sure her family saw it.“And you’re seriously just gonna believe him like that?” Aleah said to Natasha during her hospital visit. She walked into Natasha’s room just as the guy was heading out. He didn’t say a word to her, just stormed off. But Aleah heard every single thing he said—every nasty, threatening word.“Can you just leave me alone? I don’t need your lecture,” Natasha muttered, refusing to look at her sister. Aleah clenched h
Moments later, the screen lit up with a pop-up—it was the location of the data mine."Alpha Hunter," Joyril said, his voice steady through the earpiece connecting them to Hunter. "We found it.""Good," Hunter replied with a smirk. Without hesitation, he snapped the chains binding his hands. They were no match for his strength, which far exceeded that of an average Alpha. Even the specially designed chains meant to restrain his kind couldn’t hold him any longer."Why, Alpha Hunter? Lost your mind already, talking to yourself like that? If you want, I can hand you the first copy of your wife's video," the man taunted, his smile oozing arrogance as he stepped closer. "She’s young, beautiful... Heck, I might even start liking her myself," he added with a smirk that made Hunter's blood boil."Save your breath," Hunter said coldly, his piercing glare stopping the man in his tracks. "She’d never look twice at scum like you." His words cut deep, m
As Hunter dug deeper into the case, he uncovered that the website was owned by a company spreading explicit videos. Natasha wasn’t the only victim—there were countless others. Although they managed to shut down some sites, new ones kept appearing every day.Aleah and Hunter tried to shield Natasha from what had happened, but the truth got out. Daniella, furious after piecing everything together, stormed into their home with Melissa and Alfredo. They dragged Natasha and her baby back to the mansion against her will.Aleah wasn’t spared from the fallout. Her father gave her an earful, berating her for hiding the truth—especially the fact that Natasha had given birth to a child with no known father. No matter how hard they tried, Natasha wouldn’t reveal who the father was.“You want this family to accept you?” Daniella spat at Aleah. “Then stay out of our business. We’ll take care of Natasha and her baby ourselves,&rd
Aleah had been dropping by the hospital every day to see her sister, Natasha. And every single time, it bugged her how Natasha didn’t even bother visiting her baby in the nursery. One day, when Aleah came to check on her, she noticed a man walking out of Natasha’s room. As she got closer, Natasha’s face said it all—she was scared out of her mind. “What’s going on? Who was that guy?” Aleah asked, but Natasha just shut down, refusing to say a word. The thing was, Aleah kept seeing the same guy hanging around the hospital. Something wasn’t right. One day, she overheard Natasha arguing with him in her room. She didn’t plan on listening in, but her sister sounded so shaken she couldn’t help it. “You need to give me that video!” Natasha pleaded, her voice trembling. The guy chuckled. “Why would I? That video’s making me a ton of money,” he said, completely unbothered. Aleah’s gut twisted. What was this guy talking about? She couldn’t shake the bad feeling. Then sh
Aleah and Natasha got to the hospital, and right away, Claire came up to them. Her eyes went wide as she stared. “Aleah? Natasha?” she gasped. Seeing Natasha’s round belly made her freeze for a moment. Nobody was expecting this—least of all Claire.“What’s going on?” Claire asked, still staring at Natasha, who avoided her gaze.Aleah didn’t miss a beat. “Her water broke. She needs attention,” she said firmly.Claire blinked, catching up with the situation. “Oh, right! Hold on.” She waved down a nurse and gestured for Natasha to follow them to the delivery room.When Natasha was out of sight, Claire rounded on Aleah. “What happened?” she demanded.“I saw her outside the mall. There was a hostage situation,” Aleah said, keeping her voice steady.“No, I mean… she’s pregnant!” Claire exclaimed. “How come no one knew?”Ale
For a week, Aleah stayed in Italy to accompany her mother in taking care of her grandfather, Antonio. Fortunately, he had passed the critical stage. According to the doctors, he just needed rest and would soon recover. In the meantime, Guiller temporarily took over his responsibilities. Since Aleah had to return to her country for work, her mother stayed behind in Italy to look after her grandfather, along with her husband.Currently, Aleah has been accepted into Dennis's law firm while waiting for her bar exam results. Dennis mentioned that it would be beneficial for her to be there, as he could assist her and she could gain valuable experience. She could decide later whether to continue working there or leave. Aleah didn’t turn down the opportunity, and Hunter agreed as well. However, he warned her not to trust Dennis too much, as the latter still had feelings for her. Aleah assured Hunter that he had nothing to worry about.On her way home in a taxi, Aleah noticed
The members of the Astral Guardian carefully infiltrated a cargo vessel as part of a joint mission with the Navy. They moved cautiously, ensuring that they made no noise that might alert the kidnappers inside. Within the cargo vessel, three male hostages were being held. The Navy members located a container where the captives were confined.Since the container was locked, one member had to shoot the lock to open it. Once the lock was broken, another Navy member forcefully kicked the door open. The hostages were visibly shocked to see the Navy members standing before them.One of the hostages blinked in disbelief as the Navy members appeared in the doorway."We're getting you out of here," one of the Navy officers said firmly, already moving to help the nearest man to his feet.“We need to move. Now,” another hissed, scanning the area. “They’ll know we’re here any second.”Without hesitation, their leader barked, “Hel
"He's not gonna make it, is he?" Elara asked Aleah, watching the families on the school grounds snapping pictures. Today was Aleah's graduation day, but something felt missing.Aleah glanced at the scene, her gaze lingering on the happy faces. "I don't know, Mom," she said softly, biting her lip as she scanned the crowd.“Don’t tell me your husband’s off saving the world again?” Dennis said as he walked toward them, his suit crisp and a bouquet of flowers in hand.Aleah’s eyes met his. "Dennis," she greeted quietly."For you," Dennis said, offering the bouquet with a grin. "Seriously, though. I heard he just got out of the hospital. Is he really off on another mission already? Seems like he’d rather save strangers than be here for you."Before Aleah could reply, Rafael joined them with Claire and their child in tow. "Hey, he’ll be here soon," Rafael said confidently, giving Aleah a warm smile.Seeing them, Aleah
The birthday party for Daniella and Zane’s child came to an abrupt end when a frantic call from the hospital informed them that Hunter was in the operating room. Without wasting a second, they raced to the hospital, where the Vice Admiral and two of his men were waiting.Aleah froze the moment her eyes landed on the Vice Admiral. The world around her seemed to stop, her body going icy cold—especially when she noticed the blood staining the hands and uniforms of his men.“What happened to Hunter?” Daniella and Zane demanded, their voices sharp with worry. The Vice Admiral shook his head, refusing to share any details. “The doctors have been working for almost six hours now. His injuries are... serious. Even though he should’ve been able to heal himself, the wounds are too severe this time.”He continued, his voice grim, “He was shot. One hit his body, but the worst—we think—might’ve hit his head.”