Chapter 4

CLINTON.

“What shall we do with them, your highness?” My beta and best friend, Asher, inquired.

I looked at the three rogues who dared to enter my territory, but the fear evident in their eyes meant nothing to me. The law permitted me to take any action against them for trespassing on my pack's land. Though tempted to set them free, the urge to use them as an example to other rogues prevailed.

“Take them away.” I ordered, turning my back to them. “Keep them in the dungeon and await further instructions from me.”

With that, I shifted into my wolf form, feeling my bones crack as my clothes tore apart. Howling into the night sky, I shook my tail before vanishing into the woods.

I ran until I reached a lake, where I shifted back into my human form, gazing at my reflection in the still water.

A cold-looking man stared right back at me. Dark circles marred the skin under my eyes, and my eyes were swollen and a bit red—a testament to my sleepless nights. The relentless pursuit of ways to bolster our pack funds consumed my thoughts around the clock. Recently, Asher uncovered theft within our pack, igniting a pressing need to uncover the identity of the culprit.

Maybe I had been too lenient on them.

Maybe they saw me as a fool.

Three million dollars were missing, funds earmarked for repairing damaged roads, providing amenities for the pack, and investing in the children's schools. Now, everything is gone. Who took them and what drove this betrayal, I did not know.

Sighing, I immersed myself in the lake, water splashing all around as I gasped at its cold embrace. It was chilling enough to freeze a person to death, yet I remained submerged, willing the cold to permeate my soul, replacing the warmth I held for my pack with icy resolve.

‘Alpha, where are you?’ Asher's voice penetrated through the mind link. ‘Seraphina asked me to call you.’

I growled, loud enough that I felt his shiver through the link. ‘Can't she reach me herself?’ My voice was strained.

‘You know the answer to that yourself’, he sighed, ‘Alpha she said to inform you that it's an emergency.’

I cut the mind link with a snap, annoyed that my moment had been interrupted. But I knew better than to keep her waiting, knowing who she was and what she was capable of, she wouldn't rest until I came to her.

Sighing, I opened our mind-link and I heard her breathe in and out.

‘Where the hell are you, Clinton?’ She huffed angrily. ‘Why did you close the link to me?’

Gazing at the sky, I admired the brightly shining stars, struggling to contain my emotions in her presence. She, along with my mother and Asher, had the rare privilege to address me in such a manner without consequence. Even Asher knew when to rein it in. Seraphina, my childhood sweetheart, was now my fiancée, and our love continued to deepen.

That was the only reason I could tolerate her behavior. She was well aware of it and used it to her advantage.

‘What do you have to say?’ I was furious, mad at everything surrounding me, and feeling an urge to run around in my wolf form. ‘Asher mentioned you said it was urgent, what is it?’

‘Can't I want to talk to my fiance again without having an emergency?’ Her tone is high pitched and for the first time in twenty years I felt disgust ripple through me.

‘Alright, if there's none I'd better end this’ I ended the mind-link.

I slipped beneath the water's surface, holding my breath longer than I had in a while, before resurfacing and filling my lungs with the right amount of air.

“Let's go for a run,” my wolf, Kai, yelped excitedly. “I want to feel myself again,” he urged.

Dripping with water, I emerged from the lake. The sky was slowly darkening, and I couldn't fathom Kai's sudden urge to run at this time. Nevertheless, I yielded, realizing that, for the time being, I didn't want to encounter anyone until I had sorted through all my thoughts.

I sprinted deeper into the woods, reveling in the peace and serenity of my pack's territory. My wolf was prancing around, radiating joy and contentment, which both delighted and bewildered me.

“What's wrong Kai?” I inquired, but he didn't answer and kept on running. Suddenly I thought the air smelled different. The delicate and romantic scent of roses paired with the sweet and comforting aroma of vanilla wafted into my nose.

Kai took control, and I surrendered, eager to discover the source of his excitement. As he ran faster, the scent drew nearer. Suddenly, he halted, and the world seemed to pause because standing right in front of me was my—

Mate!

…….

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