Chapter 3

He returned to the pack mansion with anger. His cheeks were flushed with rage. Nobody questioned anything as they obediently followed their Alpha. The Enforcers returned to their duties, but the Alpha continued to rage.

He not only lost two rogues, but he also discovered that his mate was the legendary rogue. It only added to his wrath. Mira Red had to be the most powerful woman on the planet. Cohen had attended plenty of meetings relating to her. The Werewolf's Council used every resource to apprehend the redheaded huntress. He recalled a mission where he almost ran into her.

Almost.

She vanished into thin air instantly, leaving no record of her whereabouts after committing a crime. There weren't any loose ends either. They could only link the crime scenes to her because she left behind a slight trace. Cohen knew she wasn't the type of huntress who would leave a trail of evidence linking her to every crime. But she wasn't the type to pass up the thrill of having every pack on the lookout for her. Mira seemed to enjoy every moment of it. She desired the spotlight.

He was perplexed as to why she craved attention. Every action she took seemed to be concealing a deeper motive.

They were now destined to be together.

It was strange how fate had twisted his life in this direction.

A rogue hunter destined to be with a rogue.

In the werewolf community, finding a true partner was no laughing matter. Every supernatural species was meant to have its true mate. They would cherish the sacred mating bond until their last breath, regardless of who would become their mates. It was also somewhat normal for someone to reject their partner. Usually, a pack member would have to go to court to explain why they turned down their partner. For humans, it was similar to going through a divorce.

Cohen grumbled into his office and banged the wooden door against the wall. It had dislodged itself from its hinges. Liam, his Beta, dove to the ground to save the door.

"Oh crap," he exclaimed as he landed with a thump on the floor.

He was the one who saved the door.

Again.

As he rose from the floor, Liam rolled his eyes. Before walking to a cupboard and pulling out a toolbox, he rested the door against the wall.

The Beta always came prepared in a pack led by a turbulent Alpha like Cohen. In the pack mansion, he had dozens of toolboxes stashed. Liam kept one in the Alpha's office to repair whatever the latter had broken unless it was beyond repair. This door has been knocked on more than a dozen times. The pack's engineer added a few metal plates in the center of the door to withstand heavy force.

On the other hand, the hinges could never resist a frenzied Alpha's slam. Liam could have gotten more durable hinges. It was preferable to utilize standard hinges in case someone became stuck within. It would be easier for the rescuers to break down the door this way.

"You've got to learn to appreciate the door," Liam remarked loudly enough to elicit growls from the Alpha. As if the Alpha's growls weren't a big deal, Liam waved them away. "Dude, the door protects you from prying eyes. We'll uninstall the door if you don't respect it."

Liam was the only one in the pack who ventured to call Cohen by various nicknames. Because Alpha's family nurtured him, he had this advantage. Liam was only three months his junior. The Beta was a victim of school bullies when he was a tiny child. Cohen stood up to the bullies and made sure Liam was never abused again. Because he defended Liam, the Alpha got himself into many difficulties. Because they skipped classes to attend the detention, the two of them always had a good time.

When Cohen's father, Eric, caught them in detention, he would punish them. He forced them to train till they felt their limbs dislocated. Those punishments, however, were well worth every second and drop of sweat they had shed. Since then, they had become stronger and more capable of defending themselves.

They were like brothers, and only Liam in the pack had the luxury of calling Cohen various names and getting away with it.

Liam had a feeling he'd be the Beta because his father had been the previous Alpha's Beta. A title like this was typically passed down from father to son unless the successor could not carry out his duties for some reason. The father passed down the title to the next person in line.

"I get it," the Beta remarked as he pounded new hinges into place to fasten the door to its frame. "You're upset over something that happened previously."

"Upset?" Cohen hissed angrily.

He was enraged, like a volcano on the verge of erupting. In the back of his mind, his wolf was howling. He'd spent his entire life as an Alpha on the lookout for rogues. His fated mate was now one of the most wanted criminals, not to mention the fact that she rescued rogues from his clutches.

"What's the big deal?" Liam rubbed his temples as if Alpha's rage had given him a headache. "You were both destined by the Moon Goddess for a reason. You've been waiting for this moment for a long time."

"Can you tell me which moment?" Alpha's gaze was concentrated in his direction. "This moment or the moment I realized she's my mate?"

"The latter," Liam replied as swiftly as he could. "Look, maybe there's a reason why she's the way she is right now. We're only familiar with her because of the press and those reports."

Whether he liked it or not, his Beta was correct. Mira's backstory was unknown to everyone, especially why she rebelled against the Council of Werewolves. Cohen realized the Werewolf's Council wanted her arrested. Mira's revenge against them, though, was far more. There seemed to be a personal element to everything.

Cohen rubbed his temples and rubbed his jaw. "How did she get inside my territory without being noticed by the Enforcers?"

"She snuck in while the patrol team was changing rotation."

"How? Every patrol team is stationed in every nook and cranny."

"They called it a blind spot," Liam said absently as he brushed dirt from his nails. "Cohen, Mira isn't your typical rogue. We're both aware of this. Her work has been analyzed many times over. We believed we'd found out how she went into and out of territories, but..." he paused. "I'm not sure we've worked it all out yet."

Cohen sighed and remained silent. Liam was absolutely correct. They couldn't figure out how she managed to move into and out of territories no matter how hard they tried. Mira was never your typical rogue. A typical rogue was too careless and was frequently apprehended when they went out to do something. Mira, on the other hand, was not a typical rogue.

She had demonstrated that tonight. She considered everything carefully. When she sized up Cohen's Enforcers, her gaze flittered. Taking a dangerous escape had never been a skill of the common rogue.

"Bring Dalton here first thing in the morning. I need to know everything there is to know about her," Cohen gave instructions.

Dalton Forest was one of the Werewolf's Council's high-ranking commanders. They tasked him with assisting Cohen and his pack, just like any other pack in the area. He also commanded the 1st battalion, one of the Council's most powerful Enforcers. Aside from that, he was a close friend of the Alpha.

Before he took his leave, Liam replied, "Got it, Alpha."

Cohen sat there calmly contemplating. He should have a mate and an heir at thirty-four years old, bolstering his position as the pack's Alpha. Without an heir, an Alpha would appoint the Beta as his successor. The Beta would no longer be appointed as the successor if the Alpha had an heir.

Liam had been appointed as the Alpha's successor three years after Cohen was sworn in as Alpha. It would be preferable if they appointed their replacement sooner rather than later. It would avoid an unwelcome internal feud, as anyone might vie for the Alpha's position if he did not name a successor before his death.

Cohen's entire pack counted on him to find a Luna who could rule alongside him. Most werewolves met their mate while they were in their early or mid-twenties. Some people find their mate as early as the age of eighteen. Cohen was not as fortunate as the others. He was well-known among the ladies, yet he paid them little attention. They were solely required for physical connection.

He had a sufficient number of females on his list but never had a real girlfriend. Cohen didn't have enough time for personal commitment as a workaholic. Whenever they had a family dinner, his parents would bring up the subject of a mate. He was determined to stay away from that subject at all costs. Cohen refused to mate with any woman simply because his pack needed a Luna. He wasn't in that much of a hurry. He'd rather wait a lifetime for his fated mate than crown a woman who wasn't his mate as the pack's Luna.

Cohen was jolted out of his reverie by a quiet knock on the door.

Cohen said, "Come in."

Eric, his father, was there as the door flung open. "How was it going, son?"

Cohen sighed as he sat back in his chair. "We've lost both rogues. Mira Red is on our territory."

"That face seemed to be hiding something."

Cohen's frown was the focus of Eric's attention.

The Alpha was deafeningly quiet as he couldn't inform his father about his discovery. It was not the appropriate time. What would his father think of her? The future Luna of the pack was the most wanted criminal in history. Everyone would wonder why Cohen would refuse to hand her up to the authorities for trial.

Cohen lied and said, "Nothing. I was simply exhausted."

Eric didn't seem convinced by his response, but the former Alpha simply nodded and moved on. They spoke about what was going on in the pack for a while. Although Eric was no longer an Alpha, he kept himself informed about what was going on in the pack. He only helped with the administration when the pack needed it. He never stepped in when the pack did not require his assistance.

"And, son..." Eric came to a halt outside the door. "As Alphas, we're always skilled at hiding our feelings from others. However, feelings aren't always best kept buried. I've had to learn the hard way."

Eric then walked out of the office. Cohen pondered his father's advice for a few moments. Nothing went by without his father being aware of it. Cohen received the impression that his father was aware of his altercation with his mate.

After an hour, Liam reappeared. He only peered inside, the rest of his body remaining outside. "Hey, man, are you going to be upset all night?"

Cohen locked his gaze on him. "What are you looking for, Liam?"

"In a few minutes, Brandon and I will be in the club, which is the ideal spot to get information."

"And what are you proposing?"

"Let's get some beers at Grover's. It's a good way to unwind."

Grover's Club was one of the most renowned clubs in Cohen's territory. The premises of a human were off-limits. The Werewolf's Council forbade Enforcers from conducting business on human property. They couldn't interrogate humans either unless the Enforcer agreed to a punishment. Their identity had to be kept disguised if they were to pay a visit. Some humans were still unaware of the otherworldly species.

Cohen groaned defeatedly, "All fine."

He needed a distraction this time. He had plenty of liquor at his workplace bar, but it didn't seem like a good idea to drink alone. Cohen was not looking forward to going to a human's place of business. He'd much rather stay away from them altogether. He was making an exception this time.

He wanted something to keep him occupied tonight.

A delightful diversion that might take his mind off his future mate.

"Atta boy." Liam sprinted out of the office, fist-pumping in the air. "He's on his way," he exclaimed to Brandon.