Filed to story: Owned by the Alphas Novel
21. The Traitor
Derik
I had a son. And he looked like me.
There was no mistaking his genetics for the other two Alphas. He was mine.
Alaric.
A strong name for a strong wolf.
And I had no doubt he would be. He already had it in his eyes. That same strength I had carried.
But I couldn’t enjoy the moment.
I couldn’t forget that we were not safe, that the threats on our lives now extended to his.
It was a hard thought to have and was exactly why I stood on the platform in the dining hall, our pack surrounding us.
Every one of them had joined.
Good.
If they hadn’t showed their faces, I would have taken it as an act of guilt.
On some level, I felt bad. I was doubting them all. But we had a traitor and I couldn’t afford to take risks.
I was usually a firm believer in innocent until proven guilty but I had decided to take Kai’s lead on this one. Everyone was a suspect.
Lorelai had spent the rest of the evening healing. Cain had helped, so had Tabby until she was feeling better.
My mate had bathed with Brax. Kai had fed her. I had spent time with Alaric.
He had slept on my naked chest, his breath brushing across my torso, all his cares in the world revolving around his next meal.
It had been a moment that had directed every thought since then.
I stood on the platform, Kai and Brax next to me, Lorelai with our three children behind us.
Cain and Beenie had stayed at Tabitha’s, refusing to leave yet. They said it wasn’t time but I got the impression that Cain just wasn’t ready to say goodbye yet.
Lorelai was hard enough to convince to do that.
But we had a city to protect and defend. She knew that as well as I did.
“Wolves!” I called.
They stopped their loud chatter, turning to me from their tables.
“The border has been restored and we are happy to announce the birth of the Achlis heir, Alaric Valarian,” I called.
The hall erupted in cheers, whistles, and stamping feet.
I watched the reaction, checking for anything out of place. Who wasn’t clapping? Who wasn’t smiling?
“Thank you. We’re also pleased. We’re going to bring around a celebratory drink that we will cheers with,” I said.
I hated lying to the pack but someone was feeding the rogues information and we had to sniff them out.
So the initiates served the drinks for the celebration. All the while, we knew it was the potion that Tabby had mentioned. The one that helped the wolves sense the rogues.
It would help the wolves but I didn’t want it getting back to them that we could now sense them, that whatever spell work they had on their side was not going to work anymore.
We needed that element of surprise.
The pack raised their goblets and I re-announced the birth.
Everyone drank and I watched sharply for anyone that didn’t.
Kai emptied his cup then cleared his throat, “Now for the business at hand. We have to talk strategy. A rogue infiltrated our city through the tunnels that only wolves and humans knew about,” he boomed and the hall fell quiet.
They all looked at each other in question. They all knew what that meant.
I checked in the pack link for anyone trying to pull away. Anyone trying to hide their thoughts. There was nothing there but that wasn’t surprising.
If the rogues were working with witches, there was no telling what tricks they had up their sleeves.
“We are going into lockdown until we have the traitor caught. The border will prevent anyone coming or going. From now until we catch whoever is betraying us, consider yourselves grounded,” Kai grinned, looking over all of them like he was ready to pick the meat from their bones until they gave him answers.
I had turned down that idea but if we still hadn’t found the traitor in a few days, I might just grow desperate enough.
The vampires were staying with the humans, protecting them while Galen and Pearl stayed with us, looking after Lorelai and Alaric.
He was a little on the small side but he was strong and Galen was sure he would grow fast.
It was a precaution but I was all for those.
“Lockdown? Define,” Taylor asked from the crowd.
Brax took that question, “You can move through the city freely but the mansion is off limits. The tunnels run under it and we need to keep the scent clear so we know when we cross it again.”
Taylor accepted it and kept quiet. I narrowed my eyes on her but her mind was open and clear. She felt no guilt. Only annoyance about not being able to run.
Most of the minds I glanced in on had the same sentiment. Which was an easy remedy.
“Nikolai is going to have training in the morning like usual and have night runs to keep you all busy. You can shift, run as you like through the city. Let me be clear, we are not doing this to control your day to day. We are doing this because with a traitor among us, none of us are safe.”
“What of the young? Should we move them to a protected location?” Anetta asked, standing on the side of the room with her sister. She had her arms folded but was relaxed against the wall.
“It’s better we keep things as regular as normal. Keep your children attending school, same shifts in the hospital and other buildings. The warriors will be running the wall and Luna Lorelai will have the border up. This time it will cover the gate and she will know if any of you try to leave.” I explained.
The wolves looked uncomfortable at that but they should be. We had a traitor. I for one, wasn’t resting until they were found.
“Enjoy your dinner and if you see anything suspicious, sense anything off then notify us in a private link,” I said finally.
On that, the initiates went to bring in food.
That made the wolves happy.
I nodded to Lorelai who smiled, ‘You’re hot when you’re in Alpha mode,’ she teased in the mating link.
I smirked and moved over to her, kissing her then the top of Alaric’s head. Then I moved off the platform, heading to the council table.
They all looked up and I did a quick sweep of their minds.
Sensing no guilt, I spoke up.
“We are going to start interrogations tomorrow. Have the barn cleared out tonight in preparation for it,” I ordered.
The council members looked between each other then over my shoulder at Kai.
He grinned, winking at them with a small wave, intimidating them on purpose.
He let out a booming laugh then sunk to the platform to play with the Twins.
How did people not see his true nature? He was a hulking beast with savagery built into his DNA but he was loyal to a fault and would never hurt anyone who didn’t deserve it.
Most of the pack were built that way.
“I will run the interrogations. If we find the traitor, Kai will take over,” I reassured.
The council seemed more agreeable then and I nodded, dismissing myself.
I could have started tonight, I could’ve started calling them through one by one. But I wasn’t going to. Not when I had a son to get to know and a mate who had made me a prouder wolf than I had ever been.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?