The Alpha's Mate

26

Max's POV:

Seeing your mate hurt does something to you. What makes it worse is when you don't know why or even who is behind it. After Cedric died I didn't think there would be anymore danger than just common rogues.

"Max? Are you okay?" Belle asks as I turn to her confused.

"I'm fine?" I say but comes out as a question. Maybe I had spaced off while she was saying something and she thought something was wrong. Nothing is except I still don't know who was behind the accident.

"You're just being silent. Very unlike you." She says laughing as I chuckle and shake my head. 

"I'm just lost in my thoughts I guess." I say quietly as she looks at me even more confused. Shaking my head slightly, I give her a reassuring smile hoping she would drop the subject. She doesn't.

"Come on Max. You can tell me anything." She says softly as her hands reach up to wrap around my face. I sigh in bliss at the tingles her touch brings me before it slowly turns into a groan of giving up. 

"It's really nothing. I'm just still trying to figure out who caused the wreck. Who hurt you." I whisper to her as she sends me a smile before descending her lips onto mine in a sweet kiss. 

"I'm sure it there wasn't any malicious intent behind it Max. It was probably a freak accident." I rolled my eyes at her words. Even I knew she was lying to try to make me feel better. It was no accident, it was intentional I'm sure of it. 

"You're too good for this world Belle." I tell her as gaze upon her innocence. She was still fresh to our world, still so willing to see the good in ever person she meets. It's one of the things I love about her but sometimes that quality causing trouble. 

Alpha. We found them. 

Jay's words in my head has my sitting upright and alert. 

Where?

They were hiding out at the outskirts of the territory but we caught them before they crossed the border. 

Good. Bring them in and I don't want a single person saying a word until I have a talk with first.

"What is it?" Belle asks breaking my concentration as I vaguely hear a chorus of 'yes alpha's' in return. 

"Jay said they found those responsible for the crash." I say giving her a pointed look as I stand ready to head down for some interrogating. 

 "Well, where are you going?" She asks as she tries to follow me. Unknowingly I heave a sigh before turning to face her and giving her a kiss before gently nudging her in the direction to Maddie's room. 

"Don't worry about it Belle. I have Alpha things to do so just hang with Mads until I get back okay?" I ask as she glares at me for a second before nodding and begin to head to the direction of her room. 

"I love you Belle." I call out to her as I see her subtly shake her head before mumbling back an 'I love you' followed by some insults causing me to laugh. 

I head down to the basement to meet Jay to interrogate the rogues. I feel my wolf become angrier and angrier as we get closer to the door. 

"Alpha." One of the guards say as he bows his head slightly in show of respect as I just grunt and open the door to see two rogues sitting across from Jay who just stands there glaring at them with his arms crossed. 

I stand next to my beta and cross my arms giving an angry glare as the two rogues squirm in their seats at two powerful wolfs staring them down. A bead of sweat begins rolling down one of their face as we do nothing but glare until one of them speaks up. 

"Why are we here?" One of the rogues ask as he tries to come off as fearless but by his body language I can tell. This pup is scared shitless. I say nothing for a few more minutes and neither does Jay as they start fidgeting some more. 

"Why?" I ask with a growl as I don't elaborate as to what I'm talking. It seems I didn't need to as the two start to become even more nervous than before. They don't say anything for a bit before the other one finally talks.

"We were told to! We wasn't suppose to kill you or her only injure!" The younger blurts out as the one who spoke before rolls his eyes before staring at me causing me to growl. I knew it wasn't an accident. 

"Who? Who told you?" Jay asks as I try to hold myself back from ripping these two from shreds. 

They glance at each other for a minute before returning their stare to me as their next words send a mixture of feelings through me that I'm sure Belle could feel. 

"Cedric." They say as Jay goes into a stunned silence as I growl before gripping the useless rogue by his shirt and lifting him from his seat. 

"Impossible. He's dead." I growl out as he trembles in my grip before shaking his head frantically. "He's dead. I ripped him apart just like I'm about to do to you both if you don't start telling me the truth." I say as I toss the rogue back into his seat as Jay places a calming hand onto my shoulder. 

"It wasn't him." The older one says as he leans back shrugging as he doesn't seem to care that his friend was almost dead. 

"What are you talking about?" Jay asks knowing I won't be able to get words out from all the growling that escapes me. 

"Cedric planned this. Everything from the start. Dating your mate, abusing her, then coming back after she found you and stalking her, all the way up until you 'killed' him." He explains.

"How is he alive then? Our Alpha ripped him piece to piece killing him. If wasn't Cedric then why did it look like him and who did he kill?" Jay asks as the rogues grow silent before I growl louder causing them to jump in their seat before giving an answer. 

"It was his brother! Cedric knew you was planning on killing him so he sent his brother who happened to look like exactly like him except for a few small features you wouldn't notice at a distance. He's still alive and he's coming for her." He rushes out as I say nothing before growling once more and turning away to walk back out. 

"Kill them." I say to Jay as I leave heading back upstairs to face my mate. Telling her the news is going to be hard but I can't keep this from her, she has to know he's back.