Alpha Thaddeus's POV
I lean over my desk and stare hard at the papers needing to be signed off and sent away. Normally, I wouldn't be doing this right now but I was behind paperwork because of my search for Annabel. I sigh and run my hand through my hair.
Jay was to be here in a few minutes. I summoned him to my office along with Ken. Sitting down, I go through the papers and begin signing them off. Jay, and sometimes even Ken would be doing these right now.
As I press the pen to the paper, an image of Annabel attacks me. Dropping the pen, I turn away from the door to my office and stare out the window behind me. I didn't want to admit it but I really needed her here.
The door opens and Ken and Jay walk in. "Alpha," they say in greetings. I don't say anything back.
Turning around, I face them getting right into business. "I'm sending four squads north, south, west, and east to look for her."
"I want you and Ken to organize four fighters and a tracker in each squad. Afterwards, see me for further instructions," I say turning around.
"That's twenty men," Ken points out.
I growl in annoyance. "What about border patrol and the individuals that take the kids to and from school?"
Turning back to face them, I slam my fist again. This time, a creak and a snap erupts and I watch as the pen I was holding before, falls to the ground.
"Border patrol will be the same as always except with one less person from each station. The guards taking the kids to and from school will be the same as well. Jay," he turns to me. "Find some of your most hardworking students and take a few. The rest, well we have plenty of fighters so take them."
Jay and Ken nod their uncertainty erased from their faces. They turn to leave but I remember something.
"Jay, get your Mate in check. I don't want to hear about rogues coming in and out the pack as they please or there will be consequences."
I watch as Jay's back tenses up. "That won't happen again," he says through gritted teeth. He leaves along with Ken quietly and without any further questions.
Beta Jay's POV
I turn to Ken as we walk away from the Alphas home. "I need to make sure my Mate doesn't try anything right now," I tell him. "Can I leave you to handle the organizing of the squad's? I'll be back in less than twenty minutes and I'll do the rest."
Ken nods. "The pack is unsettled right now," he states. I agree with him.
"We need to get people that won't ask questions," I point out. Ken nods and I leave him with that job.
I hurry back to my house and find the twins eating breakfast on the couch. Once they see me, they jump off the couch and look guilty for some odd reason. "What's wrong guys?"
"We didn't mean to sit on the couch and eat at the same time," says Kerin.
"We just wanted to watch TV," adds Kasin a bit scared.
"Guys it's fine," I reassure them observing the fear and the uncertain on both their identical faces. "You're allowed to do that. Now where's your sister?"
"She's upstairs changing," answers Kerin, as they both stay standing. They're both still watching me unsure like.
"Guys, it's fine to eat on the couch," I say slowly. Kerin is the first to sit back down making Kasin follow him. This is completely different compared to them yesterday.
I head upstairs and enter the room without knocking. Natalia jumps as I enter the room. "I could have been changing," she snapped.
"Enough of this Natalia," I tell her making her stiffen. "My Alpha knows about your little stunt last night and he's on edge. I don't need him getting angry and doing something to you or your brothers. So tell me everything I should know about you right now."
She looks away from my gaze. Sighing she heads to the window and gazes outside. I should probably bolt that window shut so she doesn't try to leave again.
"It was going to happen eventually. I'm going to tell you some things and I need you to not interrupt until I'm finished," she says without turning her head to face me. She takes my silence as her opportunity to continue. "My name's Natalia Gunzelà. I'm eighteen and I have no idea where I was born. I don't know who my parents are, but all I know is they left after my mom gave birth to the twins and we've had each other ever since. I've never stepped foot into a pack until now and I never thought I'd find my Mate now."
"Why do you dislike me so much?" I ask straight forward. I store up all the information in my brain and analyze her words.
"I don't," she replies softly. "It's just that-" she stops talking.
"Go on," I urge.
She shakes her head and turns to me. "If your Alpha wants to kick me out go ahead. But my brother's have to stay here."
"Natalia, just tell me this," I say walking closer to her. "Who are you running to?"
She stiffens and I see that I caught her off guard. "What I've noticed is that you're so focused on leaving this pack that you even left your brothers here."
I walk closer to her and stand above her inhaling her scent. Her body heat is so close to me it nearly affects my thinking.
"Who is out there that you want to see so desperately?" I ask. The next few words I have to force out. "Are you seeing someone else?"
I don't like that thought at all but it was possible she was. She's very appealing to the eye and even though her personality did not resemble her looks (so far) I find her beautiful.
She looks away at my question. Her heart beats quickly and I control my Wolf who feels absolutely furious that there's another person out there.
"If you don't give me what I'm looking for, I'll have to ask your brothers," I watch as she turns to me nearly begging me not to.
"Don't go to them," she orders me. I nearly grin even though this wasn't the time to be doing so. Somehow listening to my Mate order me around was enticing. I liked it. I could see her inner authority coming out and that was perfect for a Beta's Mate. "I'll tell you everything but you need to promise me you won't go to anyone else about this."
I nod my head understanding what she meant. She didn't want me asking her brothers further questions or even Alpha Thaddeus. It wasn't like I was actually going to go to the boys anyways. It was just a little fib.
"My brothers and I have been rogues our entire lives. Along the way, we met different rogues and we lived with four other rogues for short periods. When I was eighteen and the twins were just ten, we met a group that took us in. The guy in charge-" she takes a deep breath in and I have a feeling I know where this is heading. "The guy in charge of the rogue group grew an interest in me and vice versa."
I stand tense with my Wolf wanting out. He wanted to fight someone. Natalia pauses as if waiting for me to shout but I don't. She simply continues on talking.
"I thought he was my Mate. He made me believe that. I never had a female role model to talk to about Mates and such and whenever we wandered from rogue group to rogue group, there were always a lot of guys. This guy though-"
"What's his name?" I ask. "Is he the one that you want to find so bad?"
"Let me finish please," she begs. "Me and the guy grew feelings for each other and then I noticed some changes after a while of being together. I was a bit distant from my younger brothers whom I was in charge of taking care of. The rogue leader was a bit more aggressive and demanding. He wanted things his way and if he didn't get it, he would fight for it. He was getting the other rogues to do things that could get them killed such as stealing and trying to get into different packs. I took my brothers and tried to leave but he wouldn't let us. He grew too attached to me. However, when he was asleep, I snuck away from him with my brothers. It was just too dangerous to be around him anymore. Anyways, we've been on the run from him and his rogues for three years now and the day your guards found us, was the first time I ever saw him again.
The twins and I were eating when they ambushed us and we ran. We ran and your guards found us. We didn't know we had gone so far deep into a packs territory especially the Dark Moons pack. The others didn't follow us in but he knows I'm here."
"Why are you trying to go out to him though?" I ask after a moments silence.
She turns to me, eyes blank of emotion. "I was going out to kill him."
It's quiet. I don't know if I should somewhat be proud of the fact that she wasn't going out to go choose him over me, in fact she was going out to kill him. "And how were you going to do that?"
"Persuasion and the element of surprise," she replies with a sad smile.
"Do you really think that might work?"
She smirks. "It worked for your partner."
Touchè.
"Natalia," I begin acknowledging something. "If you were going out to see him, does it mean he's still nearby?"
This is important. If a group of rogues are nearby, that's something we have to fix quickly. We can't have rogues near the pack at all. Natalia nods her head but quickly grabs the front of my shirt startling me. "Don't you dare mind link your Alpha about this," she says seriously. "This is my business and you promised not to tell. I'm going out and I'm going to kill him myself."
"What's his name?" I ask aware that she still has her hand on my shirt. That didn't bother me at all. This was probably the only time I'd ever be this close to my Mate.
She hesitates removing her hands. "Liam."
"Sounds like a douche name," I point out. She lets out a short laugh but I'm mesmerized. We grow quiet for a bit. Natalia goes back to playing with her fingers whereas I watch her do so.
"Thank you," I say.She only nods and takes a few steps back turning away from me and facing the window again. "How old is Liam?"
"He should be turning twenty nine soon," she says with her hands turning into fists.
I do the math mentally and I'm stunned as I glance at my Mate. While Natalia was eighteen, this Liam guy was about my age. They had an eight year age gap.
"Jay," she says snapping me out of my train of thought. I vaguely realize this is the first time I've heard her say my name. I like it. "How do I know you're actually my Mate?"
Her words cause an angry stir in me. "Of course you're mine Natalia," I say taking a hold of her wrist. Shocks travel all over the nerves in my hands and from the look on her face, I know it's happening to her as well. "This proves it. The tingles and wierd feelings you get around me. Your Wolf, she should be urging you to do a whole lot of things you probably don't want to do to me right now."
By the way her face turns pink, I know it's true.
"And," I say taking a hold of her petite waist. I place my forehead on hers, listening to her increasing heartbeat by the second. My eyes flicker down to her lips for a moment and I lean forward, barely brushing my lips against hers. "You probably wanted to kiss me right then."
Her closed eyes open (I have a feeling she did not know she closed them in the first place) and she takes a step back startled. Great, I scared her.
"I'm going to go check up on the twins," she informs me brushing on past.
"Hey," I say taking a hold of her wrist. She flinches and I'm left thinking of what Liam could have possibly done to her. "I'm going to help you find Liam and kill him."
She shakes her head. "I want to do this on my own," she says. "I just need you to make sure my brothers stay safe. You're the only one I trust around them and apparently you're also the only one they trust as well. Kerin couldn't stop talking about you last night."
I grin at the thought. He seemed like such a quiet kid. "He kept going on and on about how you seemed like a cool nice guy."
She leaves the room and I'm left grinning ear to ear. That was the longest conversation I've had with my Mate and I feel damn proud. I head downstairs and leave the siblings to spend some time together.
I mind link Nancy and tell her exactly what to make for later on.
-
"We'll look around for any signs of people near the territory," I tell my team. Earlier on, Ken and myself made groups to go out and search for Annabel. That left me with ten men from my team gone for a while. Now I was speaking to them about the rogues near the pack targeting Natalia. I wanted to know exactly who this Liam was. I haven't told anyone about him yet but it won't be too long until I do. I can't keep this from Alpha Thaddeus even if I tried. Just as we split up, someone mind links me.
Beta Jay? This is Nancy. Someone is calling asking for you over the phone. Right now, Natalia is speaking to them.
Nancy, tell them I'll call them back later. I'm busy right now.
Beta Jay, I think it's the Luna.
I tense up making Joe turn to me curiously. Annabel. "I need to go," I tell him. "I trust you will handle this." Joe nods sensing the urgency through my words.
I rush to my house trying to figure out what Annabel might want to tell me. I remember giving her my house number a while back. I didn't think she'd remember it off by heart. When I spot the kitchen lights from where I was, I run even faster. Slamming the door open, I rush in and find Natalia with the phone to her ear and Kasin and Kerin off to the side watching. I hear Shauna rummaging throughout the kitchen.
"Natalia," I speak up.
"Some girl is calling for you," she says holding out the phone. I hear the annoyance in her voice. Thanking her otherwise, I take it and press the phone to my ear.
"Hello?"
"Jay."
"Annabel," I say relieved. "Are you okay?"
She explains to me that she's fine and been doing good these past few weeks. Her voice takes a different tone and I pay attention to every word she says. By the time she's done, I'm amazed at everything she's gone through. She also explains the plan she thought off. At first thought, it doesn't sound like the safest idea but there really is no other way out of this. Also, I tell her everything that's been happening involving Thaddeus including his ever growing anger.
"Do you think it'll work?" I ask. "I mean do you trust this Wi-" I forget that I still have an audience around me and change my words. I briefly glance at Natalia who's watching me curiously. "Eunice?"
"She's shown no reason as to why I shouldn't." She seems sure of herself so I trust her.
"Alright," I say, thinking over my role in this plan. "You're sure this will work?"
She tells me she has her doubts but it was the only plan so far. I sympathize with her when she says she needs to see him. I can't really imagine how she's doing but it's definitely better than how her Mates doing here.
"Who's Natalia?" I'm thrown off momentarily by the question and glance at Natalia. She's speaking to her brothers in hush voices. Feeling my gaze on her, she looks up with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh, uh, she's my Mate," I reply hearing Annabel gasp on the other side. Natalia turns her full attention on me now as she is the main topic until her eyes flash behind me.
I turn around just as my Alpha's scent and growl attracts my attention. Stepping forward, he reaches for the phone and rips it out of my grasp. I step back and watch as he turns away from all of us.
"Annabel?"
I'm not sure what happens next but my best guess is that she hung up on him. Alpha Thaddeus crush's the phone in his grasp and throws it at the wall with a curse. I turn to Natalia who is watching my Alpha along with her brothers who all look frightened. I nod to the stairs and she bites down on her lips, taking her brothers upstairs.
"What did she want?" He demands stepping to me. "What did she say?"
Shrugging, I blow out through my lips. "She wants us to come get her."
He looks frustrated as he runs his fingers though his hair. "Why didn't she call me? What we're you two saying before I got here?"
I lower my head as he advances clearly looking for some sort of violent fight to break out. I couldn't blame him. Most of this anger was coming from his Wolf and the fact that he was a vigilant Alpha made the situation even more difficult. "I didn't say anything you're probably thinking off," I force out lifting up my head to speak directly to him. "She told me where she is and she wants you to go get her."
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