Raquelle stared at the body on the floor.
For several seconds, she couldn’t move.
Her golden eyes widened as she looked down at Pete’s lifeless face.
Pete.
The exact guard who had come to her days ago with the one suspicion that could have exposed the traitor.
Now he was dead.
Her chest tightened.
“What…” Her voice barely made it past her throat.
She looked up at Delta Adams.
“Where did you find him?” Adams remained entirely composed.
“Near the northern border, Alpha.” Raquelle looked back at the corpse.
“The northern border?” “Yes.” “Was anyone else out there with you?” “No, Alpha.
I was completely alone.” Raquelle stared at him.
Something about his answer felt wrong.
It sent an icy chill straight down her spine.
We have multiple guards and tracking warriors stationed across every inch of the perimeter because of the missing children.
How did Adams manage to find Pete completely alone near the border?
She didn’t voice her suspicion.
Not yet.
Slowly, she nodded.
“Take him to the cemetery.” Adams bowed his head.
“Yes, Alpha.” He bent down, carefully lifted Pete’s body, and carried him out of the office.
The heavy oak door closed behind him.
Raquelle remained dead still, her eyes locked on the wood.
Pete was dead.
One of her own guards had been executed on her land.
And she knew it was connected to the chaos tearing her pack apart.
She immediately reached out through the mind-link.
*Dominic.
Jake.* A few seconds later, Dominic answered.
*Yes, Alpha?* *Come to my office.
Both of you.
Right now.* *On our way.* It didn’t take long.
The door swung open and Dominic entered, with Jake walking right behind him.
Both men instantly picked up on the suffocating tension radiating from Raquelle.
“What happened?” Jake asked, his posture shifting.
Raquelle gestured toward the leather chairs.
“Sit.” They sat.
Raquelle took a slow, heavy breath.
“Pete is dead.” Both men froze.
Dominic’s face completely fell.
“What?” “Delta Adams just brought his body in.
He claims he found him near the northern border.” Jake lowered his head, his fists clenching tightly.
“Pete…” He had known the guard for years.
They had patrolled together, trained together, and shared countless pack gatherings.
“He was a good man,” Jake said quietly.
Dominic nodded slowly.
“He was.” The room fell into a heavy, suffocating silence.
The casual air between them vanished, replaced by the crushing weight of a murder inside their home.
Raquelle looked between them.
“Before he died, Pete came to me.
He told me about a girl.
Specifically, Delta Adams’ daughter, Chloe.
She left the territory days ago.” Dominic frowned.
“Why?” “She claimed her younger brother was among the kidnapped children.
She used it as an excuse to clear the perimeter.” Raquelle leaned forward, her eyes flashing dangerously.
“But Pete grew suspicious.
He checked the member records with you, Jake.” Dominic listened intently.
“Chloe is an only child,” Raquelle continued.
“Her records show she has no brother.
When she returned, Pete tested her.
He asked about her cousin.
She flatly denied having one and insisted she said brother.” Dominic slowly leaned back in his chair.
“That’s a blatant leak.” “Very.” Raquelle’s eyes narrowed.
“And I don’t trust Adams’ story.” Both men snapped their attention back to her.
“He told me he found Pete completely alone,” Raquelle said, shaking her head.
“Which makes absolutely no sense.
With the security lockdown, no warrior should be isolated on the border.
There is something major going on here.” Jake’s eyes narrowed.
“You’re right.
Adams is hiding something.” Dominic remained silent for a few seconds before speaking.
“Do you think his daughter is feeding information to our enemy?” “We don’t know,” Raquelle whispered, looking toward the door.
“Our only witness is dead.” Jake leaned back, his jaw tight.
“Then who killed him?” Nobody answered.
The three of them sat in the quiet, minds racing.
Finally, Raquelle broke the silence.
“We don’t know yet.
But we are going to keep watching them.
Don’t let Adams know we suspect a thing.” Her gaze shifted sharply toward Jake.
“But first…
I asked you to investigate Evergreen.
What did you find?” Jake let out a heavy sigh.
“That pack is out of their minds.” Raquelle raised an eyebrow.
“How so?” “Their Alpha doesn’t have a fated mate.
But there are heavy rumors that he has a secret mistress from another pack who comes to visit him.” Raquelle’s expression remained neutral.
“Anything else?” Jake’s face became incredibly serious.
“I found information on the rogue we captured.
The one from the dungeon.” He paused, watching her face carefully.
Raquelle gave him absolutely nothing.
Jake swallowed hard.
“He isn’t a random criminal, Raquelle.
He’s actually the twin brother of the Alpha of Evergreen.” Raquelle froze.
Dominic’s eyes widened in absolute shock.
For several seconds, the room was dead silent.
“No…” Raquelle whispered, her voice cracking.
“This can’t be.” Her gaze dropped to her desk before snapping back to Jake.
“Then why…
why didn’t he fight back?” Dominic and Jake exchanged a dark, heavy glance.
“If he was the brother of an Alpha,” Raquelle continued, her confusion turning into frustration, “he had the strength to fight our guards and escape!” “He did fight when they caught him, Alpha,” Jake answered softly.
“He maimed three of our best warriors in that warehouse.
He was incredibly strong.” Raquelle’s face went completely blank.
“Then why did he just stand there in my dungeon?
Why didn’t he fight me?” Dominic leaned forward, looking directly into her eyes with a hard, bitter expression.
“Maybe he didn’t fight back because he recognized you.
Maybe he trusted his fated mate not to execute him.” SMACK!
Raquelle’s palm struck Dominic across the face.
The force of the slap snapped his head sideways.
A thin line of blood immediately appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Raquelle stood up, her Alpha aura exploding into the room, crushing the air.
“I have told you never to speak of that again!” Dominic slowly turned his head back, wiping the blood with the back of his hand, his eyes burning with fury.
“Look at our pack, Alpha!
Look at what your choices are doing to us!” Raquelle’s eyes hardened into ice.
“Dominic, keep quiet.” “No!” Dominic shot out of his chair, his voice rising and echoing off the walls.
“A vengeful Alpha is waging a war against us because you executed his twin brother!
Those twenty children were kidnapped because of your pride!” “Don’t you dare,” Raquelle growled.
“Pete died because of you!” Dominic pointed aggressively toward the door.
“And you’re sitting here acting like you don’t know who is behind it?
Do you need to use a microscope to see that Evergreen is destroying us?!” Raquelle fell dead silent, her breathing shallow.
“All of this started because you killed your own mate,” Dominic sneered, his voice dripping with bitter resentment.
“Your fated mate.” Jake immediately stepped between them, his expression firm.
“Dominic, shut the hell up.
Stop.” But Dominic barely looked at him.
“You don’t know how she’s feeling,” Jake said firmly, his voice shielding Raquelle.
Dominic scoffed, crossing his arms.
“Oh, please.
Raquelle is ruthless.
She doesn’t give a damn about anyone.
What do you even know about what she’s feeling, Gamma?” Jake’s expression completely changed.
The heat of the argument drained from his face.
Something much colder, darker, and hollow replaced it.
“I know exactly how she feels,” Jake whispered, his voice vibrating with an unspoken agony.
The room went completely still.
Jake looked directly at Dominic, his jaw tight.
“Because I lost my own mate, too.” ******* Did you guys see that toooo??????!!!!
Jake lost his own mate?????