ZALE'S POV;
The moment I stepped out of the dining room, the mask I wore—the calm, controlled façade—began to crack. Every inch of me was bristling with barely contained rage, a storm brewing just beneath the surface. Wilder's report wasn't just an inconvenience; it was a threat to everything I'd worked to protect. The traitor was getting bolder, and I knew his endgame was far from over. He wouldn't stop until he tore down everything I'd built, everything I held dear—including her.
Wilder kept pace at my side, his expression tense and alert, but he didn't speak. He knew better than to poke the beast when it was already on the edge. My thoughts kept drifting back to the girl I'd left in that room—Amora. My mate. The very reason I couldn't afford to let my guard down, not even for a second.
I could still see her eyes, wide with confusion and fear, questioning everything about this place, about me. The frustration I felt toward her wasn't because of her stubbornness or her defiance. It was because every moment I spent trying to keep her safe was also a moment where I was failing to keep my own emotions in check. I'd never been vulnerable before, never let anyone get close enough to affect me. And now, she was unraveling me piece by piece without even realizing it.
We reached my office, and Wilder closed the door behind us, shutting out the outside world. The air in the room felt heavy, saturated with the scent of pine and leather. My wolf, Lace, stirred within me, restless and angry, demanding action. He didn't like feeling caged, didn't like that we were wasting time when our mate was still vulnerable.
"What did the message say?" I asked, my voice colder than ice, as I turned to face Wilder.
He didn't flinch, meeting my gaze with his usual stoic calm. "The traitor left a clear warning. He knows we've been protecting the and has found your mate. Interestingly she is human.He said, 'You can't hide her forever, Alpha. Sooner or later, I'll get what I came for.'"
A low growl ripped from my chest, my vision momentarily tinged with red. How dare he? How dare that piece of filth threaten what was mine? My fists clenched at my sides, my knuckles white with the effort it took to keep from tearing apart the furniture in the room.
"Lace wants his head," Wilder continued, his voice steady despite the tension that crackled between us. "And frankly, so do I. But we need a strategy, Zale. We can't afford to act on impulse."
I forced myself to take a breath, the air burning in my lungs. Wilder was right. Losing control now would only play into the traitor's hands. He wanted me to react, to make a mistake that would leave Amora vulnerable. And I couldn't let that happen. Not when she was finally starting to fit into this world I'd built for her.
"Double the patrols on the southern border," I ordered, my voice sharper than a blade. "I want every inch of this territory watched, every corner scouted. And make sure the pack knows—any sign of the traitor, they don't hesitate. They bring me his head, no questions asked."
Wilder nodded, his eyes flickering with a flash of agreement. "And the Luna ?" he asked cautiously. "What do you want us to do about her?"
I paused, my gaze drifting toward the window, where the sun was just beginning to break through the clouds. My mind was filled with images of Amora—her confusion, her defiance, the way her eyes sparked with a fire she didn't yet understand. I'd tried to keep her at a distance, to shield her from this brutal reality, but the more I pushed her away, the closer she seemed to get. It was like fighting a losing battle with myself, with the part of me that was bound to her in ways I couldn't explain.
"She stays close," I said finally, my voice softer now, almost hesitant. "I don't want her wandering the grounds alone. Make sure someone is always nearby. If the traitor thinks he can get to her, he'll be sorely mistaken."
Wilder raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He knew me well enough to recognize the shift in my tone. There was more than just duty in my words—there was something deeper, something that Lace had been trying to tell me since the moment we first laid eyes on her.
"Understood, Alpha," he replied simply, though I could see the questions lingering in his eyes. Wilder was my closest ally, my Beta, and he'd stood by my side through countless battles. But even he didn't fully grasp what Amora meant to me, what she represented in this war I was waging against my own instincts.
As he left the room to carry out my orders, I sank into the leather chair behind my desk, letting out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. My thoughts were a tangled mess, a blend of rage, confusion, and something else—something I wasn't ready to name. Lace was pacing restlessly in my mind, growling in frustration.
"She doesn't know who we are," he snarled, his voice echoing in my thoughts. "She doesn't understand what it means to be ours. We should tell her. Show her."
"No," I replied, my tone firm even as doubt gnawed at me. "Not yet. She's not ready."
"She's ours!" Lace growled, his voice laced with possessive fury. "Keeping her in the dark is a mistake. She's meant to stand by our side, not hide away like some fragile thing."
I closed my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose. Lace wasn't wrong. The bond between us and Amora was unlike anything I'd ever felt, a connection that went beyond words, beyond reason. It was raw, primal, and it terrified me. But Amora—she was still human, still uninitiated into the truths of our world. If I overwhelmed her now, if I laid everything bare, I might lose her forever.
And that was a risk I wasn't willing to take.
Just then, my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a knock at the door. I didn't bother to hide my irritation as I called out, "Enter."
A young warrior member stepped in, his eyes wide with nerves as he bowed his head. "Alpha, we found something at the southern border. You might want to see this."
I was on my feet before he finished speaking, my pulse quickening. The traitor had left another message, another taunt. He was getting bold, reckless, and that was going to be his downfall.
As I made my way to the southern edge of our territory, Lace's anticipation surged, urging me to run, to hunt. The trees blurred past me, the scent of pine and earth filling my senses as I reached the border. The patrol team stood around a large oak tree, their expressions grim. And there, carved into the bark, were the words that made my blood boil:
"Enjoy your moments with her to the fullest, it won't last long "
My vision tunneled, my entire focus zeroing in on those words. It was a challenge, a dare, and a threat all rolled into one. The traitor wanted Amora. He thought he could bargain with her life, use her to get to me. Fury like I'd never known surged through me, a wildfire that threatened to consume everything in its path.
"Alpha, what do we do?" one of the patrols asked hesitantly.
I didn't answer right away, my eyes locked on the message. Every fiber of my being wanted to rip that traitor apart, to make him suffer for daring to even think of touching what was mine. But I knew this wasn't just about me anymore. It was about Amora, about keeping her safe, no matter the cost.
"We hunt," I said, my voice a low growl. "We find him, and we make him regret ever stepping foot on my land."
The warriors around me nodded, their faces set with determination. They knew what was at stake. They knew that failure wasn't an option.
As they dispersed to carry out my orders, I stood there for a moment longer, staring at the carved message. Lace was right—I needed to tell Amora the truth, needed to bring her into this world fully, before the traitor could use her ignorance against her. But how could I do that without scaring her away, without pushing her further into fear?
The game was changing, and the stakes were higher than ever. And no matter how much I tried to deny it, the truth was clear—Amora wasn't just a pawn in this game. She was the queen, the key to everything. And if I had to burn the world down to protect her, then so be it.
With that thought, I turned my back on the message and headed back to the mansion, my mind racing with plans, strategies, and one burning question that I couldn't shake:
How do you protect someone from a fate they don't even know exists?