FATED TO ALPHA HUNTER BY VENNEH LISAH

𝗛𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥

𝗛𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥'𝗦 𝗣𝗢𝗩:

"I screamed Kim's name at the top of my lungs, and I could hear the bedroom door burst open as my mate, Ania, passed out in my arms. "In the bathroom, hurry up," I shouted.

He quickly entered the room asking what happened. I handed Ania over to him, and he asked again what had happened. Despite my efforts to administer first aid, she wasn't coming through. I immediately mind-linked the pack doctor to come over.

When he arrived, he found Ania on the bed. Joe, Lemmy, Mylar, and Sky came with him. "What is Sky doing here?" I growled when I saw her. "I came to visit my sister. I only came up with them when I heard something was wrong with your Luna," Sky said, but I could see guilt flicker in her eyes. The pack doctor asked everyone to wait outside, but I refused to leave. I wanted to be there for my Luna.

I paced inside our bedroom, sometimes holding Ania's hands while the doctor poked, prodded, and jabbed her with needles. I held her down every time she cried out, especially when he shoved a tube down her throat to pump her stomach, and she woke abruptly. She kept slipping in and out of consciousness, freaking out each time she came to, causing me to use my power to sedate her.

"Any news yet?" Mylar asked through the mind-link, and I told her to wait a little longer as I had no news.

Time came to a standstill as he ran the results, and I was slowly running out of patience.

"What's wrong with her?" I asked when he finally lifted his eyes up. He requested for my beta to come be with me, and Joe walked in warily looking at both of us. A moment later, both of their eyes glazed over, and I was at the verge of shifting with fury as my claws were slipping out with every second he held back the information about what was wrong with my mate from me. Dr. Pat's hands were shaking as he handed over the paperwork to Joe, and I snatched it, staring at it. My eyes went wide as I read the diagnosis.

"Alpha?" Joe called out. "Did she ingest poison?" I asked the doctor, ignoring Joe's interruption.

"Yes... Your mate has ingested poison. I found traces of poison in her system," the doctor stuttered.

"Someone poisoned my mate?" I asked again, startled by the news.

"Hunter, calm down," Joe snapped at me, and I glared at him.

"What type of poison was it?" Joe asked.

"It was Wolfsbane. You should check who was working in the kitchens or, more importantly, with the Luna's food. The food she ate last had the poison," Doctor Pat informed me.

"I want all kitchen staff in the living area, and anyone who was on duty today. No one is to be unaccounted for," I instructed Joe. Enough was enough. If I had to unleash my vampire to get to the bottom of this, I would.

"I will send out the alert," Joe said, and I watched his eyes glaze over as he mind linked everyone.

"Will she wake up soon? I want to be around when she does," I asked, turning my attention back to the doctor.

"No, my alpha. I have given her something to counteract the poison and sedatives. She should wake up after a couple of hours," the doctor informed me.

I asked Kim to stay back with Ania as I stalked off toward the living area where everyone would be meeting. I was furious. I now had a traitor among us, someone who was daring enough to try to hurt my Ania. We stood in the living room, waiting for everyone to arrive. Sky was seated, Joe and Mylar were standing at attention slightly behind me on either side. I could feel the presence of vampires in the living area. I sniffed the air and pinched the bridge of my nose when I realized that the scents were unfamiliar, except for one: Ben's scent.

"Show yourselves," I commanded, and in an instant, the walls were lined up with coven vampires, together with Ben. "I don't remember asking anyone to join the party," I snarled, knowing they were there because of Ania. Kim must have informed them. The moment Ben had a hunch that Ania was their princess, he sent Kim as her guard.

"Sorry we came uninvited, but we are here for our princess, apart from the king and queen. She is the only other royal vae-wolf remaining from my brother," Ben bellowed, stalking towards me. "We cannot afford to take chances with her," he said.

"What are you talking about, daddy?" Sky asked as she stood up. Mylar was just as confused as her sister. I could tell Joe had questions too, but he contained himself.

"I will explain later," he said, and out of respect, his daughters kept quiet before their eyes fell on me.

"She is in safe hands, I can assure you of that, sir," I said, and he took a step forward before playing with my collar, making me swallow hard. His aura pinned me to a point where I doubted myself, and I doubted if Ania was truly in safe hands.

"I would love to believe that she is in safe hands, my Alpha, but I have trouble believing you because she was poisoned where you are," he snarled.

"The b**tch could have taken the poison by herself just to get your attention," Sky squealed, earning a growl from both her father and me. She apologized.

Ben slowly shifted his attention to me, his aura slipping out as he gave me a murderous glare. I backed away; Ben was a fierce fighter, and the last thing I wanted was an altercation with him.

"What's this about my alpha?" The head chef asked, looking worried as she entered the living area. She tried to stifle a yawn but failed, covering her mouth as she let out a loud one.

Joe motioned for her to come forward while the five kitchen staff members, wearing pajamas and looking confused, filed into the room. Three other young adults who were on duty also joined them. They all lined up in the room as security men stood by all entrances, blocking the exits and whispering among themselves.

Joe asked the head chef, "Who was in charge of cooking the alpha's and Luna's meals tonight?"

"I was, Beta Joe. I didn't let anyone else cook for them. Why?" she replied.

"Ania's food was poisoned, and they found wolfsbane in her system," Joe explained.

"Is she alright?" the head chef asked, becoming alert and looking at the beta.

"Yes, but we need to know who was in the kitchen when you were cooking and who had access to her food, because I know Fabian brought the food into the room per the alpha's word," Joe said. The head chef nodded.

"There were only nine of us," she quickly replied. Ben took over and compelled them to tell the truth if they had a hand in poisoning the Luna's food. None of them were guilty, adding another mystery to the situation. I felt like stepping down from my title. I had let everyone down, including my mate.

"We are taking our princess back with us to Devonshire until things cool down here," Ben growled. I let my aura slip out and snarled, "Over my dead body that happens. She is my mate, and she will be with me until my last breath, for better or worse." Ben's fangs slipped out, and his eyes turned red. I could smell war brewing, and I tapped into my vampire abilities, ready to unleash them in case of any danger.

"Can someone please tell us what's going on, and why you're referring to Ania as a princess?" Mylar asked. Ben explained, and the sisters' faces turned red as their heartbeats spiked. Ben told them there was a 90% chance that Ania was their lost princess.

"Or there is a 10% chance that she isn't, right? Right father?" Mylar asked in desperation. "Give me two days to find the person who did this ; Ben. If I don't, I will look the other way as you take away Ania," I declared, ignoring Mylar. Ben nodded. I really wasn't ready for a war.

"Excuse me, I will go back to my Luna now," I said as I excused myself, leaving Mylar and Sky to talk with their father.

"Everyone is dismissed for now," Joe told the staff, allowing them to go back to bed.

"Has she woken up yet?" I asked Kim as I entered my bedroom.

"Briefly. She asked for you," he answered, and I nodded, brushing her hair from her face.

"Did you find out who did it?" he asked, and I shook my head.

"We have two days to find the culprit, or Ania goes to Devonshire, all thanks to you for not keeping your mouth shut," Joe said. I saw Kim roll his eyes, and I ignored him.

"What is it that we are missing? Where is it that we aren't looking, and who are we not investigating?" I asked rhetorically.

"Your best friend is the only person you haven't investigated, Alpha, unlike the rest of us," Lemmy chimed in.

"No, it can't be. She is my friend. I know what she is capable of doing and what she is not. What would she benefit from killing all these people and poisoning my mate?" I asked, sitting on the bed beside Ania.

My mind-link opened, and I felt for Lemmy as he told me about Ania overhearing Mylar asking her sister to keep me at the time of my disappearance. He even said he was sure that Mylar had planned everything and finding myself in Devonshire was not sheer luck or coincidence. He stated that I said I had a wolf with me when I went missing. The wolf was found dead near the hills, but I wasn't there. I was puzzled.

"I'm perplexed," I said, "When did Ania tell you all of this? I can't believe she confided in you and not me."

"The time you banished her from the pack house and into the dungeons, we got really close," he replied.

"Who else knows about this?" I asked. He confirmed it was only him, Ania, and myself. "Let's keep it that way for now," I urged him, and saw him nodding before I cut the mind-link. I had to look into his suspicions. Whoever it was, even if it was Mylar, would pay dearly for the sleepless nights they caused me and the pain they caused my mate and the families in my pack.

I dismissed them before sleeping beside Ania, grabbing her hand and kissing it. "You will be alright," I hissed before climbing off the bed. I couldn't sleep. For the first time in ages, I felt like drinking liquor. I instructed Kim to inform me when she woke up before making my way to my office.

Once inside my office, I opened a safe where I had carefully hidden my whiskey. After pouring it into a glass, I mixed it with water before downing two glasses at once. Then, I took the paperwork again one by one, trying to find something we might have missed.

"Take me to the morgue first thing in the morning. Then, we have to work closer with the police this time. Both of you, along with Mylar, are off the cases," I told Joe and Lemmy through a mind link. I needed to study the bodies again, looking for any marks on them. I prayed to find Rina, the one who poisoned my mate, before two days were up, so we could deal with Ania's origin before she went into heat.

Kim never called me all night. I waited for the mind link to open up and tell me she was awake, but once the sun rose, I knew she hadn't. I stepped into the shower in my office and changed into fresh clothes before returning to my paperwork and liquor after brushing my teeth. Slowly, everything started to make sense - Mylar, Sky, and our chef Fabian were the last seen of everyone who disappeared. I pondered why I hadn't noticed the patterns before, or maybe it was because Sky was the lead investigator - she always showed me what she wanted me to see.

Just thinking that Mylar could be part of it all angered me. I still didn't want to believe it, hoping there was somehow another explanation for why they were there. There was a knock on the door, and Joe stepped into my office just as my mind link opened. I felt for Kim. "Good morning, Alpha. Our Luna never woke up last night," he stated.

"I figured that much out already. It's the meds. It will take a few more hours before she comes around. Keep an eye on her," I told Kim, my voice clipped, remembering what the doctor had told me before cutting off the link. Joe glanced around the office and shook his head.

"You're drunk and clearly haven't slept," Joe snapped disapprovingly, picking up empty liquor bottles and tossing them in the garbage bin.

"I don't need your scolding, Joe," I bellowed.

"She never woke up," Joe stated again.

"I am aware," I replied.

"How can you afford to drink with all these issues piling up on your desk, and your mate very sick upstairs?" Joe yelled at me. His anger was beginning to bother me, and it was getting to the point where I would have to put him in his place. How dare he talk to me like I was his peer?

"How dare you talk to me as if I am your peer? Mind your place, Joe. I believe I am grown enough to do what I am doing," I growled at him, even though I knew he was right.

"What if the children saw you drunk like this? What will they think of you? Put your goddamn ego aside, take responsibility for your wrong actions, and stop being a jerk. I came here to tell you we could leave for the morgue," he snarled, storming out of my office.

I stood up from my chair quickly, stumbling around the room. Maybe I had drunk too much. I felt wasted as I walked out of the office.

"Meet me at the cars," I told the Beta through the mind-link, stumbling down the steps trying to find my feet. Losing my footing again, I stumbled on the bottom step and nearly hit the ground when I collided with someone. They prevented my fall, and I shook my head as I gripped their shoulder.

"Are you okay, my Alpha?" Sky asked.

"Fine, just help me to my study room," I grumbled to the woman who had offered her assistance a little too eagerly. Despite my irritation, I allowed her to guide me to the study, where I collapsed into my chair.

"Shall I get you some water?" she asked, but I waved her away.

"My Alpha," she began, but I interrupted her with a low growl.

"Leave me. Tell Joe and Lemmy to come get me when they're ready to leave," I barked, dismissing her. With my eyes closed, I tried to get some rest before it was time to go.

"I'll wait here with you," Sky insisted.

"Suit yourself," I muttered, too drunk to argue. She remained silent.

I managed to pull myself to my feet and stumble over to my chaise, where I collapsed heavily, grateful for the escape of sleep. I blocked out everyone and everything, knowing that Joe would wake me when it was time to leave. However, I didn't remain asleep for long when I felt someone suggestively touch me, and then their lips pressed against mine. Thinking it was my mate, I kissed them back hungrily.

"Ania!" I exclaimed, relieved that she was okay. But then I stirred, feeling the person's mouth and hand on me. I jumped, lurching upright to see the intruder, who had a vile scent that wafted to my nose

"I didn't mean to startle you, my alpha," Sky's voice sounded like someone drilling into my ears.

"What do you think you're doing?" I growled at her, rubbing my eyes and peering at her. I blinked again when I saw that she was stark naked.

"Where are your clothes?" I growled at her, averting my gaze to anything other than her.

"You were having trouble sleeping; I have been watching you. Let me help," she said, leaning down and rubbing my length again. Jake growled in disgust. I gripped her hand, removing it from my pants, and Jake growled at her.

"I don't need your help, Sky. I suggest you leave," I warned her. She jerked her hand from my grip, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"My alpha?" she cried.

"I am not yours, nor will you ever be mine. Now get out before I have you beaten up," I snarled at her.

"It's me, Sky. Remember all you told me... that you hate her, she's the one causing all the unrest in your pack, she's the traitor. I know you love me, give us a chance," she said, trying to climb onto my lap. I gripped her throat, disgusted. She dared to think she could touch me, touch what did not belong to her. Speaking ill of my mate, I didn't know I was choking the life out of her until she gasped for air.

"I said get out, you are not Ania. You do not touch me," I told her before releasing her. She stumbled backward when I let her go. I watched as she snatched up her clothes before looking at me. I growled at her, and she ran out the door, opening it just as Joe and Lemmy were about to walk in.

"Have you completely lost it?" Joe snarled, entering, and Lemmy slammed the door behind them.

"I woke up to her touching me," I explained.

"Please tell me you didn't," Lemmy snarled.

"What? Of course not. What do you take me for?" They sighed, and I re-buttoned my pants before sniffing my clothes. Her stench was all over me.

I tugged my shirt off, tossed it in the trash with a growl before asking for another set of clothes.

"I want her away from this place as soon as possible. I don't want to see Sky's face here again. She is unwelcome from now henceforth," I bellowed.

They both nodded in understanding. Lemmy opened the door, and I changed my course and walked into Rina's room when we walked by it, wanting to get a piece of her clothes. I needed to get her scent, but to my utter surprise, everything in the room was cleaned with bleach.

"Someone thinks ahead of you, my alpha," Joe commented.

"Have this entire building installed with cameras immediately, Joe. Lemmy, you come with me," I snapped, and we went to the morgue, staggering all the way there.

To be continued...