FATED TO ALPHA HUNTER BY VENNEH LISAH

𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗚𝗘𝗥 𝗪𝗔𝗥𝗡𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦

𝗛𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥'𝗦 𝗣𝗢𝗩:

We spent two days in Brooks pack, but we didn't find what we were looking for except for some old photo albums that had pictures of Ania and her deceased parents. Although we could tell she wasn't born in Brooks, there were no photos of her infancy. The oldest photos we found were when she was seven years old.

We tried interrogating Alpha Erick and his pack, but we couldn't get any substantial information. All they said was that the Luna didn't give birth after mating with the alpha, and they chose to adopt Ania. Where they adopted her from was a mystery, and whether Ania was kidnapped by them or they adopted her from her abductors was also unknown.

"My love, I promise I will keep digging until I get to the bottom of it all. We will eventually know what transpired," I told her as we made our way back to our pack and city.

The young ones surrounded us the moment we stepped out of our car, and I smiled as my Luna shared the candies she had bought for them on our way back. She then went to find Rina after I instructed her to meet me in my office when she was done.

"We should meet with the board. Schools are reopening on Monday, and we need to be prepared to receive our students back and vet our new principal," I said to Joe and Lemmy as I took my seat in the office. Ben and Kim were guarding my Luna.

"Is Ania going to school too? She's pregnant," Joe asked, looking at me. I huffed. "That will be her call to make, although I don't think she would want to stay at home. She can attend classes, but Kim will keep an eye on her. If the pregnancy wears her down, she can take a break and resume later," I told him.

We had a lengthy conversation before Ania walked into the office, looking tired. I stood from my seat and met her halfway, touching her elbow gently. "You look tired, my love. Let's have dinner with everyone, and then I can take you to rest," I told her. She responded with a slight nod.

Dinner was great, and everyone was excited about the reopening of schools and the lifting of the curfew. We only left for our bedroom late at night, and I was in very high spirits since I didn't have to worry about anything for a while. Ania was talking about this and that all the way to the bedroom, only for her to growl as the fresh linens scents hit our nostrils, overwhelming her with the scent of chemicals and bleach welcoming us to our room. Kim rushed into the room behind me, looking alert despite not having slept in two days.

"What's wrong?" Kim asked behind me. I watched as Ania moved toward the bed, sniffing the air.

"Nothing. Someone cleaned everything in here with bleach. It smells wrong to her," I told him. Kim sighed.

"Okay, as long as everything is alright," he said.

"Go to bed, Kim. Try to sleep before the sun comes up. She is safe with me," I told him. He nodded and reluctantly left. Ania growled, destroying the sheets and making her nest. She whimpered at the crisp linen scent and raided the closet, searching for clothes with my scent. I stepped inside behind her as she snatched stuff off the hangers and sniffed each one. When I grabbed her arms, she spun around, her eyes glowing, looking crazed. She ran her eyes over me as she sniffed me, licking her lips. I groaned in frustration.

"Hush, you don't need my scent when you have me. We can fix it," I told her. I hated seeing her so distraught with instincts she barely understood. She growled at me when I pressed my hands onto the bed. "Where do you want me, then?" I asked softly, understanding how savage she could get when she felt threatened. Right then, she was threatened by the fact that someone had gone into her nest.

Her breathing had become harsher, and I knew it was dangerous to go into a Lycan den or near a frantic pregnant Lycan nest. You didn't touch or change it, especially scents that didn't belong to the mate. It was their cocoon of safety, and other scents were considered intruders.

Ania gripped her hair in frustration. There wasn't a speck of our scent in there. Whoever polished and cleaned it would hear about it.

I opened the mind link, searching for Valentine. "Yes, my alpha?" she answered.

"Who on earth cleaned my room and bleached everything?" Valentine gasped, and I knew it wasn't her. She wouldn't be stupid enough.

"We changed the sheets, removed her clothes, and the curtains like you asked, nothing more," Valentine answered. "Then why would you wash all of my clothes with bleach?" I growled.

"No, we didn't. We replaced them with the ones from your office. They were covered in your scent. We used gloves and didn't bleach anything," she answered.

"Who else was in this room?" I asked.

"No one, just me and the two young adults who were on duty today."

"So, you didn't see anyone bleach anything in my room, and my mate is fretting?" I asked, gripping Ania's hands as she continued to fret.

"Would you like me to bring up some of your unwashed clothes? It might help with the chemical smell," Valentine asked. "Yes, please do," I replied.

Valentine repeated that no one else had been in my quarters and shut the doors after they were done. But I knew someone had been there because I could smell chemicals and bleach. "Is she okay?" Valentine asked.

"What do you think? Someone completely stripped her den. Even the mattress smells like chemicals," I snarled before pushing my way into her nest. Unfortunately, she accidentally clawed her face, so I cut off the link abruptly. I pressed my knee between her thighs, forcing her onto her back, and my calling slipped out instantly as I bore my weight on her. She responded by licking my chest, answering my call.

"Shh, love, I will fix it," I purred as I nuzzled her neck. She moaned when my teeth nipped at her mark, and her legs fell open, allowing me to press between her thighs. Her body was languid beneath me as she gave in to the calling. I ran my tongue over her neck and jaw, across her cheek where she had cut herself with her claws, and healed it.

I noticed her hips lifting, brushing against my boxers, causing my shaft to strain in my pants. Her desire perfumed the room, a sweet aroma that caused pre-cum to leak out of me and ruin the silk of my boxers as I became hard. We gave ourselves into our desires and made love, the room now filled with our mingled scent by the time we were done. My Luna's calmness made me sigh with relief.

I trailed my fingers up her spine, trying to rid the smell of bleach from the bathroom when she slept. As she relaxed on my chest, my thoughts ran rampant. "Someone is still trying to hurt my mate. I thought the traitors were in the dungeons. Who would mess with her nest knowing how they react? They can go savage, hurt themselves, and others," I asked through an open mind-link.

"Maybe they have their minions still in the pack house, my alpha, because we all know better than that. Besides the four of us and a few of the security men, no one else was with you," Joe replied.

"Valentine?" I asked her, knowing she was listening in.

"My alpha, I personally shut the door after cleaning, but at some point, I sent Willie to shut the windows when it was about to rain."

"How long did he take up here?" I asked.

"I am not sure, my alpha, because I went to take a nap and returned to the kitchen after almost an hour, and he was there in the kitchen."

"Get him and meet me in the office now," I snarled, but Joe came to his defense.

"My alpha, Willie would never. He is just a boy. He is only a pre-teen who our luna is fond of. Even during the lioness attack, she had gone with him by the river. Give me time to ask around," he said, and I cut the link.

𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗔'𝗦 𝗣𝗢𝗩

I woke up cursing, realizing it was already midday by my watch. The sunlight filtering through the open drapes forced me to open my eyes and peer at the windows. The sun appeared high in the sky, and a cold draft caused me to shiver. I noticed that Hunter had left the heavy drapes open.

Outside, the kids were playing and rolling down the hill, competing to reach the bottom first. I chuckled as I saw Rina and Valentine watching over them. Rina sat at the top with a toddler on her lap, while Valentine played with the kids and rolled down the hill with them. Laughter filled the air. They all seemed so happy, and I wanted to join in their fun. I quickly cleaned up and walked into the closet, where I grabbed a loose-fitting, long-sleeved dress from the hanger. After finding some undergarments, I pulled the dress over my head and tugged it down over my growing bump. My skin was feeling harder as the life within me continued to develop each day.

As I dressed, Hunter's voice flitted through my mind via the mind link. "You're awake. I can come back up," he told me.

"No, you don't have to. I'm going to play with the kids outside. What are you doing?" I asked him.

"I'm going over some pointers with Joe that we'll present at the board meeting. Are you sure you don't want me to come back and be with you? This can wait," Hunter replied.

"No, should I come and help?" I asked him, feeling like I should. However, by the look of things, Rina and Valentine had everything under control, and the children could wait.

"No, just take Ben with you. And you have an ultrasound appointment this afternoon. I will come to grab you just beforehand," he stated.

"Are you sure?" I asked, wondering if he was too busy for hospital visits.

"Positive. Have fun. I love you," he said before cutting the mind link.

I pulled my hair into a bun and walked out of the room, finding Ben and Lemmy waiting by my door.

"Afternoon, Ania," Ben greeted me.

"My luna," Lemmy said with a slight bow.

"Hey Ben, hey Lemmy. I'm going to see Rina and the kids. Hunter wants you to come with me," I told Ben, and he nodded, offering me his arm. I looped my arm through his, and we headed for the stairs leading to the ground floor.

"My princess, you know there is a better world out there for you. You could be a princess or a queen. This place feels like you're running an orphanage, and I don't think it's safe here. I don't feel like it offers you the sense of protection you deserve. You deserve better. You should walk away, princess, while you're still alive," Ben said, and I growled.

"Sorry, princess, I was just saying," he quickly added, sensing my irritation.

Halfway down, I spotted Willie kneeling on the steps and scrubbing the wooden beams of the guardrail with a toothbrush.

"What did you do now, Willie?" I asked. The boy seemed to be getting into an awful lot of trouble lately. I could tell he was being punished for something. Willie looked up at me and grinned, showing his pearly white teeth.

"I was mucking around with the gardener, and I threw a mud pie at him, but it missed and hit Valentine and her white sheets," Willie laughed.

"And why were you throwing mud pies?" I asked, trying not to laugh.

"He threw one first! So he should be helping me clean the darn stairs! I swear, she just punishes me so she doesn't have to do it." Willie pouted.

I shook my head and continued down the steps when Lemmy came up behind us.

"My Luna?" he called from the top. I stopped on the middle landing, looking back up the steps toward him.

"I want to go shower and eat. I have been on duty since last night. I have called Kim to take over the alpha and asked him to rest. Is that alright? He is like an hour out," Lemmy asked.

"Just go. He won't be long anyway. Besides, Willie will tell him if anyone comes up here," I said, looking at Willie who nodded his head.

"I will keep watch," Willie said, and Lemmy's eyes narrowed at him on the stairs.

"It's fine. I'll wait for Kim. I was just letting you know, my Luna," he said.

"Seriously, Lemmy. Just go. Kim will be here soon. What could happen?" I asked Lemmy, who for some reason looked very indecisive and was staring at Willie weirdly, as if it was the first time he was truly seeing him.

"Why does Valentine send you to clean these stairs?" Lemmy asked.

"Huh?" Willie said, looking up from his scrubbing.

"Why were you up here yesterday?" Lemmy asked him, tilting his head to the side. I had no idea what he was talking about, but Willie's brows furrowed in confusion as he peered back at Lemmy.

"Pardon? I don't understand. Valentine sent me to clean the stairs and later to shut the windows in the Alpha's room," Willie said to him before glancing at me. He tossed his toothbrush into his tool bucket, along with his can of polish and rag, while staring at Lemmy with fearful eyes. I walked back up the steps, wondering what had gotten into Lemmy because I didn't like the way he putting his eyes on Willie.

"Yes, but why are you cleaning these same stairs again today when you cleaned them yesterday?" Lemmy growled, pointing at the stairs. "There are plenty of stairs in the pack house," he said to Willie as he stepped down a stair. I looked at Ben, who seemed just as perplexed at Lemmy's strange behavior.

"I dirtied Valentine's sheets," Willie stuttered.

"That wasn't the question I asked," Lemmy said with an ice-cold tone of voice that sent a chill up my spine as I felt his aura slip out. It wasn't as strong as Hunter's, but as his Gamma, it was a lot stronger than normal. Willie whimpered under the pressure of it.

"Lemmy!" I hissed, rushing to Willie. Sweat glistened on his forehead and his hands clenched into fists on the steps.

"Did you remove the scents from the alpha's and Luna's room?" Lemmy asked. I gaped at him.

"Lemmy! He is a child! Drop your command!" I snarled at him as Willie gripped my arm, looking at me pleadingly with tears in his eyes.

"Hunter!" I called through the link before Lemmy's voice pulled me back when he addressed me.

"My Luna, every day he cleans the same stairs. I guess he has been observing and calculating something. This could be our mole?" Lemmy said before his eyes moved to Willie again.

"No, no, I didn't," Willie gasped, clutching me tightly. "Don't let him hurt me, I did nothing," Willie begged while clutching my dress and arm, as if I was his lifeline.

"What's going on?" Hunter asked through the link, sounding frantic.

"I don't know. Lemmy is accusing Willie of something, saying he is our mole," I said.

"Answer me!" Lemmy commanded, taking another step down. Lemmy's eyes went to Willie's hands clutching onto me.

"Lemmy, calm down; he is just a boy," Ben said.

"And the boy will answer," Lemmy growled back.

"My Luna, please let go of him and move to my side now. Ben, remove his hands from our Luna," Lemmy ordered, but we were both too confused to do anything.

"I was a boy once too, My Luna. And I had already killed someone long before I was his age," Lemmy said, his steps calculated as he took them one at a time. I glanced down at Willie, who growled when I heard the mind link open up. Ben's voice flitted through it.

"My Alpha, how long has Willie been here?" Ben asked, and I tried to focus on my surroundings as Lemmy stalked down the steps toward Willie. The savage gleam in his eyes frightened me when Willie whimpered.

Prying Willie's fingers off my dress, I took a step up. I went halfway up the steps, blocking Lemmy from him.

"Not long. He came here seeking shelter a day after the vampire hunt. Has something happened? And Ania, answer me. I am on my way," Hunter growled, and Lemmy reached for me to jerk me to his side when I felt a sharp pain in my side that stole the air from my lungs. Before I heard Ben's ear-piercing scream behind me, time seemed to slow right down. I saw Lemmy's hands reach for me, and his eyes widened. But I staggered back, my hand going to my side when I felt the pain twist through my abdomen, my eyes going to my side to find a dagger in my flank and Willie's hand holding the hilt. My hands were soaked in my blood. I gasped, choking on my breath that I couldn't seem to catch, when a snarl tore out from behind me.

"That's for my mum, you f**king b**ch!" Willie snarled as he slammed me against the banister.

I let out a scream from deep within me as I realized I was falling. My stomach plummeted, and I felt a cold sensation as the blood drained from my face. Lemmy tried to catch me, and Ben tackled Willie, who was staring vacantly at me while I grasped for something to hold onto and only grasped air.

My body hit the floor with a loud thud, and pain enveloped me as my head hit the stairs on the ground floor stairwell. The wooden railing crashed down on top of me, and I couldn't move. I just stared at the ceiling and the floor above, where Ben had knocked out Willie. Lemmy jumped off the second floor after me, and his feet hit the ground only seconds later. But it was too late. I felt the warmth of my blood trickling down my neck, my head pounding, and my back throbbing. The coppery taste of blood filled my mouth, and I tried to breathe around it, but only choked. It felt like when your foot falls asleep, that strange sensation, except it was my entire body that felt like that. My eyes felt like they were pulsating in my head to a rhythmic beat in my skull.

My vision was also throbbing, and so were my surroundings. Lemmy, I could see, was putting pressure on my side. I could fuzzily see his lips moving fast as he screamed, or at least I thought he was screaming, because I heard no sound leave him, only the sound of my heart beating in my skull.

I was fading, my vision was becoming tunneled, and I couldn't move. Yet, the oddest sensation was warming between my legs, as if I had wet myself. I had no idea why I was feeling that sensation above all the pain, but for some reason, it was all I could focus on. It was like that was the most important sensation, even above all the pain.