As I barge past Zane, he tries to grab my arm. “Let me explain. They mean no harm, Alpha,” he says in a rush.
“Now, why would you need to explain unless you were aware of this?” I growl, turning toward him and shoving him back.
I rush out of the house, race around its back, and run through the trees in their direction. They have to pass me to get back to the fields. Donnie urges me faster, forcing partial control.
A growl escapes me when I hear them run away from me, I catch their scents, a moment before I spot them. I pick up my pace and tackle Vince in his wolf form.
He whimpers, and we both slam into a tree, making Sage and Casen stop in their tracks. A menacing snarl slips from me as I get up.
“Someone care to explain what the fuck you three are doing this far out?” Every word is torn from me and my chest heaves, it takes all I have to not rain discipline down on them.
They all stare at me with wide-eyes and the baskets they should have, are gone.
I can’t turn my gaze away from Sage. She’s staring at Casen, and her fear is perfuming the air. Casen takes a step forward in front of her, and I take one towards him, prepared to teach the pup some manners. Sage yanks him back and steps in front of him, raising her chin and stares me in the eyes. “We’re not doing anything wrong.”
The anger simmering inside me intensifies, bubbles over until I’m not sure I can contain it. Sage knows she shouldn’t be out this far. Vince shifts next to me and my eyes dart to his naked body. He ducks his head, ready to submit, and I reach down to grab him.
“It’s not their fault, Andrei. Let them go!” Sage pleads, making me look at her. Those two morons know where she is allowed to be, and it isn’t here.
“I will give you five seconds to answer my question or ….” I am cut off by movement behind me. I turn to see Zane and Malik.
I growl, forcing my Alpha aura out and making them drop to the ground. I turn around to find everyone on their hands and knees, fighting the urge to submit. Marching over to Sage, I grip her arm and yank her to her feet. Casen goes to protest, but I glare at him, and he bares his neck to me.
I start stomping through the forest, dragging her with me. Donnie growls and paces in my head, wanting to punish them for risking her life by taking her so close to the borders.
“Speak, Sage, before I fucking explode,” I growl at her as she stumbles, struggling to keep up with me.
I keep a tight grip on her, so she doesn’t fall, but I am too angry to stop. I don’t trust myself not to hurt one of them, pack or not, Sage is too important to risk.
“I was taking food to the rogues,” she blurts out, and I freeze, looking down at her.
“You were what?” I scream at her, and she flinches at my anger.
I force myself to take a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself before I do something I can’t come back from, like hurting her. I grit my teeth and my entire body trembles with rage.
“They just need help, and I wanted to help them,” she explains. Her voice is so full of despair and fear that I can’t bring myself to listen to her anymore.
I keep pressing through the forest toward the house. I am aware of them trailing at a distance behind us, knowing they are waiting for me to lose it. Without a doubt, they would attack me for her, but I won’t hurt her, no matter how much she angers me.
“Andrei, please, let-”
“Don’t, Sage,” I warn her as the house comes into view. I push her ahead, letting her walk on her own, and she stops, making me run into her.
“Keep walking, don’t fucking tempt me right now, Sage.” I want to lock her in my basement, where I know she would be safe and can’t run off. If she continues to defy me, she might find herself down there. She lets out a breath, but continues to walk.
She stops at the door and presses her hand to the panel. The door unlocks, and I shove her inside before I slam the door closed and remove her palm print, so she can’t get out. She bangs on the door as I lock her in.
“Andrei, no! Please don’t lock me in. Let me explain!” She screams at the top of her lungs, but I just ignore her and walk away, back to the tree line.
With his hands out, Zane is waiting for me like he is trying to cage a wild animal.
“Where are they?” I snarl.
“I sent them home, but Andrei, you don’t need to do this. She only wanted to help them.” Zane mumbles. He knows his words won’t change anything, yet he still tries.
“Show me!” I growl at him.
Zane shakes his head. “No.”
“Excuse me? You will fucking show me where she goes. Now, I know why I can never find her. How long, Zane? How long has she been sneaking around behind my back, and how many of you knew?” I prod.
They were lying to me, my fucking mate has been lying to me, and had even managed to get members of my pack to join in, even my fucking Beta.
“The last two months. They haven’t been coming in search of food since she started doing it, Andrei.” Zane tries to reason with me, but the wandering rogues and their bullshit problems are the least of my issues. I couldn’t give two shits if all of them fucking died of hunger.
“She fucking kept it from me!” I scream at him.
“Because she knew you would be like this! That is why we all kept it from you!” Zane tells me.
“How many knew? Fucking tell me, Zane.”
“Everyone but you,” he says, shocking me. I take a step back.
“Everyone, as in the entire fucking pack knew, and not one of you said anything? I am your fucking Alpha!” I scream at him as I take a step toward him.
My fists clench by my sides as I fight the insane urge to punch him, or better yet, beat him to near death for keeping this secret from me. A Beta, a fucking Beta, has the gall to betray his Alpha. To keep secrets from his Alpha.
“And she is our Luna,” Zane retorts.
“Not yet, she isn’t.” I shake my head to emphasize the statement. His eyes widen, but I ignore the visible shock on his features. “Now fucking take me to them.”
“We don’t see them. We drop the baskets and that’s it. The next day, they are empty,” Zane explains.
“I won’t ask again, fucking tell me,” I warn him. He scrubs a hand down his face.
“You hurt them, and she won’t forgive you this time.” He warns me. “At the fucking waterfall, but I won’t be helping you hunt down rogues. I am done with this shit, Andrei.” He turns around to stomp off toward the house.