DOMINIC.
Traitors.
Everyone around me are traitors
Even the bastard that I am looking at right now.
The night is thick, heavy dark clouds thanks to the approaching storm.
Angry rolling storms
The sky is a canvas of charcoal, only occasionally pierced by slivers of moonlight that creep through the clouds and thick canopy of tree branches.
Without making a sound, I move after him, like a shadow within shadows with my steps deliberately soft, my breath controlled, blending seamlessly with the rustling of leaves.
I stay a few paces behind him, my eyes locked on him, watching how his posture is stiff and his movements are hurried.
He thinks he is alone.
That he is smart.
He thinks the shadows keep him safe, but he does not understand what it means to truly be a part of them.
Like me.
I am the god in this place.
And nothing can evade me.
My instincts have been screaming at me for weeks now, warning me that something is off with him.
The way he avoids me, the way he keeps challenging me, the audacity he has to steer me directly in my eyes, the disrespect… it all feeds into my gnawing suspicion that he is hiding something.
The woods seem to close in around us, the damp floors muffling every sound but his own hurried steps.
I make sure to stay downwind, masking my scent, every muscle in my body coiled and ready to pounce.
He doesn’t see me.
He doesn’t hear me.
Doesn’t even sense me.
He is so blind to the threat that is stalking him.
How can such a liability be my Beta?
The path curves slightly, and I take a step closer, slipping through the trees with ease, my boots barely disturbing the earth beneath me.
The moonlight catches on the back of his head for a split second, but otherwise, the forest remains covered in darkness, swallowing everything, wrapping the world in silence.
The only thing that exists is me and my prey.
I can see the tension in his shoulders.
His movements are quick, but there is hesitation there, like he is not entirely sure he wants to head inside it, he moves on.
I let him continue for a few more paces, savoring the moment, enjoying the anticipation that builds in my chest even though I can feel my patience going thin.
I can feel it fraying with every second.
Finally, I have had enough with the stalking.
“Calvin,” I call out, my voice cutting through the still air like a blade.
He freezes instantly, his entire body going rigid as if he has been struck by lightning.
The shock on his face is almost satisfying as he spins around to face me, his eyes wide in disbelief.
Like I thought
He hadn’t seen me, hadn’t even sensed me.
I take a slow, deliberate step out of the shadows, letting the faint glow of the moon catch my figure as I emerge from the darkness.
His face is pale, his mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air. “Dominic… I-”
“Where have you been?” I demand as I step forward, my voice controlled, my eyes boring into his. I can see the way his hands tremble slightly, the way his throat bobs as he swallows nervously.
“I- I have been trying to gather information,” he stutters, his voice tight, his body rigid. “I was looking for Louisa… trying to figure out where the wolves that ran away have gone. But-”
“Louisa?” I cut him off, my voice a sharp growl. My lips curl into a sneer as I stalk closer, each word dripping with venom. “You mean to tell me that after all this time, after all your supposed efforts, you have found nothing? That your search is useless? You were the one who said she was in the Vale pack!”
Calvin flinches, his hands clenching at his sides, but he doesn’t back away.
Idiot
“She was! She was! But when I get there
… The security is tight,” he says defensively, the edge of desperation creeping into his tone. “They wouldn’t let me in and I have been trying to break through, but it is not easy-”
“Not easy?” My anger flares up like a wildfire, and I close the remaining distance between us, grabbing him by the front of his shirt and yanking him closer until we are nose to nose so close that I can feel the heat of his breath on my face. “Do you think I care if it is not easy?!”I snarl, my teeth bared, my voice a deadly whisper. “I did not ask for excuses. I asked for results! Bring her home! That was the order! I don’t care if you have to kill everyone who gets in your way, just make sure that my orders are obeyed!” I finish as I shove him back hard, watching as he stumbles against his feet, barely managing to catch his balance.
His breath comes faster now, his chest heaving as he struggles to maintain his composure but I can see the fear in his eyes. It’s there, just beneath the surface.
I like it.
“You have been acting very strange lately, Calvin,” I continue, pacing around him like a predator circling its prey. “Do you think I haven’t noticed? Disappearing at odd hours, avoiding me, making excuses. Do you think I am blind? Do you think I am stupid?”
His eyes dart to the side, his mouth opening to respond, but I cut him off with a sharp growl.
“Do not even try to deny it. I know something is going on. I can smell it on you. You are hiding something.”
“No, Dominic, I swear-” he begins, but I am already in his face again, my hand gripping his throat this time, squeezing just enough to remind him of who holds the power.
“That is Alpha, to you!” I hiss, my voice low and deadly. “Listen to me,” I continue, “For your own sake, you better not be planning anything behind my back. Because if I find out you are betraying me–”
I lean in closer, my lips brushing his ear as I whisper the final threat. “The day I find out you are betraying me will be the day you die.”
I release him roughly, watching as he stumbles back, his breath ragged, his eyes wide with fear. He doesn’t move for a moment, too stunned to do anything but stand there, frozen in place like a deer caught in the headlights.
“Dismissed,” I growl and I watch as he scapers away like a pathetic dog
Though the suspicion still remains, his words do give me an itch.
Louisa knows I am looking for her
And yet she keeps defying me.
It is time for her to learn a lesson.
And what better way to get her attention than touching her beloved settlement.