Chapter 108: Fear in the Packhouse

Alex was always the one in charge.

Except for the rare occasions when Olivia was involved, he was always cool, calm, and collected. But right now? He was anything but that.

A sense of fear hung in the air, making the entire pack feel uneasy and scared. When the leader showed fear, the followers mirrored it. If Alex was scared—~this was worse than she had initially thought~.

Apart from the ~incident~ with Olivia, the pack had been peaceful. There had been some disputes, a few confrontations, but—mass murders? Maya couldn’t remember anything like that ever happening.

She had thought that the bloodshed that had occurred on their territory, in the packhouse—that would be the worst of it. But then they found the first massacre. And now a second one. It wasn’t a one-off incident anymore.

~She needed to find out more~. She needed to know what Alex thought about all this.

It would have been easier if he hadn’t shut her out of the room. He was preoccupied—otherwise, he would have known that she wouldn’t back down so easily. ~This was her concern too~. It was everyone’s concern, but—it somehow seemed to involve her mate.

~Bang! Bang!~

“ALEX, OPEN THE DOOR.”

~Bang! Bang!~

“I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE.”

~Bang! Bang!~

Alright, if making noise wouldn’t get his attention, she knew something that would. “Olivia is with Julian.”

~Tuck. Tuck. Tuck~. That did the trick. The door swung open and she could feel the anger radiating from him, making her instinctively step back. ~Alpha’s pissed~.

“What?”

“The sooner I get in there, the sooner I can get back to them.”

“Or I could send you back there right now. I could drag you there.”

“Alex—he won’t hurt her.”

“You don’t know him.”

“Well, I know he didn’t kill these people.”

~Okay~. That didn’t prove his innocence. He could be traveling with a pack that did this—and he had been a victim last time and they left him behind. She knew that. Maya was just hoping that Alex wouldn’t bring it up.

And surprisingly? He didn’t.

“He better behave,” he said, stepping aside to let her in.

~Alright~. That was strange. She could go with it, but it was strange.

Maya squeezed past Alex and entered the room. She quickly noticed that it was more crowded than she had expected. ~Not a good sign~. No sooner had she stepped in than Alex slammed the door shut behind her.

“Now that we’ve dealt with the interruption…” Alex started, glancing at Maya. “We can continue.”

~Or someone could fill her in~. But given Alex’s mood, this was probably all she was going to get. There was no point in pushing her luck any further. She had managed to get in, that was more than enough.

“Maya?”

Already? “Yes?”

“Julian ~can~ shift, right?”

She furrowed her brows. “Were we doubting that he’s a werewolf?” This was the first she was hearing about that.

“Just answer the question.”

“Yes. I’ve seen it with my own eyes, boss.”

“It’s still a possibility, but—he’s not the one.”

“Oh?”

That explained why he had let her in so easily, but it didn’t explain much else. How could he rule Julian out so quickly—especially considering how much he disliked him? Although, that could be due to her Alpha theory.

“It’s not the work of a werewolf.”

“We’ve decided that now?”

“We didn’t properly examine the body last time,” Jason chimed in. “We thought it was a fight that got out of hand… pack… territories… but twice. We examined the remains this time.”

“And what did you find?”

“I’ve heard… I’ve heard of something like this. A long, long time ago,” Alex said, his back to the group. “We’ve all heard about this.”

Jason was the first to react, laughter escaping him. “Alright—I know we said a wolf didn’t do this, but you can’t be serious.”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

“Can someone tell me what the hell we’re talking about?”

“Hunters, he’s talking about hunters,” Jason clarified.

“Hunters? What is this, the middle ages?”

She’d ~known~ about hunters, the human kind. But that was from a time long past. A time when werewolves weren’t as adept at concealing their true nature. Over the centuries, they’d learned to either assimilate or vanish.

In Maya’s lifetime, she’d never heard of a hunter taking down a werewolf. Or even of a hunter being active. It was all old wives’ tales, forgotten lore. Much like they themselves had become to humans. ~Why would Alex jump to that conclusion~?

“There was an incident—I was just a kid,” Alex started, his back to them.

Maya held her breath, her lips pressed together. ~He must be fucking joking~. They were—what, being hunted now? Just like that? Out of the blue? If there had been any suspicious activity in the area, they would have picked up on it. ~Any of the packs~ would have.

It was impossible that entire packs were being wiped out by a threat no one had detected. There had to be more to it than that.

“You saw one?”

He shook his head. “I heard about it. They left a mess behind.”

“A mess or a bloodbath? Leaving a bloodbath like this… not a smart way to continue killing packs. It’ll put everyone on high alert—make them more defensive. More likely to strike.”

Maya saw the muscles in his neck tighten. “I know that. Felt the same. From what I heard, from some of the bodies I saw…”

“How could it go unnoticed?”

“Maya?”

“What?”

Alex turned, taking a few steps towards her. Her instincts screamed at her to retreat, and she couldn’t ignore them. Her feet slid across the floor as she backed up, inching closer to the wall.

~She would be cornered~.

“Can you stop questioning me?”

It was phrased like a question, like a request, but they both knew it wasn’t. It was a command.

“It doesn’t add up.”

“I don’t need it to add up for you.” He leaned in. “What I need is for you to listen. I don’t know who your mate is, and I don’t think he’s involved in this, but I can’t completely rule him out.”

“You said—“

"I didn't think he was the one. I don't think he's the one doing the killing. That doesn't mean he's entirely innocent."

“What happened to the hunter the…” She let out a breath. “You think a werewolf is aiding a hunter?”

“I don’t fucking know anything Maya, that’s the issue.”

“Well if—and that’s a big if—if it’s a hunter and he has a werewolf accomplice—it’s not Julian.”

“Yeah, how do you know that? He told you?”

“It can’t be him, because he wouldn’t play second fiddle to anyone.”

~There~. She’d said it without actually saying it.

“He’s an Alpha?”

Suddenly, the room fell silent—eerily silent. Two alphas in a pack was never a good thing, especially when one was a stranger. And in this case, it was a stranger who didn’t know who he was or perhaps didn’t remember ~pack life~. It could spiral out of control.

It also meant something more for Maya. ~If ~he didn’t turn out to be a maniac… she would have to leave. She’d always known leaving could be a possibility but this made it all the more real.

"I think so. I—I can't put it into words, Alex. It's—I have this feeling."

“That would explain why you can’t stand him,” Jason chimed in.

“I trust you,” Alex said, stepping back and giving her some room to breathe. “But if he’s an Alpha, you won’t be enough.”

She pursed her lips. “What does that mean? A chaperone for the chaperone?”

“If he loses control, if he snaps, it might not be dangerous for you, but it’ll be dangerous for everyone else.”

“I can keep him in line.”

“No, you’re his mate. If he’s an Alpha… the moment he thinks you’re in danger… No. It’s not safe enough.”

Maya folded her arms across her chest. “So, what, someone is going to be shadowing us all the time?”

“It would be safer.”

“And you don’t think that’s going to drive him mad? Another male around me?”

Alex remained silent, looking at her as if the answer was self-evident.

“Using a girl is your plan?”

“It’s the safer option.”

She gestured around the room, her arms flapping in frustration. “You realize I didn’t sign up for any of this, right? I didn’t exactly jump at the chance to unearth my mate from a grave. Surrounded by corpses.”

"I’m aware."

“So why does it feel like I’m being punished?”

“You’re not.”

She scoffed in disbelief. “I’m trapped. I can’t go anywhere, I can’t do anything. I’m stuck with him ~constantly~. I have to suppress all my feelings because ~what if he’s a maniac?~ But sometimes, I think, so what? Does it even matter?”

The thought was chilling. It would creep into her mind during the quiet of the night. ~What if she didn’t care~? What if she didn’t care that he couldn’t remember a damn thing? What if she didn’t care about his past actions?

He didn't possess the memories. Even if he had been a maniac, he wasn't one now. The man before her was a blank canvas, capable of becoming anyone. And if he never regained his memories… what was she supposed to do? Ignore her mate indefinitely? Cast him aside and move on as if their paths had never crossed.

It was a difficult situation.

It ~hurt~.

So near, yet so far.

Alex placed his hands on her arms, grounding her and pulling her back to the present. “I understand, Maya. I really do.” He wasn’t being bossy, he wasn’t being a jerk. “I ~know~ it’s tough.”

His situation wasn’t identical, but he too had to endure and be patient. However, she never questioned that his story would have a happy ending. Olivia might have been lost, untangling years of manipulation, but there was no doubt ~they~ were both decent people. Maya’s situation was different.

“We’ll work it out, okay. I need you to stop being a thorn in my side for a bit, and let me look after you.”

She offered him a weak chuckle. “I don’t know, sounds like a lot of effort. Not sure I’m up for that.”

He let go of one of her arms and brushed her hair away from her face. “I believe in you. You used to be kind,” he added with a laugh.

Maya pursed her lips, giving him a nod. “Maybe I can manage that for a while.”

If she stopped—she might fall apart. It was ~fucking~ ridiculous and she knew it. Yet a part of her thought that if she didn't resist so fiercely, if she didn't push back, it might hit her. It wouldn't shatter her, but it would—~ugh~.

“Shall we return to your wild hunter theories?”

“You heard the boss,” he said playfully as he stepped back from her. “Back to work.”

This time, Maya hung back, listening more than contributing. A werewolf hunter sounded absurd and yet… ~perhaps~? If a wolf hadn’t done this, it had to be something strong, something formidable. Someone who knew all their vulnerabilities. They weren’t easy to defeat.

It might be worth investigating that angle with Julian—~alone~.