Chapter 3 The Rogue Alpha

Chapter 3: The Rogue Alpha

"Vincent Blackwell," he spat, his voice low and full of anger. "You believe you have triumphed, don't you?"

I moved nearer, my eyes narrowing. Rogue, you are not in a position to be speaking.

Kailyn stood next to me, her posture firm and her presence forceful. Tell us who you work for; we could let you walk out of here.

The laugh of the rogue Alpha sounded hollow, evil. You believe you can shatter me? You have no idea what you are up against here. The Alpha Kings... they will not give up. You all will not.

For a brief moment, I felt Kailyn's fingertips brush across mine, an unintentional touch that sent a wave of fire through me. She didn't see me. Did not need to. Though I could sense her doubt-the same doubt that gnawed at me-her strength was sufficient. How long could we sustain this alliance? How long could we keep pretending all was okay?

"No more playing around." Kailyn's voice was harsh as she moved forward, right in the rogue's face. Who is responsible for this?

The renegade Alpha's eyes danced with something, perhaps anxiety. You are not prepared for this. You believe the Seven Alpha Kings-the conspiracy-are the ones in charge? You have no idea what lies ahead.

The weight of his words soaking in made me step back. Alpha Kings? What did they actually want? This was not only a random assault. This was coordinated. Whoever was behind it had power I could not even begin to grasp.

I turned to Kailyn. Her mouth tight, her thoughts obviously racing, she was looking at the renegade.

I remarked, moving closer to the rogue, "You're wasting our time." You will inform us all about this.

The rogue Alpha, however, only laughed once more, the sound cold. You will come to rue this. They're already plotting something far worse than you imagine.

We lost no time. We left the rogue Alpha in his cell, the things he'd shouted lingering in the air like smoke, and I signalled for the guards to tighten the chains.

What do you believe he was trying to say? Kailyn enquired softly but forcefully as we moved down the stronghold hallways.

I exhaled a breath I hadn't realised I was holding. I have no idea, then. But whatever it is, it isn't good.

We arrived to the war room, where the tension was palpable enough to cut. Laid out before us was the city map, various territories indicated in red ink. The rogue wolves were one thing, but what about this? This was not the same.

Kailyn's eyes were glued to the map, her brain obviously processing the riddle. "We've been too concentrated on the present danger," she remarked. The rogues were only a distraction. Whoever is controlling us wants to watch us rip one another apart.

My fingers pounding on the table's edge signalled slow agreement. We have to identify who is behind this. Alpha Kings? Anyone else out there?

Kailyn grumbled, still looking over the chart, "There's more at work here than just territory." Power is what counts. Command. We have been unwittingly playing into their game, feeding into it.

It was undeniable. Every action we took had benefited those controlling us.

A guard came into the room then, breathless. "Sir, the rogue Alpha... he's speaking once more."

Before I nodded, my heart racing, we traded a look. We required solutions if we were to grasp the actual extent of what was before us. The key was the errant Alpha.

Back in the basement, I could sense Kailyn's stare on me; her presence's weight made everything more complex. But I had no time for that at the moment.

Though his eyes were wide with something fresh-urgency, perhaps fear-the rogue Alpha sat slumped against the wall. Earlier, he had mentioned something. Something concerning the Alpha Kings. I had to hear it once more.

The guard remarked, "He's ready to talk," and I moved up.

Looking up at us, the rogue Alpha's lips twisted into a nasty grimace. You believe you are prepared to face the truth?

I did not hesitate. "Speak to us."

He darkly chuckled. The Alpha Kings have a scheme. But you won't enjoy it. Someone in your circle is working with them. Someone you believe in. Someone you believe supports you.

I stopped, my heart racing in my chest. "Who?"

"Ezra Wolff," the rogue Alpha murmured, his grin expanding. It's already too late. The actual battle is about to start.

Rogue Alpha's remarks made the room seem to be closing in on me. Ezra Wolff My reliable second in command. The man who had battled with me for years. The guy I believed I could count on.

Ezra Kailyn's voice was a harsh, incredulous whisper. You certain?

The renegade Alpha's eyes sparkled with wicked pleasure as he nodded. "Oh, I'm certain." He's already deep in with the Alpha Kings. The issue is how far you would go to stop him.

I was speechless. The news's weight was suffocating me as it slammed on my chest. Ezra had been in my rucksack for such long time. He was family, not only a friend. I had given him everything.

Ezra would not... I began, but the words faded away. Part of me was already asking, what if he had?, hence I couldn't complete the statement.

Kailyn touched my arm, grounding me in the present. We cannot afford to second-guess this. Should Ezra be treasonous, we must move quickly.

I agreed, the uncertainty roiling in my heart. How much had gone by? What else had been right beneath my nose? More crucially, what would result from our confrontation with Ezra?

A soldier stormed into the room before I could express my ideas. Sir, we have news. Ezra's gone missing. Every indication is of treason.

Flipping through vintage records, Kailyn stood behind the bookshelves. In the otherwise quiet room, the flick of paper was the only sound. Her movement, so deliberate and so controlled, brought back memories of when we used to work side by side, back when we were on the same team. But what about now? Everything now seemed broken.

"Nothing," she said tersely, exasperated. We're lacking something. I can sense it.

Watching her, I rested against the doorframe. Her fingers running over the edges of the pages, gaze focused, reminded me of how we used to be, partners. We were still partners now, but I couldn't help noticing a difference between us. She would not let me forget.

Pushing off the doorframe, I remarked, "Maybe we're not looking in the correct spot." What if Ezra was aware we would search for something?

Kailyn tilted her head to face me, her eyes sparkling with intensity. You believe he's been using us all along?

I said nothing. I was unable to. The idea of Ezra betraying us, of being involved in something far larger, was more than I could handle. Ezra had been beside me through all, and now I was meant to think he was cooperating with the Alpha Kings? It was illogical.

Kailyn's hand just then stopped on the back of a dusty book, her fingers grazing something buried below. From a hefty, leather-bound binder she drew I gasped. Unlike the other papers strewn about the room. This was unique.

Opening it cautiously, she broke the quiet with the binding's groan. Inside were maps, thorough maps of our country highlighted with red ink. I leaned closer to examine the lines and circles placed around important sites. Then I noticed it. One name. One I had not anticipated.

"The Alpha Kings," Kailyn murmured quietly, as though the words themselves were hazardous.

I felt my heart race. This is?

"It's a plan," she remarked, her voice strained under the burden of the finding. It's larger than only rogue wolves.

Scanning the folder I took from her hands. The plots were more complex than I could have anticipated. Everything was being controlled by the Alpha Kings: our packs, our lands. What about Ezra? He had been planning everything from the inside out.

But the paper ended suddenly, as though it had been ripped in half. There was a void, something lacking.

"There's more," Kailyn murmured, her eyes eagerly scanning the pages. The rest of this what happened to?

The Alpha Kings were closing in on us, and with every time we squandered, we got closer to a conflict none of us could survive. Every action I took, however, seemed like walking on a knife's edge. Ezra's vanishing was one thing; this? This was more significant. Now there was more at stake than my pack or Kailyn's.

Kailyn remarked, her voice hard with resolve, "We have to discover who is behind this." We have to prevent them before it is too late.

I nodded, my brain racing. I understood what we had to do, but the question was, could we trust anyone left now? Every ally we had trusted, every individual we had worked with, could be part of this plot. Ezra, then? The very idea that he had betrayed us was like a stomach punch.

Walking the stronghold hallways, we saw lengthy shadows across the stone walls from the flickering lanterns. The quiet seemed suffocating, as though the whole building was holding its breath waiting for anything to occur. I looked at Kailyn next to me; her expression was determined and her posture as tight as always. But I could see the uncertainty in her eyes. It was there, barely under the surface.

"We'll find him," I murmured, my voice low, nearly a vow.

Kailyn said nothing, but I knew she was thinking the same. We were in this together. Whatever occurred, we would see it through. But that did not imply I was not terrified.

Out of nowhere, the harsh vibration of my phone in my pocket broke the quiet. Eyes scanning the screen, I drew it out. It came from my second-in-command.

Sir, Ezra has been located. But he is not alone himself. They're heading directly into a trap, too.

My heart pounded against my ribs. This was all. Ezra was still out there, and whatever game he was playing was about to come to a violent conclusion.

Kailyn said, her voice just above a whisper, "We're out of time." We have to go. Right now.