The Alpha's Guardian

Wade POV

Corbin doesn't move other than to breathe while we wait for Ali to re-emerge from the hallway with Samuel, hopefully with him a little more in check. If Samuel doesn't keep his cool, he will scare Corbin away. Then all the tedious planning I have undergone with Samuel and the committee will go down the drain.

I intended to tell Ali last night what the plan was, hell I intended to tell her quite a few things. But between Francis needing me and the annoying check-ins from Samuel, I didn't get the chance to squeeze any real-time in with her that would have been appropriate for sharing.

Then again, when exactly is the best time to bring up the time she was going behind my back meeting with the rogue king? Or how the meeting she set up is actually a ruse to get him here so he can be captured and questioned.

There are too many missing alphas for this issue to be just about trusting her and her instincts. My instincts are telling me she isn't keeping me in the loop. And maybe it's petty, or maybe I'm jealous. I don't know, but for some reason, I kept this information to myself.

The door creaks open as Ali and Samuel enter again and take back up their spots. Ali seems pale and visibly shaken as she stares off into space. I lower my emotional guard to see if she needs me or if her barrier is down. I find the usual stone wall and my stomach churns. She isn't often shaken like this. In fact, I have only ever seen it when it relates to her supposed mate bond with Liam, which I already know to be a farce since she is my mate.

"So tell me, Corbin," Samuel says, his voice full of venom. "What is your vision for the werewolf community, hmm?"

"Equality." He says as if it's that simple.

Samuel scoffs.

"We already have equality."

"I want the elimination of the lower ranks. Omegas should be treated as the pack members they are."

I look at Corbin, shocked. Maybe his point of view isn't as far off base as Samuel has been continually trying to convince me. I watch Samuel roll his eyes and it takes an immense amount of effort not to slap the smugness off of him. I know that Samuel and Ali have some special connection, especially since he is the one who saved her when she was a child. But holy hell is he a pompous a*****e. He and Liam are two peas in a pod, that's for sure.

"That is something I have been working hard for here in our pack. We had a mild misstep when our pack was poisoned, but we are back on track and the transition has been easy."

"It works in your pack Alpha Wade because it is tiny and easy to control," Samuel says, still staring directly at Corbin. "The other alphas don't want that."

"Taking away someone's wolf is wrong. Especially for a crime that isn't theirs." Corbin says through gritted teeth.

Ali freezes and slides a glance at Samuel, who looks intensely at Corbin.

"That doesn't happen. Criminals face their own crimes."

"What about Aliauna?" Corbin asks, a glint of mischief in his eyes.

Silence fills the room and then suddenly the office doors burst open as Liam and three of his warriors walk in and lunge for Corbin. Ali jumps up and flies to his aid, kicking one warrior in the inner knee, the crack of his bones echoing through the office as he wails in pain. She gracefully spins and tosses a throat punch at the other, who goes down with guttural noises.

"Ali, enough," Samuel says, exhausted.

"I gave my word he would not be harmed, Samuel. You swore this was a neutral space," she says, staying in her position in front of Corbin.

Samuel stands and straightens his button up top before sighing and looking directly at Ali.

"I lied."

"You lied to me?" Ali says. Her voice quivers slightly, but her body stays in place and her face in a hard line.

"Oh please, he is a murderer and a dangerous man," he says, throwing his hands up in exacerbation.NôvelDrama.Org holds this content.

"I can not stand down from my word, Samuel. You know that." She retorts.

"Ali-bee," Corbin says his eyes are soft and sad. "It's ok, the moment I saw who it was I knew the outcome. As long as you, believe me, everything will be fine."

His words echo in my mind, Ali-bee. He knows her well enough to have a nickname for her. Jealousy rolls through me in a violent force but I'm stayed by Samuel, who laughs like a sick maniac.

"I remember you now. Corbin Fletcher." Samuel saunters over to Corbin, who is being forcefully restrained.

Samuel tosses a punch and it lands on Corbin's stomach with a dull thud. Ali bites her lip and her barriers fall and I can feel her worry and inner conflict. Her allegiance for Samuel and her desire to protect Corbin. Then it hits me like the first drop of rain in a thunderstorm. I recognize the last name. Fletcher. Aliauna Flecther. Corbin Flecther.

"You're the pathetic little wolf who killed my mate and ran away. You are the reason your brother- and sister-in-law are dead. He is the reason Ali is an Omega." Samuel chuckles, turning to tell me.

"Ali knows the truth, Samuel. There is no need for pretenses." Corbin says, again sounding eerily calm.

"And why would she believe you?"

"Because she is my niece."

"And I'm the man who saved her and raised her," Samuel shouts.

My eyes shoot at Ali, who refuses to look at me. I look around and see that Liam appears as shocked as I am and I can't help but find comfort in that. The feeling of betrayal crawls up my neck as goosebumps and settles in the base of my thoughts.

She betrayed me. She was not only going behind my back, but she didn't tell me her relation, which she clearly knew. And if he is her relative, and he has done unspeakable things to my pack... does that make her my enemy now, too? My stomach rolls at the thought, and I have to close my eyes to regain my composure.

"Alpha Wade," Liam says, "Do you have the dungeon ready for him for questioning."

I can feel her eyes on me and then I batten down the hatches in my mind, waiting for the tidal wave of emotions in retaliation. But it never comes. I meet her gaze and what I see is worse than the emotions I know she is hiding from me.

I betrayed her just as she did to me. And in place of the love I was seeing every day, I now see stark disappointment, and it's the worst feeling I have ever experienced. I clear my throat and focus on my pack and the vengeance I will finally get when questioning Corbin.

"Yes. Kane is out front waiting to take you there." I say, now afraid to look at Ali.

"I will help escort him," Samuel says.

Ali moves for the door, and Samuel turns facing her in fury.

"You will sit and wait for further instructions, Guardian. We have a serious conversation ahead of us." He points in her face and Ali bows her head in defeat, taking a seat.

The room floods with silence and palpable tension. Ali refuses to look at me as I stare directly at her, begging her with my eyes to be the first to say something. When she says nothing, I move over to her and sit down.

"You lied to me. Again." I whisper, fully aware of just how pathetic I sound.

"And you to me. So we are even." She says, still refusing to look my way.

"Ali, why didn't you just tell me?"

"Where do you believe my allegiance lies currently, Alpha Wade?" she asks, turning her heated gaze to me.

I want to shrink away, run from the burn of her stare, but I'm pinned to my seat by the anger and hurt I see there. I think about her question for a moment. And regrettably, I can't give her the answer I know she wants. Because I have witnessed where her allegiance lies. And it lies with her family. The man who has actively killed so many people, my pack members included. No matter his change of heart, I will always have a score to settle with him.