***Alpha Ryker***

My ears perceived her words clearly even though they had been whispered. My vision zeroed on her petite frame, wanting to confirm the mere truth of what she had just uttered.

However, her contrite expression rid off whatever ounce of uncertainty I had about her words. I wanted to ask her questions, I needed her to explain exactly how and when she started hearing my thoughts.

'I didn't mean to. ' She softly muttered.

Chuckling humorously, I pinched my nose between my thumb and index finger. ' You didn't mean to...you say. '

My nostrils flared at her blatant lie.' Then why the fuck did you wait till now to tell me? '

She shivered at the ascend on my voice scale. I wasn't vigilant of the change of my own testosterone until her body visibly shivered out of fear.

'I uuh...I only heard you back at the meadow for the first time, I swear. ' Her hardly audible voice filtered through my ears.

'Stop lying to me! Fucking stop it before I...' I stopped for a moment to recollect and rearrange my words. Was I really capable of striking her?

'You invaded the privacy of your Alpha, kept quiet about it and now you are justifying it? '

'I swear on my life Alpha Ryker, I didn't mean to. I couldn't control it, I was very much startled at first when I heard you. You said it yourself that I was jumpy...' She paused, her voice taking a desperate tone.

'Please believe me Alpha, I don't how or why I can hear what you are thinking. '

'Everyone knows not to believe anything that comes out of a witch's mouth, and that includes me. '

I wasn't about to let her innocent and angelic appearance fool me. ' You are no different from your traitorous parents Tamara. I bet they are putting you up to this from their graves. '

I watched her pertinent facial expression turn to one full of anguish. The mention of her parents had clearly altered something inside of her.

'I am going to ask you one last time, and this time I need a truthful answer. Otherwise, I will use you as am example before the entire pack. You will yearn for death in my hands. '

Her right knee came into contact with my tiled floor at the force of my Alpha aura. 'Please, I am telling you the truth. I would never invade your privacy like that. '

Her pleas were muffled and broken with her unshed tears. That alone, invoked some kind of mercy from inside. I wasn't one to show pity yet, her teary eyes calmed my rage in ways I found unexplainable.

'Do you know why you're hearing them, I mean my thoughts? '

'No, I..'

'Alpha! ' My beta barged in my office in hyperventilation.

'Jayson! how dare you barge in here without knocking ? ' I had warned him countless times to knock every time he wanted to come in.

'I'm sorry Alpha but you really want to hear this. '

'What? ' He turned to look at Tamara.

'Not when she is here, this is important. ' I understood his insecurities plus pack business was highly important.

'Get out! ' She stood up shakily on her feet but before she got out, she looked at me briefly. Her teary eyes stirred something in me.

'Beta Jayson, how is Janette? ' She turned to my friend, ignoring my order.

'Now that you asked about it, she has been asking for you nonstop ever since you visited that one time. ' Jayson explained, telling her that she had already been discharged.

I couldn't understand how she was doing it. I mean I had just yelled at her, kicked her out of my office and here she was asking about a young lady she had only met twice...Or maybe it was just ploy to fool me.

Satisfied with Jayson's answer, she turned to me briefly. Then she was out of my office but not before she shook her head at me.

'Okay what was going on before I came in? '

'Didn't you have an important message to table out? ' I ignored my beta's prying question. I knew I would tell him sooner or later, after all he was still my closest friend.

'The guards on duty at the main gate detected a weird smell around the area. '

'Okay, go on. ' I urged him.

'They tried pin pointing exactly where it came from but they couldn't. ' He paused.

'So how is this related to the search? '

'It happened around the time the piece of paper was discovered. '

'And at the same time Tamara detected the breach. '

So if these things happened simultaneously then there must be more than one person involved.

'What are your thoughts? '

'There must be something we are overlooking, anything. ' I answered my beta.

'So for now, we wait. If it's just a game we'll play it, if it's more than that we'll eventually know. ' My friend agreed with me by nodding.

'Oh and Ryker, can I call off the search now? '

I swear sometimes Jayson acted like a fool. 'You are my Beta, make the right decision dumb ass. '

'Why are you even insulting me? some people are just naturally slow. '

'See, you practically agreed that you are indeed slow. So where's the insult there? ' I enjoyed playing and bickering with him so much. I mean he was fun to talk to but also understanding and very keen on his duties.

'Are you expecting someone? ' Jay asked after a knock on my office door.

'Are you kidding me? My pack doesn't need appointments to see their leader. '

He just rolled his eyes at my words, a thing that he was literally addicted to doing every time he didn't agree with me.

'Come on in. ' I smiled at Jay's high pitched voice.

'This is not your office. ' I reprimanded.

'So? '

'Ah Ryker my boy! ' My uncle came in, shaking my hand in a strong grip before doing the same with Jayson.

'What brings you to my office Uncle Pete? '

'I heard about what happened earlier, any information on the matter? '

'You could have mind linked me Uncle, but anyway there's nothing yet to help us shed some light on the same. '

'Never mind anyway, I'll be on my way now. ' He was gone as soon as he had arrived.

Odd

'Is it me or wasn't that a little bit weird? ' Jayson asked as soon as the man had shut the door behind him.

'It was, I mean why wouldn't he just mind link me? Plus I'm sure his son Theo must have updated him. '

'Whatever, he's just being cautious I guess. ' I added after some seconds of silence.

Jayson had made himself comfortable on my office couch, smiling suggestively at me.

'Just ask. ' I figured he wanted to know about what had transpired earlier between Tamara and I.

'Oh you know I'm waiting for the details. ' He smirked at his words, rubbing his palms together out of sheer anticipation.

'Tamara can hear my thoughts Jay, I don't know how but she says she doesn't either. ' I watched as he stood from the black leather couch. He paced for a while, dipping his hands in his pockets.

'Can you hear hers? ' I wasn't expecting the question however I assured him that I couldn't.

'You know that I can hear my mates thoughts and feel her emotions right?' What the fuck was he on about.

'Of course I know that, you're mated after all. But what has that got to do with Tamara and I? '

'I need you to tell me the truth Ryker. ' Jayson only used my name when he was about to delve into a serious issue or when he was feeling quite playful.

This was a serious issue.

'Okay, ask away Jay. '

'How do you feel when you're around that witch, and don't think for one second that I haven't noticed how you look at her. People are beginning to talk about your relationship with the witch. '

This was my friend and if there was someone I could talk to about the conflict within me and my wolf, then he was the right person to go to. I would have talked to dad and mum instead, but they were away in Europe, enjoying their freedom from their park duties.

'I get constantly aroused, hell remember that day back at the forest when I found her trying to save Janette? ' He simply nodded.

'I got insanely mad, why do you think I shifted to my wolf? I could have killed Jax in my human form, but my wolf had this pure want to protect Tamara from the man.

He was practically salivating for his blood, he wanted to tear him into pieces for daring to attack the little Witch.

He was scared for her life, scared to lose her.

And it fucking confused the hell out of me Jayson, it still does. I couldn't control my animalistic side as he transformed mid air attacking Jax in an instant.

We enjoyed dishing out torture to him, every second of it and most of all, we liked saving that little witch. '

By the time I finished ranting to my beta the true happenings of that day, he stood transfixed to the ground. His expression was unreadable for a while, that is before his face broke in to a smile.

'Alpha, I think you just found your mate. '