Ring out the old

The words were intricately engraved on a cracked piece of a neatly cut square wood. The detailed letters were covered with a glossy reddish-brown liquid, freshly dried blood. The smell was imperceptible as usual, but the colour indicated that it was still fresh.

The meaning behind the words was subtle just as the whiff of the metallic liquid. How was the culprit getting away with this unnoticed? I mean there had been pack members around the pack meeting grounds, yet none of them had seen anything bizarre.

'That is because it's one of us. ' My wolf pushed forward, I could feel him wiggling his tail eager to engage me in a conversation.

'What are you talking about? ' I questioned my innate wolf in my sub conscious but as a barrage of thoughts began to bombard my mind, I suddenly figured it out.

'Summon every damn warrior now! ' I barked out the order to Theo who stood beside me at the pack meeting grounds. I could feel my wolf begin to push, wanting to take over my body in an outrageous bloodlust.

The mere ideation of one of my pack members turning out to be a traitor let the Alpha wolf out. As my beast domineered my flesh and consciousness, my own was pushed to the farthest end. He wanted to find out who and why, his raw power would scare the culprit, no doubt about that.

I knew that my eyes had turned completely black, the beast consciousness was out to play. Soon he would take over my flesh and stand on his legs with his paws and daws planted powerfully on the ground beneath my feet.

'Alpha! ' Beta Jayson came jogging with Mateo the lead enforcer and Tyron closely behind him and the rest of the warriors. My wolf puffed out his chest in appreciation at the respect our Beta had displayed.

As they lined up before me and my inescapable scrutiny, my beast and I sent out potent prodigious Alpha aura that brought every single one of them on one knee. The extent of the Alpha waves of power in the atmosphere elicited awes from them. Their heads were bowed before me, with their eyes avoiding my beastly ones.

My beast and I meant business.

'A traitor liveth amongst us. ' Our thunderous voice resounded on the open area.

'Let it be known that the impostor has to be brought before me, whether alive or dead. ' Murmurs spread out amongst the men, majority itching to lay their hands on the mut who dared betray the pack and all it's members.

'Silence!' Our authoritative voice passed out an order, making every single warrior quiet down instantly.

'A traitor shall die by his own tongue, his own sense of taste will be his undoing. ' We recited the pack rule listening carefully for any spike in their heartbeats.

Then we heard it, a heart beat faster than the rest amongst the men that kneeled before me. He was here, the pulse said it all, a guilty person could hide behind his facade, but his heart would always be truthful.

The heart never lies

Tamara's mother had told me that as she lay on her death bed. As the poison consumed her spirit and flesh, her mouth uttered words of wisdom. The words had become handy now, like she said, the organ confirmed it all.

Present was he, a man so vile to betray his own family.

We tried singling out the heart beat, tried putting a face to it but my wolf and I failed to pinpoint it. Our focus was on point and yet this task proved itself difficult for our enhanced sense of hearing. We walked along the lines in front of them listening intently with unwavering focus.

'Arise. ' We willed my pheromones to relax, making the aura loosen up on my loyal warriors, except one of them. Which of course we were yet to identify.

'Why didn't you tell me that your parents were flying in today Ryker? ' My mates voice filled my head, breaking my focus.

'What? ' My wolf answered with a question of his own.

'Your mother is in the kitchen, making a meal to fatten my skinny body. Her words not mine. ' I swear I could imagine her rolling her eyes as she linked with me.

'They didn't inform me of their arrival, please keep them busy while I...'

'Ryker Daren Manoa get your ass down here before your father comes for you for failing to inform him that you found your mate. ' My mother's voice pushed forward, shouting in the mind link like a mad woman.

I cut of the mind link preventing any more lectures from my mother. I knew she would go on and on about every single detail I kept from them. She refused to accept that I had already become an adult, a responsible one at that.

The mind link had given whoever the hypocrite was ample time to get their cool back. True to my worries, the heart beats were all normal, their defense walls were up again.

'Damn it! ' I swore, pushing my beast back to his sub conscious dwelling. A chance was already lost and I didn't know when I would be that close to seizing the damned son of a bitch.

'I need information by sunset, no excuses. Everybody do your part to fish out the person responsible for all the fracas in the pack. ' With nods of their heads I left signalling Jayson to walk with me.

'Hey man, what was that all about? ' Jayson didn't know when to shut up. This best friend of mine never gave me a break. I wouldn't admit it to him but his mouthy personality always cheered me up. With all the alpha duties I sure needed this.

'Dude, your wolf was out in undeniable power. You never allow the beast to take over unless it's something pretty serious. You are my friend first before being my Alpha, what's the matter?'

I fished out the cracked wood from my cargo pants pocket, then gave it to him. He looked at it, tracing his index finger over every letter before giving it back to me. His lips were set in a thin line as he stared right ahead.

'This is all becoming annoying and serious. ' He uttered coldly, his voice taking a pretty grim tone.

'There is someone among the pack warriors Jayson. I am certain of it, there is an inside man. ' I didn't disclose the details of the heart beat. Not that I didn't trust him, I just needed to keep it to myself and my mate of course, for the time being. You could never tell who was listening and who was minding their own business.

'Is that why you summoned us all? but what if the person isn't even a warrior. What if...'

'Look Jay.' I cut him off.

'I am sure of this, but I still think that it's not one person. We have a better chance at this if the persons involved think that we only know of one. ' I explained more, or well tried to convince myself.

'I am not going to question your decisions, an alpha knows what's best for his people. ' Jayson chimed in, giving my back a playful pat.

'By the way, I heard that your uncle might have spoke ill towards your mate. ' He changed the subject.

'Lucky for him he was gone by the time I found out. Plus Tamara handled the matter well, that little witch is surely a true Luna. '

'You know something about him rubs me off the wrong way. Do you remember how the other day he budged in your office to ask about the very first bloodied paper? '

Now that he had reminded me, that wasn't necessary at all. For him to walk all the way from his place across the pack to my office? He could have mind linked his son, or me. Then as soon as I had answered him he just left. weird

'According to Mimi and the stories my parents told me about him, he kind of disappeared after the death of his mate and my grand parents. So I would like to think that he acts weird cause his other half perished. '

'Well, surviving after a mate's death was unheard of until he made it through. You're right, his mental state can't be completely okay. ' He backed me up, pocketing his hands in his leather jacket.

'So Alpha, now that your parents are back. '

'Hold on, how do you even know that they are back. I didn't even know! ' I explained, earning a sheepish look from him.

'Well I kind of forgot to tell you that they had told me to inform you. ' He rubbed the back of his neck meekly, suppressing a smile.

'Unbelievable. ' I muttered, a smile of my own forming.

'So do you know what their return means? ' He removed his hands from the pockets and began rubbing them.

'What? '

'Oh goddess! It means that the mating ceremony is around the corner. ' He suggestively uttered.

'Fuck me! ' I face palmed.

'I can't wait to see your game up on that podium. ' He taunted.

'Jayson. ' I warned.

'That is a chance for you to claim your woman before everyone eyes. ' He paused taking his time before he finally continued.

"Every Alpha's first born is conceived during the mating ceremony, including you my friend. Your mother conceived you on that day. There has never been a mistake."