***Ryker***

'It will take more than a weak alpha to stop a powerful wizard. ' I pushed the words to the very back of my mind. I stood on the wooden raised podium at the pack's meeting ground. Normal activities went on as my eyes scanned around the place. Every damn second Theo didn't show up my wolf and I got enraged even more. I had mind linked him the minute I had stepped feet out of Jayson's place.

'Alpha! ' His overly sweet pretentious voice dripped with spite but I remained unfazed by it.

'You're late. ' My upper lip curved upwards.

'I'm sorry alpha, my back still has problems. Ever since I came back I ha....'

'Shut up! ' I couldn't stand his cock and bull story. I was the alpha and Theo and his acquaintances would serve as an example to the rest of the pack.

'A-lpha. ' He pleaded, his form beginning to shake as the pheromones flowed into the air. I watched him closely as the force brought him down on his knees. His head tilted to the side exposing his neck. Even though alpha blood ran in his veins, his wolf wasn't a match to mine. I was traditionally handed the alpha title, that clearly gave me dominance over his blood.

'Where were you when I mind linked you? ' My hands were now inside my pockets and so were the wooden darts. I circled him, my lips curving downwards in nothing but pure, unadulterated rancour. His relaxed demeanour made me realise he had no clue that I had seen him earlier.

'On the pack burial grounds. ' He answered with no fear whatsoever but his heart beat betrayed his tranquil comportment.

'I can hear your pulse Theo, you're lying. ' Cool as a cucumber, my voice gave away nothing as I stopped circling him.

'I swear Ryk..'

'I dare you to finish that statement. ' I grasped his chin with my thumb and index finger. The pressure was enough to hold the big man in place and my beast relished in it all. I was his cousin but the alpha above all. He was to address me as such, otherwise there would be hell to pay.

I heard my mate's scent even before I saw her. There wasn't a single soul around, they fled the moment I collectively ordered them through the pack's mind link to desert the place. I didn't look at her as she approached and stood beside me. I could feel her raw emotions calling unto my wolf and I.

I refused to let her distract me, her words had awoken a beast, an animal they had no choice but to embrace. 'I was at the pack burial grounds, alone. ' My mate dragged the word alone in between her teeth, and I swear I saw the corner of his mouth twitch in malignance.

'Yo--u must have missed me when the Alpha summoned me. ' His eyes remained cast on the ground as he attempted to fabricate another lie.

'Oh that's interesting because I was at Jayson's place before I came here. ' I paused to listen to his pulse as it skyrocketed to a point I thought he would get a heart attack. My admission seemed to sink deep because he fidgeted on his knees.

'Guess who I saw there peeking at the living room window? ' I let go of his chin and let out a loud laugh that left my upper abdomen hurting. His eyes widened a fraction, his reflection was indeed that of a guilty person. It was downright what I had expected from him once I had brought up my beta's place.

'I will ask one more time Theo, where the fuck were you? ' Low, minacious and demanding, we were done playing games.

'I told you I was at the burial grounds visiting my mother! ' He clenched his teeth, his nostrils flaring as I pushed him to his limit.

'How dare you lie to your alpha! ' I backhanded him, the force as my hand came into contact with his cheek making Tamara flinch. He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them, his mouth set in a grim line. His hands remained behind his back, his heartbeat however refused to slow down. With every millisecond that went by, the palpitations soared.

I could see Tamara's eyesight fixed on him from my peripheral view. Her presence alone reminded me of the words she had spewed at me earlier. Weak, the one person that was entirely supposed to be my anchor had blatantly insulted me. My wolf whined, feeling the pain our mate had forced us to go through.

'Theo, what time do you say you were at your mother's grave? ' She snapped me out of miserable thoughts. She was a wise woman and she knew if I continued questioning Theo, I would end up beating him up into submission, or worse, death.

'Before the alpha summoned me here, I swear I was at my mothers grave. ' He spoke lowly, a twitch on his upper lip showing just how much he wanted to tear us apart.

By now Tamara knew that he was at Jayson's place. Unlike me, she kept her cool observing him. 'Do you swear Theo that you were really where you claim you were? ' She asked in a sickly sweet voice, playing him for a fool.

'I swear on my life. ' He was a fucking dolt if he thought for one second that she would really believe in his stupid hoax.

'Oh if I do recall, that grave you speak of is beside my parent's, any reason I didn't see you beside me? ' She tsk tsked, smiling as a cold sweat began forming on Theo's forehead.

He gulped his saliva loudly ' You might have missed me when you went to Jayson's place. '

'And how did you know I was at Jayson's place? ' She raised her eyebrows, waiting for him to make another lie. I was still hurt by her words earlier, but I was enjoying the sarcastic questions she was frustrating my cousin with. He opened then closed his mouth repeatedly, nothing passing between his lips.

'Mmmh, Theo Theo Theo, now don't tell me you can't speak. ' I curled my mouth, faking sadness as my cousin mouth finally closed without uttering any word.

'You were at Jayson's place listening on our conversation for reasons unknown to me. ' I circled him, enjoying how his back tensed in fear.

I expected him to talk back at me, but he remained quiet, his pulse almost defeaning to my beast and my mate.

'You swore on your life Theo, do you know I could kill you now? But no, I won't, instead I want you to do something for me. ' He raised his eyes briefly, a little hope forming in those orbs. He gave me two nods, his eyes briefly looking at Tamara.

'Mind link your father and tell him I order him to come here. ' I couldn't get through to him no matter what, the link always felt like a wall whenever I mind linked him.

'I..I can't, my mind link doesn't get to him. ' He stammered the first part.

'Where is he? '

'I don't know. ' He mumbled after a sigh. '

'Okay, I'll find him myself, now onto the next part. ' I rubbed my hands together in anticipation. Tamara kept on looking at me, pleading through her glossy eyes for me to just do something. She was sorry, but I wouldn't forgive her easily.

'I want to know right now where you were when your father claimed you had been kidnapped. '

'But al...'

'No buts, we both know you were not taken by force by anyone and I want to know right now what exactly happened. ' I really didn't want to force the words out of him but if he refused to comply, then he left me no choice. I knew for a fact that he was working with his dad and possibly Addanc. Why else would he listen on our conversation? The kidnap story didn't make sense either and it happened to the exact time we had subdued Addanc. That was no coincidence, I knew better.

'It is the truth, when I passed out I awoke immured in a cabin. '

'You said there were masked men and a woman? Exactly how many men were there? ' I pressed, my wolf alert to capture any signs of deception.

'Two men, I didn't recognise their voices at all, but the woman, I still think to this date that it is someone I know. ' He sighed, running his hands up and down on his face.

'She was clad in black cargo pants, but the left side pocket was torn and a bandage on her right thumb. She had no scent on her, just like the men except smell of dirt. I could tell she hadn't taken a birth for days. ' He added drawing interest from me concerning this woman. Could she have been a member of my pack?

'Mmmh, and how exactly did you escape? ' Tamara moved forward, with her tiny arms crossed over on the upper part of her abdomen.

'This one morning after dishing out torture like they had been for days, one man and the woman left. My wolf and I in our frailed state knew it was a chance we couldn't afford to lose. He was quite muscular and even though I could take him, he had an advantage over me because of my state. All in all, when I begged him to release me for a long call, like the fool he was, he released me. ' He paused, his eyes fixed on one spot in space.

'I'm assuming you used the chains to your advantage? ' I knew my warriors, lethal, it was the only word that described them.

'Oh you know me alpha, I drained his life there and dragged myself back, careful not to get spotted by the other two. ' He seemed relaxed, contrary to how tense he had been when I first summoned him here.

'You did well, by the way you can arise. ' I evened my tone.

'What are you doing? ' Tamara pushed her words in my mind, face scrunched up in confusion. I ignored her question entirely and focused on the traitor in front of my eyes.

'Cousin, now that that issue is known to me, I will give you one more opportunity to come clean, about what you were doing peeking and listening, on our conversation back at your Beta's place. ' once again, he visibly tensed.

'But Alpha I alrea..'

'Make no mistake Theodore, the torture those kidnappers dished to you will be nothing compared to what I will do to you. Now talk...' My wolf was back to the surface, my hand in my pocket grasping the darts with strength enough to snap them into two.

'Ryker, you can't be possibly planning to do that to your own cousin...You..'

'Shut up Tamara, weren't you the one who called me weak? Now stay back and let me show you that I am a capable alpha. ' She visibly flinched and recoiled back.

'If he is working with the enemy, you are giving them what they want right now. He wouldn't hesitate on updating them about our state now. Then they would use that as an advantage and strike. Think about it Ryker please. I know I did wrong lashing out like that earlier, but I was scared of what would happen to our baby If Addanc found out.' This time round she pushed the words in my mind but I was having none of that.

'Theo, it's either you tell me what you were doing spying on us and who sent you, or...' I fished out the darts, and held them out in front of his face. 'I will lodge one of these near your spine.

'Now don't you worry, I will make sure the silver doesn't kill you, I will use just enough to kill your wolf. Imagine a werewolf without a wolf...Tsk tsk Theo you do not want that at all. ' The colour drained from his face, and fear set in.

'So what is it going to be, the truth or your wolf?