FATED TO ALPHA HUNTER BY VENNEH LISAH

𝗛𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥'𝗦 𝗣𝗢𝗩:

Ania was in a strange mood as we traveled to her old pack. She was nervous, although she wouldn't admit it. I was kind of glad to get out of the pack house with her. At least she would be safe with me. Or so I hoped. I hoped that bringing her back to that place wouldn't dredge up unwanted memories for her or haunt her. She knew I was keeping things from her, but I was only doing it to protect her, even if some of it was for selfish reasons. Ben had blurted that out.

"Are you worried about returning there?" I asked her, but she shook her head, which only confirmed my original thoughts.

"What are you worried about, then?" I asked.

"Everything," she murmured. I could feel the weight and pressure on her. She had been thrust into a world she knew nothing about. Laws, kingdoms, and her own family history were a mystery to her. But most of all, she was curious to know who she was, and as determined as I was to keep it from her, I knew she also needed to know. So I decided I would start teaching her to use her vae-wolf's voice, even if it meant hers would one day overthrow mine.

As we got closer, I felt her nervousness and anxiety worsen. The overwhelming urge to comfort her grew stronger. I wanted to touch her, put her mind at ease, and let her know she was safe with me.

"Come here." I couldn't stop the edge of a growl escaping me. She turned her head to look at me, pulling her attention away from the window.

"Do you want to put me to sleep?" she asked. I shook my head. "No, love. Far from that. I want to help you relax. I can feel your nervousness, remember?" I said, unclipping my seatbelt before moving toward her. I slid onto the seat beside her, undid her seatbelt, looped my arm around her waist, and pulled her onto my lap. She melted, making me chuckle.

My hand snuck under her shirt to rest on her lower belly. The slightest bump fit in the palm of my hand. It was amazing how fast our baby bump had grown. She sighed and relaxed against me as I caressed it. I couldn't wait to watch her belly grow with our child, to see what sort of mother she would be. I wanted a big family and wondered whether she shared the same thoughts.

Her scent was like a balm, soothing yet teasing, making my mouth water. She smelled sweet, of cherry and vanilla. I couldn't explain the strange urges her scent enticed. I had never liked sweets, but her scent was addictive and inviting. She smelled delicious.

I couldn't help the purr that slipped out and vibrated against her back. My calling worked every time, and I loved how she melted under it. At least that was one thing I would always have, that she couldn't resist. I buried my face in the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply, grateful that we could finally spend some time together away from everything. For once, we had exciting conversations, laughing at our own jokes and reminiscing about our pasts and present, kissing and teasing in between our talks. It was pure bliss.

However, it was short-lived when I heard the screech of tires and the car slowed down. I growled, peering out my window, and Ania scrambled off my lap. An angered growl escaped me as the car came to an abrupt stop. We were parked by the side of the road, just outside the pack borders, and men surrounded the vehicle.

I heard Joe snarling as he got out of the car and began talking to a group of men whose scent was a mix of humans and a few werewolves. They were trying to refuse our entry. As I reached for the door handle, I tossed it open and climbed out. There were six werewolves arguing with Joe about the lack of announcement of our arrival. My aura slipped out as I stared at the man with his gun pointed at Joe's chest. Joe snarled back, unflinching and daring the man to pull the trigger. "Any issue?" I asked, shutting the door behind me. The other men were smart enough to back up, but one sniffed the air, and I could tell he was the Beta. His scent was stronger than the others.

"Let us through, or I will let these humans know that they are working with werewolves. As you can see, we have no business with you. We just want to go into the pack that I thought was 'ghosted.' Apparently not!" I told the man through the mind-link as I came up behind Joe. His mud brown eyes flicked to me over Joe's shoulder, and he swallowed. The other five had scampered off, leaving the Beta to fend for himself when they realized they were dealing with a Lycan, vampires, and a vae-wolf - not just random werewolves with no authority.

The man glanced around, his brown hair blowing in his face when he realized his pack members had abandoned him, except for the humans.

"No issue. I didn't see you," he stammered. "But our scents should have told you that I am a lycan." Joe flooded the mind-link. "Is everything okay? Why are you all quiet?" One human asked, and the werewolf spoke to him in a different language I didn't understand, but I was keen to listen to his heartbeat and pulse difference. If there were any, we would have to fight to keep my Luna safe.

"What brings you to this pack?" the man asked.

"Are you holding a gun on a Lycan's chest?" I asked the man, and he lowered the gun. "We are lycans. We can go anywhere we want, but the first stop is the pack house," I answered.

"I am sorry. I am just following protocol," the man stammered. Joe glanced at me.

"You tell your boss we are coming through, do you hear me? I don't care for the explanation you are going to give him. Okay?" I asked. The man nodded his head, and all this while, his head was on some papers we had given him. Anyone else could think he was going through the papers as we mind-linked.

I slid across the seat, muttering to myself. My temper rippled just like my aura. "What's wrong?" Ania asked me. "Just border controls. I think your pack has been occupied. You might find your former pack house occupied too, so brace yourself," I answered.

She nodded, and we started moving again as she told us the route. The further we got into the town that was in the middle of nowhere, the more anxious Ania became. It made me second guess myself if I had made the right decision tagging her with us on that trip.

"What are you thinking about right now?" I asked her. She rubbed her belly absentmindedly, and I tried not to smile at how she cradled the slight bump in her hand.

"I'm just wondering if there is anyone I know who might still be alive," she said.

"Do you really want to go back there, thinking they might recognize you?" I asked, a little shocked. She shrugged, chewing on her fingernail and looking unsure.

"I think I do, but I also think it would be unfair if, when I called for help on the day my parents were murdered, someone was there and didn't come out to help me," she finally answered.

"If you're not ready, we can turn around and leave," I told her.

"No, let me get over this once and for all," Ania firmly said.

"Okay. And once we're done, we'll go home and forget about this place, right, my love?" I asked, pecking her lips. She nodded, her eyes becoming a little glassy. I knew she was scared of going back to that place that held so many bad memories for her. I felt the same way every time I visited Augustus Kingdom.

It took another ten minutes before we pulled up in front of the Pack house. Two men were standing on the porch, waiting for us. I instantly recognized them as the new alpha and his gamma. The men at the border must have informed them of our presence.

However, when Ania glanced out her window and looked at them, her mood shifted through the bond. Her eyes burned brighter, flickering and almost glowing. Her jaw clenched as she glared past me and out the window.

"What's wrong?" I asked her through the mind-link.

"That was my former school principal," Ania's tone was harsh when she spoke. "His aura tells me he's now the alpha. Could it be that he killed my parents?"

"Do not do anything irrational. We will soon find out. Wait in the car until I ask you to come out," I told her. She nodded, and I cupped her hands into mine, kissing it before opening my door.

I was surprised when I heard her door open the moment I climbed out. The convoy of cars also pulled up, and my men jumped out to secure the perimeter. Ben jumped out of the front passenger seat with Kim, and Kim shut her door while Ben moved behind her. Joe glanced at me, but I shrugged, wondering why she suddenly wanted to come inside. Her mood had changed so swiftly I struggled to decipher the strange mood she was in, but seeing the Alpha had awakened something within her.

The Alpha descended the steps and extended his hand towards me, while Ania walked around the car to my side.

"What a pleasant surprise. My name is Alpha Erick," he said, his eyes glinting as he turned his gaze towards Ania, causing the Gamma to pause and stare at her. It took me a moment to realize that they had stopped because of her magnificent aura, which was so strong and commanding. Ania came to stand beside me, and Alpha Erick's hand trembled as he offered it to her. Joe huffed when she did not take it and instead stared at it as if it were diseased.

"Lovely to see you again, Ania. We thought you were dead, and we mourned you for days when we didn't recover your body," he said warily, glancing at me. Ania waved his hand away, and I did not know where this sudden confidence had come from, but I enjoyed seeing the power she was using.

"That's Luna Ania Hunter to you, Alpha. Now move," she said, pushing past them and walking up the steps. They gaped at her, and Kim rushed ahead of her to open the front door. I had no idea what was happening with her, but I was willing to go along with it to see what else she would do. Alpha Erick stumbled after her, offering her coffee or tea, but she ignored him. When she stepped into the foyer, she snarled at them.

"No, I don't trust you! And we're not here to chat. We're here to..." she said, glancing at me. My eyes glazed over, and I mind-linked her.

"We're here to look for all your files, including your place of birth, the hospital where you were born, or if not, how you came to be in this pack. We're also going to go through their archives," I told her through the mindlink.

If she wanted to handle this, I would let her, because I didn't think she realized what she was doing. I liked seeing the sudden fear on their faces that she invoked by using her aura. She told them what she was looking for, speaking clearly and confidently. I knew we would not be denied access, as vae-wolves were at the top of the food chain.

"We don't keep such files, An- My Luna," Alpha Erick corrected himself. Ania raised an eyebrow at him, and I could see Ben smiling behind her as he leaned down to whisper something to her. She glanced at him briefly.

I was shocked that they had the audacity to lie, especially since I knew that the archives were kept in basements most pack houses were built similar .

"Your archives are kept in the basement, and you should have reports on every person, past and present, that has ever crossed your borders, especially everyone who has lived in the pack house. If not, that is an infringement on your behalf, and if you refuse to let me access them, that is punishable," she said, looking directly at me.

"You are right, my Luna. We are still at the top, and no one should deny you anything you wish for," I answered.

"So, which is it? You don't have the archives I requested, or you don't want to hand them over? Either way, Alpha Erick, you seem to be in direct violation of Lycan vae-wolf law, and your next answer will determine the severity of your punishment," she said, staring at both Alpha Erick and his gamma. I had no doubt that Ben was feeding her laws through the mind link. Alpha Erick stumbled over himself to answer.

"What we meant is that we haven't dug them out. We weren't aware of your arrival, vae-wolf Alpha. If you come back in a few days, we could have them ready," Alpha Erick answered her. "If we wanted the files tomorrow or some other day, we wouldn't have come today," Ania stated. I was already proud of my Luna. She was handling herself perfectly well.

"If you could take us in the direction of your basement, that would be very helpful," she said. Alpha Erick glanced at me, seeing that I was quiet. He motioned down the hall, looking very ticked off that he was being ordered around by her.

Ania followed them up the stairs and down the corridor before stopping at the door next to the steps. Alpha Erick opened the door and looked at me.

"May we ask what you're looking for exactly? Most of the files down here are outdated and have nothing of use to anybody," he asked. Joe answered, "She already told you. So if you would step aside."

"We can show you down. It will be easier if we help, and..." Ania growled, and her aura had him pressing against the wall.

"You heard my Beta. Now step aside, Alpha Erick," she sneered, glaring at him and daring him to speak against her. He swallowed, and the charged air around her was so thick and angry that I fought to remain where I was. Now that's my Devonshire princess! The Alpha quickly stepped away from her, and Kim went down first to check the place before signaling that it was clear.

Ania looked at me and opened the mind-link again. I knew she was waiting for permission, so I said, "Go on. If you want to take over, I won't stop you." She quickly stepped inside and started descending down the steps. As I strolled past alpha Erick, he stopped me.

"Are we in trouble, my vae-wolf alpha?" he asked.

"That's for her to decide, depending on where you were on the day of her parents' murder," I told him before following after my mate. His heart was beating like it could rupture. It was clear that he was the one who killed Ania's parents. I hugged my mate from behind, running my nose on her cheek and placing my hands on her hips. I wondered if I should tell her or leave her to find out for herself.