“The rogue they called Alpha wanted me, Riley.” She cut me off, and it took a while before her words sank in.
“What do you mean?” My jaw tightened as my eyes tried to read hers. Was she referring to Achilles?
“Mommy said we should shift and run. But before I could shift, I saw a big rogue wolf staring at me, and I felt like if I shifted, he’d jump at me. I was scared. Then he shifted to his human form. He was this big guy with a scar on his face.”
“Achilles…”
“Then the man with him said he would go after Ellie. But the scar-faced man said Ellie has no use because she’s marked. I’m not marked, Riley. I think he wanted me for himself.”
“Did you tell Trent?” My initial thought was to have Trent mark Bella right away to reduce the risk of her being targeted again.
“No. I don’t want him to think I only want his mark because I’m in danger.”
“Dammit, Bella, danger or not, I’m fucking sure your mate wants to mark you. And if he knows you’re in danger, he might even force-mark you. You can’t keep this from Trent. You need to tell him. Unless you don’t want to be marked.”
“I do. That’s why I was excited to be here, but now, maybe he won’t…”
“I know Trent. He will do everything to protect you. You need to tell him or I will.”
“He called me Alexa.”
“What?”
“Scarface called me Alexa. I told him I’m not Alexa but he said I would be now. I believe he either mistook me for someone else or wanted me to become Alexa. Or he has simply gone insane.”
Alexa.
I closed my eyes and turned around. My fingers went to massage my temples. I’ve heard this name before. Achilles lost his daughter and no one knew where she was. Now he wants Bella to be Alexa?
Alexa. Fuck!
The blonde rogue wolf who was with Aeon in my territory. The fucker took Alexa, and my mother had to pay the price.
After Bella left my office, all illusions that I would be able to rest, even for an hour, just went away. I am more agitated now.
Bella’s confession made me connect all the dots, and it all boiled down to one thing—Achilles needed his daughter for something. He had no idea where she was, so he was willing to abduct any unmarked, blonde female to take her place. And since he was not able to take Bella, I was sure he would be targeting another female again, unless he got his daughter back.
The moment the clock ticked six in the morning, I grabbed the phone receiver and dialed Aeon’s office direct number.
In three rings, his future Gamma answered the phone and told me the fucker had traveled early and was on his way here to personally send his condolences.
Following the call, I instructed the border to allow Alpha Aeon to enter the territory immediately after a thorough search of his vehicle and of anyone accompanying him. Instructions were also given that if he had a blond female with him, they should not be left alone to wander around my territory and must be escorted to the packhouse.
I would not be taking a risk. I wanted Alexa. The only way to get Achilles was to show him where Alexa was.
I went back to our bedroom and left a note for Nadia that I would be at the training gym this morning to let off steam, so she wouldn’t have to worry about me. I slipped into my training shorts and a shirt before heading to the gym.
I was already getting engrossed with boxing sandbags when the door of the gym opened and my Beta stepped in with Aeon.
I tightened the clothes I wrapped around my knuckles as my jaw clenched. It was taking a lot of me to control my wolf. Hunter was furious. And so was I.
I didn’t waste any time after they stopped in front of me and tightened my coiled fist before swinging it in Aeon’s direction, hitting him with my knuckles on his jaw.
He wasn’t expecting it. He staggered backward and almost fell, but my Beta was able to catch him before he hit the ground.
“Alpha!” Dominic exclaimed in surprise as he moved his body between us, making me halt from throwing another jab at Aeon.
The fucker was holding his jaw as he looked at me. His eyes were dilating in annoyance. “What the fuck was that for?”
