Chapter 5

As I got out of my car, winds brushed past me violently. I looked up only to see the cloudy storm brewing in the sky. My mood was already dampened, but seeing this morning’s weather only added to my soreness. I exhaled deeply as I stared at the building before me. Crimson Clawers Pack House. The Alpha’s residence. I gulped before proceeding into the building. The atmosphere around the workers showed just how tense the situation was, and it scared me. None of them could greet me as usual, their countenances felt as if hell was going to be unleashed very soon. I went up the stairs leading to Alpha Bernard’s office. I took deep breaths before opening his door. I walked in to meet the head guard of the northern, southern, eastern, and western territory standing before Alpha Bernard’s desk. If I didn’t look closely, I wouldn’t have noticed their trembling status. We were in serious deep shit, no doubt.

Alpha Bernard, on the other hand, was by his window with his back facing us. He had on his usual brown suit jacket on a white shirt with its sleeves rolled up. On a normal day, I would have admired his sturdy frame in his clothes, but today was different. He took a sip of his bourbon and not a word left his mouth for minutes. I just stood in the middle, waiting to face his wrath.

“Today was supposed to be a joyous day, Craig,” he finally said. His back still faced us, but I knew the expression on his face would be terrifying. “By now, you should have been preparing to get married to your betrothed. Everyone should have been happy. But what happened instead?” he paused. “Mia ran out of the pack right under your nose. She broke the law. For over a century now, that law has been in place. That no pack member is allowed to leave the pack unless instructed to. But Mia disregarded it.” He paused to take another sip. “Her mother was a pain in the ass, and a part of me hoped her daughter would be different, but I guess I was wrong. And I can’t help but wonder why she did it?” he paused, and my body stiffened recalling what Mia had said to me. “But then again, all this wouldn’t have happened if my beta and my guards had chosen to do their work properly.” He growled as he slowly turned to us. His eyes were Alpha red, and I could see his canines hinting barely. Ever since I became Beta, I hadn’t seen his wolf eyes till today. His eyes stared deeply into mine that it felt like I was in a cage with a huge monster hungrily eyeing me. My heart thumped like crazy that I forgot how to breathe. Sweat crawled out of my forehead, and everything in my body told me to run. This was only a fraction of his power, and it was this scary.

He dropped his glass cup gently on his desk, his eyes still fixated at us.

“I deeply apologize for my negligence.”

“Shut up,” he growled, and my body stiffened instantly. I couldn’t even look him in the eye. “Is your apology going to account for your mistake?”

I gulped, my thoughts a mess. I didn’t even know what to say that would at least calm his anger, yet my lips moved on impulse.

“Indeed, Mia was staying at my place,” I started, not even sure of what I was saying. “But then she escaped in the middle of the night due to my negligence. I found out she was escaping through the eastern territory, but unfortunately, my guards and I couldn’t keep up with her. I was hoping the eastern territory guards would be there to stop her, but then I found out they weren’t by their post. By the time I crossed the border, Mia was already gone. I couldn’t trace her; it was like she vanished into thin air,” I finished, but he breathed heavily. I didn’t know if that was a good sign or not, but I dared not raise my head.

“Is that true?” he questioned in a deadly deep voice.

“I’m s-sorry,” Omega Simon stammered by my right.

“What did I say about apologies?”

“L-last night, my squad and I decided to spend the night at the pack bar. It was my birthday, and they wanted to celebrate. So we left our post since nobody usually tries to leave,” he explained, but Alpha Bernard suddenly grabbed his neck, raising him above the ground. My eyes widened in horror as the winds breezed past me. He was so fast that none of us knew when he came to our side.

“How dare you?” Alpha Bernard growled while Simon struggled to breathe.

“A-Alpha, plea—" he tried to beg, but the others and I remained like statues, consumed by our fears.

“Do you know the consequences of your actions?” the Alpha roared like a monster about to consume its prey. “Do you know the dangers this could bring to our Pack?” Simon grunted in his hold. Alpha Bernard smashed his back to the ground, causing the room to quake. Simon groaned in pain, unable to stand.

“You and your squad are hereby stripped off your positions and are sentenced to a hundred years imprisonment.” He declared. “Guards!” he yelled, and two hefty men sauntered inside. “Take this nuisance out of my sight.” They immediately obeyed, and I wondered if I was going to face the same fate as Simon.

Alpha Bernard returned to his desk, taking his glass of bourbon.

“I’m going to send the strike team to go after Mia…”

“Strike team?” I queried with twitching eyes. He frowned at me. “Please, I implore you to not send them. The strike team will eliminate her on the spot.”

“She is now a rogue, Craig.”

“She is my betrothed, Alpha.”

“So what are you implying? She broke the rules!”

“Please send me and the strike team.”

“You’ve never left this Pack before; you have no experience.”

“I know Mia better than anyone. She must have done this for a reason. Please send me along and I promise to bring her back to the pack.”

“Rogues are not allowed in Crimson Clawers.”

“Give her a second chance, Alpha Bernard…” I pleaded; he went mute for a while.

“The rest of you should leave,” he ordered the head guards, and they immediately obliged, almost running.

He rested his palms against the desk while his eyes returned back to their honey color. He sighed.

“I’m going to give you ten days to find her, Craig. If you fail, then you better be ready to be stripped of your position.”

My heart skipped a bit, but I nodded regardless.

I was about to leave when he spoke again.

“You said when she crossed the border, you couldn’t trace her. Do you know what that means?” he said while I gave him a knowing glance.

“Whatever encounter she had, it must have been something really dangerous. Be careful, Craig. Don’t die out there.”

I nodded before stepping out of his office. He was right. Whatever encounter Mia had last night was probably something I should steer clear from.