115
AUTHOR'S POV
“Alpha,” a voice called out from the door, asking for permission to enter.
“Come in,” Diego's head snapped up to the door, commanding. His voice had a slight tremble, unable to hide his anticipation.
Following his order, the figure of Enzo walked in. “Tell me you at least found something good.”
Diego wasn't one and had never been one to give up. He didn't care if Leon disagreed or if it was against the law.
He'd take what he wanted however he pleased.
After leaving empty-handed, such an incident was a shame—a blot on his pristine record.
Because of this, he couldn't see Sofia. He closed himself in his office, and in there, he hatched a plan. Since he couldn't get Emily peacefully, then he'd just snatch her away. Swiftly, he sent his trusted beta to draft out the map of the pack.
From the sources they had, it was a meticulous, tasking job, but his beta completed the work.
Just as Diego was imagining the scene and Leon's panicked expression changing to frustration when he found out the truth, Should I leave behind a paper? he contemplated. That seemed alright. So what will I write in it?
He noticed the hesitant expression his beta sported on his face, his eyes darting to and away from him, his lips opening and closing.
“Do you have a problem with your lips, Enzo?” That sight always seemed to irk him. If you have something to say, say it. If not, seal them.
Bowing his head, Enzo said, “No, Alpha. I just heard some news. I'm… not sure—I haven't confirmed it yet, but the person who told me is reliable.”
Diego leaned backward. “Okay? Spit it out already,” he snapped, my patience wearing thin from his antics.
“It's about Sofia.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What about her?” Diego prompted him to continue. Outwardly, he seemed unbothered, but only he knew how much he reacted just at her name.
He steadied his chair, staring at Enzo with squinted eyes.
Seeing he finally got the full focus of his Alpha, Enzo straightened his back, but his eyes were still looking at the floor.
“Alpha, I heard that Sofia went out of the pack dressed with Alex.”
Alarmed, Diego shot out of his chair, grasping onto the table, his muscles straining against the pressure. “Why was she let out of the pack grounds, and why wasn't I informed of this?” he bellowed. His voice echoed through the room, his aura surged—a display of raw power.
And bearing the weight of it, the beta wasn't looking good. His face turned pale, a sheen of sweat coating his forehead. “You expressly stated that she should be given freedom to do what she wants.”
But his words didn’t appease Diego's anger. Instead, it flamed higher. Diego's eyes blazed. “Senseless!” he exclaimed, his hands going up. Diego swallowed the torrent of words that were about to be unleashed.
But he couldn't help but wonder, Am I training a bunch of idiots as subordinates?
“At least tell me you know where she's headed.” He massaged his head, suddenly harboring weariness he wasn't aware of.
Enzo spluttered, swiftly grasping the opportunity he saw for redemption from his mistakes. “Yes, Alpha. Immediately, I was told. I instructed someone to follow her from a safe distance, both for safety in case one of the pack enemies attacked, and also to find out where she’s going.”
“And?”
“Well… the wolf reported that he saw her enter into a fast-food restaurant some distance away from the pack.”
“Maybe she just wanted to satisfy her greedy tooth. That doesn't call for much alarm—or does it?”
“She wasn't alone, Alpha.”
“Find me the name of this fast—what did you just say? She wasn't alone?”
Diego tried to think of Sofia's friends around here, and he failed to come up with anyone. His mind went blank.
Just as he was unscrambling his memories, his beta uttered a name from his lips.
“The wolf said that Sofia was seated with a man.”
Each word was like a hammer, slamming against the walls of his mind.
“A man?” Diego’s slow mind hadn't finished processing the information that not only had Sofia moved out of the pack without informing him, but that she went to eat with a man!
“And…” The beta eyed his Alpha's expression again to check if his next words were safe to say.
He struggled, battling against himself, wondering why he didn’t have teleportation powers. There were times that he didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news, especially something personal and emotionally connected to Diego.
But he had to. Taking a breath in, he clenched his fist, ready to bear the brunt of what he didn't do. The consequence of being the messenger, Enzo grumbled in his mind.
“The man was said to look like Alpha Leon.”
Enzo thought he was prepared, but as he watched Diego's face change, becoming more and more furious like the thundering dark clouds blocking the clear day skies, he doubted himself.
Before the beta could release himself, his collar was gripped by the Alpha, who brought him up to eye level as he desperately tried to avoid his gaze.
“I don't think I can hear you clearly. Can you say that again?” Diego’s voice was low, his eyes like torches.
Of course, Enzo wouldn't be foolish enough to utter a word, knowing fully well that it was a rhetorical question.
Occasional hazard, he cried out in his mind, but spoke in an equally low voice, sparing no details. He knew just what Diego wanted to hear, even though his collar was still gripped.
“Have I been too nice to you, Sofia? That you’ve grown bold, daring to visit another man under my nose? Good. Good,” Diego muttered in a dark and dangerous tone.
Enzo had a feeling that the following days wouldn’t be peaceful anymore.
Almost nose-to-nose with Enzo, the corners of Diego's lips drew back into a snarl.
“Get me my keys. It seems like I have some bursting to do.”