Chapter 118 The Traitor

Chapter 118 The Traitor

Alexander sat alone in his study late into the night, the only light coming from the desk lamp that cast long shadows across the room. The estate was quiet. The war room had been cleared for the evening but his mind was far from rest. Reports from the latest strikes lay open before him but his thoughts kept drifting to Tamara. Her sudden visit earlier that day. The way she had tried to kiss him. The heavy perfume that still lingered faintly in the air like a warning after she left. Something about her behavior had been off. Too persistent, too calculated. He could not shake the feeling that there was more beneath the surface.

He picked up his phone and dialed Marcus. The assistant answered on the first ring.

"Sir?"

"I need you to look into Tamara," Alexander said quietly. "Discreetly. Family connections, financial records, any unusual travel or communications in the last six months. I want everything."

Marcus did not ask questions. "I will have a full report by morning."

Alexander ended the call and leaned back in his chair. He remembered the first time he had met Tamara as a child. Their mothers had been close friends. The families had hoped for a union between them. He had never felt the pull. Not like he did with Maddie. The mate bond with Maddie had been instant and undeniable. With Tamara it had always felt forced.

But now he wondered if there was more to her persistence.

The next morning Marcus arrived with a thick folder. Alexander cleared the desk and opened it. The contents were thorough.

Tamara's family had deep ties to several smaller packs on the outskirts of Blackwood territory. Nothing obviously suspicious at first glance. But as he read deeper patterns emerged. Several large transfers to offshore accounts over the past year. Meetings with known associates of Ironthorn wolves disguised as business deals. Travel records showing visits to regions where Moonthorn had been active.

One report stood out. An encrypted message intercepted by his tech team. Tamara had been in contact with a mid level Ironthorn operative. The messages were careful, coded. But the intent was clear. She had been feeding them information about Alexander's movements. About Maddie's routines. About the weaknesses in estate security.

Alexander's blood ran cold then hot with fury.

She had been playing both sides. Feeding the enemy, trying to push herself closer to him while undermining his mate. The night they had spent together years ago. The constant attempts to insert herself into his life. It had all been part of a longer game. A chance to become the alpha's mate by removing the true threat.

He stood up and paced the room. His wolf raged inside him demanding blood. But he forced himself to think clearly. Confronting her now might alert her allies. He needed more. He needed to know how deep the betrayal went.

He called Marcus again. "Bring her in. Quietly. Tell her I want to speak with her about the upcoming alliance meetings. Do not let her suspect anything."

Two hours later Tamara arrived. She wore a fitted red dress and her usual heavy makeup. She smiled brightly when she saw him.

"Alex. You wanted to see me?"

He gestured for her to sit. "We need to talk about the alliance strategy. But first tell me something. Why have you been so insistent lately? The visits. The attempts to get close. What are you really after?"

Tamara laughed lightly. "I have always been honest with you. I love you. I want us to be together. Maddie is a distraction, a complication. I can give you what she cannot. Stability, understanding, a partner who knows our world."

Alexander watched her carefully. "And what if I told you I know about your communications with Ironthorn?"

Her smile faltered for a split second. Then she recovered. "I do not know what you are talking about."

He slid a printed message across the desk. One of the intercepted communications. Her eyes widened slightly.

"You have been feeding them information," he said quietly. "About Maddie, about me, about our security. Why?"

Tamara's expression shifted from shock to defiance. "Because they offered me a place at the table, a real seat of power, not as your second choice but as an equal. Moonthorn understands strength. They would have made me their queen if I delivered Maddie to them, you were never going to choose me, so I chose myself."

Alexander felt cold fury settle in his chest. "You betrayed your own pack, you betrayed me for power."

She leaned forward. "I did what I had to do, maddie is weak, she is human raised. She does not understand our world like I do, I could have been the perfect mate for you, but you chose her. A girl who brought nothing but chaos."

Alexander stood up. "You will be held until this war is over. After that your fate will be decided by the full council."

He called security. Two guards entered and took her away, she did not fight, she simply smiled as she was led out.

" This is not over Alexander," she called over her shoulder. "You will see I was right."

The door closed behind her.

Alexander sat back down and stared at the reports. The betrayal cut deep but it also clarified things. Moonthorn and Ironthorn were more interconnected than they had realized. Tamara had been one their eyes inside his world, I think there are more people involved. He picked up the phone and called Vincent Silver.

"We have a lead," he said when the older man answered. "Tamara was working with them. We have her in custody. She gave them information about Maddie and I, about our movements. We need to adjust our plans."

Vincent was quiet for a moment. "Bring her to the sanctuary, we will question her together, this changes things."

Tamara's betrayal had been a gift in disguise, now they knew the enemy's reach, now they could strike with precision.

Alexander smiled coldly.