Chapter 165

Chapter 165
Alexander's POV

I heard Asher mention Arabella's father-in-law Frank's name and noticed the room fall into dead silence.

Arabella's face turned pale, her teeth digging into her bottom lip, hands balled into fists on her thighs. The sight sent a wave of protective rage through me. Anyone who could make my Puppy react like that was already marked for death in my mind.

That fucking bastard Ice. I'd been right to tear his head off. My wolf snarled in satisfaction at the memory of blood coating my hands.

"Are you sure it's Frank?" Arabella asked, her voice barely above a whisper. I fought the urge to pull her onto my lap and shield her from whatever was coming.

"Absolutely," Asher replied, his voice firm with certainty.

Lucas crossed his arms, his entire body tense, the line of his jaw sharp as he clenched his teeth. "So this Frank guy is behind the attacks on us?" he demanded, voice controlled but edged with fury.

Asher nodded grimly. "Yes. His plan was to use Finn as an inside man to help members of the Black Moon Pack attack our territory and, in the chaos, take Arabella and Alice."

The room felt like all the oxygen had been sucked out of it. The air itself seemed to solidify around us. I kept my expression neutral, but inside, my wolf was howling for blood. Another threat to my family, to my mate, to our child. The list of people I needed to kill was growing by the fucking day.

I felt a surge of contempt for Asher. While I'd been protecting our pack, eliminating threats, and keeping Arabella safe, he'd been distracted by Isadora and their coming child. I was responsible for the safety of the entire pack, and he couldn't even protect his own sister.

"I fucked up," Asher admitted, rubbing his temples. I could see the regret etched in the lines of his face, but regret wouldn't have saved Arabella or Alice if that plan had succeeded. "I should have vetted him more thoroughly."

He looked around the room, his gaze landing on each of us in turn. "We need to take care of Finn first, then go after Wesley and his father Frank."

The silence stretched as Asher waited for a response.

Asher turned to me, his tone cautious. "What's wrong, Alexander?"

I stared back at him, keeping my face impassive. Alice was babbling on Lucas's lap, gently gnawing on his fingers, nearly ready to fall asleep. The sight of her—innocent, vulnerable, completely dependent on us for protection—amplified my fury at the threat that had been lurking so close to her.

"What happened?" Asher asked, his eyes darting between Arabella and me, clearly sensing the tension.

I didn't see any reason to hide what I'd done. "I smelled that bastard a long fucking time before you did. And I took care of it."

Asher's expression shifted subtly. "When?"

Lucas answered for me. "Last night," he said, his voice even. "We haven't had a chance to tell you yet."

Asher's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Are you covering for him, Lucas?"

That irritated me. As if I needed anyone to cover for my actions. I was the fucking Alpha, and I'd eliminated a threat to our pack. End of story.

"Alexander made the right call," Lucas defended. "He was a threat to our mates, to Alice, and to the entire Blood Moon territory. He needed to disappear."

Asher sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "Fuck. This could be a problem. Ice—Finn—was likely a member of the Drifter Wolf Association. If he's dead, they might come looking for him."

Tristan set down his book, his eyes sharp as he looked at Asher. "And what would you have done if Alexander hadn't handled him? Let him stick around until he helped stage an attack that got us all killed?"

"I don't fucking know," Asher said in frustration. "That's why I came here, to figure this shit out."

Lucas shrugged. "The Drifter Association won't be a problem if they don't know he's dead. I'm assuming you handled it cleanly?" He directed the last part at me.

I gave a curt nod. Of course I had. I wasn't an amateur. Ice's body was already disposed of, and I'd personally overseen the cleanup. No evidence remained.

Asher continued pushing. "Where did you do it, Alexander? Who saw you?"

I was growing tired of this interrogation. "In the dungeon. Only core members saw."

"Did you call the cleanup crew last night?" Asher pressed.

"Did I become Alpha yesterday?" I snapped back. "Of course I fucking called them. I would have cleaned it up myself otherwise."

Asher seemed to accept this, though his face remained troubled. He shrugged, appearing to let it go for now. "Tristan, I need a drink."

Tristan poured him a glass of whiskey before returning to the wall, picking up his book and resuming his reading. Typical Tristan, always the silent observer.

My attention shifted to Arabella. She hadn't said a word since the conversation began, still biting her lip and sitting next to Lucas with her arms wrapped around herself while Alice slept on Lucas's lap. Her silence was unnatural, especially given the topic. Frank was her father-in-law, the grandfather of her child, yet she sat there like a statue.

Why the fuck wasn't she coming to me for comfort? Usually, in stressful situations, her instinct was to seek me out, to curl into my side. Something was definitely off.

I fixed Asher with a scrutinizing gaze. "Asher, where exactly did you get this intelligence from?" My voice was deceptively calm, but my mind was racing with suspicion.

"What does it matter?" Asher replied defensively. "We got what we needed."

"You're hiding something, Elder," I stated flatly. "Why did you really show up last night? Why didn't you tell us you were back? Why did your mate approach Arabella?"

Asher's jaw tightened visibly. "Ask her if she minds Isadora being around her," he replied calmly, avoiding a direct answer.

I turned my gaze to Arabella, studying her carefully. She was trying hard to keep her expression neutral, but her tells were clear to me—shoulders rigid, fingers nervously circling on her abdomen, a flash of guilt and fear in her eyes. Fear of me. That realization made my chest tighten painfully.

Arabella's nightmare this morning, her hesitation when speaking about Asher earlier... All the pieces were starting to fit together.

She was keeping secrets. For him. From us.

"Arabella." I said her name in a low, authoritative voice that brooked no argument.

I watched as she stiffened, her body reflexively tensing at my tone. Confirmation.

"Come here. Now."

The room seemed to hold its breath as we all waited for her response.