Chapter 108 The Jealous Alpha
The engine of the SUV hummed softly beneath us as we left the council grounds behind. Gravel crunched under the tires before the road smoothed into dark asphalt, stretching ahead like a ribbon through the trees. The forest had already begun swallowing the last of the evening light, shadows slipping between the trunks like silent watchers.
I leaned my head against the window, the cool glass grounding me.
Beside me, Darius drove in silence.
His hands were steady on the wheel, knuckles faintly pale under the dim glow of the dashboard lights. If someone didn’t know him, they might think he looked calm, relaxed, and even.
But I knew better. The tension in the car was thick enough to choke on. We had barely spoken since leaving the headquarters.
Finally, his voice cut through the quiet.“You’re not working with Fred again.”
The words were calm.
Too calm.
I turned my head slowly. “Excuse me?”
His gaze remained fixed on the road.
“I said,” he repeated evenly, “you’re not working with him again.”
A laugh escaped me before I could stop it.
It wasn’t amused.
“Darius,” I said, “you don’t get to make that decision.”
His jaw tightened slightly.
“Yes, I do.”
My stomach twisted with irritation.
“No, you really don’t.”
The tires rolled over a small bump in the road, but he didn’t slow down.
“If you wanted to know more about your mother you should have told me and I would have assigned it to someone trustworthy and I don’t like him,” Darius said flatly.
I blinked.
“That’s your reason?”
“Yes.”
I stared at him for a moment, waiting for something more. Some logical explanation. Some strategic concern about Fred’s knowledge, his connections, and the potential risks.
Nothing came.
“You can’t forbid me from talking to someone just because you don’t like them.”
His eyes flicked toward me briefly.
“You’re my mate.”
“And?”
“And I don’t like my mate talking to him.”
The possessiveness in his voice made heat rise to my face.
“Fred is just helping me,” I snapped. “He’s the only one who has given me anything about my mother.”
Darius scoffed quietly.
“Helping you,” he repeated.
“Yes.”
“He’s using this as an excuse to get close to you and I won’t stand for it.”
I stared at him, stunned for a moment before annoyance flooded in.
“That’s ridiculous.”
“Is it?”
“Yes!”
Darius finally glanced at me fully.
There was something sharp in his eyes now. Something territorial.
“He watches you too much.”
I blinked.
“What?”
“You didn’t notice?” he said dryly. “The way he stands close. The way he leans in when he talks. The way he looks at you when you’re not paying attention.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but the words stalled.
Because… I had noticed.
“That doesn’t mean anything,” I said stubbornly.
“It means everything.”
I crossed my arms.
“You’re being paranoid.”
“No,” Darius said calmly. “I’m being observant.”
The car filled with silence again.
The trees outside blurred past, dark and endless.
“I’m still working with him,” I said finally.
His grip tightened slightly on the steering wheel.
“No, you’re not.”
I exhaled sharply.
“You don’t own me.”
His voice dropped lower.
“I never said I did.”
“Then stop acting like it.”
He didn’t answer immediately.
The only sound was the engine and the soft rush of wind against the windows.
Then he said something that made my chest tighten.
“If you’re going to meet with him again, I’ll be there.”
I frowned.
“What?”
“Every time.”
I turned toward him fully.
“You can’t be serious.”
“Oh, I’m serious.” He looked me dead in the eyes.
“That’s insane.”
“Call it whatever you want.”
My patience snapped.
“Why are you being like this?”
He looked at me again, his eyes darker now.
“Because Fred isn’t trustworthy. He’s ambitious,” Darius continued calmly. “Clever. And he saw an opportunity the moment he realized who you were.”
“You’re making assumptions.”
“Am I?”
“Yes.”
He didn’t respond right away.
Instead, he slowed the car slightly as the road curved through a dense section of forest.
Then he said quietly,
“He has feelings for you.”
I stared at him.
“That’s your problem?”
“That’s one of them.”
I shook my head.
“This is unbelievable.”
“He’s using your search for your mother as a way to get closer to you.”
“That’s not true.”
Darius’s voice hardened.
“Then you won’t mind if I’m there.”
I opened my mouth.
I leaned back in my seat, frustration bubbling inside me.
“You’re impossible.”
“Maybe.”
The rest of the drive passed in silence.
Heavy, uncomfortable silence.
But my mind wasn’t on the argument anymore. It had drifted somewhere darker. Somewhere far more frightening.My sister.My twin.
The thought of her crept into my mind like a shadow I couldn’t escape.
I stared out the window, watching the forest blur past.
Somewhere out there
Someone was using her.
The council.
The enemies circling the packs.
The secrets surrounding my mother.
They all connected somehow.
And my sister was caught in the middle.
A pawn.
A weapon.
The thought made my chest tighten painfully.
They were using her.
Using her power.
Using her existence.
And if they succeeded…
Everything could fall apart.
The packs.
The alliances.
The fragile peace holding everything together.
I clenched my fists in my lap.
I had to find her.
Before they did something irreversible.
Before they pushed her too far.
Before she became something none of us could control.