Chapter 48

Alpha Kelvin’s POV

After a couple more minutes of pacing and trying to understand what was going on, there was a knock on the door quickly followed by the turning of the handle.

Claire was my first thought and I hated the way my body reacted to the possibility of her being the one behind the door.

She could be a traitor and could be working with the likes of Gavin to have me killed and yet I couldn't get rid of the feeling of longing that gripped my heart at the thought, smell and sight of her.

The door handle turned again and I remembered that I had locked it to prevent anyone from entering.

“Who’s there?” I called out as I slowly approached the door.

“Kev, are you alright?”

It was my Beta’s voice.

Disappointment washed over me like a bucket of cold water and angrily, I unlocked the door and pulled it open, revealing a worried Charles.

“I heard there was some sort of disturbance on the field today,” he started, shutting the door behind him. “What the hell happened?”

“Nothing you need to be worried about,” I murmured as I walked towards my chair.

“Well, the mansion is abuzz with gossip about that slave of yours. Doesn't seem like a big deal to me,” he replied, settling himself on the seat on the opposite side of my desk.

Resisting the urge not to snap at him because he had referred to Claire as a slave, I leaned forward in my seat and instead, asked, “What exactly is being said about the situation?”

He grinned. “I'm going to tell you if you tell me everything.”

I glared at him. “Charles now is not the right time to play this kind of game. My life could be at stake here and my Pack as well.”

His eyes shone with renewed interest and he also leaned forward in his seat.

“And you said it's not a big deal? And don't you think that as your Beta I'm supposed to know about stuff like this? I took an oath to protect you the day I was sworn in as your Beta.”

“Fine,” I murmured, relaxing back against my seat. “She is an Alpha.”

His brows furrowed in confusion telling me that at least, that wasn't part of the rumours going around the Mansion. Relief coursed through me.

“And who exactly are we talking about?” he queried.

Again, I leaned forward and whispered. “Claire.” Then I waited for a few seconds for the information to sink in before adding, “And no one is supposed to know about this.”

“But how?” he queried, his voice barely above a whisper. The confused expression on his face was a reflection of exactly how I had felt when I had first discovered that bit of information.

“I'm as confused as you are,” I replied. “How does one move from being an Omega to an Alpha?”

Charles suddenly sat up straighter. “Where is she now? We need to get some answers out of her. We need to be certain that she is not a threat. And finally, I have to see what you’ve just told me.”

“She’s still in the woods. At least the last time I checked, she was,” I replied.

My beta looked at me like I had gone mad. “You allowed her to roam free in the woods? Have you lost your mind?”

I raked my fingers through my hair. Perhaps, I had indeed lost my mind. But no matter how much of a traitor she could possibly be, I felt no threat from her.

“That's because she has no intention to hurt you,” my wolf said.

At that moment, the door burst open and Sophie strolled in looking murderous.

I resisted the urge to groan and warned Charles with one look not to say a word.

Why the hell had I forgotten to lock the door again?

“Now, here is someone who really wants to hurt you but you are just too blind to see it,” my wolf said.

I ignored him. Sophie and I were first childhood friends before we became lovers. I knew I could trust her with my life.

“What has that stupid slave of yours done again?” she queried.

There was so much hate and venom in her voice that I felt the force of it.

Briefly, I wondered why she hated Claire that much.

“She has done nothing,” I replied in a bored tone.

Sophie scoffed. “Why do you always act like you have no idea that she is only trying to seduce you?”

I nearly laughed out loud at that. If only she knew how Claire had begged me to reject her. She was even going to reject me but I stopped her.

“Because tell me why she would pretend to shift and be in pain in your presence just to get you to feel sorry for her?”

So that was the rumour going around. Claire was trying to seduce the Alpha.

“You must have her killed for that,” she continued. “Not only has she disrespected me, she has also disrespected you. No common slave should ever even think about being with an Alpha.”

“Stop calling her that,” I snapped.

The words were out of my mouth before I could even think and I regretted it instantly. Unfortunately, there was no way I could unsay those words.

Her eyes narrowed. “If I didn't know any better, I would think you have feelings for her.”

I rolled my eyes as though the thought of having feelings for Claire was very ludicrous.

My wolf wasn't pleased.

“She was just writhing in pain on the floor because of the wounds you inflicted on her. Thankfully, she is going to be okay,” I said.

Sophie scoffed. “I barely touched her. Besides, I am certain that it didn't hurt that much. She was only trying to make you feel concern for her.”

Annoyance coursed through my veins at the way she was totally unrepentant about hitting Claire. I made a mental note to change a few rules about the punishments meted out to slaves.

Suddenly, her lips curled into a smile and she moved closer to me.

I immediately felt uneasy at the unexpected change in her countenance.

Rubbing my arm tenderly, she said, “It's not your fault that you are a very compassionate and empathetic person. It's just that manipulative people like Claire always tend to want to take advantage of it.”

She slid onto my thighs and wrapped her arms around my neck, causing me to look into her undeniably pretty eyes.

“You are an Alpha and sometimes you are supposed to avoid showing that sweet compassionate side of yours. It's only going to attract manipulative people to you. And also, most people are going to take it as a sign of weakness.”

As she spoke, she made small circles with her hips and my body responded to her sensuous movement.

Before I knew it, my hands were on her waist and I couldn't wait to kiss her.

Charles cleared his throat loudly and Sophie turned to look at him.

“The Alpha and I would like a few minutes alone if there are no pressing issues he needs to attend to,” she purred.