Differently

London

I was seethingly mad when Reece's report replayed over and over again in my head. The thought that my pack's covert affairs had been compromised by one of my own left a pungent taste in my mouth.

I knew I had to calm down and think rationally before I frightened my mate even more. I could hear her heart racing, and the need to soothe her overwhelmed my senses, helping to quell my anger, if only a little.

Although I sensed Fuyu's rage, it was strange that he didn't fight for control to locate and eliminate the traitor. I pushed aside the thought and focused on Blaire, who sat rigidly on my lap, rubbing her arms nervously.

Giving Reece an icy look, I spoke through the mind link, "Leave," and he bowed once before exiting, closing the door softly behind him.

“My love,” I murmured, lifting Blaire effortlessly and placing her gently on my desk. I positioned myself between her thighs, pushing them apart. Placing my hands on either side of her, I leaned down so that we were at eye level. She avoided looking at me, and I almost growled in frustration. The last thing I wanted was for my mate to be scared of me; even the thought made me uncomfortable.

I gently held her chin between my thumb and index finger, tilting her head back until our eyes met.

“I didn't mean to scare you,” I rasped, sighing when she pursed her lips and nodded.

“You're the Alpha King,” she whispered in disbelief, her eyes searching mine as though she were waiting for me to refute her claim. Instead, I just smiled and nodded.

“I am,” I replied.

“The rumors. Are they all true?” she inquired, her eyes betraying her nervousness. My mate was afraid that they were all true, and truthfully, I was terrified that she would hate me when she learned about my past. That was mainly why I had avoided telling her about my position in the hierarchy.

“Most of them,” I responded, gauging her reaction slowly. She swallowed, nodding her head slowly.

“My love, please listen to me,” I said softly, pleading with my eyes for her to hear me out. Never before had I cared so much about what someone thought of me. It seemed as though I had been living behind a veil, but now that I could see, I would do anything to remain unveiled, even if it meant going out of my way to do absolutely anything for my beloved mate.

“I never killed anyone who didn't deserve it,” I found myself explaining to her. She had me wrapped around her little finger, and she didn't even know it.

“The safety of my people means everything to me, but hearing that we have a traitor in our midst broke me.”

“I haven't always been the most lenient Alpha King, but with you by my side, I want to be the best I can be, not only for myself but for the sake of my people.” Her eyes softened at the rawness of my confession. She cupped my cheek, softly caressing it with the pad of her finger.

“You are kind, London, and whatever decision you make will be the right one,” she assured me, and an unexplained burst of emotion flooded through me, like a drug I couldn't get enough of. Fuyu howled joyfully in my head, happy and proud that our mate believed in us.

“She doesn't hate us,” he said for the first time since we found Blaire, and I almost scoffed, but my joy was greater than Fuyu's annoying nature.

“She doesn't,” I concurred, enamoured by her golden eyes that seemed to light up whenever she smiled. Leaning down slowly, I captured her lips in a slow, passionate kiss, pouring all my unspoken words into it.

The small moan that escaped from the back of her throat fueled my passion. My hand found her thigh, pulling her even closer, relishing the feeling of her soft lips against mine and her lithe form against my hard body. I placed open-mouthed kisses from her chin down to the curve of her neck, sucking on a particular spot where her neck and shoulder met.

The small gasps of pleasure she tried so hard to conceal would have been my undoing if I didn't stop. It took everything in me to stop ravishing her like a dying man clamouring for life. Leaning my forehead against hers as our breaths intermingled, I smiled at her flushed cheeks and slightly swollen lips, gingerly tucking a tuft of hair behind her ear.

“I have to get to the bottom of this matter,” I murmured, to which she nodded.

“Will you come with me?” I asked.

“Of course,” she answered in a matter-of-fact tone, her smile almost knocking me off my feet.

“Let's go then.” I swiftly lifted her off my desk, placing her gently on her feet. We headed straight for the door.

"I want everyone to gather on the training ground. Bring in the prisoners, the rogue, and also the warrior," I ordered Reece through the mind link.

As Blair and I walked out of my office and down the stairs, we passed by maids who stared wide-eyed at Blair, especially because of how our hands were interlaced.

The walk to the training ground was short, and as I approached, I realised that almost everyone was gathered. Lined in front were two prisoners, the rogue and the young warrior, standing on the sidelines.

Turning to Blair, I held her face and pecked her lips before asking her to remain there. I didn't want her any closer in case I lost control.

As I marched forward, I could smell not only the stench of fear rolling off the young rogue in waves but also the scent of the traitor all over him.

With calculated steps, I met Reece and Cane at the makeshift stage. The rogue and prisoners were made to kneel, while the young warrior stood by the side, trying to control the fear that was raging through him.

"We are gathered here because we have a traitor in our midst," I thundered, my gaze sweeping over the crowd. When they all gasped and began talking amongst each other, I raised my palm, and the crowd fell silent. I walked behind the rogue, who was tied up and forced to kneel in front of the crowd.

I could feel Fuyu at the forefront of my subconscious; he was thirsty for the blood of the rogue to be spilled, but he was fighting it. I was confused for a moment but decided to brush it off and focus on the task at hand.

"This is one of the rogues that was caught stealing from me," I chuckled, gripping his hair and baring his neck. I wanted to slit his throat and watch him choke on his own blood, but somehow it didn't sit well with me, especially with Blair watching. I couldn't allow her to witness that sadistic part of me that I wanted to leave behind.

"For the sake of our mate, the rogue has to die in a more humane way," Fuyu spoke through gritted teeth, and I couldn't help but agree.

"He wasn't working alone; the traitor, Eliza, decided it would be fun to steal from me." Gasps rang out again as a screaming Eliza was dragged to the front, fighting and kicking.

Releasing the rogue's hair, I snapped his neck in one fluid movement; his body dropped forward like a sack of potatoes, and the crowd gasped again, as if they had never witnessed death; it almost seemed comical.

Walking towards Eliza, who was made to kneel and held down by two guards, I tsked, shaking my head in disappointment.

"You had so much potential, Eliza. Why did you have to ruin it?" I shook my head, placing both hands behind my back as I watched her seethe with rage and bare her teeth at me. I could only chuckle darkly, trying to control my anger as to why she did this. She knew the blame would fall on Cane if no one was held accountable; that must have been why.

"If you wanted to be Gamma so badly, you should have fought for it, no?" I taunted.

"I trained day and night to be Gamma, but instead, you gave him what could have been mine!" She screamed, her face turning red with anger.

"I deserved to be Gamma of this pack, not Cane!" she continued to scream, tears and snot rolling down her face.

"Is that so?" I mused, watching her reaction closely. A traitor didn't deserve to live, but it was time I did things a little differently.

"Eliza Bindley, you are hereby banished from this pack for treason. If you are caught within the borders of this pack by nightfall, that will be your end."

The gasps of shock were an indication that nobody expected it to end this way. Waving off the guards, they dragged a stunned Eliza away, leaving me with two prisoners who awaited their fate.