Chapter 19

Thomas

Motherfucking bastards! Smashing the laptop shut, I growled at the pilots who had turned around in surprise at the noise. Their eyes widened upon meeting my stare, hearts picking up speed as the smell of fear oozed from their pores. Lowering their gazes immediately, they turned back around, leaving me in a foul mood. Gulping the whiskey down, I enjoyed the momentary burn that trickled down my throat, spreading heat in its wake.

"Another!"

I could hear the tinkling of bottles followed by scurried footsteps before the she-wolf appeared in my line of sight, trembling and nervous. Quickly pouring the drink into the glass she withdrew, maintaining a good distance between her and my hands that had choked her for smiling in my direction earlier.

"I-is there a-anything else Beta?"

Downing my drink, I threw the glass in her direction. She squeaked as the glass hit her right above her knees before falling to the floor.

"Fuck off".

Hastily picking up the glass, she ran out of sight, leaving a pungent scent of fear mixed with relief behind. Leaning back on the seat and closing my eyes, I sighed. A twinge of guilt passed through me for lashing out at these wolves who had done nothing to deserve it. It wasn't the sort of behaviour I would normally be associated with or at least not when it came to distinguishing between us five.

Our defining traits were how we had earned our roles in the pack.

Alex and Marcus were the strongest amongst us, trained and bred to be ruthless killing machines by our sadistic Father. So, it was only natural that they took over as Alphas when we all turned 80. James was the next born and became First Beta when Alex and Marcus ascended.

He was the diplomat, neither here nor there, making him the perfect candidate to represent the pack in the supernatural world. He was the one with the ideas, able to control his instincts long enough to see sense. And even though he played the neutral card well, his loyalty to the pack and the Alphas could never be doubted.

Kole was the fastest and stealthiest when it came to all five of us. He was in fact faster than the Alphas, his agility making him a strong and cunning opponent on the training field. But what made him even more deadlier was the fact that his wolf was highly unpredictable, more dominant, and out of control. But given his natural talent in fighting, he was made Second Beta and was put in charge to lead and train the warriors in our pack.

Being the last born, I became the Third Beta. My natural predisposition towards tolerance and understanding made me the mediator and ambassador who represented the pack in the human world. After years of training and studying, I handled all the dealings when it came to humans. And although I had been disgruntled initially, I was more than happy about the role now.

It was this role that had brought me to my mate. To my Mia. I guess everything happens for a reason.

Thinking about her, I recalled our conversation after the phone call with James had ended. My mood quickly soured as I remembered her getting upset over the fact that I had to leave. She had started to cry and it had taken me a while to calm her down and promise her that we would meet again very soon. Fuck!

Our mating had brought us closer, the bond strengthening and drawing us together like magnets. Very soon, my wolf wouldn't allow me to leave her side and she would probably have to deal with panic attacks and depression if I'm not around. Or at least that's what happens to she-wolves when separated from their mates. But judging by her reaction, I knew that she would experience something very similar. Heck! I had even felt her pain when she thought I was going to leave her. That had definitely taken me by surprise. The bond was far stronger than I thought.

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! I knew that I would have to mark her soon. But before that, I would have to find a way to not only explain everything to her but also come up with a reason to take an extended period of time away from the pack. Once marked, wolves generally hide their mates away for a few days, never leaving their side until the bond is fully formed. It is also the time that mates tend to become weak, so wolves are over-protective and completely nasty to deal with. And the higher the rank, the more time that wolf would take with their mate. I wouldn't be surprised if my wolf wanted at least a week away.

But I had no idea how I was going to achieve this considering how difficult it would be to convince my Alpha brothers. My jaw ticked in irritation thinking about them. Fuckers! I had everything planned out for the next two days. A romantic dinner, drive, and then ending the date with confessing my love to her.

Love.

My mouth curved into a smile as that feeling permeated throughout my body. I had known for a while now and was eager to share it with her until these bastards had ruined it. And the reason made me even more irritable.

A meeting had been brought forward to tomorrow with one of the neighbouring packs and James couldn't go. Suggesting Kole was immediately shot down as he was banned from entering their grounds. He had, at one time, taken it as a personal challenge to bed every unmated she-wolf in that pack but by the time he had reached she-wolf number four he was thrown out and our pack was warned never to send him again.

That slut! And now I had to fucking fill in!

Seven hours later, the pack grounds came into view as the car turned around the final bend. The trees cleared, revealing the large three-floored mansion that has been in our family for centuries. It was the home that my Grandfather had built after taking over these lands from another pack.

Our pack was nothing back then, with members numbering only a mere eighty. We were one of the smallest packs in the region. Powerless and weak. But all that changed when my Grandfather ascended to Alpha. He was ruthless and merciless when it came to building his empire. Archaic practices and traditions were re-introduced much to the dismay of the shifter council and the shifter world in general. But that didn't stop him. His tireless efforts put us on the map as the fourth-largest pack in America by the time he stepped down.

My Father followed in his footsteps, shrewd and cunning, he quickly brought us forward to become the second largest and strongest pack in America before he too stepped down and joined the council. And now, that responsibility fell to my brothers- Alex and Marcus to make sure we continue to move ahead until we become number one.

"Welcome home Beta Thomas. Hope your journey wasn't too tiring".

"Thank you, Marla. It was alright."

"I will take your bags to your room. The Alphas are waiting in Block D for you".

Giving her a curt nod, I headed off in the direction of Block D. My wolf was still on edge, hating the fact that he was this far away from his mate. But so did I, my nerves itching constantly, making my movements jittery and twitchy. Forcing down some deep breaths, I made my way towards the heavily guarded entrance. Scanning my thumb on the fingerprint scanner, I nodded to the two wolves stationed outside who bowed their heads in respect.

A loud metal clang announced the opening of the main door. Block D was one of the newer buildings that we had built. It housed everything that was confidential which included ancient texts, books, our pack records, hard cash, government documents, fake IDs, passports, and such. It is also where top-secret meetings are held and interrogations are conducted as every room is soundproofed and every window bulletproofed. All in all, the place was a fortress.

Walking into the large foyer, I received a mind-link from Alex asking me to head towards the interrogation rooms on the underground floor.

I knew that recently, the patrol had caught a rogue in the nearby town and Alex was using him as his own personal punch bag every time he felt bored or irritated. So, I wasn't surprised to find him in the large interrogation chamber, lazing on a chair as I entered. But what caught me off guard was the presence of the rest of my brothers.

They were standing around Alex in a huddle, conversing in low tones. As I looked around, another odd detail that caught my eye was the absence of any furniture in the room except for the one that Alex was sitting on.

"What's going on guys?"

Kole, James, and Marcus turned around to look at me, their faces giving nothing away.

"Tommy! Come on in and have a seat!"

Alex's voice boomed in the empty room, the echo bouncing off the walls. He seemed to be in a cheery mood as he dragged the chair to the center of the room, smiling from ear to ear. The only time Alex was ever this happy was when he was killing or fucking someone or doing both at the same time. What the fuck is going on?

Gesturing me to come forward, he turned the chair to face the wall with a large double-sided mirror on it. The other side was a viewing room, much like the ones that human officers use when interrogating someone. And while the people in the viewing room could see into this chamber, it did not work the same the other way around.

As he continued to look in my direction, I walked slowly to the chair, my wolf nervously whining with every step. Grabbing me by the shoulders, he forced me to sit before walking in front of me and blocking my view of the mirror behind me.

James, Kole, and Marcus gathered around in a circle until I was well and truly surrounded. My instincts were flipping from flight to fight, gauging the most appropriate response. But I knew that both options were pointless in this instance. Not when all of them were involved.

Blocking all my emotions, I forced myself to calm down and repeat the question.

"What's going on?"

I was glad that my voice did not betray the emotions that I was feeling on the inside. Alex took a step forward, his electric blue eyes flashing gold, signaling the presence of his wolf.

"Tell me, brother. Do you take us for fools? Did you think we would never find out about your little secret?"

My heart started to beat at an abnormal pace, not like where this was going. Folding his arms in front of his chest, he continued in that sinisterly cheery tone.

"Let me cut to the chase. See, when I first heard that my baby brother was lying to his Alphas to go get laid, I actually laughed. It was cute. But then I started to hear troubling things, brother. The business deals you talked off, the contracts you were going to sign, this urgent matter that you had to fly to Manhattan for – All lies. Tell me, brother, is that pussy really worth all this trouble?"

I stayed silent knowing that saying anything would only serve to unleash his monster that was rearing to have a go. But my heart thundered on the inside, realizing that judgment day was finally here. My muscles stiffened as sweat began to pool on my back and armpits.

"....But I must hand it to you. It was a good plan save for a few minor details that you missed. One - there are eyes and ears everywhere brother. I was onto you from the moment the first lie escaped your traitorous lips. Two - you forget that although you can try and trick your Alphas, your wolf can't. So imagine my surprise when I tried to connect with him through my wolf, only to find him acting uncooperative and territorial."

Removing his arms from the fold, he bent down to my level, eyeing me with distaste.

"Now, we can't have that, can we? A wolf that goes against his Alpha is as good as a rogue. Not only are you going to pay for your treason, but that poor human will die cause you couldn't keep your dick in your pants. Hmmm. Wait. You know what? I think that a pussy that could instill that kind of loyalty shouldn't be wasted. Maybe we could take it for a ride before we kill her. What say, brothers?"

A round of approving murmurs went through the circle as my wolf threatened to tear each of them apart. And just as I was about to jump out of the chair and sign my own death sentence in the process, I stopped.

Alex tilted his head, his eyes glazing over as he appeared to be receiving a mind-link. His face broke out into the biggest smile I had ever seen as he turned to face the mirror behind him before turning to look at me, his eyes a rich bloodthirsty gold.

"Oh. It seems our guest of honor has arrived. Hope you're strapped in tight brother. Show's about to start".