Chapter 3: A Beta's Heart

PAUL.

I didn’t expect to see my mate while my pack was being attacked. And I didn’t expect her to be this good at combat.

She was fucking beautiful and fucking good at fighting.

I couldn’t help the smile from tugging on my lips the whole time I was fighting alongside Alba. She was fucking perfect! I couldn't keep my eyes from following her every move.

I had never seen a female fight as flawlessly as she could. In fact, I rarely see females on the battlefield, especially not in our pack. We never had female warriors and we never trained them.

But, given how effective and mesmerizing she appears right now, I believe we need to shift our perspective on female warriors.

With the right training and guidance, they could be on par with our finest male warriors. 

"Focus on the rogues and not on my ass, mate!" She winked at me before doing a somersault to reach the next rogue on her target. I shook my head and put my whole focus on eliminating the enemies, but made sure my eyes were still checking on her from time to time. I didn’t want anything bad to happen to her, not even a scratch if I could avoid it.

We were definitely winning in this area with two Alphas and two Betas, plus a hot chick who knew how to kick rogues’ asses perfectly well.

I had no more rogues in front of me, and Alba was almost done eliminating hers when a loud growl erupted in the air. 

Alpha Riley was down on his knees, clutching his heart, and everything after that went too fast.

A group of rogues appeared all of a sudden and formed a formation to shield the main rogue wolf, who shifted into his human form. 

They were aiming for Alpha Riley’s direction and I saw everyone from our side merging to collapse the wall the rogues built, but it didn’t stop their main man from reaching Alpha Riley in the middle of their wall.

"Rileeeey!!!" Alba's screaming voice echoed as she stood frozen in her spot and totally forgot the rogue she was attacking.

My reflexes automatically shifted in her direction as I leaped and grabbed her from her spot, rolling us again on the forest ground before getting on my feet to finish the rogue she was fighting with.

"FUCK!" Alpha Caspian’s voice reached my ears, and I glanced in his direction. Alpha Riley was down on the ground. They hit him. 

I saw Alba rise to her feet and spring in the direction of the rogue man who had attacked Riley, who was already engaged in combat with one of our men, Elias.

Alba picked up a dagger along the way and leaped forward towards them.

"Away!" She bellowed to the warrior holding the rogue down on the ground, and Elias scrambled on his ass to get away from him. 

Alba landed with a loud thud and stroked her dagger directly into the rogue man’s heart. Her eyes were blazing with fire as she pierced his heart, cutting him deeper and deeper until he let out his last breath.

I grabbed Alba away from the dead rogue because she wanted to do more damage.

"Alpha Riley…" I told her in almost a whisper and it snapped her out of her trance.

She shrugged my hands off her arms and ran towards where Alpha Riley was, and my heart shattered into pieces as the female I wanted to protect with my life cried in agony while holding her wounded cousin in her arms.

¤¤¤¤¤

I pushed the door open to the infirmary room where Alpha Riley was taken.

According to the doctor that checked on him, the healer was able to place the antidote for silver and his body was responding well. 

His wounds on both ends were also healing. He was of pure Alpha blood and his wolf was protecting him. They knew he was safe, but it might take a while for him to wake up because the silver had poisoned him from the inside, and healing from the inside takes longer than healing from the outside, which heals almost instantly.

I saw Alba pacing the room back and forth, one arm crossed against her stomach and one hand pinching her lower lip. She was in deep thought.

She must have felt my presence or smelled me because she turned abruptly towards the door, guilt flaring in her eyes, and it left me confused.

Guilt? For what? For Riley or for us? But we didn’t do anything wrong, except we flirted while we fought against the rogues.

Did she feel guilty that Riley was attacked while she was having fun?

With big strides, I went to where she was standing. I held her forearm and wanted to pull her into my arms, but she raised her hand and placed it on my torso.

"Don’t…" She stopped me. Her voice was almost inaudible while her eyes refused to meet mine.

"I’m sorry. I know I was going too far forward, but I just thought you might want someone to hold…"

"I have a boyfriend…" She cut my words, and my heart shattered into pieces while my jaw tightened.

The guilt I saw in her eyes.

"I’m sorry." I wanted to scream and be hell-mad, but it was my fault. I left her, and now she has found comfort in someone else.

"Do you love him?" I asked, knowing well that she would never feel guilty if she didn't.

She nodded her head, her arms crossed against her chest, her gaze still focused on the floor between us.

"I don’t have a chance anymore, right?" I knew the answer, but I was fucking stupid to still want to hear from her.

She didn’t answer. And it hurt more that she didn't. 

I didn't know a broken heart could get more broken, but that was exactly what was happening.

"Did he claim you already?"

"Not yet. On the next claiming."

"Four months from now, will you let me fight for you on the Claiming?" She's my mate, but if the Claiming is my only chance to have her, I would go there and take my chance.

"Paul… He’s an Alpha."