In trouble.

ALEXIS'S POV.

My heart skipped a beat, then thudded with a thick, dreadful thrill. I sniffed the air, my wolf catching the faint scent of my target. I snorted and quickened my pace, ready to beat the badtard to a pulp before throwing him into the dungeon.

He was going to be the bait to draw out—

"Alpha King Alex, sorry to bother you, but there are three Alphas here requesting your presence." My Beta, Dane, mind-linked me.

"This is the third time you are needing my presence in the space of three hours, Dane. You are not my Beta for fancy. Handle it," I responded to him through the mindlink.

"But—" he began.

"—I'm out here handling the most crucial case that could change everything," I reminded him. "Whatever it may be, from now till I return, handle it," I ordered. I could feel the start of his protest brewing, so I simply cut off the link, knowing he would get the message.

I sighed, remembering how I became the Alpha King at 25 years - a feat never achieved before in the history of werewolves. My grandfather, the former Alpha King, had died after a battle with the dark lore, a man whose identity was hidden to everyone but his terror was not, and I had been summoned to take his seat since I was the only surviving successor.

But I had not understood, not even begun to reckon, how blood-chilling the reality of the appealing ritual could be.

Five years down the line, I was still paying for the power thrill with my time and life. From stabilizing the werewolf world to harmonizing peace between packs to fighting off every attack the war lore and his minions threw our way, I was barely living for myself.

Which was why I sneaked out of the palace last night without the anyone's knowledge. Little did I know that fate would smile on me, making me meet my mate after I had given up hope of ever finding one.

I grunted as I turned the sharp corner. What I truly wanted was to be with Claire, my mate. The one person I waited my whole life for. But the urgent call of dark energy around the palace came in the early hours, forcing me to leave her side.

For one emotionally paralyzed moment, I couldn't force myself to do it. To leave her all alone. Still, duty prevailed over emotions, which was why I was chasing the carrier of the dark force.

A smile tugged at the corner of my lips as the memory of the night before teased my mind.

I had gone to her already half-aroused, but the maddening trail of anticipation she mapped across my skin had taken me to a level of frantic readiness I had never known before.

I slid my hand inside the robe, caressing the velvety mound of her shoulder as I eased the robe down her arm. Then the other side, an inch at a time.

One button opened, one inch of pale, silvered skin exposed at a time.

Along with the bruises all over her body. Some fresh, some healing, some already healed but left behind their markers to mark their attendances of the pain she had to endure.

Some cuts. Some burns. Some long lashes strips. Some bruises from being hit by a large fist.

My eyes darkened with cold rage, ready to murder whoever had inflicted those marks on her.

My hands coiled into a fist, remembering how she tried to cover each of the wounds. When I slapped her hands away, examining each of them, she stopped protesting. Like a prisoner, she submitted to it, though her tears came so fast that they traced a shining path down her neck, across her collarbone, curving down the graceful shell of one breast.

I touched the scar at her right temple, the only blemish on her strong and beautiful face. I tried to swallow the curse under my breath but failed, choking slightly, but she didn't seem to hear me.

"Who?" I remembered asking her, venom dripping from my throat.

"Leave it," she simply said, her eyes brimming with tears, though she didn't weep.

But she's too beautiful. My thoughts tangled on my flooding emotions. Too beautiful to suffer so.

I groaned low in my throat, my entire lower body tightening compulsively, as if electrified. My eyes darkened at the memory it aroused. I turned another sharp corner, still following the trail I was after.

Pulsing waves of hot blood tried to shove through frozen veins.

I shook my head, trying to clear it, but the hold was too strong.

I knew it could only be her supposed mate who could have done that to her, seeing as she was already marked. He was the only one she would have submitted to so dangerously like that.

I turned another corner and swore under my breath, realizing that I've lost my target. I paused and looked around, but there was no single trace of who I was following.

Claire came to my mind again and I shrugged. Thoughts of her were refusing to leave my mind. Perhaps, it was best to find out everything I needed to know.

Which was why I needed to visit her brother, Rick, ready to find out everything I could about the bastard who mated her. He was going to pay for every single scratch on her body.

The short ride to the Hollow Wood Pack pulled to a stop right at the gigantic wall. I got down from my car and stared directly into the eyes of the leader of the guards. He took one look at me and barked a command at his men.

"Open up!" He commanded his men. He rushed outside once the enormous gate opened up. "Alpha King Alexis." He bowed his head.

Everyone with him bowed their heads, echoing the words of their leader. I ignored them and focused on the leader.

"Where is your Alpha?" I inquired.

The leader of the guards led me straight to Rick. The other man, a tall build with creamy hair and hazelnut eyes, was seared at a desk, his face buried into work. He looked up sharply, his nostrils flaring.

"Alpha King Alexis!" He was startled by my presence but was quick to compose himself. He rose from his seat and stuttered to where I stood by the door. "To what do I owe this honor, my King?" He bowed slightly.

"Your sister," I began. He gestured to the seat. I took his silent hint and strode into the office, plopping my ass down on the chair he got up from. Instead of seating on the empty chair across me, he stood, his head still slightly bowed.

"I need every information I can get about her. Especially about her mate," I said simply. It was hard to comceal the disgust i felt at the memtion of the other man but I did.

"Mark?" Rick asked, fear oozing from him then. "Did he—?" The phone rang, cutting him off.

I watched as he glanced at the caller.

"Unknown caller." He hissed, ignoring the call. He quickly dropped it back into his pocket.

Almost immediately the phone stopped ringing, it picked up the pace again, the sound annoying me.

"Pick your call," I told him.

"Yes, my King." He swiped it out of his pocket, picked up the call, ready to blast whoever was at the other end.

"Hello!" I yelled into the phone. He placed the call on speaker.

"Rick, help me!" A small grunting feminine voice said from the other end.

"Who is this?" Rick asked.

That voice. I knew the owner, I thought as my heart started racing for no reason.

Silence greeted us. I stood up, grabbed the phone from Rick, and spoke up.

"Hello?" I called into the phone.

"Claire, open this damn door. I don't think I'm done with you, you fucking piece of shit!" A male voice yelled, feeling distant from the phone.

My blood ran cold instantly.

Claire! I was sure I heard the name right. And she was calling Rick for help.

"You are going to ask for death today!" The angry voice yelled again. There was some rattling but my mind wasn't stuck with the action anymore.

All I could think was that Claire was in trouble.

My mate was in trouble.

"Fuck!" I cursed, shifting instantly into my wolf form.