MATED TO THE SECRET ALPHA

Reana sprang to her feet, shifting seamlessly into her wolf form. With a burst of speed, she dashed towards the forest, her paws pounding the earth. Kira and the others followed closely, their own transformations a blur as they kept pace with their Luna.

As Reana burst into the forest, she was met with a scene of chaos. The underbrush was trampled, trees scarred with sharp claws, and the air thick with the scent of fresh blood. A small, intense battle had clearly taken place not long ago, probably early this morning. Reana's ears folded back, her hackles rising as she surveyed the carnage. What had happened here?

'Look around and see what you can find. Scour the area for any clues. I want to know what happened here.' She mindlinked Kira and the others.

The wolves fanned out, their noses twitching as they sniffed the air, and forest floor for any sign of what had transpired. Leaves crunched beneath their paws and fallen twigs breaking, the only sound breaking the silence as they combed the area, searching for clues.

Suddenly, a black wolf let out a low howl, drawing the other's attention. Reana's ears perked up, her gaze snapping in the direction. She strode towards the black wolf, her tail twitching with curiosity.

'What did you find, Tara?' she asked.

'There are red furs with a strange scent.' She reported.

Reana's interest piqued, she padded towards Tara, her nose twitching as she caught the lingering unfamiliar scent.

Unlike the stinky rogues, the Black Moon Pack's unique scent was unmistakable, a blend of earthy notes and wildflowers. But this...this unfamiliar scent was something entirely different. And bright red fur? It was unheard of for wolves to have such colors.

…

Gideon's frown deepened as he stared at Victor, his battered body was a testament to the brutality he had endured. "A bright red wolf?" he repeated, his tone laced with skepticism.

He was unconscious when he was brought back to the camp, and now that he'd woken up, they needed to know what really happened, because Victor was the only survivor from the close-to-a-hundred strong rogues that were sent out last night.

Victor nodded weakly, a faint grimace twisting his battered face. "Yes...it attacked us before we could reach the eastern border," he whispered, his voice strained. "The wolf was ferocious...merciless. It tore through our..." A groan escaped his lips, his body shuddering in agony.

Gideon's gaze swept over Victor's ravaged form, his expression grim. One of Victor's hands hung limply, nearly severed. Deep wounds scored his stomach, shoulders, and face, the gashes still oozing blood despite the healer's effort. The wounds were so severe that Victor's healing powers couldn't catch up.

"Red wolf..." the masked man murmured, his voice tinged with contemplation. "There's a rumor that the Alpha of the Dark Snow Pack was a red wolf. Could he be..." His words trailed off, as he quickly shook the thought off.

The notion seemed absurd. The Dark Snow Pack was located across the ocean, a two-month's journey from Dark Moon to Black Moon Pack. That aside, Alpha Snow would never set foot in Black Moon territory.

Could there be another red wolf he wasn't aware of? The masked man shook his head, dismissing the thought. The Black Moon Pack had no red wolf, and as far as his extensive knowledge went, there was only one red wolf in the entire kingdom - the Alpha of the Dark Snow Pack.

The masked man prided himself on having a vast and intricate understanding of the kingdom, yet this mystery had him stumped. The uncertainty gnawed at him, a rare and unsettling feeling. Only Luna Reana gave him this feeling and now, there was another.

…

Meanwhile, the red wolf in question, Alpha Snow, lay patiently on a bed as Marcus tended to his wounds.

"Alpha, why would you fight them alone?" Marcus chattered on, his words tumbling out in a rush. "You should have called upon me or our people! We would have had your back. What were you thinking, taking on those rogues by yourself?"

Alpha Snow's eyes remained closed, his expression serene, as Marcus continued to fuss over him. But when Marcus's chatter was met with silence, he grew annoyed, his fingers probing the wound on his stomach a little too roughly.

Alpha Snow's eyes snapped open, his gaze freezing into a death glare that made Marcus's hands falter. The air seemed to vibrate with the Alpha's unspoken warning, and Marcus, sensing he had overstepped, swallowed hard, his eyes darting away from the Alpha's piercing stare.

"If you can glare, you can speak too," he mumbled under his breath, even though he could feel a shiver running down his spine as Alpha Snow's piercing gaze lingered on him.

Everyone feared the Alpha, and Marcus was no exception. Yet, he knew he could push the boundaries, just a little. Among the selected few who managed to breach the Alpha's formidable walls, Marcus, Qasas, and Tamara held a special place. They were the only ones who could dare to tease him, to poke fun at him, and to speak their minds without fear of punishments.

"How will you explain your injuries to Reana?" Marcus asked, his voice laced with a mix of anger and concern. He was still seething that his Alpha had risked his life, taking on the rogues alone.

The battle Snow fought alone had been fierce, and though he had emerged victorious, he hadn't escaped unscathed. A deep wound marred his side down to his stomach. It was too gruesome to even look at. "You told her you couldn't shift."

Alpha Snow didn't respond. Instead, he rose from the bed, his movements economical as he dressed in his uniform. The tasteless black and white fabric seemed to blend seamlessly with the shadows, much like the Alpha himself.

With a final adjustment to his uniform, Snow stepped out of the dark, rustic hut, and into the bright, crisp morning air. The warm sunlight cast a golden glow on his chiseled features, momentarily softening the sharp lines of his face, before he slipped off his signature stoic mask, once again becoming the cunning servant, Ryder.

"I fell from the horse and got ripped open by a broken branch," Ryder instructed, a small Mischievous smile creeping onto his lips. "Stick to that story."

With that, he strode over to the horses tied nearby, his movements fluid and confident, as if he wasn't nursing a gruesome wound.

Kill Marcus. But he could never understand how such a mighty, stone-cold, heartless, and ruthless Alpha like Snow could swiftly shift personas in a way that was almost impossible, yet both characters suited him with eerie perfection.

It was as if he had two distinct souls, each one a flawless fit, leaving no hint of discord or contradiction. The enigma that was Alpha Snow only deepened, especially how he was so obsessed with Reana, a she-wolf Marcus and the others didn't know existed until three years ago.

Marcus' eyes suddenly widened, could Snow be —