MATED TO THE SECRET ALPHA

The servant quarters was a sea of bodies as servants and warriors crowded the place, thick emotions mixed with the smell of gore permitting the air. Upon seeing the Luna coming, they subconsciously parted, letting her through the crowd until she was face to face with the dismembered bodies of the Intruders, their limbs torn asunder, their faces frozen in a permanent scream.

She scanned the bodies, none belonged to her pack members. Her breath shook with a sigh of relief, but her heart was far from calming down as she looked past the dead bodies, her gaze taking the the faces around her. But Ryder wasn't present.

"Where is Ryder?" her voice sounded calm but beneath the surface, a hint of panic simmered, threatening to boil over. Her eyes narrowed, gaze piercing as she swept the area once more.

The silence that followed was oppressive, the weight of it settling heavy on her shoulders, until finally, a hesitant voice spoke up, "L-Luna, I think he's...I think he's in his quarters."

Reana's gaze followed the young servant's finger, her eyes locking onto the door to Ryder's cabin which stood slightly ajar, as if inviting her in. A shiver ran down her spine as she felt a sudden sense of trepidation, her heart pounding in her chest like a drum.

Without a word, she moved towards the door, her steps quiet and deliberate, her senses on high alert. As she pushed open the door, a faint scent wafted out, a scent that was unmistakably Ryder's, but tinged with a thick smell of something else...blood.

Reana's heart skipped a beat as her eyes adjusted to the dim light within, and what she saw made her breath catch in her throat. Ryder lay shirtless on his bed, his chest rising and falling with shallow breaths, his skin pale and clammy, and his body covered in a patchwork of wounds, each one oozing a steady trickle of crimson.

But what made Reana pale was the deep wound on his stomach, a jagged gash that seemed to slice from his side to his abdomen, its edges ragged and raw. The sight made her stomach twist with a mix of fear and dread.

She closed in and stood by his side, his face pale as he seemed to have passed out. "Why is no healer here?" Reana frowned, her voice low and urgent.

"They are occupied with the warriors," a soft voice replied, belonging to one of the servants who had followed her in. "We didn't think...we didn't realize it was this bad."

Reana's gaze snapped to the servant, her eyes blazing with a mix of worry and anger. "Get a healer here, now," she commanded, her voice firm and authoritative. "And fetch me some clean water and bandages."

"Yes, Luna." The servant rushed out, leaving Reana alone with Ryder.

She gazed down at his pale face, her heart aching with worry and fear. She reached out a trembling hand and gently brushed a strand of hair that was stuck to his sweaty forehead, her touch soft and tender. "Ryder, please," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "You have to be okay. You have to."

"His minor wounds are closing up," Kira pointed out, hoping that knowledge was enough to reassure Reana, but the Luna's gaze remained fixed on Ryder's face, her eyes filled with a deep concern that seemed to go beyond mere physical injury.

Her eyes were locked onto the deep wound on Ryder's stomach, her expression a mask of worry and fear. "Kira," she called without taking her eyes off Ryder's stomach.

"Yes, Luna." Kira's voice was cautious, sensing the shift in Reana's tone. Reana's gaze didn't waver from Ryder's wound as she spoke, her words dripping with icy precision.

"Lock the beta up."

Kira's eyes widened slightly at the command, but she nodded and turned to leave, her voice barely above a whisper. "At once, Luna."

As Kira departed, Reana's gaze finally shifted, her eyes locking onto the servant who had just brought a bowl of water. But just as she reached for the cloth, the servant moved her hand, "I'll do it, Luna."

But a glare from Reana made her shudder and she hastily handed the cloth to her, backing away slightly.

Reana's hands moved with a gentle precision as she began to clean Ryder's wounds, her touch soft and tender, but her eyes never lost their sharp edge, her gaze darting up at Ryder's face each time she accidentally caused him a twinge of pain.

Although Ryder's face remained pale and still, his eyes closed, Reana could sense his pain, and it tore at her heart. She worked in silence, her movements economical and precise, but her eyes spoke volumes, conveying a deep emotional turmoil that she couldn't quite contain.

"Luna, Healer Dira is here." Marcus hurried in with Dira, who quickly assessed the situation and moved to Ryder's side, her eyes scanning his wounds with a practiced gaze. "Let me take a look," she said, her voice calm and soothing, as she listened to Ryder's heartbeat.

Marcus silently clicked his tongue, a mix of emotions swirling inside him. He had never seen anyone as cunning as Ryder. Earlier, Ryder had returned to the quarters unscathed. But then, he'd summoned Marcus to his room and given him a bizarre order: to inflict wounds on him.

And if that wasn't enough, Ryder had instructed Marcus to reopen the gash on his stomach, which had already begun to heal. At the time, Marcus had been perplexed, but now, witnessing Luna Reana's distress and concern over Ryder, Marcus finally understood the motive behind Ryder's bizarre actions, or so he thought.

But soon, he'd come to understand that Ryder's plan was far more intricate, aiming to kill more birds with one stone.

…

Kira arrived in Beta Ryan's abode, but found an empty place, further straightening their belief that Ryan had a hand in it. "Scour the pack and find him," Kira growled, her voice low and urgent. "Reana wants him brought in, now."

The warriors poured out, mindlinking other warriors, including those on patrol, to launch a thorough search for the beta. After long minutes of searching, they finally tracked him down to one of the cabins on the outskirts of the pack.

Kira's eyes narrowed as she approached the cabin, her hand on the hilt of her dagger. She pushed open the door, and a low growl rumbled in her throat as she took in the scene before her: Beta Ryan lay naked, entwined with Lillian, their bodies a tangled mess of limbs and sheets. The scent of sex still lingering in the air.