Three Alphas, One Secret

Four

Kieran's POV

The first sign that my morning was about to get worse came when one of my warriors rushed into the reception area and announced that Alpha West had arrived.

The second was the look on Kyl's face when he heard the news.

"West?" he repeated, rising from his chair. "What business does he have here?"

"Perhaps he heard you were here and wanted to ruin your day," Aida said from behind the counter.

Kyl turned to her slowly. I watched her fingers tighten around the pen she was holding. She had spoken without thinking, and judging by the way she suddenly became interested in her ledger, she was beginning to regret it.

"Do you find this amusing, Omega?" he asked.

"No." She swallowed, then lifted her chin. "I find three Alphas occupying my reception area before breakfast rather exhausting."

"Then perhaps you should learn when to keep quiet."

Aida's expression hardened, but she didn't answer immediately. Her eyes moved briefly toward the two warriors standing behind Kyl, then returned to him.

"This is neutral ground," she said. "You agreed to those rules when you entered my inn. I'm asking you to respect them."

Kyl leaned forward, resting his hands on the counter. "And what will you do if I don't?"

The question hung between them.

Aida looked at him, and I saw the fear she was trying to conceal. She knew perfectly well that she couldn't fight him. If Kyl decided to forget the agreement, there was little she could do to stop him.

But she didn't step back.

"Then I'll have to explain to every pack leader why you were the first Alpha to break the agreement," she replied. "I'm sure that conversation will be interesting."

Before Kyl could respond, the front door opened. West walked in as though he had all the time in the world. His gaze moved over Kyl, then settled on me before briefly acknowledging Aida.

"I see I've arrived in the middle of something."

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with," Kyl said.

West removed his gloves. "You say that as though you own the place."

"I don't need to own it to know when I'm unwelcome."

"Good. Then we're all aware of our positions."

Aida closed her ledger with a sharp snap.

"If you're finished measuring your egos, can someone tell me why another Alpha has decided to visit my inn?"

West looked at her with mild interest. "You're Aida, I presume?"

"Unless someone else has been answering to my name all morning."

His mouth twitched, but he didn't laugh. "West."

"I know who you are."

"Then I'll spare us the introductions. I'm here because of the missing wolf."

The room became quiet. I stepped closer. "What do you know?"

West's expression changed. The faint amusement disappeared, leaving behind the watchful look I knew better than to trust.

"My scouts spotted him near the eastern edge of my territory two nights ago. He was seen again near Kyl's northern boundary yesterday, then close to yours."

Kyl straightened. "Why am I only hearing about this now?"

"Because at the time, he was one unidentified wolf crossing a border. We had no reason to believe he mattered."

"And now he has vanished from a guarded room," I said.

"Exactly."

Aida looked between us. "Wait. You're saying he crossed all three territories before he arrived here?"

"That's what the reports suggest," West answered.

"Why would he do that?"

"That's what we're trying to find out."

She frowned. "Did he have enemies? Was someone chasing him?"

"One of my scouts said he kept stopping along the way," West replied. "Not like a wolf trying to escape. More like someone searching for something."

Aida's face grew thoughtful, and I found myself watching her more closely than I intended.

"What?" I asked.

She looked at me. "Nothing. I was just wondering why everyone assumes he came here because of one of you. Maybe he wasn't looking for an Alpha."

Kyl scoffed. "And who else would a wolf like that be looking for?"

"I don't know. That's why I asked."

"You speak as though you know more than you're telling us."

Her shoulders stiffened. "And you accuse people as though it's your only talent."

"Aida," I warned.

She glanced at me, and the brief flash of irritation in her eyes gave way to caution. She knew she had pushed too far. Still, she turned back to Kyl.

"I'm not hiding anything from you. I want that wolf found as much as you do. The longer this continues, the more likely it is that someone will damage my inn or frighten away my guests."

For once, Kyl had no immediate reply.

West studied her for another second before turning to me. "We should search the road between the three territories. If the wolf left a trail, we may still find something."

"Agreed," I said.

"I'll send my men to the eastern boundary," West continued. "Kyl can check the northern road, and your warriors can search the route leading here."

Kyl's eyes narrowed. "You seem very comfortable giving orders."

"I'm suggesting a plan. If you'd rather spend the day arguing, be my guest."

"Enough," I said. "We'll search separately and report anything we find."

Aida gathered her ledger and moved away from the counter. "Wonderful. Now that you've all decided to cooperate, can I return to running my inn?"

West stepped aside to let her pass. "Of course."

She paused, apparently surprised by the simple answer, then continued toward the stairs.

I noticed the difference. Kyl treated her refusal as a challenge. West treated it as a boundary, at least for now. Neither response made me trust them more.

I was about to follow Aida when the front door swung open again.

A young wolf stood in the doorway, breathing hard. Mud stained his trousers, and one sleeve was torn near the elbow. He looked from me to Kyl, then West, and immediately lowered his head.

"Alphas. I have a report."

"Speak," I ordered.

"We found the missing wolf."

Every conversation in the room stopped.

"Where?" Kyl demanded.

"Near the boundary between our territories. He's dead."

West's expression turned cold. "How?"

"The body was badly injured. We couldn't determine exactly what killed him, but there was blood on the ground leading away from the scene. We think someone attacked him before leaving him there."

"Who found him?" I asked.

"Two of our scouts. They followed the trail until they reached a clearing near the old boundary markers."

Kyl stepped toward the messenger. "Did you find any tracks?"

"Yes, Alpha. Several, but the rain had damaged most of them."

"Then what good is this report?" Kyl snapped.

The messenger flinched. Aida had stopped halfway up the stairs. She looked pale, one hand resting against the railing. "Was he alone when you found him?" she asked.

The messenger looked uncertain about answering her with three Alphas present.

"Answer her," I said.

"Yes, ma'am. He was alone."

Aida lowered her eyes. Whatever she had expected to hear, it hadn't been that.

The messenger reached into his pocket. "There was something else." He pulled out a small object wrapped in a bloodstained cloth and placed it on the counter. "I found this beside the body. I thought the Alphas should see it."

West moved first. He unfolded the cloth carefully, revealing a dark metal insignia, its edges stained with dried blood. The symbol engraved on it showed a crescent split by three jagged lines.

I had seen that mark before, though only in old records and stories most people dismissed as nonsense.

Kyl's face had lost its earlier arrogance. West stared at the insignia as if he wanted to deny what his eyes were telling him.

Aida descended the remaining stairs.

"What is it?" she asked. Neither Alpha answered.

I looked from the insignia to the messenger. "Where exactly did you find this?"

"Beside the wolf's body, Alpha."

"Did anyone else see it?"

"No. I brought it straight here."

West finally lifted his gaze. "That symbol shouldn't exist."

Kyl's jaw tightened. "The pack that carried it was destroyed years ago."

Aida looked at the three of us, waiting for someone to explain.

I couldn't give her an answer I trusted.

The fourth pack had supposedly been wiped out long before Aida was old enough to remember anything about it. Its name had disappeared from official records, and anyone who questioned its destruction was told to leave the past alone.

Yet its insignia was lying on the counter of an Omega's inn, carried there by a messenger who had found it beside a dead wolf.

Aida reached toward the cloth, then stopped when she noticed all three Alphas watching her.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked quietly.

I had no reason to suspect her. No evidence connected her to the dead wolf or the vanished pack. Still, I couldn't shake the feeling that we had been brought to this inn for a reason.