Chapter 8: When the Alpha starts asking questions
494 Words
(Selena’s POV)
I knew Liam would go to the boundary.
He always did when something didn’t make sense to him. It was one of the traits that made him an effective Alpha and an inconvenient one when plans required subtlety.
That was why the attack on Mara had been perfect.
Rogues were unpredictable. Omegas were fragile. And fear always needed somewhere safe to settle.
Just not on me.
From the upper balcony, I watched Liam reach the marker stones, his posture rigid, his movements slow and deliberate. He wasn’t searching for blood.
He was searching for patterns.
Annoyance stirred in my chest.
I had counted on grief to blur logic.
Clearly, I had underestimated him.
By dusk, whispers reached me through the pack like smoke through cracks. Liam was asking questions, quiet ones. About guards. About duty records.
I adjusted quickly.
I visited the healer’s hut first.
Mara breathed shallowly, her arm wrapped in thick bandages. She was alive.
That was unfortunate.
I leaned close, voice gentle. “You mustn’t strain yourself. The pack is worried.”
Her eyelids fluttered.
Confused.
Good.
Confusion festered better than clarity.
Outside, I caught Liam watching the entrance.
Observing.
Not reacting.
Dangerous.
I approached him with practiced concern. “You haven’t rested. This attack upset everyone.”
“It upset you?” he asked coolly.
A flicker of irritation sparked but I smiled. “Of course. She’s loyal to the pack.”
“You spoke to the guards that night,” he said.
So he knew.
I tilted my head. “I spoke to many wolves. We were preparing for patrol.”
His gaze sharpened. “In my name?”
Careful.
“No,” I said smoothly. “In the pack’s interest.”
Silence stretched.
Then he stepped closer. “You walk too close to authority that isn’t yours.”
The threat was clear.
But he hadn’t moved yet.
Which meant doubt still existed.
That night, I accelerated.
The rumors shifted by morning.
It wasn’t just Mara anymore.
It was patterns.
“She brings chaos.”
“People get hurt around her.”
“What else is she hiding?”
I personally made sure those whispers reached the council.
By the time the moon rose again, Liam came to me.
“You forged records,” he said quietly.
I laughed softly. “You’re blaming me instead of the obvious cause.”
“She survived the shed,” he said.
My jaw tightened involuntarily.
I recovered instantly. “That should worry you.”
He didn’t respond.
That was when I knew.
Liam wasn’t choosing sides yet.
He was preparing.
Which meant I was running out of time.
Because if Mara wakes up fully…
Everything would unravel.
I returned to my quarters and closed the doors firmly.
If one omega waking could ruin me—
Then the solution was simple.
She wouldn’t wake again.
And neither would the one she was protecting.
Power was shifting.
And I would move first.
- Writer
