Reborn for him

Chapter 6:The Alpha Private Me Investigation

Alexander's POV

The report lay open on my desk.

Six warriors had been assigned to the eastern corridor during the gathering.

Three had legitimate reasons to be there.

Two had been dismissed from duty early.

The sixth had disappeared.

“His name is Gareth,” Marcus said. “He joined the Blackthorn security force four months ago. His references appeared legitimate, but our records show inconsistencies in his previous employment.”

I tapped my fingers against the desk.

“Who recommended him?”

“We're still investigating that.”

“Find out.”

Marcus nodded.

“There is something else. The west archive was accessed twice in the past month. Both entries were authorized using credentials belonging to senior staff.”

My expression hardened.

Someone inside my own household was helping an outsider.

“What records were accessed?”

“Historical Alpha inheritance documents.

Medical reports concerning previous members of the bloodline. And an old manuscript describing the transfer of certain inherited abilities.”

I leaned back.

The Wolfe bloodline had always attracted attention. Its Alpha abilities were unusually strong, and generations of enemies had attempted to exploit them.

But the records were protected.

Very few people knew they existed.

“Seal the west archive,” I ordered. “No one enters without my personal authorization.”

Marcus hesitated.

“Alpha, there's one more matter.”

“Speak.”

“Miss Emma visited the eastern corridor after the gathering. Gareth approached her, but you intervened.”

I remembered the way Emma had looked at me.

She had been frightened, but not for herself.

She had been afraid that something would happen to me.

Why?

For months, Emma had shown more interest in Daniel than in anyone else. I had assumed she regarded our proposed engagement as a convenient arrangement between families.

Yet recently, her behavior had changed.

She questioned Daniel's motives. She spoke to me directly. And now she had discovered a clue connected to the missing records.

Coincidence was possible.

But I had survived too many threats to dismiss unusual circumstances.

“Do you believe she is involved?” Marcus asked.

“I believe we don't know enough to draw conclusions.”

I stood and walked to the window.

Emma's expression returned to my mind.

Give me the chance to know you.

It had sounded sincere.

That was precisely what made it dangerous.

A skilled manipulator knew how to make lies sound like truth.

Still, something about her had unsettled me. Her eyes had carried a sorrow that seemed far older than her years.

Almost as though she were grieving someone who was still alive.

I turned away from the window.

“Find Gareth. Quietly. I don't want the person behind this investigation to realize we've discovered the missing records.”

“And Miss Emma?”

I considered the question.

“Keep her safe without making it obvious.”

Marcus raised an eyebrow.

“Because you trust her?”

“No.”

The answer came too quickly.

I paused.

“Because someone has threatened her, and she may be a witness.”

Marcus wisely offered no further comment.

After he left, I opened the drawer containing Emma's torn paper.

I studied the handwriting again.

The phrase before the next moon suggested urgency. Whatever the intruder wanted, they intended to obtain it soon.

I had spent years defending my pack from enemies who wanted my position.

Now someone wanted something more personal.

My blood.

And Emma had stumbled into the middle of it.

I should have kept my distance.

Instead, I found myself wondering whether she would return to Blackthorn Estate.

I told myself it was for the investigation.

Nothing more.

But when a message arrived from the household secretary confirming that Emma had requested another meeting, I read it twice.

Then I instructed him to arrange it for the following morning.

I needed answers.

And I intended to discover why Emma had suddenly become the one person I couldn't stop thinking about.