Chapter 3: Hacker in the System
1791 Words
Dominic POV
The alert was still showing on my screen when I called Alex over.
“Take a look at this,” I said, handing him my phone. My fingers lingered on the edge of the device, tension coiling in my chest. Storm pressed beneath my skin, restless, alert. Rex nudged Alex lightly, sensing my tension.
We rushed to Silverblade Cybersecurity. On the way, Alex sent texts to Rick, Tom, Marco, and Laurent: Conference room at 6 pm. No questions. The precision of his words mirrored the bond humming beneath my skin.
When we arrived, we grabbed our laptops and entered the conference room. I dove into the data logs, scanning line by line, my Alpha instincts sharpening with every irregularity.
Timestamps of earlier breach attempts flickered across the screen. Small deviations. Repeated sequences. Subtle enough to almost go unnoticed—but not to me.
Alex sat beside me, hazel eyes bright, watching my screen.
“Look at the timestamps—someone’s running multiple sequences but barely leaving a trace. This isn’t random,” I told him.
He furrowed his brows. “They’re testing reactions,” he murmured. “Checking our systems, seeing what’s predictable, what’s vulnerable.”
Storm growled inside my mind, low and menacing. Threat.
Tom stepped in, sliding a laptop onto the table. “What’s the matter, boss?” His eyes were sharp, calculating.
“We have a system breach,” I said, voice steady but stern, every muscle taut.
“What!” Marco exclaimed, nearly dropping his laptop. “How is that even possible?”
“Can we trace it?” Alex asked.
Marco hit the keys quickly, fingers flying. “This hacker is… good,” he said, a small, knowing smile creeping onto his lips.
“Really good,” Tom agreed, leaning over Marco’s shoulder, brows drawn tight as he examined the code.
“Define good,” I prompted, crossing my arms.
“This hacker leaves no trace. Every move covered. Precise,” Marco replied, smirking. “Careful, efficient. Skilled enough to test us without getting caught.”
“That sounds like a challenge,” Tom said with a faint grin.
“I don’t like the sound of that,” Alex murmured.
I leaned forward, eyes scanning the logs again. Small anomalies stood out—tiny deviations in timestamps, a faintly repeated pattern that didn’t match normal operations. My pulse spiked. Storm pressed harder, insistent. Someone’s testing us. Someone’s inside.
Laurent tapped the table lightly, breaking my focus. “Legally, we’re fine so far, but we need to monitor all access paths. Any breach could escalate quickly.
Rick’s sharp voice interjected. “I’m calling Alpha Albert for advice. Better to get insight from experience.”
“Good idea,” I agreed, feeling Storm simmer, impatient but restrained.
“In the meanwhile, I’ll trace any financial leak,” Rick added, voice steady. “Let’s hope there is none.”
I exhaled, trying to focus. The hacker’s skill was unnerving. And yet, every instinct told me this was more than a simple intrusion—it was a test.
My father answered his phone on the third ring.
“Hello son, how are you?”
“I need your help,” I said, no time for pleasantries.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, voice stern.
“Can you come to the office? I don’t want to do this over the phone,” I said.
“On my way,” he said and hung up.
Thirty minutes later, my father entered the conference room.
“What’s going on? It sounded urgent.”
I explained the situation to him.
“So far, no financial breach, but I’ll keep monitoring the situation,” Rick updated.
“That’s good—one less worry,” Laurent said, nodding.
Alpha Albert leaned back slightly, fingers steepled. “First thing,” he said, voice calm but authoritative, “don’t panic. Every hacker, no matter how skilled, leaves a pattern. We just need patience and observation.”
I felt Storm press beneath my skin, approving the wisdom, while Rex nudged Alex, sharp and teasing.
“Second,” Albert continued, “focus on the anomalies you’ve already noticed. Those tiny deviations, repeated sequences—they’re deliberate. They tell you what the intruder is testing. Let the hacker reveal themselves; don’t react impulsively.”
Tom frowned slightly. “So, we just… watch?”
“Observe, yes,” Albert replied. “But prepare. Set your countermeasures quietly, invisibly. Make them think they’re probing freely while we control the battlefield. Never show the full hand. That’s the advantage of knowing the terrain—our systems, our people, our instincts.”
Alex leaned closer, murmuring to me, “He’s right. We can’t rush into this.”
“Patience,” my father said again, eyes meeting mine. “Trust your instincts, Dominic. But remember: the Alpha doesn’t just react. The Alpha anticipates. You and Alex both.”
I nodded slowly, letting his words sink in. Storm hummed beneath my skin, restrained but ready. Rex nudged Alex again, sharp but amused, sensing the tension in the room.
“Finally,” Albert added, “keep your mate close—both in the pack and in the office. Stress and distraction are weaknesses; trust each other, and your bond will keep you grounded while the intruder makes their moves.”
I exhaled, feeling the weight of his guidance settle. Every instinct inside me—Alpha, strategist, mate—aligned with the advice. This wasn’t just a test of skill. It was a test of leadership, focus, and restraint.
The meeting ended and I retreated to my office, tension coiling in every muscle. Storm pressed beneath my skin, insistent, restless.
I sat behind my desk.
I let my gaze sweep the room, noting the slight hum of servers, blinking alerts, and shadows cast by the sunlight. Everything was normal… except the subtle pull of Alex, standing at the door.
“You’re tense,” he said.
He stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He walked over to me and started massaging my shoulders.
“You need to relax,” he murmured into my ear, sending a warm sensation over me.
He kissed my cheek and moved down to my neck, his mark.
“Let me help you,” he breathed down my neck.
I groaned.
“That’s it,” Alex murmured, sensing the stress leaving my body, guiding me into a calmer rhythm.
He dropped to his knees, sliding under the desk with ease. His hands traced the sides of my legs, subtle but electrifying, and every nerve flared with the bond pulsing between us. Storm stirred, insistent, while Rex nudged Alex again, playful and sharp, sensing the shift in energy.
The room hummed around us, alerts blinking softly, a distant reminder of work, but all I could feel was Alex—my Beta, my mate, grounding me even as he teased every instinct I had. The air between us was thick, carrying the faint, intoxicating scent of him—warm, electric, pulling at something primal beneath my skin.
He unbuckled my belt and opened my zipper, guiding me and lowering my pants and briefs. He took control and I let him.
He took my c**k out and kissed it from base to tip, making me shiver. A low moan escaped me, and my eyes rolled back into my head.
He licked the slit of my tip, before taking me into his mouth, slow and controlled. I growled with pleasure.
He bobbed his head and my hands made their way to his head. I grabbed his hair tight.
But before we could finish, there was a knock at the door.
“Boss…,” Tom called out.
Alex quicky pulled back from under the desk like nothing had happened. He moved beside me, perching on the edge of the desk.
“Come in,” I called.
“We got an update” Tom said, stepping inside, his eyes darting between us with a knowing look.
Storm surged beneath my skin—not with distraction this time, but focus.
I straightened immediately. Alex grabbed a chair and sat beside me, calm, controlled.
Marco placed his laptop in front of me.
I leaned forward, scanning the screen. Alex shifted closer, eyes tracking the data beside me.
“The intruder’s still probing, but so far—nothing confidential has been accessed. Financials and client data are all secure,” Tom reported.
“Whoever this is… they’re testing, not stealing,” Alex said quietly.
I leaned in further, studying the logs.
Storm stirred.
Something’s off.
I agreed.
I tapped my fingers lightly on the desk, thinking.
“The intruder is clever,” Marco continued. “They know how to avoid detection—only leaving breadcrumbs.”
“If we weren’t paying attention, this could’ve been going on for months,” Tom added.
“So, they’re testing…,” I said slowly.
“And learning” Alex finished.
Tom leaned back, arms crossed. “Exactly.”
I lifted my gaze from the screen, a decision already forming.
“How far are you with the trap?” I asked
Marco hesitated for half a second. “Almost finished…”
“I want it done tonight,” I said, leaving no room for discussion.
“No problem, boss,” he replied quickly.
Storm didn’t settle.
He was still watching.
Waiting.
Tom and Marco left my office, going back to work.
Alex took my hand in his. “How are you now?”
I exhaled slowly, tension still coiled tight in my chest. “Not better.”
Storm paced beneath my skin, restless.
Watching.
Waiting.
Alex stepped closer, his presence grounding, steady. His fingers curled around mine, anchoring me in a way nothing else could.
“You don’t have to carry it alone,” he said quietly.
I looked at him, really looked.
My Beta. My mate.
Mine.
I pulled him closer, pressing my forehead briefly against his.
“Just… stay,” I murmured.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he replied.
For a moment, everything else faded—the screens, the breach, the unknown threat pressing at the edges of my mind.
Just us.
Storm settled slightly.
Rex answered, calm and steady.
I pressed a brief, firm kiss to his lips—grounding, not consuming.
Then I stepped back.
“Later,” I said, voice low.
Alex smirked faintly. “I’ll hold you to that.”
“You always do.”
But the moment passed.
The tension didn’t.
Because the problem was still there.
Waiting.
Even as the bond steadied, one thought refused to quiet.
Who had tried to hack us…
And what were they really after?
Later that evening, a message from Tom lit up my screen.
The trap was finished.
And set.
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