Beyond Chosen: The Alpha Fated Mate

The Accusation

~Elvira~

When he looked at me like that, I became speechless.

I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out.

What was it with this pack? First the cell...then the near rejection...and now a framing for a crime I didn’t commit...I was exhausted...my stomach was empty...and I had no energy for this woman's theatrics.

I looked from Gabriel, whose undivided attention was still on me to the woman clutching his arm with a familiarity that made my wolf, Val, want to snarl.

Then my gaze drifted to the two guards.

They had muscles bulging inside their uniforms, typical of the high-tier warriors Silverblade was famous for.

"You see, Gabriel? She can't even defend herself!" Vanessa insisted pointing her red painted finger at me.

"I caught her red-handed. Who knows what secrets she was trying to steal?"

"Elvira!" Gabriel’s voice carried an impatient tone.

"I wasn't snooping, Alpha Gabriel” I finally defended myself.

"I was just looking around."

"Just looking around?" He arched a brow.

"Yes! She found me by the window, not the desk. I haven't touched a single paper."

"Are you calling me a liar?!" Vanessa shrieked her face contorting.

"Vanessa!" Gabriel growled.

The power in his voice was a force that made the guards instinctively bow their heads and even Vanessa herself flinched.

I made a mental note: she was scheming but even she feared the Alpha’s temper.

"Who’s on duty in the security station?" Gabriel barked at the guard.

"Bring me the CCTV footage of this office from the last hour. Let’s see what her true intentions are..." he added with eyes still boring into mine.

"Yes, Alpha," one guard said leaving immediately.

I didn't feel threatened. Not at all.

In a pack that built security tech, of course there would be cameras, in fact I felt relieved, the cameras would be my only witnesses.

I glanced at Vanessa and caught her shifting awkwardly from foot to foot, her confidence fading.

"Good," I spoke up wrapping my arms around my waist to keep from swaying. "The truth is the best way to end this."

"Gabriel, darling, this is such a trivial matter," Vanessa suddenly chirped. "No need to go to such lengths. Maybe I just... didn't see things clearly in my worry for you."

I bristled. She wanted to sweep it under the rug now that her lie was about to be exposed?

I needed a clean reputation if I was going to join the warrior program.

"No," Gabriel said.

"I want to get to the root of this myself. I want to know exactly what she’s been up to."

I looked at him, hoping for a some form of support even a little, but his dark eyes were narrowed to slits.

He didn't trust me.

Pain stabbed in my heart...not from his anger, but from his lack of trust in me!

‘But we are mates!’ Val whimpered in my mind, curling into a dejected ball. ‘He should side with us.’

‘It doesn't work that way Val he doesn't know us,’I whispered back, though it hurt to admit. ‘To him, the bond is just a nuisance.’

Gabriel sat back at his desk and flipped open his laptop the screen light reflecting in his cold eyes.

Without waiting for permission, I sat on a nearby chair as my legs finally gave out.

Vanessa remained standing looking trapped.

Footsteps echoed in the hall...

The door opened after a brief knock and the guard returned.

Behind him walked a man who seemed to radiate a different kind of power.

He was tall with blonde hair and a physique that was lean, toned, and agile.

He didn't have the mountain-like bulk of the guards but he moved with the grace of a high-ranking werewolf.

As he stepped into the room...he turned his head toward me, as if sensing my gaze.

I found myself looking at the softest, most intelligent eyes I had ever seen, Surprisingly they didn't look at me with hate or suspicion.

He looked at me with curiosity.

"Alpha," the guard called. "I have the footage you requested."

My attention stayed on the blonde haired man.

He was clearly high-ranking based on his aura maybe the Beta or a Lead Warrior.

As he glanced back at me and offered a small, barely visible nod, I felt a tiny spark of hope.

For the first time since crossing the border, I didn't feel like I was standing alone against the world…