Deceiving My Mate

Chapter 10

***Nova***

I left the room shortly after Alpha Ceaser. Chase was waiting for me in my father’s study, as he had informed me through the mind link. The Lycan King's beta stood there, eyes wide, not saying a word. At first, I thought he had overheard everything, but then I realized he was simply waiting for me to update him.

“He believes I’m a man,” I said, trying to catch my breath.

Chase's face turned into a mix of surprise and amusement. “Really?” He examined me closely, as if searching for the features that would reveal my secret to anyone who didn’t know better.

“You’re pretty cute for a man. Surely he sees something?” he teased.

I shook my head, feeling slightly embarrassed by the attention. “Suspects anything?” He pressed, his curiosity overwhelming.

“No.” I shook my head again, my voice firm. “He seemed to be confused,” I added, trying to voice the uncertainty I had felt during my encounter with Alpha Ceaser.

A laugh erupted from behind me, and I turned to see Dante grinning as he leaned against the doorframe.

“He must be confused about his sexuality,” he quipped playfully, stepping into the room and putting his arms around my shoulders.

I scrunched my nose in disbelief. “How so?” I asked, genuinely perplexed.

The laughter from both males died down as they processed my question, leaving an awkward silence in the air.

Chase cleared his throat, his demeanor suddenly serious again. “Alpha Ceaser is into women. I’m actually surprised he didn’t ask you for a rejection.”

I glared at him, crossing my arms defensively. “How would you know what he said?”

Chase threw his hands up in mock surrender. “I didn’t eavesdrop. It’s just that you didn’t come out of there crying.”

“Even if he did,” I retorted, “he’d need my real name for it to work.”

“True,” Chase admitted, nodding, as he glanced at Dante, who had now removed his arms from my shoulders and crossed them over his chest.

“Maybe he values his life,” Dante chimed in, his tone serious now. “I’m sure no one in their right mind would reject a Lycan, let alone a Lycan king.”

“Or,” Dante added thoughtfully, “he could do what many power-hungry Alphas do: use your title for his gain.”

I shot Dante a side-eye, and he merely rolled his eyes in response. “It’s a fact. We can’t be too careful, especially since your brother was taken last night.”

“What did you find?” Chase asked, the gravity of the situation returning to our conversation.

I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of the recent developments settle heavily on my chest. “Not much. I overheard some things in the nearest town of humans that mentioned disturbance in the middle of of the night. They said they came from the north and traveled east. They were described as in a rush, I can only assume they took something or someone that was important. It would match the wolf prints I’ve found.” Dante explained. “If I were to kidnap an important wolf or Lycan, I’d travel through human towns to avoid any wolf packs.” Chase nodded his agreement.

“Did you find out any information about who could be responsible?” Chase pressed eagerly.

Dante hesitated, probably remembering something he had heard in the last few hours he’s been searching for answers. Whispers, no doubt, that could point to darker forces at play. “Not yet,” he replied, frustration creeping into my my face. “But there’s something off about the whole situation. The timing seems too convenient.”

Chase’s eyes narrowed as he considered his words. “You’re right. It’s unusual for anyone to challenge the Lycan family, especially now. But the question is, why? What do they want from them?”

Hendrix was not just a name; it was a legacy. The second child of the Lycan king, the expectations weighed heavily on my slender shoulders since my brother was missing. I pulled off the wig I wore, a males short cut wig and threw it on the couch before I sat. My light brown hair spilled down my back in soft waves, and my brown eyes reflected the turmoil within. I had been sheltered for too long, yet the world outside was growing darker by the day, and now I was thrust into it, whether I was ready or not.

“We need to get ahead of this,” I said determinedly. “We need to find out who’s behind my brother’s disappearance and stop them before they can come back looking for the Lycans other children.”

Chase nodded in agreement, his dirty blonde hair catching the light as he moved. “I’ll gather our sources. There are whispers among the pack that might lead us to the truth.”

“I’ll do the same,” Dante added, his hazel eyes with golden flecks glinting in the light. “We can’t let this go unchecked. We need solidarity now more than ever. I’ll hire a hunter and have them go east for any words of a male that seems foreign to their lands. Surely someone’s seen something that night.”

I felt a flicker of gratitude for my friends. Though we had only been through a fraction of the trials that lay ahead, the bond we shared was stronger than the blood that tied most families together. Together, we would face what lay in the shadows.

“The last thing my brother said was that our father’s enemies will become ours. It was why our father always said to us; no one other then his betas and gamma family knew who his kids were. Or how many of us he had.” I said and the boys nodded.

“Our father gave us the same speech growing up.” Chase said.

“I’ll have to inform our fathers on the situation.” Dante said.

“We’ll do it together.” Chase added, they both nodded in agreement.

As the conversation simmered down to a strategic discussion about what our next moves should be, I felt an uneasy flutter in my stomach. Fear mixed with anticipation as I considered all the dangers lurking in the dark corners of our kingdom.

“We should offer protection to the pack,” I suggested, attempting to keep my voice steady. “They need to feel safe, especially with everything that’s happening.”

Dante nodded. “Good idea. We can hold a meeting and assure them that we’re doing everything we can to find the ones responsible for this. Everyone will only assume that it’s for the new Alpha King, but the culprits will most likely get anxious knowing we know that they took one of the Lycan king’s children.”

“Maybe that could lure them out. I’m convinced it was an inside job if there wasn’t any blood or signs of a struggle. I mean his door nor windows was broken. That means your brother let them in unknowingly.” Chase voiced his thoughts on the matter.

Chase raised an eyebrow. “But we also need to keep our real plans under wraps. We don’t want to stir panic among our people.”

“Agreed,” I said, appreciating Chase’s cautious nature. “We need to strike a balance—reassure them while keeping our strategies close to our ourselves.”

After discussing potential strategies for our pack meetings and how to approach the previous Beta and Gamma about the situation, we settled on a plan. The first thing was to reach out to those in positions of influence within the pack. We needed to rally our allies and gather information while maintaining an air of confidence.

“And what about Alpha Ceaser?” Dante asked, his brows furrowed. “Should we approach him or keep our distance?”

I contemplated his question. “As much as the thought of facing him again makes me want to hide, we can’t afford to act out of fear. We should keep our communications open. If he believes I’m a man, perhaps we can play into that advantage for now.”

Chase's mouth twisted into a smile. “You really know how to get into the minds of these Alphas, Nova. And first day on the job too. You and brother are more alike than I anticipated.”

I shrugged, attempting to downplay my words. “It’s just an option. I don’t know how far we can push it, but for now, it might work in our favor. The last thing we need is for him to be even more suspicious.”

Dante nodded, looking thoughtful. “We can use this time to gather intel. If anything, we can figure out exactly what he’s after and use it to our advantage.”

I had never felt more alive—and terrified—than in that moment. The rush of impending danger coursed through me like a wildfire, igniting a passion within that I had never fully acknowledged before. With my brother’s safety at stake, I was determined to protect everything I held dear.

As the meeting drew to a close, we stood united, ready to face whatever darkness awaited us. I thought of my father, my family, the pack and the kingdom. They relied on me, even if they didn’t fully realize it yet.

“Together,” I whispered, finding strength in the solidarity of the three of us as we prepared to dive deeper into the shadows that threatened our world.

And together, we would find my brother and protect the kingdom.