Betrayed by my Alpha

Chapter 7 - Return

Varek stared at the darkened sky. He was the only one who laid awake amongst the six of them in the camp. The fire that burned low in their middle crackled slowly as he stayed submerged in the ink of his thoughts.

They had been turned back and with no reason behind it. It puzzled him to no end and this being the second night at this camp, deciding if he should return home or make another attempt with the sanctuary.

They knew his name. They knew his clan. He had never seen that man before, the man with the contrasting eyes. His presence was powerful. Varek would have thought the man was the leader of the sanctuary if he hadn’t already been told it was a woman. Did she know him? Did she somehow know of what he had done in his past? What he had done with his mate, Tahla–

He suddenly sat up.

Zorah.

Could it be her? The leader of the sanctuary? She had left his pack five years ago and the sanctuary was said to have started at a similar time. It couldn’t be Zorah, could it? He thought of the possibilities, but shook his head. Zorah was no leader. She had been one of the clan physicians who only worked with herbs for medicine. She was just like her daughter, not a bone of leadership in her body.

Tahla.

He had only known her in passing, seen her in training. She had never really caught his attention, so when she had been chosen for him as a mate, he was furious. He had told those elders before, he desired Soraya, yet they defied his wishes and gave him a mare. She was nothing special. Long, dark hair she always kept in a plait behind her head, eyes that resembled the earth beneath their feet and skin kissed by the sun… she wasn’t anything special… That’s what he told himself.

The sun began to peak beyond the horizon and Varek decided it was best to get up, sleep was elusive. He was going to try again. Speak to the Lunaris. They must give him answers. They had to tell him why he was turned back. Was his reputation deplorable? Was he an enemy with one or more of their people? His mind would not settle if he did not have answers. He stood, the movement alerted the men around him as they began to rise as well.

“We head home, I presume,” Lysan said with disappointment. Maybe he should have come alone and become allies before he brought Varek. The whole situation put him out and he was ready to return to his mate.

“No,” Varek said, catching Lysan by surprise. “We return to the sanctuary. I want answers.” He began walking in the direction of the sanctuary again, Lysan followed quickly, then their soldiers behind them.

“You need answers?” Lysan asked. “Answers from whom?”

Varek continued walking without another word. They had camped as close as the sanctuary warriors would allow. Once they reached the borders, they stopped. There was a figure waiting in the shadows. His scent seemed to be hidden, because all Varek could sense was the forest. The man stepped into the morning light and slowly, he lowered the hood of his cloak.

It was the man with contrasting eyes. He looked at them with no expression to read. He stood tall before them and Varek looked around and behind the man. He was alone. He could not smell any others, at least not to the extent where they could track their positions. It was confusing. How was it possible that they were masking their scents? He looked to Lysan and the other alpha seemed to be in thought as well as he looked at the man.

“I am Zephael of the Lunaris. Beta and commander after our leader. I have been instructed to escort you in. You will bring no weapons and your soldiers will wait here. If you give us any reason to distrust you, you will die where you stand. There will be no unternatives.Do you understand and do you still wish to enter the sanctuary?”

Lysan turned and looked to Varek who did the same. Could they leave their soldiers behind? The sanctuary was known for giving homes to those who needed it and providing protection; they wouldn’t harm them if they didn’t give them a reason. Varek turned back to Zephael and slowly nodded his head. They were two powerful alphas and would be able to take care of themselves.

“Very well,” Zephael said. “Remove all weapons from yourselves.” Two warriors came from the shadows, also covered in the scents of the forest. It was as though they were not there.

They both removed any daggers they had sheathed on their person and handed them to the warriors with little hesitation. Zephael gave them one last glance before turning and walking away. Both men followed, albeit slowly, unsure if they should be following at all, but the two warriors who took their blades followed carefully behind. Varek looked over his shoulders to see the five wolves they’d come across the first day they came to the sanctuary surrounding the border, watching his and Lysan’s warriors closely. He turned back and continued after Zephael.

They walked for a considerable amount of time and Varek wondered if this beta was actually taking them to the sanctuary or leading them somewhere to have them ambushed. He looked around him carefully, though all he could smell was the forest and something underneath that he could not pin point. But he felt in his gut that they were being watched.

Suddenly, the trees gave way to a large opening, that’s when the voices came through. They entered the opening and the first thing Varek saw were the endless rows of log-houses with thatched roofs. There was a large bon-fire in the middle where a few women were packing new firewood into the hole and pouring dry leaves on top. He turned to see warriors and wolves moving about as the day broke. Not many were outside as the day was just beginning. It looked peaceful and organised. He turned again and saw a group of about twenty men on their way towards the forest, they shifted into wolves as they went. Varek recognised their order. They were hunters out to get food for the sanctuary.

The homes they passed seemed to never end, but soon enough, they reached one that sat bigger that all others in the middle of it all. It had two doors at its front. Zephael reached the second one, the one farthest. He opened it, moving aside for the men to enter. Lysan went first, then Varek followed. The room was spacious with a table in its centre and about a dozen chairs around it. No one was inside except two other guards who stood by two of the room’s four corners. The other two who had followed them inside flanked the other two corners. There were another two doors inside. Zephael gestured that they sit, which they did and waited patiently as he disappeared into one of the two doors.

It was only a few minutes before the door opened again. Varek and Lysan turned to it and the air in the room was sucked out of Varek’s chest. His eyes deceived him. He wasn’t sure when he began to see the dead, but it was standing right in front of him. He was forced out of his seat by his own surprise.

It couldn’t be. The bond died. SHE died.

Her dark hair, earthy eyes, sun kissed skin. They all were in front of him, taunting.

It couldn’t be.

“Moon’s peace, Varek.”