Alpha’s Betrayal
Chapter 14

Remus Claw Mansion Woodward County, Oklahoma

I stood on the small balcony of the master bedroom, damp hair sticking to the back of my neck as I watched the morning haze drift up from the fields. The sun had risen only an hour ago, but the July heat was already threatening. The grass was still. Horses grazed in one of the far paddocks, blissfully unaware of the change in ownership.

Must be nice, I thought idly, watching the distant shapes as tails swished and ears flickered. As long as they've got food and a place to sleep, they really aren't that concerned, are they? Someone had put the horses back out between the carriage rides and the proper start of the ceremony. While I supposed prey animals were probably sensitive enough to hear some sort of chaos unfold up at the main house, it didn't have anything to do with them.

Never owned a herd of horses before. I wondered if Marnet's stable staff was human and scratched at my closely cut beard. We had never had pets growing up, nor had I any desire for such things. There had been a class guinea pig once in the fourth grade, but the damn thing started squealing its head off every time I came close. That was the end of that, for me. If they were wolves, we'd need to address that.

I pulled my phone out of my pants pocket and pulled up my list for the former Claw mansion.

Oklahoma Mansion To Do

-Remove Claw insignia

-Sell paintings

-Accountant for assets

So much sh!t to do. I hated this part. After a moment, I added a few more items to the document.

-Take care of horses (new hires?)

-Farm care, y/n?

-Hire someone to deep clean entire place.

I paused and frowned. Cleaning needs to be number one, I decided, and quickly dragged that item to the top of my list. I closed the app and scowled. The entire home reeked like the Lupus Claw pack. It wasn't a surprise, but if I was going to spend any amount of time here, I needed it to change as soon as possible. It would take weeks of several Silverstreak Wolves practically rolling around on the furniture to replace the scents naturally, and I just didn't have the patience for that. Thank the ancestors for modernity.

I stopped myself just short of pulling my phone back out to start scanning the Internet for local cleaning services. Technically, this house wasn't mine yet. Marnet was still out there, somewhere, and I had to deal with him.

The thought elicited a low growl from deep in my chest and I scowled, stretching my arms up over my head as I stared out over the landscape surrounding the property. As long as Marnet was alive, he was a threat to my pack. Remaining Lupus Claw wolves might hold out, hoping to remain with their alpha instead of being folded into the Silverstreak clan. Even worse, Marnet had the right to challenge me. If I folded in his territory before the challenge, he could, technically, challenge me for my entire territory - that would be everything Silverstreak already held in Texas, too.

Tracing one of the fence lines out to the woods, I scowled. My wolves had been searching the surrounding area in teams, but nothing had been found overnight. I doubted any of the local werewolves would assist us; if they hadn't bound themselves to me as their alpha by now, I seriously doubted they were going to step forward before Marnet was found.

Hedging their bets.

I couldn't blame them. An average wolf who had no specific standing in the pack could find himself in a lot of trouble if he pledged himself to me now. His former packmates would see him as a traitor and make him a target. If he had no specific information, I had no reason to immediately promote him, either. They could even be concerned that Marnet could rise from the ashes and overthrow me. (He wouldn't, but a good businessman tried to see situations from the eyes of rivals or potential clients. I had to try to imagine what a regular wolf might think.)

If they supported Marnet now and he still fell to me, they'd still be screwed - and if they had no rank now, why would they risk their neck for him? Marnet's display last night didn't suggest to me he cared much about his packmates.

As long as the majority of the locals stayed out of the way, I didn't care. What I could use, though, was one wolf who knew the area and had a bone to pick with the alpha. Maybe a low-ranking pack member. I should ask Tala to run the area and attempt to locate any lone wolves nearby. Most wolves wouldn't choose to be loners, so maybe we could find someone who'd been kicked out of the pack and felt wronged by Marnet...and if not the man himself, perhaps by the Claw family.

I nodded to myself, content with the plan as I turned inside to go find my shirt. My hair was almost dry enough now, and I had wasted enough time percolating over the possibilities. "Ready or not, Marnet, here I come."

I had barely finished dressing when the door to the bedroom burst open, doorknob slamming into the wall. "Remus Abraham Silverstreak!"

I rolled my eyes as I turned around - only one person in the entire world dared use that middle name. She might be the only person still alive that knew it. Behind Fiona stood one of the guards I'd posted outside of her room, looking rightfully abashed. "I'm sorry, sir," the young woman muttered, her gaze flickering between myself and Fiona. "She wouldn't- We couldn't make her-"

I waved the woman off with a sigh. When Fiona Silverstreak gets good and mad, there's no stopping her.

"It's fine," I growled, aware that was probably a contradicting message. I didn't really care - I was annoyed, even if this couldn't be helped. "Shut the door on your way out."

The woman was relieved to be dismissed, hurrying back out of the room. My mother didn't waste a second the moment the latch clicked shut, stalking over within a foot of me.

"Remus Abraham Silverstreak," she snarled again, her eyes hard and dark. "You put me in a guarded room? Your own mother?"

I folded my arms over my chest. "Of course," I replied, trying to keep my cool. "This is -was- Marnet's territory. The last thing I needed was some wolf to get the bright idea to try to kidnap my mother in the chaos as some sort of leverage or bargaining tool." "So this is all about you, then."

"Well, you were irritated a moment ago when you thought it was about you," I shot back, arching a brow to mirror of the imperious look she was giving me. I had learned from the best, after all. "So, which would you prefer, Fiona? That I had you guarded for your protection, or for my peace of mind?"

She pressed her mouth into a thin line, eyes narrowing. "I raised you better than this. You had me guarded so I couldn't stop you from enacting this foolhardy plan. Here I was, thinking you'd just be a shameless flirt and embarrass me that way." She threw her hands into the air, as if praying to something overhead. No advice came, holy or otherwise, and she shook her head as she folded her arms over her chest. "No violence at Moonmate ceremonies is one of the most important laws, Remus. What were you thinking?" I shrugged. An alpha didn't have to explain himself to anyone, not even his own mother. "I did what I needed to do," I replied, trying to keep my temper in check.

"Explain to me why you needed to do this, Remus, please, because I fail to see what Marnet Claw did to necessitate this takeover."

I scowled, my thin shell of nonchalance easily cracked by her probing. "Just yesterday, you were on me about the stability of the Silverstreak clan," I growled. She opened her mouth to protest and I held up a finger, silencing the argument. "There's more than one way to shore up a pack, Mother. Frankly, expanding the territory and folding more wolves into the clan is a far better way to strengthen us than taking on a mate. That's just one wolf." I clicked my tongue against my teeth, irritated. As far as I could see, the addition of thousands was far more profitable than the addition of one, both for productivity and overall safety.

My mother hissed. "Damnit, Remus, that isn't what I meant, and you know it. This is going to make us enemies. What are the other packs going to think?"

I shrugged, thinking about the other alphas. I had had them restrained, and they'd gone quietly. Far from home and with only a handful of packmembers attending the ceremony with them, they weren't in any position to challenge my decision, regardless of how they felt about it. I hadn't heard anything from my guards, so I could only assume the three of them had decided to remain peaceful until this situation with Marnet was over. Good.

At least a few wolves here knew how to use their brains.

"I didn't raise you like this, I really didn't." My mother drew my attention back with a shake of her head. "Your father would-" She paused, something flickering over her expression. She shook the emotion away before I could parse it. "No. I won't invoke him in this mess. We are better than this, Remus. Wolves have more self-control than humans do, we don't succumb to childish things like greed. We can't let ourselves get sucked into open warfare! There just aren't enough of us to survive that sort of thing!" I inhaled carefully through my nose. Overreacting much? Sure, what I did was the opposite of traditional, and yes, we certainly did not make friends by doing as such, but implying I might start a global war? That was a bit much.

I leveled my mother with a sharp look. "I am not going to repeat myself." I kept my tone slow and calm. I refused to call upon my alpha powers when it came to my mother, even if I could. "This is in the best interest of the entire pack, and the wolves of Oklahoma will be better for it, too." Even she had to see that Marnet wasn't the sort of leader that could handle a territory that was made up by a thousand or so wolves. In three years, or maybe five if he was lucky, Marnet would start losing his grip on his pack, and a pack in chaos was dangerous for all the surrounding territories.

What if his carelessness caused a werewolf to be exposed to the humans?

It was impossible to imagine how disastrous that could be. Humans weren't aware of us, and no wolf in their right mind wanted to change that. We were stronger than humans, yes, but we were also seriously outnumbered. "Remus! You have to take this seriously!"

I turned my attention back to my mother. "I am serious, Fiona. Deadly so."

Finally, my mother paused. She closed her mouth and scowled. I could see her struggling with her distress, but I was over this conversation, and she was sensing that. "I hope you know what you're doing, Remus," she sighed, shaking her head. "I really do." She paused a moment longer. "Answer one more thing for me."

"Fine," I doubted this really would be the last thing.

"Did you do this for that girl? Luna?"

Her question left me momentarily thunderstruck - it took me a moment to card through my thoughts. Why would she even ask - oh. We had shared a drink, however briefly. That wasn't exactly a lifelong bonding moment, though. I supposed I had teased her about Luna 'being my mate' while she was making a scene, it was only to ruffle my mother's feathers a bit. Surely she hadn't taken that seriously. "While I think Marnet handled that entire situation poorly, no. It had nothing to do with her."

My mother pursed her l!ps, giving me a strange look. "Are you sure, Remy?" she asked. Something about her tone gave me pause; so much of the anger had dissipated with that one little question.

Does she really think it's better if I overthrew Marnet for a woman instead of because I thought he was a risk to shifters in the south? I kept the thought to myself, afraid to voice the thought and set off another round of interrogation. I had much better things to do with my time. Much more pressing issues to deal with.

Thankfully, she took my silence as a 'go ahead, buying me more time before I was expected to answer. "Mate bonds are the most powerful things in the world, Remy. I know I've told you at least a dozen teams, but you really can't begin to understand until you meet that wolf. But that isn't going to happen if you act so recklessly. Even if Luna was your mate, and I sincerely doubt that, given her display, that wouldn't be the way to deal with such a thing. You need to think about your future, Remus, and the future of the Silverstreak pack. I know it probably seems farfetched, but you will be happy once you settle down. Things will fall into place. When you're happy, the whole pack will be-"

"That's enough." I could feel my skin prickling all over. I shouldn't have even walked into this trap. My wolf was already at the edge of my conscious thoughts, bristling and rumbling his deep displeasure. Marnet was still running out there, free, and we had given my mother more than enough time to voice her concerns. This audience was over.

"Remus, please listen-"

"I said enough!" I snapped, feeling the tinge of red before I could really see it.

My mother inhaled sharply, her jaw closing so quickly her teeth clicked. She took several steps back, no longer looking me directly in the eye.

Sh!t.

Not a second after it happened, I realized what I had done. I'd cast my alpha on my mother. It had only been a flash, a quick thing, but I'd done it. I strode after her, reaching out for her arm, but she snatched her hand away like my touch would burn her. "Mom, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry-"

Fiona shook her head, still walking backwards towards the door. She hugged her arms against herself, a war of disappointment and hurt apparent in her glistening eyes. "I thought I knew what sort of man you were, Remus," she said quietly, as much to herself as to me. "But now I see I was mistaken."

"Mom, please, I just-"

She shook her head, turning her back on me to reach for the handle. I didn't make her stay; instead, I watched the door shut behind her, listening to the click of her heels as she hurried away down the hall.

Sh!t, I thought again, my stomach dropping to my feet like a leaden ball. You really fvcked that one up, Remus.

I sat on the bed, staring at my bare feet as I raked my hands through my hair. How can she not see this is important? I could understand it might come as a shock, but we couldn't keep doing the same things over and over and over. We'd be aimlessly chasing our tails forever and a day. The pack might survive, but it wouldn't thrive, and that wasn't what I wanted for the Silverstreak clan. I wanted there to be opportunity for those who wanted it - or safety, for those who desired that instead.

I dragged my fingers over my face and groaned. What would she have said if it were Dad in this position, not me? It's not like he never broke the rules.

My burner phone buzzed on the dresser, startling me. Thoughts of my parents were quickly put to the side and I stood, striding over to flip the phone open. "What is it?" Only Bane had the matching phone, and he wouldn't use it just to chat. "There's fresh scent about a mile into the woods," my beta reported.

I waited for a beat. "But?"

Bane exhaled. "But there are too many caves and the scent's spread out. It's fresh, but...I dunno, boss. It didn't rain. Just real hard to pin down."

I scowled. That's better than nothing, but... We were running out of manpower...or wolf power, I guessed. "We need someone who knows the area. Let me know if you find someone who fits the bill."

The line went dead. It could have been either of us. We didn't need silly things like 'goodbye, see you later.' I pocketed the phone and delayed only long enough to pull up my hair before I left the master bedroom, heading down the hall to the room where Luna had been taken.

When I opened the door, Tala was still sitting by the she-wolf's bedside. She was mopping the woman's brow with a hand towel, and I paused in the doorway, gut twisting. Marnet, you bastard. Torture was pointless and wasteful. If you were going to put someone to death - something I wasn't particularly keen on, mind you then you had to just fvcking do it. None of this playing with your prey. That was cruelty for cruelty's sake. Nothing to be gained. "How is she?" I asked, trying to shake the sudden nausea off.

"She's been in and out," Tala answered quietly. She looked up from the other she-wolf. "She's been talking to herself. Sometimes yelling." She sighed and put her hands in her lap. "Dreaming, I expect."

My exhale was heavier than I intended. Well, Bane better find someone who knows the area, I thought. Tala's jaw tensed and I frowned. She turned her focus back to her patient. "What?" Dread crawled back up from my gut and threatened to choke me. "What is it?" "She's been...repeating a name," Tala said after a moment. "At least, I think it's a name."

If I was in wolf form, my ears would have pricked. I took a step forward. "Is it Marnet? Does she know where he is?"

Tala shook her head, a strand of red hair falling in front of her face. She tucked it back behind an ear. "No, it's definitely not Marnet."

My shoulders slumped a few degrees. No, that would have been too easy, wouldn't it? I wrinkled my nose. Why is it so hard to find one man? "It's Ulfric."

"What?" Frowning, I glanced back at Tala. "What did you say?"

"The name Luna kept muttering - I'm pretty positive she was saying 'Ulfric." She pursed her l!ps, looking thoughtful before shrugging. "Oh, she mentioned a Josie, too. Maybe they're her friends?"

"You're absolutely sure that's what she was saying?"

"I'm-"

if sensing we were speaking about her, Luna stirred, her lips parting with a soft sound. Her head turned and she mumbled something. Tala and I shared a look and I huffed, motioning with one hand. "Go ahead and take a break," I told her. "Get something to eat and come back. Do not tell anyone what you've heard Luna say. Understood?"

"Perfectly." Tala stood up primly. "I won't be long."

I acknowledged her with a nod, then took the seat next to Luna as my packmate let herself out of the bedroom. Luna kept mumbling and I leaned closer, trying to parse words from nonsensical sounds.

The she-wolf turned her head the other way, lids twitching as she dreamed. "Mm.......no." She gave a breathy sigh, shifting again. I half wondered if I ought to wake her, but then she murmured something else.

"...Ulfric..."