***Tamara***

'That was totally unwarranted Ryker. ' I massaged my temple a little aggressively.

'She asked for it Tamara.' He continued perusing a file that was on his desk, totally writing off my argument.

'Ryker you know you were a little too draconian on her. ' I sighed in defeat, his eyes remaining fixed on the file contents.

'Tamara, if you have nothing else to say then give me some peace to sort out these treaties. ' He didn't lift his face to look at me, no, he only waved his hands in a perfunctory manner.

'Fine. ' I sat there staring at him like a creep. His eyebrows would crease whenever he was in deep thoughts. I noticed how often he would lick his lower lip while he wrote something down. He would squint his eyes whenever something didn't appeal to him and once in a while he even scoffed at some stupid treaty I presumed.

'Will you sit there all day looking at me? ' I bet his instincts were always quite on point.

'No, I'm leaving. ' I stood up, fighting a smile from forming. I had this facade up, and I wanted him to think I was mad at him.

'It's...( He looked at his wrist watch)2.23pm, you have about 37 minutes to go shower and do what women do with Janette. ' He put his pen down with a clank, then sat up to look at me.

'Yeah yeah, I won't be late for the meeting. ' I rolled my eyes. I was not looking forward to that meeting at all. It was a family oriented and something about Theo and his father Pete being there just rubbed me off the wrong way.

'See you then. ' I smiled at him, then leisurely sashayed to the door, giving him a nice view of my ass in tight denim shorts. I swear I heard him cuss as I closed the door with a bang behind me.

The afternoon was far from being bright, the sun today hadn't graced our lands with it's captivating rays. It was grey with the normal blue sky enclosed by tumultuous dark clouds. It was slightly calm, with a little bit of wind blowing across the pack lands.

'Greetings Luna. ' A young werewolf waved at me as I passed by a few homes, heading to Janette's place.

'Hi there little one. ' I cheerfully beckoned him over, a few passers by standing to look at our interaction.

'What's your name? ' He smiled at me, jumping up and down. I squatted in front of him, a warmth blooming in my heart.

'Steel. ' He happily replied, showing off his attractive teeth gap on his upper teeth.

'Just like the name of this pack? ' He nodded enthusiastically, blinking his long lashes rapidly.

'Okay Steel, why are you not in school? ' It was a school day and all the kids were supposed to be taking classes until 3. The school was in the pack grounds, specifically built for werewolves to study there.

'My mother said that I can't go. ' His tone changed, the words barely perceptible to me.

'Who's your mummy sweetheart? ' Oh I was going to pay the woman a visit.

'Mrs. Kagwe. ' Oh I had no idea that she had a child. I really needed to talk to her about letting Steel go to school like the rest of the pups. It was my duty as the Luna to make sure that every one was comfortable in the pack.

'Okay, see you soon.' I kissed him on the forehead before resuming my walk to my friend's house. I received a couple of greetings, and each time my heart would skip. Before I became the Luna, snorts and insults would be thrown my way. But now, things had really changed. A part of me knew that the snaky comments had stopped days ago, when the Alpha delivered the warning and decided to use Monica as an example.

A feeling full of trepidation hang around me as I came closer and closer to her house. I had this bad feeling since waking up and I couldn't seem to shake it off. It was there, at the back of my mind and in the pit of my stomach, nagging me. I had tried putting it off by staying near my mate but every time I would step away from him, it would come back.

The black sinistrous clouds only made it even more plausible. I didn't know what it was, but the more it surrounded me the more I remembered my mother's words. She had told me to always listen to my instincts, that they were always right.

Was Addanc trying to get into the pack again? Or would another bloodied paper surface? A number of questions ran through my mind but I came up with nothing striking. The more I thought about it the more erratic strides I made.

After debating with myself for a minute, I turned back and jogged towards my mate's office again. This awful feeling was increasing the more the clouds loomed over the pack lands.

'That was soon. ' He raised an eyebrow, before taking in my appearance. There was a silence, the only sound coming from me as I puffed and blew.

'What is it Tamara and don't deny it cause I can feel it. ' He stood, pushing his office chair backwards. As his boots came into contact with the floor, his arms extended to pull me in for an embrace.

'I'm scared. ' I whispered on his chest, clad in a black tee-shirt that hugged him like a glove. I fit on him, his broad shoulders made me feel safe.

'He will not come back, every part of the border is heavily guarded. ' He knew what was going through my mind. He could tap on it anytime, although most of the times he avoided doing that.

'Have you ever asked yourself how he got past the borders without any breach being detected? ' I knew it was a matter they were exhaustively looking into, but it felt as if they lacked the gravitas needed.

'That's why we have a meeting. ' He ran his finger tips on my back, sending light shivers along my spine.

'I swear someone is helping him out, but the question is, how are they doing it because....?'

'He is not a part of this pack. ' He cut me off, finishing my statement.

'Only an alpha has such power to let in an outsider without there being a breach, and well, I certainly didn't let him in...So who did? ' The movement of his fingers halted. This was something he had not thought about prior to this.

I knew for a fact that his dark powers held no candle to my mum's powers. The spell of protection she had cast along the borders acted like a dome of some sort. Addanc must have found a way around it, that's where my eager and unflagging interest was directed at.

'So how can you heavily guard the borders without knowing how he gets in? He could even be within the lands for all I know. ' I raised my head to look at him. His eyes were glued on the door behind me. Deep in thoughts

, with his jaw clenched, trying to get an answer to all these.

'I don't know okay? ' He stepped out of the embrace, running his palms on his face roughly.

'There are so many damn possibilities and yet I still have nothing. ' His gruff male voice rose with the last word.

'He is a sneaky bastard and that means you could be right. What if he is disguised as someone in this pack? Living right under our noses? ' He pinched the bridge of his nose and turned to look outside of the office window.

'I could also be wrong Ryker. We need to know how he got in, unless we can tell that, he will continue frustrating us. He will keep on succeeding in augmenting panic among us. ' The dreadful feeling surged, halting me in my thoughts. Something sinister was going on somewhere, or it would manifest soon.

'Hell that would mean he is a step ahead of us. ' He started pacing erratically around his office in long quick strides.

'Ry. ' I whispered his name in an attempt to stop him from pacing.

'Let me think! '

'I understand your exasperation but I will not allow you to shout at me. Not now, not ever again. ' His mother had taught me to always stand up for myself. She had explained that being mated to an alpha was itself a job and that I needed to set him straight in times like this.

He sighed, halting in his steps instantly. 'I'm sorry, I am just...'

'Frustrated, yes I get it. But it won't help us in anyway unless you calm down and think like the leader you are. ' I reprimanded, watching as he walked to his chair and sat down heaving a sigh again.

He scrunched his face then released it repeatedly trying to regain composure. I made my way round his office desk and situated myself on his lap. His arms reflexively came around my midsection and pulled me on his ripped chest.

'You are deliberately blocking your emotions from my reach Tamara. ' It wasn't a question but a solidified statement.

'I have this bad feeling Ryker. ' I whispered, with my eyes tightly closed trying to decipher for the umpteenth time precisely what the matter was.

'What do you mean? ' His chest rumbled, the sound of it soothing me.

'I feel like something awful is going to happen, but I have no idea what. '

'Like an attack or something? '

'But I just said I can't tell. ' I inwardly rolled my eyes, seemed he was far gone thinking about the issue.

'My parents will be here shortly, dad just mind linked me. ' He said, after stilling for a moment.

'What about Pete and your cousin Theo? ' Those two always made me jittery, when they were around.

'They are family, they should be here. ' My stomach dropped, my emotions just taking a sour direction.

'Ryker I think you should mobilize your men, I swear something is brewing. ' They say it's better to be safe than sorry.

'...And tell them what? ' He paused.

'That you have this weird feeling that som...'

'Would you get serious for once, you're the Alpha, order them to stay alert and on the look out for anything out of place. They don't need any reason to do whatever you ask of them. Either you do it or I go out there on my own, mind you I have no mind link like you. ' I was this close to boiling. He was bringing jokes in a matter that held so much gravity.

'Jeez Tamara, I was just kidding. ' He mind linked them, just as someone barged in the office.

'Alpha! ' A frantic Tyron kneeled in the middle of the office. His chest rose rapidly, gulps of air being forced down his trachea in exertion.

'What is it Tyron? ' My mate stood up, aiding me on my feet before he moved as fast as he could to where his best tracker knelt in hyperventilation.

'The wo-o-ds ' He stumbled over his words, eyes wide in shock.

'Breath in Tyron, here. ' I put my hand above his chest, aiding him to calm. A low growl sounded from my mate.

'Stop being territorial, the boy can't breathe Ryker! ' I scolded.

'The papers, someone arranged them where Jax was killed. ' He breathed in again like I instructed. The alpha now alert with his wolf surfacing urged him to continue.

'But this time, this time there is a distinct and perceptible smell on the blood. '

'What smell? ' I confusedly asked.

'Monica's blood. ' Both of us stilled, before a cold shiver washed over me.

'Monica is locked up in the dungeons Tyron, how the hell is her blood on those papers? ' My mate roared, a thick vein popping on his forehead.

'No Alpha, only a pool of blood remains in the dungeon, she's gone. '