Chapter 145 Bitter Betrayal
843words
I was stunned.
I couldn't believe that Alpha Jaxon had actually agreed to let me keep my secret—the secret I was carefully nurturing for Beta Don and Sophia until tomorrow. Still, he was loosening his Alpha reins, trusting me and finally letting me take the lead. I knew he had listened when we were on Alpha Christian's land, but I was realizing that he really heard me and was finally treating me like an equal—a true Luna.
I was wide awake, nestled in my bed beside my mate, watching the sunrise outside my window. I couldn't shake the feeling that had plagued my dreams all damn night. I felt off. It was like I knew something was wrong. I drifted in my thoughts, lost in the possibilities of "what if," as I heard chaos erupt outside my bedroom.
No matter how much I hoped for a different outcome for Sophia, I knew the reality was that Alpha Christian was going to show up and whisk her away. No doubt, he was already here, probably trying to sneak a peek at Sophia even before the party—being the cocky son of a bitch that he was.
The loud banging on the door startled me from my thoughts, and Jaxon's eyes shot open. He glanced at the alarm clock beside our bed and groaned, "It's barely six o'clock! What the fuck is it now?"
I heard the door click and Beta Don slowly appeared through the doorway. I pulled the satin sheets over my bare chest and sat up in our bed. "I'm sorry to interrupt, Alpha... I think it's best you attend the border security meeting this morning," Beta Don said. I couldn't help but feel sad for him; the look of heartbreak was already plastered across his face. I was sure he was trying to keep himself busy with pack business to hide how his heart was cracking into tiny pieces inside.
Jaxon leapt out of bed, bending down to kiss me. "Maybe you should go check on Soph... if I know my sister, she didn't sleep a wink last night," he said, a smirk playing on his face. I nodded and reached out to him with my other hand, running my palm across his chiseled jaw. Suddenly, it felt like time had stopped—it was just the two of us in the world. Beta Don cleared his throat, and Jaxon responded with a growl, warning him to back off, which made me giggle.
"Were they compromised?" Jaxon asked. Beta Don's eyebrows knit together, and he sighed. He went deathly still for a moment before finally responding, "Alpha, we've never seen anything like it."
"What's that supposed to mean?" I piped up from across the room before my mate could answer his second in command.
Beta Don opened the manila folder I hadn't noticed he was holding. He shifted through its contents until he finally pulled out a single photo. "I've confirmed it's him. He left late last night during shift change and hasn't been back since," Beta Don explained as he handed the photo to Jaxon.
"Did he—" Jaxon started before being cut off by Beta Don. Beta Don shook his head. "No, he didn't request permission to leave pack territory."
A scowl formed on Jaxon's face. I wasn't exactly sure what was happening, but Jaxon was fuming. He clenched his hands into fists that dangled at his sides. "Where are the damn results?" he challenged.
Beta Don shook his head again. "It looks like he cleared out the hospital. The entire medical center has the files of all the highest-status pack members missing—Alpha included. I'm sorry... I don't know how this could have happened."
I started to feel strange and then the room began to spin. I lay back down on the bed but managed to conceal it from both Beta Don and Jaxon. I huffed and puffed dramatically. "Can someone tell me what in the Moon Goddess' name is going on?" I demanded, more annoyed in my voice than I intended.
Jaxon rubbed his hand across his jaw like he was searching his thoughts. He turned to Beta Don, and I watched as my mate bit down on his back teeth before a growl erupted from his chest. "Alpha Christian. Alpha Blake. They both owe me. Do not divulge any information apart from what is necessary. Adeline's potential condition must remain on a need-to-know basis until I figure out why Doctor Raymond fled into the night. I need a doctor in Midnight Moon. Find one," he shot back at Beta Don before handing me the 9-by-11 photo in his hand.
Jaxon stood up and, without another word, disappeared into the washroom connected to our bedroom, closing the door behind him with a loud thud. I glared down at the black-and-white photo, ignoring the crinkles now at the corner of the glossy paper. There, Doctor Raymond carried two duffel bags and a backpack, slipping past border control without a trace. I looked up at Beta Don with a puzzled expression. "But why?"
