Nathaniel''S POV


    I peeled my eyes open, letting out a groan. The sun peered through the parted curtains and I squinted my eyes to adjust to the brightness. I slowly slid up and tried to remember how I ended up in my room. I did not remember going to my bedroomst night. I tried to rack my brain for how I had ended up here but there was nothing. I nced around the ce, looking for trails of someone but nothing was in sight. Everywhere was neat, arranged properly, and just how I had left it in the morning but meeting myself here made my brows furrow in confusion. I slid down the bed, raking my hand through my hair, and stepped out of the room.


    The Full Moon night was yesterday and as usual, Grayson led the run of wolves. The pack members were quite okay with it the first time after Maurene had gone. Grayson just had the same power as I do but his rank was lower. "You are awake?" His voice sounded from beside me and I looked at him.


    I hummed a reply, taking strides to the dining room, and sat.


    "What happened?" I asked.


    His head tilted to the side before he responded, "You fainted."


    My brows twitched. "I fainted?" I questioned to be sure I heard well.


    "Yes, you did. Don''t you remember anything?" He leaned over, his eyes roaming my face.


    I shook my head, trying to see if I could remember again.


    "You should not force yourself if you do not remember." He said.


    I swallowed, bobbing my head in a nod. "Tell me, what happened?"


    He shrugged. "Nothing. I was already done with opening the night for the run when I came in to get water for a pup and I saw you." He exined.


    "What was I doing?" I narrowed my eyes on him.


    "You were lying on the floor, looking so tired. Maybe it was the stress from work too much." He added, lighting his shoulders in a half-shrug.


    "Did you just say I was lying on the floor?" I asked.


    He nodded. I looked away from him and went into deep thought. I did not know why I could not believe what Grayson said. There was no way I would have fainted due to fatigue. I was stronger than that. There was something else, my guts was telling me. I tried to reach for my wolf''s memory but it seemed he did not know too.


    "I don''t think so... something must have happened and I fainted. I will check the CCTV camera." I rose to my feet and he followed after me. We got to the room and the men in charge all bowed. "Alpha," they chorused.


    I acknowledged them with a nod. "I want to see all the coverage fromst night, Charles." I demanded.


    They began to go through the monitors, showing me videos from the beginning when I had entered my office, Grayson leaving to start the ceremony. The man in charge, Charles, scrolled past the other coverages and it got to the part where my office door was shown and everything went nk. He clicked on the mouse to open it again but nothing was showing. I moved forward to take the mouse from him and reyed it. It was the same. Nothing came up.


    "What is happening?" I asked, my eyes fixed intently on the screen.


    "We do not know, sir. I think something must have happened to the CCTV." The man responded.


    "What could that have been? Any instances?" I nced at them.


    "Probably, the connection went off or the wire was removed." He exined.


    "What? It has never happened before so why would someone think of doing that?"


    "It is not known for sure if that is the case, Alpha," Charles said.


    "Then go and check." I told them.


    He assigned two of his men to do that and while they were gone, I went through the coverages again and it was still the same. They returned not longer after, bowing as one of them gave the update. "The wire was not severed. Everything is inplete ce."


    That alone was enough to keep on the edge. We need to increase the security of the pack.


    "Assign more guards around the pack and you," I turned to them. "If the coverage was not severed then could it have been deleted?" I asked.


    Charles'' eyes widened for a bit. "Alpha, if what you are trying to say is we ckened in our duty then I would like to tell that we have been up all night. People who took turns did their work and I have been here. If anyone came to delete it, I would have known and brought it up with you." He said.


    I stared at him for some seconds, his words sounded so convincing. "Alright. Keep trying to see if you can recover it. I need the footage."


    They bowed as Grayson and I stepped out of the room.


    "Why do you need the footage?" Grayson asked from behind me.


    "Because something must have happened." I faced him. "On the night of full moon, formally, I do not suddenly faint as a result of fatigue. I am usually up and strong, even to the next day. I need to know what happened this time. Are you sure you do not know anything, Grayson?" I asked.


    He shook his head gently.


    "Good." I said, leaving him as I headed back to my room.


    I did not know this gnawing feeling. It was like there was something else. A puzzle I was missing. Minutester, I was done with dressing up and I went out to see few of the pack members. There was joy on their faces as they told me that they met their new mates. There were two instances that had met their second-chanced mates. I was d for them.


    Their Alpha didn''t have a real mate or even a second chanced mate. I congratted them and kept it in my mind to send them some gifts. I returned to my office and Grayson was already waiting for me.


    "Make sure to send congrattory gifts to the newly mated. There were so happy." I said, looking distant.


    He nodded. Silence descended in our midst and I sighed. I was angsty and it was unlike me.


    "Have you ever thought of having a mate, Grayson?" I asked, breaking the silence. "Yes, I have. I had one." He said, making me look up at him in shock and surprise. "Y-You have a mate?" I stuttered,pletely taken aback by the revtion.


    He nodded, his throat bobbing hard. "I had one which means she is dead."


    My mouth formed a ''O'' and I slowly bobbed my head, my eyes moving in their sockets.


    "When I went to University, I met her and we were friends for a while. I already knew since the beginning but I wanted a normal rtionship so we did it the normal way. Until a particr day when she called me and someone spoke through, muttering something before slicing her neck on call." His jaw hardened as he looked outside through the window.


    "I''m sorry." I said softly. "Howe I didn''t know?"


    He cast a look at me. "Because I was busy being your Beta. You don''t have to me yourself."


    "I think there is a spy in the pack," I told him. I felt like there was something tost night that I was supposed to know and I am not. It was eating me up and I hated it.


    "Yeah, I have strengthened the security just as you have ordered. I will keep tabs on them. Don''t worry."


    "Alpha!" A feminine yell from outside made me sit up straight. Grayson bolted for the door and muttering on calming down echoed outside. I did not move to go but Grayson returned in not longer after, his face definitely not the look of good


    news.


    "What is it?"


    He handed the tab to me and I stared at the headlines. TOP SUPER MODEL Amanda GIVES UP ON Nathaniel DELUXE AND DATES ANOTHER. IDENTITY YET TO BE REVEALED.


    My head went in reset. Amanda was in a rtionship? Since when?


    I looked up at the time the article was posted, it was done yesterday. What exactly was Amanda getting at?


    "What is this? Call Amanda toe now!" I ordered, clenching my fist.


    "Okay." Just as he turned to leave, he paused, facing me again. "Maurene is here. Along with the men who will begin the construction." And that was something I did not want to deal with it now. Not today. "I will meet with her. Just call Amanda."


    I exited my office and went to meet Maurene where she was. She folded her arms, not bowing or even showing me any respect. There was no reason to feign anything since I already knew who she was.


    "We are here. Just as we have agreed with Grayson, we have to do things legally, in case you choose to send us out of the pack suddenly. This is Daniel O''Briel. He is in charge when I am not here so you will grant him the permission as you will I." She said, keeping her eyes clear and nk, holding authority and power.


    "Maurene, you don''t -"


    "You have signed it and that is how it is going to be. Nathaniel." She turned away from me and began to delegate duties to the men. I walked toward her and gripped her by the arm, seething as I looked into her eyes.


    "You are not going to tell me what I should do or not in pack. Do you get it? Now, tell Liam, except it is you or him, no one is stepping into my pack!"


    She tilted her head to the side, narrowing her eyes before jerking away from my grip. "You should have thought that before you let us in." She walked away from and I watched her.


    Oh, Maurene was making a great mistake.