The Alpha's Guardian

Ali POV

"Alpha Wade?" I ask as I watch him closely.NôvelDrama.Org owns this text.

His demeanor is off and he seems to ponder something hard as he stares daggers at the closed door. He looks at me and then his eyes wander away, searching at his desk for the same paper he has been staring at for the last minute. He can't bring himself to even look at me. I try not to let the sting of it hurt so much.

"Ali. I have a question for you. And I need the truth." He says, placing the paper down and turning the full weight of his heated gaze to me.

His eyes pin me in my place and I hold my breath, waiting for the question.

"Did you meet Alpha Liam in the woods today?" He asks softly. I can see a tinge of pink run up his cheeks. He is embarrassed to ask me. "No, Alpha," I answer honestly.

Hell, I want to discuss everything with him. But until I know what's in that manilla folder, I can't bring myself to admit that I am doing anything wrong. I am not going against the pack, nor am I endangering him. I am doing spy work, maybe not the same spy work Samuel wanted from me, but I'm gathering intel, trying to collect answers, and I'm doing it my way. Fewer questions from people outside of my mind the better.

"You look like you aren't sure." He frowns at me.

"Alpha Wade, I did not meet Liam in the woods."

"Alpha Liam, Ali. He is an alpha." Wade reminds me, his words sounding as jealous as he looks.

"Yes, Alpha. I apologize."

"I need to have a meeting with Kane. It will be a while. I will mind link you when I leave the office." He looks away from me.

I move towards the door and stop with my hand extended to the doorknob. I want to turn and try to fix this. Make him drop his barrier so I can understand what's in his head. But I know that would only emotionally compromise me. He muddles my thoughts more and more. And I need to focus on my job. His protection is more than my desire to be close to him at this moment. The door swings open and Kane looks at me, surprised.

"Whoops! Sorry, Ali." He smiles widely.

I nod in a nonverbal acknowledgment of his presence and brush past him. I make my way straight for the stairs, taking them two at a time. Now is as good a time as any to find out what is in the Manilla folder.

I remove my wooden box from its hiding place gently rub the engravings before pulling it open. I extract the folder and deftly open it up, eyeing its contents. The first page is official committee paperwork. I'm shocked that they could get their hands on it. Getting official records that are released is hard enough, but getting sealed documents like this? Near impossible.

I flip to the next page and find a large photo that must have been snapped during surveillance of Wade. He stands in front of his pack at his Alpha ceremony, proud and dashing in his black tux.?I thumb through the next few photos, photos of him playing with younger kids, photos of him helping build a fence. All evidence of the caring soul that he is for his pack members.

The next page is an in-depth analysis of him. His likes, dislikes, even down to his mate's status. My eyes bulge. Mate status? I run my fingers along the paper, reading it in search of an answer. Mate status: Believed to be Deceased.

My heart aches at the thought of Wade never finding his mate. He deserves someone amazing and kind to match his lion's heart. As much as I crave the title of being his mate, I know that it's not likely. Then a seed of hope plants itself right in the middle of my heart and my brain, not having the wherewithal to fight it, allows it to grow. If he doesn't have a mate, does that mean I could reject Liam and choose Wade as he was willing to choose Trudy?

I find myself absolutely giddy at the thought and have to pull myself back to reality. Focus, Ali. Focus. I look down at the paper again. Wade is being slated for a new alpha position. Superlative Alpha? I scoff at the name. Not very original if you ask me, but they didn't, so I press on. Below Wade's name are a few other names of alphas in the country. I recognize only one, an alpha I protected a few years back. He is young, but he is kind and eager to be a good alpha.

The next sheet of paper is a hand-scrawled note in a red marker.

Aliauna,

Six of the alphas on this list are missing, after receiving these files, I think my goals are more aligned with the committee than?I thought. Get a meeting set up with your?Alpha and the committee. I will be there in two days. Corbin.

Someone is eliminating the alphas on this list, or they have gone into hiding. That just means that Wade, as the top pick, needs extra protection. Shit. Reaching for my phone, I dial Samuel. I know he has been busy lately, and I assume it has everything to do with the missing alphas.

I remove my wooden box from its hiding place gently rub the engravings before pulling it open. I extract the folder and deftly open it up, eyeing its contents. The first page is official committee paperwork. I'm shocked that they could get their hands on it. Getting official records that are released is hard enough, but getting sealed documents like this? Near impossible.

"Ali now isn't a good time." Samuel sighs.

"I know about the missing alphas," I say.

There is a pause.

"Go on." he prompts.

"I received an envelope in my room from the Alpha King."

Samuel scoffs in annoyance.

"Even with Alpha Liam there, Alpha Wade's defenses can't keep a mangy dog out. And what did this envelope contain?"

"A letter saying the Rogue King wants a meeting here with the committee and Alpha Wade."

"So we can have all our committee members ripe for the picking for them to attack?" Samuel scoffs. "Not going to happen."

"Samuel, I think we could give him the chance to explain himself. We can arrange it so that it is safe."

"I really don't have time to think about all this Ali."

"Samuel, make the meeting happen. There, I did the thinking for you." I respond.

"Fine. Text me when and I will see what I can do." He says as he hangs up.

Well, that went better than I had expected. Now, time to go talk to Wade. Who is seemingly angry with me for some reason. I'm content with thinking it is just jealousy, but my brain knows better. He is more than jealous. This is a hurt anger. And I just don't know how in the world I have hurt him.

"Ali," Wade says as he peeks his head around the door.

"Come in."

He shuts the door behind him as he crosses over to me. The anger he was carrying earlier is replaced with exhaustion as he slumps on the edge of the bed opposite my desk chair. His eyes look straight through me and I swear my heart decides on its own that a regular heartbeat is useless, as it beats irregularly.

My body responds by carrying me to him. I lower myself down in a squat and rest my hand on his knee cap trying to help relieve his exhaustion. Wade looks up, his eyes once more meeting mine. My stomach drops and my heartaches. He looks so distraught, so betrayed.

"You have been lying to me," He says looking up.

And for the first time, I feel like crying.

"Ali now isn't a good time." Samuel sighs.

"I know about the missing alphas," I say.