Bonded to My Ex's Alpha Brother Chapter 38

Erin's POV

I turned around to find myself face-to-face with a stranger—a tall, powerfully built man with chestnut hair and striking green eyes. His scent hit me immediately—unmistakably Alpha, but with a fragrance I didn't recognize, like a forest after rainfall, but not any forest I knew.

My wolf was instantly on high alert, assessing this unknown Alpha in our territory.

"I'm the Pack Alpha's assistant secretary," I answered, maintaining a professional voice despite my wolf's unease. "May I ask who you are?"

The man's eyebrows rose slightly, his gaze sweeping over me with new interest. "Alpha Ethan," he replied, his voice carrying the natural authority of his rank.

I nodded politely, maintaining eye contact even though my instinct as an Omega was to lower my gaze. "Erin Blackwood."

"Ah," he said, a smile spreading across his face. "The beautiful Omega who works directly under Derek Stone."

I blinked, surprised by both his familiarity with Derek and his direct compliment.

"I'm the Alpha of the Ridgeclaw Pack," he continued, carefully observing my reaction.

"Alpha Ethan," I acknowledged, bowing my head respectfully. "Alpha Derek's office is at the end of this hallway."

His smile widened, revealing teeth that seemed just a little too sharp. "Thank you, Erin. I look forward to seeing you again."

As he walked away, his Alpha aura left a lingering pressure in the air, making normal breathing difficult. My wolf paced anxiously, unsettled by the encounter.

"Erin!"

I nearly jumped at Claire's voice behind me. Turning, I found her watching me with narrowed eyes, her Delta aura pulsing aggressively.

"Claire," I responded, feeling relieved despite her obvious displeasure. Now that Claire was back at work, I hoped I wouldn't need to interact directly with Derek today.

"I see you've met our guest," she said, her tone neutral but her eyes keenly following Ethan's retreating figure.

"Just now," I explained quickly. "He was asking for directions to Derek's office."

Claire's lips pressed into a thin line. "Be careful, Omega. You don't know what fire you're playing with. Stop seducing other Alphas; they won't fall for your game."

Before I could ask what she meant, she continued: "The Pack Alpha wants you to iron his suit again today."

I frowned, confused. "But you're back. Isn't that usually your job?"

A strange, almost smug expression flashed across Claire's face. "Everyone knows he normally only asks me to do this, but today he specifically requested you. When you're finished, bring it to my office. I'll deliver it to the Alpha."

Thirty minutes later, I stood outside Claire's office with the freshly pressed suit carefully draped over my arm. I had just raised my hand to knock when I heard Claire's voice from inside, speaking in an urgent, hushed tone.

"Congratulations on getting that project," she said, her voice filled with satisfaction.

A male voice responded, too muffled for me to clearly distinguish the words, but the cadence was strangely familiar.

"It was because of the information I provided, wasn't it?" Claire continued, pride evident in her voice.

I leaned closer, straining to hear more clearly when suddenly Claire's voice cut off. There was a moment of silence, then the sound of a chair scraping against the floor.

Realizing she must have detected my scent, I quickly straightened and knocked on the door.

"Come in," Claire called, her voice now perfectly composed.

I opened the door to find her standing by her desk, phone in hand, her expression guarded. But something flashed in her eyes—perhaps alarm, or annoyance.

"You were near my door without knocking," she immediately accused, her tone sharp. "Didn't anyone teach you basic manners?"

I blinked, startled by the hostility. "I brought the suit."

Claire crossed the room with quick, precise steps, taking the suit from my arm with more force than necessary. "I'll deliver it to the Alpha," she said dismissively, already turning away.

As she brushed past me, a strange scent caught my attention—not Claire's usual perfume, but something else, something that made my wolf suddenly alert and suspicious. But before I could identify it, she was gone, the door firmly closed behind her.

\---

As I finished my paperwork for the day, the tension in the office had risen to an almost unbearable level. Every wolf in the building seemed to be walking on eggshells, shoulders hunched, voices lowered to barely audible whispers.

The air itself seemed charged with tension, making it difficult to concentrate. My wolf had retreated to the depths of my being, curled into a tight ball, seemingly trying to escape the oppressive atmosphere.

Unable to focus any longer, I decided to take a break. In the hallway, I approached a female employee from the marketing department whom I recognized.

"What's happening?" I asked quietly. "Everyone seems on edge today."

The woman glanced nervously around before leaning closer. "You don't know? There was an emergency Pack meeting this morning."

"About what?"

"The Ridgeclaw Pack stole an important construction project from us," she explained, lowering her voice further. "A multi-million dollar project. That's why Alpha Ethan is here—to gloat about his success."

My eyes widened. "And Derek? I mean, the Alpha?"

"Furious," she whispered, fear evident in her expression. "He nearly transformed in the meeting room. I've never seen him so angry."

\---

In the break room, I found Thomas sitting alone, his expression troubled as he stared into his coffee cup. Gathering my courage, I approached his table.

"May I join you?" I asked hesitantly.

Thomas looked up, surprise briefly crossing his features before he nodded. "Erin. Of course."

I sat across from him, wrapping my hands around my tea cup for warmth. "I heard about the project," I said directly. "How did we lose it?"

Thomas studied me for a moment, then sighed heavily. "The Ridgeclaw Pack had inside information. They knew our bottom-line price, our proposal details, everything."

My breath caught. "You mean...?"

"We suspect there's a spy within the Darkwood Pack," Thomas confirmed, his voice grave. "Someone has been feeding sensitive information to Ridgeclaw."

"Who would do such a thing?" I asked, genuinely shocked. Betraying one's own Pack was one of the most serious offenses in werewolf society.

Thomas shrugged, his eyes filled with concern. "Could be anyone. But it has to be someone close to the Alpha, someone with access to confidential information only the top ranks would know."

As his words sank in, my wolf suddenly stirred, letting out a low growl that I had to consciously suppress. The memory of Claire's mysterious phone conversation flashed in my mind, along with the strange scent I'd detected—a scent that, thinking about it now, bore a striking similarity to the one I'd noticed on Alpha Ethan.

Before I could process this thought further, my phone rang. Derek's office number displayed on the screen, immediately sending my heart racing with anxiety.

"Come to my office immediately," Derek's voice commanded when I answered, his tone low and dangerous, brooking no argument.

"Yes, Alpha," I automatically responded, already rising from my seat.

The walk to Derek's office felt like the longest journey of my life. With each step, dread accumulated in my chest, my palms growing damp with nervous sweat. By the time I reached his door, my heart was beating so violently I was certain he could hear it even before I entered.

I knocked softly, then opened the door when his gruff voice commanded me to enter.

Derek's office was darker than usual, the heavy curtains drawn tightly against the afternoon sun. The only illumination came from his desk lamp, casting harsh shadows throughout the room. Derek himself stood behind his desk, his powerful silhouette outlined in the dim light, his eyes reflecting gold in the darkness—his wolf, close to the surface.

He was examining what appeared to be surveillance photographs, his movements sharp and precise with barely controlled rage. The room was filled with his Alpha aura, making the air almost unbreathable.

Without warning, Derek suddenly turned toward me, flinging the photographs in my direction. They scattered in the air between us, several falling at my feet, but one sliced across my arm, the paper cutting a thin line on my skin.

I gasped, shocked both by the sudden pain and his aggression. Looking down, I clearly saw the photographs for the first time—they showed me talking with Alpha Ethan earlier that day, my expression friendly and relaxed as I pointed down the hallway.

Derek's eyes now burned bright gold, his canines visibly elongated as he struggled to maintain his human form. A deep, rumbling growl filled the room, raising the hair on my arms.

"Why?" he demanded, his voice barely recognizable through his anger. "Why would you betray the Darkwood Pack?"