Into the Alpha’s Keep Chapter 81: 81

" And for this reason, did he think it was wonderful to mark several, or did he just want to create a cemetery in the backyard of his house, as if it were a different and unique decoration?"

" I don’t know what he thought, and I don’t care. All I know is they wouldn’t do that. Not because they care about me or my safety, except for Jax, but because of the Elders. It would go against their orders, and no one would do that."

"Not even the others? Konrad, Lucian...?" I insisted.

He turned to me, raising an eyebrow.

" Why do you seem so interested in the leaders of the Carpathians?"

I laughed.

" Are you jealous?"

" Just... curious." He narrowed his eyes. I scoffed, and then he continued: "— Konrad wouldn’t do that. He’s nothing but a foolish romantic, always in search of his destined one. He’s the one who invited you to the Lust party because he demands respect from the partnership bonds. Jax is out of the question. Lucian is a bastard, but not an idiot, he wouldn’t go against the Elders, just like Riuk, who doesn’t care about anything and doesn’t give a damn as long as it doesn’t involve him. So, little wolf, I don’t see any possibility of one of them being behind this. It’s someone in my pack, someone who swore loyalty to me and is now breaking that oath."

" I agree with Fenrir," Anton declared. "— They wouldn’t gain anything from his death, nothing but a war with the Elders. They couldn’t kill the alphas because they love them like their pups, but they’d throw them into life imprisonment for their crimes. None of them would risk it like that."

" But there’s still someone, and we need to find out who it is," Alexandra shot.

Fenrir nodded.

"Now we know for sure we have a traitor. I need you to spread out through the pack, find out who talked to the guards, who was seen roaming the forest at night, and who has been going to the city."

Another wave hit me so hard that I gasped, throwing myself against the table. I moved, pretending it was natural, as if the movement wasn’t involuntary.

" Are you going to tell the council about this?" Andrei asked.

" No," he affirmed. "— The Elders have a very clear opinion about a traitor in the pack. Death or imprisonment. And it’s no longer an attack on my borders, they’ve invaded my land, they have nothing to do with it, it’s about my territory."

I felt it again. The new wave was so intense that I couldn’t control myself. I squirmed, pressing my legs together and stood up, feeling like I was going to burst into flames.

" What the hell is happening to you?" Fenrir asked, confused.

On impulse, feeling the heat melting me from the inside, I slammed my hands on the table and leaned forward.

" I think I’m poisoned," I confessed, swallowing to wet my dry throat. "— I don’t know what’s happening to me."

A strong, sweet smell filled the air. A growl escaped Fenrir’s lips, his nostrils flared, and his pupils dilated. The gold in his eyes shone intensely.

" You’re in heat," he hissed, through gritted teeth.

" Impossible," I contested, biting my lips and letting out a moan. "— I took my anti-heat last month, and there are still two weeks until my next cycle."

I exhaled more scent, involuntarily.

" Yes, you’re definitely in heat," Andrei said, his eyes widening. "— You’re emanating a smell so..." Fenrir raised his face toward him, his chest rumbling threateningly. "— Stinky," Andrei added, smiling awkwardly.

" Wow, thanks a lot, Andrei," I grunted.

" Don’t take it personally, I’m just trying to keep my head in place," he replied, giving a quick glance to the alpha.

Fenrir rubbed his face with his hands and took a step back from me, distancing himself. I turned my head to him, incredulous. Was he treating me like I had a highly contagious disease? Seriously?

" I can smell it too," Anton commented.

Another wave hit me, and I shuddered, throwing a punch on the table. I pressed my legs together tightly and let out a moan through my clenched teeth, releasing more pheromones into the air, completely out of control.

Anton and Andrei cleared their throats. And I wanted to die, open a hole in the ground, and bury myself, so embarrassed.

Fenrir looked... desperate. The veins on the sides of his neck were bulging, his eyes with huge pupils, and his nostrils flaring.

Alexandra let out a laugh, and everyone looked at her.

" I’m grateful that you sympathize with my situation," I mocked.

She gestured dismissively, still laughing.

" I know what’s going on..." She rubbed the large, red-painted nail of her index finger across her lips. "— I mean, I’ve heard of something like this."

" So spill it already," Andrei growled.

Fenrir placed his arms by his sides, his fists clenched. The veins on his wrists, which ran up to his elbows, stood out with the movement, and the creases on his long fingers were white.

I licked my lips, admiring his virility, when another strong wave of heat hit me. Fenrir let out a bellow, as if feeling pain. Anton and Andrei stepped back even further.

" I’ve heard of cases where the she-wolf’s heat comes early," Alexandra shot, looking between us with furrowed brows. "— It’s kind of by instinct. I’m not saying it’s common or that it always happens, I’ve only heard of it happening to two females who are mated."

" Why the hell would she do that?" I gasped.

Alexandra shrugged.

" In one case, she and her mate were fighting and had distanced themselves, so her she-wolf brought the heat early to get them to reconnect. But they’re destined mates, so that explains it. — She pointed at us. — This wouldn’t be the case with you two, but it could fit the second situation."

I threw my head back and let out a half-purring moan, calling him to me. From the corner of my eye, I noticed the unsteady step he took, his leg muscles tightening as he tried to keep his body where it was, away from me.

" Speak, damn it!" Andrei yelled, with some desperation in his tone. "— This is getting worse."

If I were any of the males present, I would be desperate too. Everyone knew how Fenrir was... aggressive when it came to me. And with the heat, he’d lose control easily and would be more than capable of killing his friends, even unintentionally. I was even worried about their safety if my damn body kept releasing pheromones and begging to be fucked.

Alexandra nodded, sensing the situation.

" In the other case, it was instinct. Heat is for procreation. Her she-wolf brought it early because she wanted her to get pregnant."

" And did it work?" I asked, breathing heavily.

" The second time? Yes."

" Second time?" Fenrir and I asked in unison.

" Well, she didn’t get pregnant the first time, but the second heat worked, and after that, she never had these... lapses again."

I took a step back, standing away from them and the table. This couldn’t be happening; it was as terrible as the nightmare I had earlier, with Hunter.

" This is going to... happen again," I swallowed hard. "— It’s going to happen all the time." I gripped the sides of my head, holding my hair tightly. "— Fenrir and I will never have a pup, so my she-wolf is going to spend the rest of my life bringing my damn heat early?" I lifted my face, looking at them.

" I’m so sorry, Sava," Alexandra murmured, sympathetically.