Twenty Six year old Blake Hunter is the Alpha of the largest pack in the region. Finding his mate is the last thing on his mind.
But, in the midst of dealing with uninvited relations, aspiring future Lunas and increasing rogue attacks on his easter...
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The atmosphere in the room changed instantly.
Where as before, Hannah had nestled under a cloak of warmth, happily surrounded by companionship, friendship and a sense of love that even the dark shadows and torrential rains outside could not penetrate. Now, as if someone had flung open a door to the outside world, a chill descended across the room and the shadows crept in to descend upon Blake's frozen face.
Hannah stared around, confused by the sudden silence.
Blake's eyes remained glazed as he communicated through the pack-link, but his fingers clutched so tightly at the edge of the table, she could see the wood beneath begin crack and distort under the power of his grip.
A look of shock fell across his companion's faces and both lieutenants avoided her inquiring look, their eyes fixed on their Alpha's set features. Asher, by contrast, fixed her with a penetrating stare - an expression in his eyes she couldn't decipher.
"What is it?" she asked, hating how small her voice sounded. "What's happened?"
Almost in response to her voice, Blake blinked a couple of times and his gaze cleared. He continued to stare into the distance for a minute, his jaw clenching and unclenching again as though in an internal dispute with himself, then stood up abruptly and turned towards the heavy oak doors. Not a word was spoken as he strode towards the corridor, the stiff set of his shoulders screaming to Hannah that something was wrong.
"Blake?" she called after him, her voice wavering as the uncertainty washed over her. He paused in the doorway and turned his head to look at her.
She paled.
His face was set like stone, his jaw locked and his eyes emotionless as they looked at nothing in particular over her head. Cold and unreachable. "Take her home," he ordered Alex, his voice stiff and unnaturally controlled - the only sign that other emotions were at work under the expressionless exterior.
Bewildered, Hannah stared down at the chair Blake had vacated so suddenly, his warmth still tangible around the seat. Her eyes drifted towards the table he'd gripped so fiercely and registered shock at seeing the wood completely crushed and splintered around the edge - she could almost see the outline of his fingers in the warped remains.
What happened to incite such a response from him?
She opened her mouth to ask, but the Gamma stood up abruptly - the momentum shoving his chair backwards; legs scraping across the floor like nails on a blackboard.
"I'll take you home," he announced, his voice full of false joviality. "If we're lucky, we might get there without drowning in this deluge!" He forced a half-smile in her direction, his eyes still avoiding her worried gaze.
"I'll take her," Asher offered. He nodded towards the doors. "I think you might be needed at the border," he advised, his expression grave.
Alex glanced in Hannah's direction, his expression undecided for a moment, then it cleared and he nodded, running swiftly from the room after his Alpha.
