Atlas sat back in his chair, fingers steepled under his chin. He stared straight ahead, watching the man in the seat across from him quiver in fear. It was so potent, it made Atlas grin in carnal delight. If there was one thing Atlas did well, it was inspiring terror.

"So tell me why you decided to break your oath. Was it another pack? A higher position, perhaps? Or, was it because you're tired of everything I have given you?"

The man was shaking like a leaf. It's good to weed out the weak, Atlas decided. He was pissed off that he had a traitor in his clan, but it appeared that this traitor was nothing more than a coward. A good reason to tear him from the pack.

"Sir, I would never, ever-"

"Except you did. I have the proof right here. How much did you share with the Eridanus Clan?"

The man wouldn't meet Atlas's eyes. "Listen, they said they were going to kill me!"

Atlas stretched out his hand, and with precise control, let his claws punch through his finger tips one by one. "And now, I'm going to kill you."

The man gripped the chair, his knuckles turning white. "Please, Alpha. You don't need to do that-"

"Oh, I definitely do. But not before you tell me exactly what you shared. Was it our plans for this city? Or perhaps it was about our supplier. Maybe even the rogues. Any of this ringing a bell?"

The man squirmed anxiously in his seat. "They're looking for the Alpha's heir, alright? He's on the run, and there were rumors of him working closely with Bloom's Clan. I was telling them about our raids, and how we haven't come across him!"

Atlas stared at the man across his desk, drumming his claws against the wood. The man, he surmised, wasn't lying. Atlas scented the truth in his words, which was equal parts frustrating and relieving. It meant that their secrets were safe, for now.

"Rodrick doesn't have an heir."

The man shook his head. "I thought so too. I guess he hid his son, kept him far away from the clan. Had him train with rogues-"

Atlas stood up. "This isn't making sense. How old is the son? I would know if Rodrick had a child-"

"It wasn't a baby in union. The baby is a bastard."

Atlas didn't have time for rogue wolves to be sniffing around his clan, nevermind the Eridanus Clan trying to get in contact. Raised by rogues. What a joke. But not really his problem. Atlas had plenty of other things to worry about, specifically a certain dark haired girl who kept popping up in his life.

"You mean, our mate," Rufias added happily. "You weren't very kind to her at the restaurant."

"It's not happening, Rufias. She's human, and she's a pain in my ass. End of story." Atlas shut off the connection with his wolf for a moment, needing to figure out what he would do with the traitor across from him.

"Alright, let's get this over with. You're sentenced to death by the clan. If you make it out alive, as you know, you battle me. You should have never crossed me."

The man peed his pants, the rancid smell wafting in the room. "Alpha, please-"

"Now." Atlas used his alpha voice, forcing the man to his feet. He had no choice but to obey Atlas's command, walking stiffly to the door, tears running down his cheeks. He was shaking and hiccuping in fear, but Atlas had long cut out any empathy from his body. Having any weak feelings at all was a great way to be murdered.

Atlas and the man made their way outside, the man stumbling into the yard of the Clan Base. His knees hit the ground as a circle of wolves began to walk out from the woods, their snarls echoing across the lawn. "Please," the man was begging. "We know each other! Don't do this!"

Atlas found he didn't care. His command left no room for argument. "Shift."

The man in front of him tried to fight it but found he couldn't. Hair exploded out of his skin first, covering him in a fine layer of gray. And then his limbs began to distort, lengthening and cracking, bones shifting into something else.

By the time the man had shifted, he was a howling wolf, shrinking away from the clan that began to descend on him, teeth snapping in the traitor's face. Atlas didn't bother shifting; he watched the entire thing from his place on the steps, his breathing slow and easy as he watched his clan destroy. It was in their nature to kill.

"He didn't stand a chance," Rufias snarled. "We haven't had a show like this in a while. Make everyone else reconsider going against you."

Traitors were rare. But, they were like an illness; if you didn't cut it off immediately, it would grow and become something you couldn't heal. It was something that would turn a clan against itself, destroying everything in its path.

And Atlas hadn't worked his way up from the bottom just to be destroyed by his clan. Not after working so hard to be the Alpha his pack deserved.

By the time the man was completely destroyed, Atlas turned his back on his pack and went back inside. He had plenty of things to do, like tie up the loose ends with his new apartment building. He cracked his neck, and then his knuckles.

A certain face popped up in his mind. "I can't move. Please."

"What a fucking mess," he muttered.

"The carnage outside? Yeah, I agree." His beta said from behind him. When Atlas turned, he greeted his friend with a nod. The man with the shaved head began to smile. "Or are you talking about the girl from the restaurant last night? I have to say boss, I haven't seen someone get you so worked up in a while."

Atlas snapped his teeth at Brody. "Shut it."

Brody was still smiling. "We can smell it, y'know. I have to say, I didn't expect her to be quite so... small. Not a fighting bone in that body. And those frightened eyes. You have your work cut out for you." Another laugh, this one longer. "Crazy how the Moon Goddess pairs us, huh? She must be getting some sick thrill from it."

Atlas grabbed Brody and pulled him into the office. He was in Brody's face in an instant. "No one can know," he was snarling. "I'm going to reject her. So keep your damn mouth shut. I'll give Tarrin the same message."

Brody just blinked at him. "Reject her? Why would you do that?" Brody scratched at his head, confusion slipping through.

"She's human. How the fuck is that going to work, Brody? The mating ritual alone would kill her. She's way too fragile to live here with wolves. Are you crazy? Way too fragile to be our Luna."

But Brody was shaking his head. "The Moon Goddess paired you for a reason, Atlas. Don't be rash; if you reject the bond, you won't get a second chance."

"Good!" Atlas roared. Then, he lowered his voice. "I've never wanted a mate. It's a weakness I can't afford. If other clans found out I had a human mate, they would kill her for sport just to get at me. Tell me you're not so stupid to not realize that."

Brody stared at Atlas for a good, long moment. Something heavy was sitting on his chest, because he knew this was wrong. Rejecting the bond was no laughing matter. Brody himself had been waiting, waiting, waiting to meet his mate.

Hearing that Atlas had, and wanted nother to do with her?

"We'll protect her, Atlas. You know that. Once she's here, she'll be the safest she can possibly be. And I don't know, maybe being here will toughen her up. I really thought you were going to make her cry at dinner last night."

Another reason this wouldn't work: Atlas didn't handle weak very well. They would clash at every turn, and Atlas had no desire to soften himself to make her feel comfortable. He didn't care whether or not she cried.

"It's not up for discussion. She'll never be our Luna, and she'll never know about who we are. I'll just be another passing face by the time she leaves this city. She'll never think of me again."

It was a lie, and Atlas knew it was.

Brody's voice was soft. "I think you should reconsider this, Atlas."

"There is absolutely nothing to reconsider, Brody. Now, I have to finish up with the buyer's agreement for this apartment property. How about you take the pack on a run for me."

Brody let out a whine. "How about you run with us. I know Rufias needs it."

"Rufias is fine." End of discussion. Atlas watched as Brody walked from his office, head hung low. But it didn't matter how Brody was feeling, because Brody would end up with a werewolf for his mate, and all would be right in his world. Like everyone else, Brody would have a mate that made sense.

While all Atlas had was a mistake.

"What a fucking mess," Atlas muttered again to himself. "I can't wait until this is all over." He rubbed a hand down his face, his body tense. He ripped the paperwork for the apartment out of his desk and stared at it.

What stared back at him was the stupid, ridiculous human. And that stupid, ridiculous smile she wore at the restaurant, her eyes bright and her demeanor happy. And how quickly Atlas had ruined that for her.

If he kept her, Atlas would ruin more than her demeanor. Atlas would ruin everything about her.