The sound of howling and growling broke Valerie's sleep. She was up in an instant. She looked outside from her window and found her warriors rushing and hustling. She rushed outside the door and descended the stairs.

Jason met her in the hall of pack house. He was talking furiously with someone on phone. Alexei and Dmitri exited from their respective rooms hearing the chaos. When Jason saw Valerie walking towards him, he disconnected the call.

"We are under attack Alpha." Jason said anxiously.

Valerie squared her shoulders and said "What is the status? Any casualties reported?"

"No Alpha."Jason replied.

Valerie opened the door of the pack house and went out. She found that the warriors of the third line of defense were taking their positions. She was about to walk in the inner circle when Autumn called her name. Valerie looked back and found her running towards her.

"You can't fight." Autumn said huffing due to running.

From the corner of her eye she saw Cayden and Ryder coming out of the pack house. She ignored them and asked Autumn. "Why?"

"You are taking potion to weaken your wolf. A weak wolf is not fit to fight." Autumn replied.

"I won't step back in the situation of adversity." Valerie barked back.

Alexei and Dmitri were hearing the entire conversation. Alexei put his hand on Valerie's shoulder and said. "Don't worry Val, we have got your back"

Cayden who had approached them in the mean time growled at the physical contact and Alexei rolled his eyes at his immature behavior. Valerie ignored Cayden completely. She saw Dominic running towards them, so she ran towards him to meet him in the middle. The rest followed suit.

"Alpha it is yet another rouge attack. They attacked us out of nowhere but this time we were fully prepared. We managed to kill them all and we have imprisoned the one leading them. The warriors are bringing them here."

Valerie nodded as confirmation and as if on cue she saw the warriors escorting a man tied in chains who was injured badly and barely breathing. They approached them. The warriors bowed in front of Valerie and made the rouge to sit at her feet forcefully. Valerie did not beat around the bush and asked. "What was the motive of attack?"

To her surprise the rouge started laughing hysterically and winced due to pain caused by laughing. Cayden did not like the way the rouge was acting with his mate so he took a step towards him and punched him squarely on the jaw. "Do not disrespect her." Cayden growled in angst.

Valerie did not like his interference in her pack matters and grinded her teeth in anger but did not see it fit to lash on him now. The rouge groaned in pain and spitted the blood out of his mouth. Kevin and Jennifer joined the group along with Genesis.

"She killed our leader and tortured our friends. We were here for revenge." The rouge growled.

"They attacked my pack and I defended them like a true Alpha. He challenged me for the position of Alpha and got killed and defeated in a fair fight. I fought with honor. Please help me understand the necessity of this revenge? Everything was fair and square."

The rouge looked confused towards her and said. "But we were informed by our friends that you killed our leader with treachery and you did not fight fair. They informed us that you tortured and starved them. But they managed to escape from your captivity"

Valerie was more than pissed now, so she ordered Jason. "Keep him in prison and find those rouges." She looked squarely in the eye of captivated rouge and said in malicious tone. "Yes I tortured and starved them but they did not escape. I let them go so they could set an example for other rouges. A live example of how this pack treats the threat. But I guess I was wrong. They will be captured and when they are in front of me, they will wish for death and I won't give them."

The rouge gulped in fear. Valerie looked towards Dominic and said. "Send the team of trackers and find those rouges." 

Dominic nodded and left. Jason asked the warriors to follow them with the rouge.

She looked towards Cayden and said. "Next time, don't interfere when I am interrogating the culprits. I am the Alpha of this pack and I can handle myself."

"But he was disrespecting you and to save your honour is my first priority being your mate." Cayden said calmly.

"Last time I checked we are not." Valerie retaliated and went inside the pack house.

Alexei scoffed earning a glare from Jennifer. He put his hands up as surrender and left followed by Dmitri. Jennifer patted Cayden on back for consolation and left too followed by rest.

"It's your fault completely." Once everyone left he looked towards Ryder and spoke in anguish. Someone cleared throat behind him. He looked back and found Autumn standing there fidgeting nervously.

"How can I help you?" Cayden asked politely.

"Alpha Cayden." Autumn started. "It is just a request but could you please make sure that you are with Valerie tomorrow when those rouges are captured?"

Cayden looked confused towards her and said. "You heard what your Alpha said. She did not want me to meddle in her pack business."

Autumn scratched her nape of neck awkwardly and then looked towards him. "If you could just make it happen. Please" She requested desperately.

"What is it?" Cayden furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and looked towards her in suspicion. "Is there something I should know?"

Autumn sighed and decided to come clean. "Alpha she is taking potion to weaken her wolf so that her beast does not act as threat to Scarlett."

Cayden sucked in a breath. He immediately looked back towards Ryder and punched him in the gut. Ryder groaned in pain. Cayden started pacing in frustration.

Autumn watched everything in bewilderment. She was confused with Cayden's behavior. She opened her mouth to ask them about the problem but the frustrated voice of Cayden stopped her from speaking anything.

"I should have never agreed to this. I should have known that Valerie is different from other females. Why didn't I think about this before? Now she is taking potions to tame her wolf."

"I am sorry. I don't understand" Autumn asked dumbfounded at last.

To her surprise Cayden punched the wall in frustration causing a hole. Autumn maintained a distance between them. Without answering he left them and went back inside the house. When she looked towards Ryder he was looking remorsefully in the direction of the door from where Cayden left.

"Can I help in some way?" Autumn asked genuinely.

Ryder sighed. "Make sure your Alpha don't die tomorrow and give her something to antidote the potion. I need to undo my blunder." And he too left leaving Autumn alone befuddled.

                   **********

Next morning the warriors were gathered in the training ground. Valerie came and congratulated her soldiers for fighting bravely and defending their pack. She personally thanked the soldier's parents and told them to be proud of their children.

Dominic came and informed Valerie that trackers have found the rouges and they are bringing them back here. Valerie nodded in acknowledgement. Alexei and Dmitri were also present along with Kevin. She specifically asked Jennifer and Genesis to remain inside the pack house for security reasons.

Cayden and Ryder made sure to join them and Valerie found them talking with Autumn which was something weird. Her attention got distracted from them when she saw Jason rushing towards her. When he reached near her she saw that he is looking tensed and angry.

"Alpha there is a bad news." Valerie nodded her head to continue. "Alpha the tracker who was tracking Hunters was found dead outside our pack boundaries. The patrolling team found his body this morning."

Valerie looked worried towards Alexei and Dmitri. Cayden who was standing talking with Autumn joined them.

Before anyone could say anything Dominic came with the pack trackers who were escorting the rouges. Valerie brushed aside her worry and put on her game face. She ordered the rouge who was imprisoned to be brought here.

When he was escorted in front of her she asked him. "Are these the rouges who told you that your leader was murdered and they managed to escape my prison?"

He nodded as a confirmation. She looked towards the other rouges and said. "Will you tell the truth or should I do something special to make you speak?"

They were shivering in fear and the rouge who was imprisoned understood that they lied to him. In desperate attempt to save his life, he tried to attack Valerie but Cayden was faster than him. In an instant he took him in a head lock and twisted his neck in a way that he dropped down dead.

"No one can harm her till I am alive." Cayden announced loud and clear.

Valerie was looking baffled towards him and the dead body. Before she could react Cayden was in front of the rest two rouges.

"That girl standing there is my mate. You are threatening her and her pack mates and I can't let that happen. She let you go battered and tarter but I won't." He grasped his neck and twisted it and the rouge wolf fell down dead. The other one was now shivering badly in fear and was muttering apologies. But Cayden pulled out a pocket knife and jabbed it in his heart. The next moment blood spurted out of his mouth and he was lying on ground lifeless.

He walked towards where Valerie was standing befuddled and looked straight in her eyes and said. "Nobody can change the fact that you are my mate and you will remain one. Be thankful that I am not claiming what's mine by marking you here now at this moment. Rather I am giving you a choice." And in the next moment he left leaving a dazzled Valerie standing there. Dmitri and Alexei were smiling impressed and the rest did not dare to say a word.

For the first time Valerie saw the ruthless Alpha who is feared by all. About whom Dmitri and Alexei were talking. The Alpha who can murder in a flick of an eye.

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