Harvey's POV

We stood laughing so hard after shifting into our human form.

We all watched with interest as she faked her inability to swim.

"She sure knows how to fake it, she is a drama queen," Paul said then sighed heavily.

"Anyway, it was all for fun, Paul, but the Alpha gave us only an hour. I'm sure by now he must have already gone back to the hall. Let's leave the Omega; she will soon join us," I said seriously.

"You are right, Beta. Warriors, you go ahead and prepare some clothes for us; we will be right there," Paul instructed.

"Yes, Gamma," they answered together and then shifted into their wolf form and dashed away.

"Was it worth torturing the poor Omega?" I asked playfully.

"You know that you love it, Harvey, after all, she was a pain to look at," he answered as I laughed softly.

He knew me a little too well.

We both couldn't stand the fat Omega bitch. Not because she was fat and weak, but because someone as unworthy as her was mated to our Alpha, who was the very definition of perfection.

If there was a way to get rid of her without him noticing, we could have done that a long time ago. Sadly, he called for her every week, even if it was just to hit or yell at her. It was more of a habit to him.

"Should we go back now?" I asked simply.

"Yep," the Gamma responded and then shifted back into his wolf. Soon after, I did the same and rushed to the pack hall with him.

Immediately, the hall came into view, and the warriors approached us in their human form with a pair of clothes in their hands.

We quickly shifted, dressed up, and then walked into the hall where the Alpha stood with a frown on his face. Leah was saying something to him, but he looked uninterested; he was actually ignoring her.

He moved his hand and placed it on his chest, rubbing there.

I quickly rushed to his side and looked at Leah seriously.

"What did you do?" I asked in a whisper.

"Nothing, we went into his bedroom to have some fun, but out of nowhere he..."

"Silence," the Alpha commanded with emphasis when he met my eyes. I quickly bared my neck.

Although he was still in control, his wolf was beginning to show his presence.

"Alpha," Leah called in concern.

"I am not feeling well. I'll go and get some rest, please do continue," he said when he dropped his hand and forced a smile on his face.

"Alpha, should I walk with you?" I asked in concern.

"No, you stay," he answered as his smile faded.

"Something isn't right," he whispered, then walked away leaving me glaring at Leah.

"Honestly what the hell did you do?" I asked again, this time raising my voice a little.

She sighed and then folded her arms.

"I told you a few minutes ago, didn't I? I did nothing wrong. I whispered to him how I wanted to show him a very good time, and he agreed because he was feeling happy over us announcing our plans to be together," she answered.

"When we went upstairs to his room, we wasted no time in making out. We were so close to taking off our clothes when he pulled back out of nowhere and groaned in pain, dropping to his knees," she said then continued after a short sigh.

"At first, I thought he was just messing around, but when he began sweating and growling in pain, that's when I realized that it was serious," she said as I raised a brow .

"We both know how the Alpha hates looking vulnerable in front of anyone, that's why when he ordered me to go out, I quickly did. I immediately came here to announce to everyone how he wanted us to continue having a good time, but he soon joined me," she said, annoying me.

"Then what happened next?" I asked seriously.

"As I said, the Alpha came back to join me after a few minutes. He looked fine and very much okay. That's why I went on to enjoy my time with him. I wasn't going to upset him by asking what was going on with him," she answered.

I rubbed my hand against my forehead and then dropped it.

"First of all, your character is that of a loose bitch, we all know that. But because your act is usually perfect, on point, and you have a sense of taking care of this pack well with the Alpha's rule, that's why we tolerate you," I said harshly.

"Also, you are gorgeous and your body is like a bottle of fine wine, that's why most males fall for you. But that doesn't work on me, so listen closely to what I'm going to say," I said with emphasis.

"Next time the Alpha gets sick, angry, or even shows signs of pain in any way, you should mind-link me or Paul, and you must make sure your ass stays there attending to him. If you want to be our Luna, then act like one," I warned, then took a step forward, closing the space between us, and leaned in to talk in her ear.

"Also, I don't get why you even whispered when everyone here has damn good hearing!" I yelled angrily as she quickly took a step back, covering her ear.

I turned and faced everyone seriously.

"I'm sure you have heard everything by now. I won't ask you to act like you didn't, but I will ask you to hold your damn tongues or mouths. The Alpha shouldn't hear a damn thing about your gossip, and tomorrow you shouldn't even dare slack off," I said oudly.

"If I do find out that you did talk shit and the Alpha found out, Paul and I will take turns making you cry. Now get the hell out of my sight and go to your respective houses and rooms. Tomorrow, be on your best behavior," I ordered.

They all gave a low bow and began leaving the hall.

"And as for you, I expect you not to bother the Alpha in any way today. I'm sure you noticed how his other self was close to taking over. If our other Alpha does take over, things will turn cold and deadly quickly," I said and then walked out of the hall, ignoring Paul and the warriors.

Something was definitely wrong with him, yet I couldn't quite pinpoint what it was. For now, I was going to sleep and rest, then tomorrow morning I was going to check up on him.

Jace's POV

"What is it? Talk to me, please," I pleaded with my wolf while trying so hard to breathe.

Hours had gone by, and he couldn't stop howling in pain. I, too, was in pain physically; I felt like my heart was being slightly squeezed, and my body was trembling.

Whiskey mixed with a dose of wolfsbane couldn't work, no matter how I overdosed, because I threw up instantly before I could even swallow the content. My eyes were hurting from the tears that were running down, and my head was aching.

I could hear the sound of birds chirping and a few voices outside. It was already morning, and in just a few hours, my Beta was going to come here to check up on me.

I needed to force myself on my feet because I never wanted to show anyone my weak side.

I groaned in pain as I got to my feet from the ground and moved to the bathroom naked, stumbling a bit. I approached the shower and quickly turned it on. As water began pouring on me, I moved my hand to my aching head.

"Ridge, please talk to me," I whispered to my wolf, whose whimpers had now died down, then fell to my knees to throw up.

Never in my life had I ever gone through so much pain and discomfort, not even when my parents had died.

I stood up with a bitter taste in my mouth and got out of the running shower, walking to the sink where I wasted no time in cleaning my teeth.

I moved back to the bedroom and grabbed some clothes. Although I was feeling a little better, I was still in pain.

I walked out of my room after dressing up and went downstairs into the dining room expecting to find everything set.

When I noticed that the table wasn't set, I looked at the few she-wolves who looked annoyed and were going back and forth.

"Why isn't the table set?" I asked an elderly omega who was quietly observing them.

She gave a low bow and then glanced at another she-wolf who stood a bit further away from her.

"Forgive us, Alpha. Today was Lillian's duty to serve you, but since the party yesterday, no one has seen her," the she-wolf answered as I felt my headache increase.

I was pissed off at her response, more to learn that my so-called mate had chosen not to do her pack's duty.

Was she sick again?

Not only was she weak, she was fragile as a human being. Despite never meeting her wolf, I could sense that she had one. Sadly, it too was weak. Through her aura and pheromones, I could tell.

"How annoying, is Lillian sick again?" I asked, then frowned when all the she-wolves in the room looked at me surprised.

My words came off as me being concerned about her, and I hated it.

It was surprising to them, but I knew her name perfectly well. I mean, why wouldn't I when my wolf was so hung up on forcing me to call her by name, when I had never used it openly before.

"No, Alpha, she wasn't even in her room when I checked," she answered.

I rubbed my forehead to ease my pain, then cleared my throat. I felt like my knees would give up any minute, so I needed to get the hell out of the dining hall.

"Make it quick, I don't give a fuck whose duty it is or was," I ordered, then slowly walked out of the room and went outside the pack house where Harvey's voice was coming from.

I felt powerless just thinking of her spending a night with another male.

"No, it can't be, I'm just overthinking," I said silently to myself as I moved closer.

"Harvey," I called loudly, immediately getting his attention.

He turned and faced me, together with Paul, then they gave a low bow to show their respect.

"Alpha, I'm glad to see you. Yesterday you were..."

"Have you seen the pack's runt?" I asked seriously.

"Who?" Paul asked.

"That dumb, fat omega," I answered.

"You mean the one we usually pick on?" he asked as I clenched my hands into fists.

I usually pretended not to see, despite feeling angry whenever they picked on her. In my mind, I had slaughtered my Beta, Gamma, warriors, and other she-wolves countless times because of how they were treating Lillian.

I hated them deep down to my core yet tried so hard to bury those negative emotions.

"Yes, her," I answered, then faked a smile.

"No, Alpha," Paul answered.

"I was thinking, perhaps she has finally found a fool to entertain her body," I muttered, then chuckled when I noticed how my Beta was looking at me in astonishment.

"Alpha, we did not see her today. The last time we saw her was at the party," Harvey answered.

I didn't want to ask them the question that was going through my mind, but I had to; I just couldn't stop myself.

"She wouldn't have run away, right?" I asked.

"No, Alpha, if she did, we would have known by now, mostly you," he answered seriously.

He was right about that. There was no way I couldn't have felt it if someone had crossed my pack's border. That thought alone made me feel a little bit at ease.

But then, if she wasn't sick or with another male, then where would she be? Was she alone, crying because of how I treated Leah in front of her? Perhaps she was hiding herself because she was in heat?

No, most she-wolves went into heat on the night of the full moon, but she was different. Never had there been a day when I had seen or heard from anyone that she had experienced her first heat. Something about her was quite different and mysterious.

I refused to pay attention to her because she was weak. But every time I tried, I found myself being drawn to her. Her chubby body was adorable and looked very comfortable to touch.

Her hair was a unique white, which I had never seen before in my life, and her beautiful brown eyes reminded me of a princess I had read about in my books when I was young.

I hated to admit it, but her very being was my type. I liked everything about her and I wanted her to change nothing about herself, not even her soft, meek voice.

"You are right, I guess I'll go to my office and look at the files," I said, then took a few steps forward when he called me.

"What?" I asked once I had stopped walking.

"Are you okay? You look a little pale," he asked.

"I am more than fine," I lied, then walked away.

Harvey's POV

I wasn't a fool not to notice how the Alpha was struggling to concentrate. He looked very agitated and made a lot of mistakes with the pack files he was handling.

He actually looked like he was in pain and trying so hard not to show it, and it was all because of that Omega.

A few hours had gone by, and she was not yet back. I felt very guilty, and fear was filling my heart.

If he could act like this when she wasn't around, how would he act seeing her drenched in water and shivering? Yes, he didn't care about her a few days ago, but right now, it looked like he did.

"Harvey, is there a problem?" Paul asked softly behind me.

I turned and looked at him seriously, then at the few warriors who were standing beside him.

"That Omega we used as bait yesterday hasn't been seen for hours, and the Alpha looks irritated. I might be wrong, but he seems like a man in love, desperately waiting for his lover," I replied.

"Are you kidding me? He doesn't care about that bitch," he spat.

"I'm just telling you what I observed. He behaves like someone who does," I replied loudly.

"Do you even realize what you're saying, Beta? If he truly does care about her and he discovers what we did last night, he won't let us off!" He exclaimed, then gasped loudly.

I quickly turned when I caught the Alpha's scent. He was approaching us with an angry expression on his face. At that moment, I knew he had heard what Paul had said.

"Gamma, what is it that I have heard?" he asked once he was in front of us.

I glanced at Paul with a concerned expression on my face, and he slowly looked at the warriors who had their gaze lowered to the ground in fear.

I cleared my throat, getting Elon's attention, and then looked at the other warriors seriously.

Not only was Elon known as one of the troublemakers in the pack, but he usually did things to please both me and Paul.

"It's all the warriors' fault," Paul said as the warriors looked up with a shocked expression.

"You heard the Alpha, didn't you? He asked you a question, it's only right to answer him," he said as the Alpha looked at us with a raised brow.

Elon took a step forward with both of his hands clenched. He was slightly trembling, and we could clearly hear his loud heartbeat.

"Alpha, I...I...," he stammered.

"I wanted to report this to you, but I saw that Omega girl running towards the border last night," he said as I glared at him.

What the hell was wrong with him? Did he think that was the best excuse there was? Everyone here knew that his words were lies because if one renounced his pack member title or crossed the border, the Alpha felt it.

He wouldn't point out who exactly had crossed it, but he would know.

"Listen up, you fucking assholes. I'm giving all of you a few fucking minutes to come clean before I fucking lose it," he said calmly with emphasis.

Although his face looked unbothered, the pheromones coming from him were strong, intimidating, and they made us fear him more than we already did.

"You have five minutes remaining," he growled, and I found myself stepping forward.

My throat was dry, and sweat was beginning to form on my forehead. Each passing minute was making it hard for me to breathe because of how strong his pheromones were.

"Alpha, you see.... yesterday at the party......um...the warrior told you how we were bored and wanted to have fun with an Omega," I said in a low tone, then quickly took a step back with a rapid heartbeat when his eyes turned a shade of dark red, making it known to us that his wolf was present.

"I don't believe this," he whispered in a deeper husky voice.

"Beta, what did you do?" he asked coldly.

I clenched my hands and lowered my gaze to the ground. I was about to look up when I was tackled to the ground with a loud growl that shook the ground.

My wolf whimpered in fear as the Alpha who was on top of us raised his hand to strike us.

"Alpha, no! He is your Beta, your right hand, and childhood friend. You can't kill him just because of her!" Paul exclaimed, and that made him freeze his hand in mid-air.

"My friend, huh! A friend who can't tell me what happened last night," he whispered, then chuckled as his eyes went back to their natural color.

"Harvey, what did you do?" he asked, then got to his feet and surprisingly extended his hand to me.

I slowly raised my trembling hand and grabbed it, getting to my feet.

"Jace," I called softly.

I rarely called him by his name ever since we took over our respective positions.

"When you agreed to let us have fun with an Omega last night, we decided to pick the fat one because she was the weakest in the pack," I said, then swallowed hard and continued.

"We dragged her to the forest...," I trailed off, then held my breath when his hand landed on my shoulder.

"Did you defile her?" He asked huskily.

"No, Alpha, we would never! We asked her to run while we chased her. We told her if she made it past the river, we would let her go. If not, we were going to punish her," I said, then instantly regretted it because his face turned pale. For the first time in my entire life, I saw fear on his face.

"Harvey, by chance, did you push her into the river?" He asked in a cracked voice.

I couldn't understand why he looked so terrified, but I had to let him know the truth.

"When she reached the river, she attempted to run away from us and slipped in. Then she began faking how she could not..."

"No," he whispered, and then instantly shifted into his magnificent black wolf, taking off to the forest, leaving us all feeling very confused about his reaction.