Mated To The Beastly Alpha
Chapter 39

As planned, Liam smoked out the traitors' dwelling within Dark Moon. After his talk with James, he forced himself to discard his emotions, overwhelming him and putting his pack together again.

Liam used his bond with the Dark Moon to locate those who weren't connected; the traitors, and then he sent James after them. It was a surprise attack. He had carefully orchestrated with James and their strategy team. They led everyone to believe that they were concentrating on setting traps at the borders while they sent an undercover team to infiltrate pack members.

The traitors took to their heels into the forest as James razed their hideouts. Meanwhile, Liam laid an ambush in the forest. Together, they killed many, but that was just the beginning of Liam and James' plan.

Liam wanted them to lead him to their secret entrance into his territory and hideouts in the forest, so he let some of them go and followed them as they fled.

Anger at what happened to Nicole and Garrett burned in his heart. He couldn't rest until he had gotten rid of every one of them. But it seemed they had some sort of magical influence because, after a while, it was like they had disappeared. Liam was filled with rage. Liam, James, and the warriors searched for the traitors for hours until they finally caught a whiff of their scent outside Darkmoon's border.

Liam's wolf growled in anticipation as they followed the trail deeper into the forest. He could sense the traitors nearby, their fear mingling with their excitement.

As they got closer, Liam heard the sound of laughter and chatter coming from a clearing ahead. He motioned for James to stand back and the warriors to fan out as he approached, his senses on high alert.

As he stepped into the clearing, he saw a group of men gathered around a fire, their faces twisted in cruel amusement. Liam recognized them immediately. There were more than a few wolves.

This was the territory of the Alphaless pack closest to his. They had been the pack that had helped the witch capture Nicole. His wolf snarled in anger at the sight of them.

"Hello, boys," Liam said, his voice cold. "Miss me?"

They turned to face him, surprise quickly turning to fear as they saw the anger in his eyes. They scrambled to their feet, reaching for their weapons. Liam's back bent, his wolf taking over as he shifted into his werewolf form.

The traitors backed away as Liam charged at them, his fangs glinting in the moonlight. His wolf was a powerful one. It swung and attacked with deadly precision, its movements fluid and graceful.

Screams and roars were heard as more traitors jumped out from within the shadows. Liam felt it, the power of dark magic oozing through the air.

James shifted into his werewolf form and joined the fight, his massive form dwarfing the traitors as he attacked them with a ferocity that made even Liam's wolf hesitate.

The warrior wolves jumped out like perfect timing, too, ripping out throats, heads, and bowels in one movement. Liam's anger and agility fueled them. Together, they fight off the traitors, their bodies moving in perfect synchronization.

As they battled, Liam heard the traitors shouting insults at him and laughing at his efforts. "You think you can take us all on, Alpha? You're nothing without your precious little witch bane!" one of them taunted.

Liam's blood boiled at the mention of Nicole. But then he felt a fresh and even deadlier wave of magic. It weakened his joints and threatened to paralyze him. All around him, his warriors were weakened, leaving just him and James.

Anger surged through him, and he roared as he attacked with renewed vigor. James fought beside him, his massive jaws snapping at the traitors' throats.

The battle raged on, the sound of clanging metal and snarling werewolves filling the night air. Liam felt a fierce satisfaction as he struck down one traitor after another, his anger fueling his movements.

Finally, there was only one traitor left standing. He was a skinny man with shifty eyes and a sneer on his face. He held a knife in his hand, his body trembling with fear as he faced Liam.

"You'll never defeat us, Alpha," he spat. "We'll come for you and your mate again and again until we get what we want."

Liam allowed himself to return to his human form and then stepped closer, picking up an axe and keeping it at the ready. Liam might have been in human form, but his wolf was very much in control. His eyes were golden orbs that saturated his surroundings with raw and unfiltered dominance.

"I don't think so," he growled. "You and your pack are no match for us. Leave now, and I might spare your life."

The traitor hesitated for a moment before lunging at Liam with his knife. Liam easily blocked the attack, his sword slicing through the traitor's flesh with deadly accuracy. The traitor fell to the ground, his body twitching in pain.

Liam stood over him, his chest heaving with exertion. "Don't ever threaten me or my mate again," he warned, his voice cold.

The traitor whimpered in fear, his eyes wide with terror as Liam took the final blow. Liam turned away from him, his wolf receding as it shifted back into his subconscious, satisfied. James followed suit, his massive body shrinking down to its human size.

As they walked away from the clearing, Liam felt a sense of satisfaction wash over him and something new, something different.

Mate? His wolf had referred to Nicole as a mate. Even the traitor he had just killed. Was there something that he didn't know going on?

"They're a larger network than we anticipated," James said, coming up beside him. "We may have won this battle and expunged the traitors from within us, but this is deeper. At least we have an insight into their entrance point. But this is far from over. They will come for us again, of that I am certain."

Liam merely nodded, his head full with the new discovery.

Mate? How?

"Remember the first attack on me?" He said suddenly.

James peered at him curiously and then nodded. "After cleaning this place up. Release those who were in that attack and not from around here. Set them free. I have a plan," "Noted Alpha,"

They walked through the forest in silence, their bodies still tense from the battle.

"Alpha, we need to be on high alert," James said, breaking the silence. "They will be back soon."

Liam nodded in agreement. "I know. We will be ready for them. They won't catch us off guard again. All I need is Darkmoon's trust."

Although he didn't show it, his head was set ablaze with the thought that Nicole may be his mate. His heart thrashed in his chest because if it was true, he had messed up big time.

He never planned to have a mate. He was a beast, but he also didn't plan to ruin his mate when he found her. And because of him, Nicole was out of her mind.

"F**k," he hissed, he had treated her badly. "F*****g hell," he growled.

James gave him a side eye and said nothing.

"Argh," Liam roared out. It wasn't possible. It wasn't. If she was, he would have known at first glance. That's how it worked. He forced himself to push the thought away and concentrate on his journey back home. Yet thoughts of Nicole sprang into his mind. How he ached to see her, to sniff her soothing yet sexually provocative scent. He wondered how she was doing, whether she was safe. He longed to hold her in his arms and tell her that everything was going to be okay, he wanted to tell her that he had gotten rid of the bastards that had done shit to her.

Patience. He chided himself. He knew that she needed space right now.

He also thought about his own anger and how it had driven him to seek revenge against the traitors. He knew that he needed to control his emotions if he wanted to lead his pack effectively. He couldn't let his anger cloud his judgment. "James, I need to speak with Nicole," Liam said suddenly, breaking the silence.

James looked at him skeptically. "I don't think that's a good idea, Alpha. She's not ready to see you yet."

Liam sighed. "I know, but I need to let her know that we're here for her. I need to tell her that she's safe."

That was a blatant lie. He wanted to figure out if anything was pulsing within him for her apart from his mark. James nodded in understanding. "Alright, I'll take you to her. But be careful, Alpha. She's still afraid of you."

Liam nodded, his heart pounding in his chest. He followed James through the forest, his mind racing with thoughts of Nicole.

As they approached the cabin where Nicole was staying, Liam's heart skipped a beat. He could sense her presence nearby, her fear and pain emanating from the cabin.

It had been Asha's idea to move her away from pack members because she felt threatened for being dormant. Liam didn't want to but had to. It was for her mental sake and more importantly her safety. No one knew where she was.

He walked up to the door and knocked softly. There was no answer. He knocked again, this time more loudly. Still no answer.

Liam's heart sank as he realized that Nicole wasn't ready to see him yet. He turned to James, his eyes filled with regret.

"She's not here, Alpha," James said quietly. "She must have gone for a walk or something."

Liam stared dumbfounded. How come he wasn't able to realize that she wasn't around? It made him angrier if not sadder. His eyes scanned the forest for any sign of Nicole. It was weird that he hadn't felt her absence. He couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong. "Let's split up and search for her," Liam said, his voice urgent. "We have to replace her before it's too late."

James nodded, but held his shoulders, "Liam, she's safe. Nothing has or will happen to her here," James assured him and they split up, each of them scouring the forest for any sign of Nicole. Liam's heart pounded in his chest as he searched, his mind racing with thoughts of what might have happened to her.

His wolf was becoming restless again. Finally, he heard a faint sound in the distance. It sounded like someone crying. He followed the sound, his heart pounding in his chest.

As he got closer, he saw a figure lying on the ground, her body trembling with sobs. It was Nicole.

Liam rushed to her side, his heart breaking at the sight of her. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with fear and pain.

"It's okay, Nicole," Liam said, his voice gentle. "I'm here for you. You're safe now."

Nicole flinched away from him, her eyes wide with terror. "Stay away from me!" she cried.

Liam felt a pang of guilt as he realized how much he had hurt her. He had been so focused on his anger that he had forgotten about her pain.

"I'm sorry, Nicole," he said, his voice filled with regret. "I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to let you know that we're here for you. We want to help you."

Nicole looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. "I don't know if I can trust you," she said softly.

Liam felt a pang of pain in his chest. He had a lot of work to do to regain her trust.

"I understand," he said, his voice gentle. "But please know that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. I won't let anyone hurt you again." Nicole looked up at him, her eyes searching his face. Finally, she nodded, her body relaxing slightly.

"Okay," she said softly. "I'll try to trust you."

Liam felt a sense of relief wash over him. He knew that it would take time to earn her trust back, but he was willing to do whatever it took.

"Come on," he said, offering her his hand. "Let's go back to the cabin. It's not safe out here."

Nicole hesitated for a moment before taking his hand. The moment their hands touched, a surge of electricity spread through him.

Nicole stared wide-eyed as she allowed him to pull her up. The moment she was on her feet she snatched her hand away.

Just then, James found them. Liam's heart pounded in fear and disbelief. It was not possible that she was his mate.