Rejection to the Alpha King's Daughter [amazon edition]

Chapter 21 - A Hidden Spy

Chapter 21 – A Hidden Spy

Staring at the photos on my desk sent by Atticus, I sigh. It seems my hunch was right with not trusting her. Suddenly, the door to my office is thrown open and a frazzled looking Matrix walks in, his hair in disarray and his clothing crumpled. I haven't seen him since last week when Maya and he got into a fight.
"Crysta, I need your help." He starts, closing the door before pacing the length of the room. Putting the photos into the folder, I wait for Matrix to settle down and explain, even though I would like to yell at him for entering without knocking. He knows the rule of not barging into my office. I listen to him muttering to himself, running his fingers through his hair before plopping onto the chair in front of my desk with a pained groan.
"It's Maya. She has been demanding I mark her for over a year, but I can't. Something feels wrong when I am with her." He complains. Studying his face, I see just how haggard my friend has become since last week, his eyes holding an array of emotions. With a small smile, I grab a water bottle from my mini fridge and walk around to sit beside him.
"Matrix, take a deep breath." Placing a hand gently on his shoulder, I try my best to calm his frazzled nerves.
"I need you to start from the beginning." With a sigh, Matrix takes the offered drink and chugs it in one go and place the empty bottle onto the desk.
"For the last year since meeting Maya, our relationship never felt right. I have tried multiple times to mark her, to claim her as mine, but something inside me stops me from doing anything." Running his fingers through his hair again, Matrix stands and begins pacing the length of my office.
"It feels forced, like we aren't meant to be, but I can't deny the mate pull even if it is faint." He stops, looking out the window with a pained growl. I want to rush to him, to give my friend a hug, but doing so may make him feel worse.
"And then I started training with Marcie and it just feels so right with her." He continues, turning to lean against the glass and look at me with pained filled eyes.
"Help me make sense of this, please?" With a sigh, I motion for Matrix to sit again, reaching for the folder on my desk. He watches me, most likely debating on if he wants to hear what I have to say, before returning to the chair he vacated.
"Before I share what I have learned, do you think Maya is your true mate?" I ask him. I need to know if he genuinely believe Maya and him are meant to be, or if there is a chance she is playing him.
"I don't." He sighs. His shoulders slump in defeat and the taste of heartbreak lingers in the air.
"Then I think you should know she is a spy for Alexander. Atticus with the help of Heidi had a Rogue pretend to be a liaison for the network Coro has. Maya has been keeping tabs on me and sending information to Coro. Some we let slip through, others we take and tweak the information." I begin, taking out the photographs one by one and handing them to Matrix. I can see the fury in his eyes, the pain and hatred for a she-wolf he thought was his mate.
"Why didn't you tell me before?" I wince as he directs his anger to me, watching as he throws the pictures onto the desk and start pacing once more.
"I wanted to, but I had no idea how you would react or if you would believe me. I needed to wait, for the good of the pack." Taking a deep breath, I pull out one last picture and wait for Matrix to pace past me before handing him the final picture.
"I believe this witch is the reason why you think she is your mate."
"Why would a witch be involved?!" His fingers grip the paper, clutching it so hard that he nearly tears the edges.
"Because this witch specializes in dark charms. Do you know if Maya wears a piece of jewelry, one that she never takes off?" My words have his pacing faltering, his brows furrowed as he thinks. Waiting patiently, I get up and take out a moonstone ring from a safe with the stone set in silver. With smile, I carefully walk towards Matrix who's eyes snap to mine.
"There is this ring... It's solid gold with rubies in it." I nod, taking his right hand and sliding the ring onto his middle finger, the smell of moonflowers filling the air.
"I have a feeling that's a charm, like this one. Cassandra taught me how to harness my powers that I inherited from my mother to make these. What I need you to do is kiss near the ring. If it smells sweet like candy or rancid like decay, then that is why you believe she is your mate." I explain, relief settling inside me as my fingers circle the stone in the ring.
"How do I do that?" His voice is a whisper, his fingers lacing through mine before his free hand pulls me in for a hug, holding me tight and taking in my scent.
"You go to her room and pretend to make up. The charm I give you will keep your mind clear enough to distinguish the charm." We stand in silence after this, Matrix taking his time to calm himself. Since our conversation nine months ago, our friendship has been rocky. Some days we end up fighting, other days it's like nothing ever changed between us. Hopefully after today, things will get better and Matrix can find his true mate.

...

Sitting on the porch, I watch Alice running around with the pups her age, enjoying the simplicity of my pup after a hard morning. Matrix asked if he could take a few hours to settle before confronting Maya, and I agreed. If he were to confront her now with the news of her being a spy and using him still fresh in his mind, it could lead to the she-wolf bolting away.
"I have some news." Albot says from behind me, causing me to groan. What situation do I have to deal with now.
"That reaction tells me you've had a bad day." He comes to sit beside me, pulling me into his lap. I smile, leaning into his touch and allowing my stress to melt away while his left hand gently combs through my hair.
"More like a bad morning. The day isn't over yet." With a sigh, I turn my face into his chest, taking in his scent as we sit in silence for a moment. I just need to be held, even if it is just for a few minutes.
"Hopefully my news is good, then. Alexander wants to meet the Alpha of Astraea." Bolting up right, my eyes scan his face and concluding that what he says is true. It is rare for Alexander to want to meet a new Alpha, believing that strength comes from established packs with hundreds of years already put into them. A new pack is nothing to him until they pass the one-hundred year mark of being established.
"How?" I ask in disbelief.
"A few of our allies don't want to be allied to him and want the true ruler on the throne. They put in a good word for us saying I am the Alpha. The rumor of you being the Lost Princess has spread through the online forums thanks to Ira, Gem and Ams, and many want to see you succeed in getting rid of him." Albot explains, a wide grin on his face. My own grin spreads across my face as I fling my arms around his shoulders, kissing his cheek in happiness. He did it. He found a way for us to sneak into the Royal pack and take back what is rightfully mine.
"I'll take that I did an amazing job?" He asks with a smirk, his fingers pinching my chin gently as he looks into my eyes.
"You did an amazing job!"
"Good. He wants us to be there on the next full moon. He plans to sign a treaty with us at a masquerade ball." A frown replaces my smile with this new information. The next full moon is in three weeks. Meaning we have three weeks to weed Maya out as a traitor and three weeks to prepare our pack for my leaving. If things go well, I will be crowned Queen. If things go wrong, I will be dead.