The Alpha and The Enforcer [TATE]

Chapter 25

Jacob's POV

Christian and I had barely stepped foot into my new office at the pack house when I spotted a line of warriors—men and women—standing stiffly in the hallway, with Carl posted in front like a stone sentinel. Tension hung in the air like a storm cloud.

I didn't slow my stride. My eyes locked onto the warriors—no more than eight of them—who stood in a visibly uncomfortable line. The reek of alcohol hit me first, sharp and sour. I could hear their heartbeats thundering in their chests, quick and erratic. Some avoided my gaze. Others flinched when I stopped before them.

"Is this all of them?" I asked Carl without turning away.

"Yes, Alpha. All of them were assigned to the northern patrol tonight."

I nodded grimly, then stepped closer. A few more flinched. Others stood straighter, trying to mask their fear. But I could smell it. Sense it. And I wasn't in the mood for lies.

"Carl," I said sharply, "once we're finished here, I want you to investigate the northern border—take anyone you need. I want answers. And make sure there are patrol there right now as we speak."

"Yes, Alpha," he replied before stepping aside. 

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Third Person P.O.V

The air in the small conference room was suffocating with tension. The eight warriors who had been stationed at the Northern Border stood in a rigid line, flanked by two guards. No one spoke. Not until Alpha Jacob entered.

His eyes scanned each face with steely precision, then settled coldly on the one man who dared to lift his head slightly—Mason, the senior among them. Jacob didn't sit. He didn't need to.

"You left your post."

Mason, the highest-ranking patrol guard of the bunch,  opened his mouth to protest, but the Beta's low growl from the corner silenced him.

Jacob's voice was quiet. Dangerous. "You weren't ambushed. You weren't contacted by your superiors. You weren't chasing a false trail. So why did you abandon your station?" As much as it doesn't look like it, Jacob is trying really hard to control his wolf. 

His wolf, Axel, has made a connection with Ellie, and he too has a connection with her. It's not old news Ellie means a lot to Jacob or that he has feelings for her. So, finding her in a situation like he did, knowing that if these eight individuals were where they're supposed to be at the time of the attack, Ellie would be in front of him right now, is really messing with his head right now. But he can't focus on his emotions right now. 

As much as how he wants to connect his fist to the warriors' face, he can't be ruled by his emotions otherwise it will be bad. He has to be an Alpha first. 

Mason swallowed. "We received a summons. It was sealed with the Beta's mark. We thought it was real."

Christian's eyes narrowed. "I issued no such command. And my seal isn't something easily copied."

Jacob's tone dropped, cold and measured. "While you were gone, three unknowns breached our borders. Enforcer Ellie faced them alone. She nearly died."

Mason looked stunned. "We—we didn't know she was out there."

"That's exactly the problem," Jacob said, stepping closer. "No one knew. Because you weren't where you were supposed to be. And now, our Enforcer lies unconscious in the hospital, her blood on your hands."

Silence.

Jacob turned to Christian. "Verify the origin of that seal. Have the tech team run every channel."