Winning Over the Alpha

Chapter 24

~Tessa~

In the early morning hours, Tessa wandered into her office. She was skimming through all the reports Dainin's pack sent over before they arrived in Maine. "There has to be something we're missing," she thought, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Tessa glanced at the clock on her desk to find it was only four am. She stretched, wishing she was still curled up with Dainin, especially after the night they shared, but her mind would not let her rest. It was buzzing with different motives John might have against Dainin's pack and if they overlooked anyone as a suspect from White Sand.

She was about to go through Dainin's folder again when she heard a light knock on the door. "Come in," she called out, already knowing who it was. Zander stepped in with a grim expression. "It's a little early to already be down in the dumps, isn't it? Is Cadence giving you the cold shoulder," she teased, placing the folder down with a smirk.

Her face immediately fell when her cousin remained silent. Zander never missed an opportunity to give a smart-ass response in return for her comments. Before she could ask, he broke his silence meeting her eyes.

"They have a witch, Tess," he shared, his voice full of concern and Tessa froze in horror.

"Are you positive," she asked in disbelief. Her mind raced with questions of how, when, and why. Witches were wiped out after the Great War ended hundreds of years ago. Every supernatural being that survived the war believed they were snuffed out to extinction.

"Apparently not," her wolf questioned, shocked by the news.

"If there were a few left, how did John find a witch," Tessa asked herself aloud, trying to put the pieces together.

Zander moved to sit on the couch, resting his face in the palms of his hands. "According to the Rogue, she is mated to his supposed Beta, but he didn't know his name and has never met him in person," he growled.

Tessa rose in a fit of rage, sending her chair crashing to the floor as she pushed everything off her desk. Her fists slammed down, splintering the wood beneath her hands. It took everything she had to keep her wolf from clawing to the surface. She wanted to tear the Rogue apart and get answers herself.

"How is he always a step ahead of us," her wolf screamed, overcome with anger. Tessa closed her eyes, focusing on the sound of paper fluttering to the floor. She took in deep breaths to keep herself from shifting. A rampage was the last thing her pack needed from her.

Tessa could sense Zander calmly watching her and she knew Cadence would be arriving any moment. When she finally felt her wolf retreat, Tessa opened her eyes to take in the room. Everything had settled to the floor. Paper and glass were scattered everywhere, and she already regretted her outburst. An Alpha should have more control over their emotions and yet here she was acting like an immature child.

While she scanned the rest of the room, something caught her attention, something new. "Zander," she spoke quietly, pointing down at his feet. "Is that a picture next to your foot," she asked. Zander followed her gaze, picked the picture up, and instantly handed it to Tessa.

As she flipped the photo over her eyes instantly fell on Dainin's young face. She'd recognize those chocolate brown eyes anywhere and couldn't help but smile. Two adults were standing beside him, whom she assumed were his parents. He looked just like his father but had his mother's sweet smile.

"I'm surprised we haven't met them yet," her wolf mentioned, distracted by the photo of her mate and his family. Tessa ignored her question as she continued to scan over their faces. Alan stood out with his goofy smile and missing front tooth, but the man beside him caught her eye. He was taller than Dainin's father, but his face was youthful.

"Dainin never mentioned having another sibling," she thought, taking a closer look at the photo. The man was smiling with his arm draped over Alan's shoulder, but his happiness seemed to be forced.

A chill ran through Tessa's body when she looked into his emotionless eyes. They were cold and calculating. Tessa's instincts were screaming he was not to be trusted, but she also questioned why Dainin failed to mention his existence.

"I thought we agreed there'd be no secrets," she thought to herself as her stomach churned at the thought of him hiding something from her again.

As if on cue both Cadence and Dainin burst through the doors of her office taking in the scene. Neither one questioned the mess and Cadence simply began picking the papers up off the floor.

"Has Alan ever mentioned having another brother," Tessa asked her through their mind link.

Cadence kept to her task. She knew better than to show any reaction if Tessa chose to mind link her within a group of people. "No, Alpha. He hasn't even mentioned his parents. They didn't follow the pack to Maine," she informed. Tessa moved in front of her desk, handing Cadence a folder where she discretely hid the photo. "I'll see what I can find out," Cadence mind linked Tessa, holding the folder close.

"Sorry about this," Tessa sighed with shame lacing her voice when she noticed Dainin was also picking papers up. "I lost my nerve," she admitted, shamefully.

"It's okay, love. We all have rough mornings now and then," he reasoned, pulling her into his loving embrace.

Tessa was surprised he wasn't judging her for the outburst, yet she should have known better. Dainin never reacted the way she expected and she would have found it cute, but every fiber of her being wanted to question him immediately about the man in the photo. She refused to be fooled twice by putting faith in someone who didn't deserve it.

"Dainin, let's go back to bed. We'll leave this mess for later," she yawned, batting her eyes with promise. As expected, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her out of the office without question, leaving Cadence and Zander in standing the doorway. Both failed to hide their laughter.

Tessa growled through the link and rolled her eyes at the couple. "Let me know what you find out. I want some information before I confront Dainin. Continue questioning the Rogue. Use any method necessary," she ordered, looking at Zander. They both responded with understanding through the link as they headed in the opposite direction.

Tessa closed her eyes and rested her head on Dainin's shoulder, memorizing the feeling of being in his arms. She needed his comfort now more than ever, but that worried her since he may have been toying with her all along. Tessa's heart ached at the thought of his betrayal.

Not only was a witch working with the enemy, but now Tessa wasn't sure if she could trust her mate after all they'd been through. If the Moon Goddess had cursed her, Tessa knew this would be something she would never recover from.