361 Another Alpha
SELENE
+5 Pearls
I moved differently after that decision settled in me. The Southern estate woke early, but I had learned its rhythm. Guards rotated at fixed intervals.
Patrol logs were updated before dawn. Elias preferred efficiency; my father preferred control. Between the two of them, patterns formed. Patterns always told the truth before people did.
I waited until my father left for the inner council chambers before I made my first move.
I didn’t contact Daniel. That would have been reckless and obvious. Instead, I reached out to someone I knew stood close enough to him to matter but far enough not to raise alarms.
Rowan Hale.
He had once served as a border coordinator between the North and South, back when cooperation still existed on paper.
He was Northern by loyalty, neutral by history, and careful by nature. The kind of man who survived political storms by standing still and watching.
I sent a single message through an old encrypted channel we’d used years ago.
I have information about the rogue movements. It involves Southern patrol manipulation. If you want proof, respond with a location.
The reply came an hour later.
You shouldn’t be using this channel.
That was his way of saying he was listening.
I sent coordinates for a supply route inspection site near the western ridge. Officially abandoned. Quiet enough to talk.
While I waited, I gathered what I could.
Accessing patrol records wasn’t difficult. Elias trusted systems more than people. He assumed numbers couldn’t lie if formatted cleanly enough.
I pulled movement logs, cross–checked timestamps, compared them to incident reports from the Northern border that had been shared through council briefings.
They didn’t align.
Southern patrols were listed as having passed through certain corridors hours before rogue attacks occurred. Clean entries. No delays.
No abnormalities. But scent maps told a different story. Wolves didn’t move in straight lines, no matter how disciplined they were. Yet the reports showed uniform spacing, repeated routes, predictable timing.
1/4
12:19 pm
Chapter 361 Another Alpha,
+5 Pearls
Someone was staging a presence.
I saved copies. External drives. Physical backups. Redundancy mattered.
Then I followed Elias.
He didn’t notice me. He rarely did unless he wanted to. He moved through the estate like he owned it, issuing quiet instructions, receiving nods instead of questions. Guards deferred to him even when my father was present. That alone told me how much authority had already shifted.
I listened from behind a half–closed door as he spoke with two patrol leaders.
“Reduce visible numbers along the northern–facing routes,” Elias said calmly. “Rotate in smaller units. Make it look like resource strain.”
One of them hesitated. “Sir, that leaves gaps.”
Elias didn’t raise his voice. “Temporary gaps create reactions. Reactions give us data.”
“And the civilians near the woods?” the other asked.
Elias paused just long enough to acknowledge the question. “They are collateral to a larger correction.”
I stepped back before I was seen. My chest felt tight, but my thoughts were clear.
This wasn’t incompetence. It was design.
By the time I reached the inspection site, Rowan was already there. He leaned against his vehicle, arms crossed, eyes sharp.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said.
“Neither should you,” I replied,
He studied me for a moment, “You’re Southern Alpha’s daughter.”
“Yes.”
“And you’re contacting me instead of your father.”
“Yes.”
That earned a long look.
“Talk,” he said.
I handed him the data drives. “Southern patrol movements are being altered. Reports are falsified to show presence where there is none. Rogues are being guided into Northern gaps created on purpose.”
He plugged one drive into a secure tablet and skimmed. His jaw tightened.
“This isn’t random,” he said.
2/4
12:19 pm
Chapter 361 Another Alpha.
+5 Pearls
“No.”
“Elias?”
“Yes.”
“And your father?”
I hesitated. “He knows something is happening. I don’t know how much he understands.”
Rowan exhaled slowly. “If this is accurate, Northern civilians are being exposed to apply pressure on Daniel.”
“That’s the intent.”
He looked at me again. “Why are you telling me?”
“Because if I tell Daniel directly, it becomes personal. This needs to be strategic.”
He nodded once. “You’re choosing sides.”
“I’m choosing consequences,” I said.
When I returned to the estate, Clara was waiting.
She stood in the east corridor, arms folded, expression composed in that way she used when she wanted to appear unbothered. It didn’t fool me anymore.
“You’ve been busy,” she said.
“So have you,” I replied.
She smiled faintly. “Careful. That tone makes people nervous.”
“I’m not talking to people. I’m talking to you.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly. “About what?”
“About your visit to Amy. About your meetings with Elias. About how often your access aligns with new information leaks.”
She laughed softly. “You think I’m running this?”
“I think you think you are,” I said. “But you’re not.”
That wiped the smile away.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said.
“I know enough,” I replied. “You’re being positioned. Access without authority. Visibility without control. If this collapses, it won’t be Elias who takes the fall.”
3/4
12:19 pm
Chapter 361 Another Alpha,
Her jaw tightened. “You’re jealous.”
“No,” I said calmly. “I’m warning you.”
She stepped closer. “You’re assuming I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“I’m assuming you don’t know how little Elias values you,” I said.
Silence stretched between us.
“You think you’re better than me,” she said finally.
“I think you’re useful to people who won’t protect you,” I replied.
She turned away first.
That night, I sat alone in my room and drafted the final message.
No names. No signatures. Just verified data, patterns, and a warning.
+5 Pearls
The rogue attacks are being guided. Southern patrols are creating controlled gaps. This is pressure, not chaos. Watch the western ridge. Watch the people you think are neutral.
I routed it through three dead channels and one Northern relay node.
When I sent it, my hands were steady.
I knew what it meant. If discovered, I would lose my father’s protection. I would lose status. I might lose my place entirely.
But silence would cost lives.
As I shut down the terminal, my wolf stirred, not with fear, but resolve.
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Joseph King is an editor and storyteller who ensures every chapter is clear, polished, and engaging for readers.

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