lphas Second Choice novel Chapter 15

Chapter 6

This wasn’t the first time Bruno had done something vile.

He had always preferred younger girls.

Barely into adulthood, he had already been with nearly every young shewolf in the pack.

The more he played, the more bored he became.

That night, drunk and reckless, he followed his sister into the woods.

He had seen me, Finn, and Hazel there before around our tent, but never joined us. That night, he decided to act.

Hazel had gone there alone after fighting with a friend, needing space to calm down.

She never imagined she’d run into him.

At first, she heard rustling and tensed up, but when she saw her adoptive brother outside the tent, she relaxed.

The next second, he ripped her clothes apart.

“NNo, there weren’t any cameras there,” Bruno stammered in the recording. “That place didn’t have

surveillance.”

“Let’s hope not…” Alpha Rex muttered darkly.

Then came a knock on the door.

Both men turned sharply.

I started running, darting into a nearby storage room.

Alpha Rex and Bruno began searching, checking every corner.

When they flung open the storage room door, I was trembling under the bed, covering my mouth to keep

from making a sound.

They searched the curtains, the cabinets.

Just as they were about to look under the bed, the dogs outside started barking wildly.

Alpha Rex and Bruno ran downstairs. I slipped out and hid inside a wardrobe.

When they came back up, they didn’t find me.

That night, I had gone to the pack house to look for Hazel.

I stayed hidden in that closet for a long time before daring to come out. My legs were shaking so badly!

Chapter 6

13.27%

could barely stand.

I didn’t linger. I ran straight back to my room.

The maids had been preparing dinner when I left, so no one saw me come or go. I made sure to avoid

everyone.

At the time, I had only seen the man’s back in the forest. I hadn’t seen Hazel.

I never found her necklace either, so I returned home.

I felt sick with guilt. If I had gone a little farther, I might have seen her.

I could have saved her.

She must have been terrified, alone and desperate.

I hated myself. After calming down in my room, I went downstairs again.

But when I reached the living room, Hazel was gone.

Luna Ruby was frantic.

“She’s never gone out this late before! Where could she be?”

Finn tried to reassure her.

“Maybe she went to a party with friends. She’s growing up, Mom. Girls need space sometimes.”

But my chest tightened with dread.

We finally convinced Luna Ruby to stay home while Finn and I went to search. If Hazel returned, she could

tell us right away.

We searched every place Hazel might go, called all her friends, all her packmates. Nothing.

With no leads, Finn and I split up to cover more ground.

I ran through the woods, shouting until my throat burned. “Hazel! Hazel! Where are you? Please come home!”

I screamed until my voice was raw, but there was no trace of her.

Finn and I stayed up all night searching. When dawn broke, we still hadn’t found her.

Panic gnawed at me. Terrible thoughts filled my mind.

Hazel was really missing.

Had she done something rash? Was she hurting?

As an orphan, the only warmth I’d ever known came from Finn and Hazel.

13.27%

Finn contacted me through the mind link, urging me to rest. He had ordered his father’s beta and warriors to

join the search.

He worried about my hoarse voice and my sleepless night, but I refused to stop until we found her.

Bruno’s sudden departure for the Northern Border shocked both Luna Ruby and Finn. Hazel’s disappearance

had already thrown the household into chaos.

Now Bruno was leaving too.

Alpha Rex and Luna Ruby were too overwhelmed to stop him. They scolded him briefly, then let him go.

The next night, beta guards and the pack enforcers brought news.

They had found a body floating near the pack’s border lake.

It was Hazel. Her student ID was still on her.

Luna Ruby fainted on the spot. My legs gave out.

A ringing filled my ears; I couldn’t hear anything else.

From far away, I could only see her, lying there so still, so cold.

“Maple must’ve kept quiet to protect the Alpha and Luna,” someone in the crowd whispered. “Who could accept the truth otherwise?”

“Right? Her husband covered up the rape of his own adoptive daughter, and the rapist was his eldest son?”

“This is beyond twisted.”

“Maple must’ve loved Finn so much.”

“But the timing… think about it. Bruno left right after Hazel disappeared.”

“That can’t be, he’s still Alpha Rex’s son.”

“Never underestimate how dark the heart can get.”

Luna Ruby had woken by then, staring blankly at her husband. She didn’t even know how to start.

The man she had shared her life with had hidden something unforgivable from her.

Without a word, she slapped Alpha Rex hard across the face.

“Do you even have the right to say Hazel’s name?!”

Her voice shook with fury and grief.

“She was just an adopted girl,” Alpha Rex said defensively. “You can’t ruin our son’s future over this!”

Chapter 6

13,27%

Luna Ruby’s lips parted, but the words caught in her throat.

Her pupils constricted. She stared at him as if trying to find even the smallest trace of remorse.

“Hazel’s gone. Do you really want me to send our son to the werewolf prison? What happens to the pack then? You want to lose both children? Is that what you want?”