Betrayed by the Beta, Loved by the Alpha

11. Punishment

Hunter’s pov:

My mate was badass, and she didn’t even know it.

The way she used the bow had me mesmerized. Once the guys had groveled to her, and my wolf was no longer anxious to rip them to shreds, I asked her whether she was good at shooting moving targets.

She wasn’t confident in her skills… and yet, she didn’t miss that apple.

Then, the one I thought had been her best friend all along, began to diss her. I saw red. I could sense my mate’s distress faintly through the bond, and that, new as it was, told me that she must be getting emotional too.

I didn’t hesitate to step forward and call that she-wolf out on her bullsh*it. My hand resting on Eden’s shoulder for a moment there, wasn’t to tell her I got this wordlessly, or to reassure her in the least… I just really needed her touch, if I wanted to calm down, that was.

Some teen drama later, and I was ready to rip Clarissa a new skin.

Thankfully, Eden told me she had some things to get off her chest when I told her to go freshen up.

I respectfully stepped away, even as it put me in a brooding mood.

Nevertheless, I found myself straining my ears, ready to intervene once more if the need arose. I was almost disappointed when I didn’t have to.

Before long, I was confronting the man that had me perplexed and also different shades of angry – Gamma Daniel.

“I heard,” I began simply, my eyes boring into his.

He was sweating profusely, much more than a Gamma ought to. If this was how he reacted to his own Alpha’s ire, how could he even last against foes?

His eyes met mine for a total of 5 seconds before he cast them down. That was already 5 seconds too long in my book.

I needed to blow some steam, and I truly thought he deserved everything that was coming at him.

“I didn’t do anything,” he let out after a beat, and I could smell the blood in the air – faint, discreet, but there.

My eyes narrowed of their own accord, and I realized he was biting too hard to his lips.

Too late for regrets now! I mused darkly.

“Didn’t you?” I raised an eyebrow at him in a demanding manner.

His sweating increased at once. And my frown deepened.

“Excluding Eden Summers from training isn’t my idea of nothing,” I drawled, baring my teeth, because I was done playing civil.

“With all due respect, Alpha Hunter, she would only delay everyone’s progress, considering her lack of a wolf… It’s not fair to everyone else,” he claimed, looking me in the eyes again, breathing easier, even as his eyes flickered with something I wasn’t quite comfortable with.

He was hiding something. Something possibly big, and very, very wrong!

“Quite bold of you to deny a pack member her right, and then argue with me about it,” I gave him a look that had him shaking in his boots.

In the pack’s history, no pack member was ever denied the right to train. My grandparents were fair leaders, and so was my father. He mustn’t have heard of this. Hence, the mess I was left to deal with.

Eden hadn’t even blinked as she told me she didn’t train, as if that was normal.

“I didn’t tell her to stop training, really,” he implored me with his eyes, having recovered some of his composure.

“No, you bullied her into stopping,” my voice, cold and dangerously low, made him drop his head in shame.

“I apologize, Alpha Hunter. I overstepped…”

“You did,” I cut in, uncaring of the apologies he had prepared in his mind, and he had the decency to stiffen, as if bracing himself for a physical punishment.

Someone was going to pay for my mate’s grievances, and I was going to start with him.

“Choose,” I then let out in a sinister tone of voice, “Would you rather be thrown in the dungeons for a week, or not be allowed to shift for 3 months.”

“Not be allowed to shift?” He echoed after me incredulously, his eyes bulging.

“I knew you wouldn’t want to tarnish my father’s name,” I nodded in mock appreciation. “His own Gamma getting thrown in the dungeons for a week isn’t exactly an option that appeals to me.”

The air got knocked out of him at once. He had walked right into my trap unknowingly.

“Alpha Hunter, please reconsider. This is too…”

“Too much? Too cruel?” I quipped, finishing the sentence he didn’t dare to. “You abused your power, Gamma Daniel. It’s only fitting that your punishment be adequate, as per your offense, don’t you think so?”

All through our exchange, I never once bellowed at him, showing him I was in complete control of the situation… Showing him there was no escaping this, no matter what he tried!

Beta Mark watched me in silence. I knew he would report everything to my father later on. But I had nothing to fear. Hell, I already had my own set of arguments ready for the punishment the Gamma had earned.

“Also, should you fail to respect your punishment, the 3 months might just run longer. You’re dismissed,” I declared in a tone of finality.

“Yes, Alpha Hunter,” he nodded curtly, and then escaped, his tail between his legs, dragging his feet.

“With your permission, Alpha Hunter, I need to go,” Beta Mark soon followed right after, and I merely nodded at him curtly.

“Remind me to never get on your bad side,” Peter commented in a joking tone of voice.

I shot him a look that sobered him up immediately.

“I want a full report about Gamma Daniel in a week. From his whereabouts, to his favorite dish, down to his favorite po*rn website. I need to know everything about the man.”

Sensing I was serious, Peter’s only response was a nod.

** ** ** ** ** **

Later on, mom casually mentioned that she was going on a date with dad, winking at me as she did so.

“Oh, do spare me the details,” I rolled my eyes at her.

“There’s one detail I want you to know though,” she drawled, and I held back a growl of utter frustration. “Eden will be babysitting Susie. Try not to scare her off. Also, try to smile more often, at least around her.”

“Aye, madam,” I nodded at her, and then went back to my room, ready to get some work done.

All I did was count the seconds till her arrival.