MATED TO THE SECRET ALPHA
Chapter 192: His Layer Of Betrayal Never Ends

Chapter 192: His Layer Of Betrayal Never Ends

But something inside her refused to accept that explanation either. A part of her strongly believed they’d gone into the wasteland.

She broke away from his arms then, stepping forward to lean on the cold balcony rail. Her knuckles turned white.

"I need to send a rescue team," she said firmly, her voice regaining strength. "The best we have. The fastest. Those who know how to track. If there’s even the slightest chance they went through the wasteland—"

Ryder stepped forward. Hands on her shoulders, he turned her around to face him. "Look at me," he urged her and she did. Her eyes were glassy. His Luna was about to cry.

For the first time in this lifetime, her tears were for her pack members, and not for the Moon goddess.

He liked that very much.

Leaning in, he gently kissed her eyes. Both. Then, he pulled back slightly.

"You don’t have to send anyone, they’ll all die." Their gazes locked. He saw her eyes shake with fear. He continued. "My best men have already moved. They’ll get there faster than your people can. And they have better experience in these kinds of environments. The wasteland is unforgiving. If we’re going to survive this, we need to be smart, not desperate."

Her heart pounded, the weight of his words settling into her chest like a stone. Her instincts screamed at her to act, to do something, but she trusted Ryder. He wouldn’t lead her astray.

She rested her forehead on his chest, thousands of thoughts running through her mind. What could have propelled them to take that route? And the wasteland, why was it so terrible?

"Ryder," she called. Her voice was too soft. Too shaky. "What if none of them return? What if they’re already dead?... Six hundred lives, Ryder. Six hundred pack members. Their families will be devastated. Let’s not talk about the resources we will lose... It’s too much loss for the pack."

Ryder’s expression darkened, a shadow crossing his face, but his arms tightened around her, pulling her closer, as if trying to shield her from the weight of the world she carried.

"Do you know who Yaz is?" Ryder suddenly asked. He didn’t want to tell her, but seeing her worrying so much, it made his heart ache.

Reana pulled away from him slightly, her brows furrowed as she stared into his eyes, "He’s a powerful warrior...the last time we fought, I felt he was holding back."

Ryder’s lips tightened, his eyes momentarily clouded with slight remorse. He stepped back, running a hand through his long red hair as he gathered his thoughts.

"You’re right," he said, voice low and heavy. "Yaz is powerful. But he’s not your pack member. He’s one of my betas and he’s gifted."

Reana blinked, a sharp chill running through her eyes. "You–" she choked on her words. "You had your people in my pack?!"

Ryder nodded slowly, his gaze never leaving hers. "He’s not the only one. Marcus too... He’s my Gamma."

Reana’s breath hitched in her throat. She opened and closed her mouth countless times. She couldn’t find her voice.

This man, his secrets, his layers—they never ended.

Her lips trembled, her hands clenched into fists against his chest as she pushed him back a step. "You spied on me," she whispered, but the words dripped with something sharper than betrayal... hurt.

"Reana—"

"No!" she snapped, her voice suddenly fierce. "You placed your men in my ranks and never told me. You let me lead a pack that wasn’t fully mine!"

Ryder’s jaw tensed. "I did it to protect you," he growled. "You don’t know how many threats surround you. How many want you dead. Yaz and Marcus were there to make sure you stayed alive. That your people stayed in line. That no one took advantage of your... kindness."

"That’s not your decision to make!" Her voice cracked. "You don’t get to decide how I lead. You don’t get to put shadows behind me without my knowledge and then act like it’s protection. That’s control, Ryder."

He was quiet for a beat, and then he murmured, "It’s love."

Reana froze.

The silence between them was deafening, thick with emotion, accusation, and all the unsaid things neither dared speak aloud. Her chest rose and fell with rapid breaths, but her gaze held his steadily now, burning with fire and confusion.

Finally, her voice came out cold and low, "Then your love is suffocating."

Ryder’s expression faltered.

And for the first time, he didn’t know how to answer her.

But at the very least, he’d managed to shift her focus from worrying about something she cannot change, to something – someone she can pour her anger on. Him.

...

"Do not break ranks! Have your brother’s back!"

The merchants scurried for cover behind splintered carts as the warriors formed a tight protective ring around them on the stone bridge. Steel clashed with claws and fangs on all sides—every direction but one. The far end of the bridge, their destination remained still, ominously quiet.

Then the wind shifted. It carried the stench of rot and the bloodcurdling chorus of inhuman shrieks from above them.

The tall man, Yaz, raised his flaming blade high, cutting down a flying creature. Simultaneously, his voice boomed unnaturally, like a whip-crack over the chaos.

"Shield wall! Archers, left flank! Eyes on the skies—The Old Things rise with wings!"

The warriors, though bloodied and bruised, snapped into motion with weary precision. Shields locked. Bows creaked. Eyes narrowed against the blowing snow.

Karl stumbled to the line, each step a small miracle. His limbs trembled, breath ragged and thin in his throat. He collapsed behind a shattered, burning cart, smoke stinging his eyes. His hands were empty—no blade, no bow. Just shaking fingers and the choking knowledge that he was a coward.

But the warriors still stood. Yaz still stood. Maybe that was enough, right?

The bridge groaned under a sudden, massive weight. From the shadows, below the bridge, surged a creature –long and sleek, its body covered in wet, obsidian scales that shimmered red with reflected firelight in the night sky. A jagged maw opened, revealing rows of teeth slick with steaming saliva.