The Alpha Behind The Mask-Chapter 97: My Cousin

Oliver’s POV

​I stirred, my body feeling heavy and warm. My first instinct was to reach for the dull, throbbing ache in my shoulder, but as I flexed my muscles, I realized the pain was gone.

​The silver was out of my system. My wolf, restless but satisfied, had spent the night stitching my skin back together. I could feel the faint, raised line of a scar, but the burn was gone.

​Then, I felt the weight against my chest.

​I froze, my breath hitching as I looked down. Aurora was still there. She was fast asleep, her head tucked perfectly into the hollow of my good shoulder. Her breathing was soft and steady, a gentle puff of air against my bare skin that made my wolf hum with a possessive, territorial pride.

​She looked so peaceful. The tension that usually tightened her features—the fear, the grief, the hidden shadows—had vanished in her sleep. One of her hands was draped across my stomach, her fingers curled slightly into the fabric of the duvet.

​I didn’t move. I couldn’t. I just watched the way the morning light caught the stray strands of her hair. I wanted to pull her closer, to bury my face in her neck and mark her as mine so clearly that even the memory of that bastard Raymond would be erased.

​Twenty-four hours, my wolf reminded me, his voice a low, hungry growl in the back of my mind. The clock is ticking, King.

​I reached out with my hand, my thumb grazing the soft curve of her cheek. She stirred slightly, a small, sleepy moan escaping her lips, and she shifted closer, unconsciously seeking my heat.

​The raw need that hit me was almost painful. I had spent years as the Alpha King, cold and untouchable, ruling through strength and logic. But this girl... she had walked into my office with her broken heart and her stubborn pride, and she had brought me to my knees without even trying.

​I looked at the clock on the bedside table. It had been twelve hours since we lay down. Twelve hours left until I kept my promise.

​Suddenly, my internal peace was shattered. A sharp, urgent knock sounded at the doors.

​"Sire?" Gideon’s voice was low, as if not to wake me if I were still asleep. "I’m sorry to wake you, but Silas has returned from the border. We found something in Simon’s camp. Something you need to see immediately."

​I felt Aurora stiffen against me, her eyelashes fluttering as the intrusion woke her. I felt a flash of irritation. I wanted to ignore the world, but if Silas had brought something back from a vampire coven, it was never good news.

​"I’m awake, Gideon," I called out, my voice deep and commanding, though I kept my hand resting protectively on Aurora’s waist. "Give me five minutes."

​Aurora blinked, her eyes hazy with sleep as she looked up at me. For a second, she looked confused, and then she realized where she was. A deep, beautiful blush crawled up her neck.

​"You’re awake," she whispered, her voice husky from sleep.

​"I am," I said, leaning down to press a lingering kiss to her forehead. "And I’m healed."

​"Does that mean..." she started, her eyes darting to the door where Gideon was waiting.

​"It means duty calls," I sighed, reluctantly sitting up and letting the covers fall to my waist. "But Aurora, you’ll stay here. Order whatever you want for breakfast. I’ll be back as soon as I deal with this."

​I stood up, giving her one last possessive glance before grabbing a robe. I needed to see what Silas had found, but my mind was already pulling me back to her.

​When I walked into my office, Gideon was already there, standing by the large mahogany desk with a worried expression. He didn’t say a word; he simply reached into a velvet pouch and pulled out a heavy gold necklace.

​He set it on the desk. My heart skipped a beat as the morning light caught the familiar glint of the metal. I picked it up, the weight of it cold and heavy in my palm. My thumb traced the intricate carvings I knew by heart.

​My godfather, the former Alpha King Peter, had commissioned two of these. One for me, and one for his firstborn son. I flicked the small latch on the back, and there they were—the initials engraved in the gold: A.P.S. Axel Peter Stones.

​"It seems your cousin was in the vampire camp, Sire," Gideon said, his voice low. "We found this in Simon’s private tent. It wasn’t dropped accidentally. It was left there like a calling card."

​"So he was working with them," I muttered, my jaw tightening. My wolf let out a low, angry snarl. To work with leeches was the ultimate betrayal of our kind, but for Axel, it was just another Tuesday.

​"Should we confront him?" Gideon asked. "We have scouts who can track his scent before he crosses the neutral zone."

​"No," I said, shaking my head. "I will handle Axel myself."

​Gideon bowed his head and left the room, closing the door softly. I sank into my chair, the necklace still clutched in my fist.

​Memories of Axel flooded back, most of them bitter. He was the product of a one-night stand, a secret my uncle Peter didn’t even know about until the boy was eight years old. My uncle had tried to love him, to mold him into a leader, but Axel had been poisoned by resentment from the start. He hated me the moment I stepped into that palace. He accused me of stealing his father’s affection.

​As we grew, Axel’s distractions became his downfall. While I trained, he hunted for girls to fuck. His behavior eventually became so reckless that he raped a young maid to death in the woods and buried her body. He was exposed, and my uncle stripped him of his Lycan Kingship title, passing it to his younger brother instead. Axel blamed me. He always blamed me. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

​He had even gone so far as to murder the entire family of the man who exposed his crimes. I had spent years searching for any survivor of that massacre, wanting to make amends for my cousin’s bloodlust.

​And then came the challenge for the Alpha King position. He had tried to assassinate me, but unfortunately for him, I was always steps ahead of him.

​I sighed, tossing the necklace onto the desk. Axel would have to wait. My past and my treacherous cousin had been chasing me for years, but right now, my focus was entirely on the woman in my bedroom. I needed to get back to Aurora. She was the only thing that made the weight of this crown feel bearable.

​I stood up, ready to head back to the suite, but as I passed the large mirror near the window, I stopped dead.

​I caught my reflection, and my heart nearly stopped. The heavy, professional waterproof makeup I used to hide the black ink on my wrist was peeling away.

​The dark, curved tail of a scorpion tattoo was beginning to peek through the beige cream.

​"Shit!" I hissed, my hand flying to my wrist to cover it.