Drastic Measures

King Ralph's POV

Saray has changed.
Since she came back from Human Town, she's withdrawn into herself. And she no longer wants me to touch her or go near her. She no longer hides her face in my chest as she often did and doesn't wait for me on the terrace after work anymore. Nor does she come to the dining room to spend time with the family; she has her food delivered to her apartment. Since her return, I have seen her only once and that was when she got off the Royal Jet. She had greeted me coldly with no physical contact, leaving me confused even then. But I had dismissed it as pregnancy quirks.
But we are now a week on and her behavior is staying the same.
And I'm done with that, today I want answers from her. Our mating is in a few weeks and I don't want any tension between us. It should be a day of love and happiness that we later look back on with joy. I now walk with her lunch to her apartment. When I arrive, I ring the doorbell. Of course, she thinks it's one of the servants and opens the door with a push of the button. I walk in, place the tray on the kitchen island, and enter her bedroom. There I meet her in a bathrobe on a chair in front of her dressing table. Startled, she stares at me.
"Ralph, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work?" she asks and turns back to the mirror. "I'm here because I miss you, Saray. I'm not used to you ignoring me. It's been days since I last saw you," I tell her. "Has something happened that you want to tell me? You know you can say anything to me, my love," I try to coax her into talking. She sighs impatiently but keeps looking in the mirror as she braids her hair in parts. "Ralph, my pregnancy is progressing. I'm tired more often and want to be alone now. It's hormonal, I guess". But I notice she is avoiding my gaze. I'm sure she's hiding something from me.
I shift partially and release my Lycan.
I can learn more about her feelings and thoughts with my unique abilities if I get close enough to her. So I grab her by the shoulders, lift her off the chair and hold her against me. With my face in her hair, I take a few deep sniffs. My eyes go wide, the scent of an Alpha! It is hanging lightly on her but still perceptible to me. It is behind her ear, which means she has had close contact with the man. But I don't smell sex on her, she is still clean. They probably just embraced and maybe kissed. With all the strength I can muster, I manage to suppress my Lycan, who is ready for a rampage. He doesn't want to lose Rain, she is ours.
Slowly I pull away from her and place her back on the couch.
"Okay, I respect that. Take as much time as you want. And when you get to that point of being able to be with me again, you know where to find me," I let her know. She nods. To her, this ends the conversation. I get up and leave. Standing outside her apartment, I feel my Lycan revolt. I need to do something and fast too.
'Eric, come into my study. It's urgent. Take Ivor with you,' I summon my Secretary.
With a heavy heart, I step into the elevator to my office. When I arrive, I slam the door open, throw myself distraught in my desk chair and hide my face in my hands. The Alpha has caught up with us and I foresee trouble. A minute later, my friends step in and sit on the guest chair.
"Alpha Jasper has met with Saray. They've had physical contact," I drop the bombshell. Both men stiffen and stare at me, baffled. "What!! When was that?" exclaims Eric, hitting my desk hard. "It must have happened when she was in Human Town the other day. It can be nowhere else. Saray hasn't been out of the Palace after that and we haven't had any visitors". Eric turns accusingly to Ivor, his eyes bulging out. "Ivor. Explain all this. How did the Alpha get to Saray? Were you blind?" he bellows at the Chief Warrior. Ivor's face pulls into a mask. "No, I was never blind. And have not left Saray's side for a moment," he declares tightly.
"Then explain this miracle. How did the Alpha get to meet Saray right under your nose and you didn't notice him?" demands Eric now savagely knowing. His fangs slowly begin to elongate. Ivor doesn't budge an inch. "If the two met, a miracle must indeed have happened. Man, I tell you, I was with the women all the time. Never have I seen any Alpha in their company!" he too, now growled impatiently. Goodness, if I don't intervene, these men will still attack each other.
"Easy, man, all three of us are wind-up. It is not easy for me either to realize that I am about to lose the love of my life," I reprimand them. "Let's evaluate this matter calmly. There must have been a gap in your supervision that the Alpha took advantage of to meet Saray." After exchanging menacing glances, the two turn toward me. Ivor indicates the route they took; indeed, there was no opening for a meeting. Until we get to the moment where they enter the fashion house. Saray went with the assistant to the fitting rooms and of course, it was not appropriate for Ivor to accompany her to that room.
Ivor indicates that Saray had stayed inside for a long time, but he blamed that on the detail of the dress she had to put on. And now that he recalled it all, Saray reappeared all blushing with sparkling eyes, without the dress on. She declared that everything fits well. After that, the women wanted to leave immediately.
"Yes, that must have been the moment he needed to approach Saray. There is no other possibility," Eric is sure. "The Alpha knew where Saray would be and at what time. He also had access to the fashion house and was able to hide until she walked into the fitting room," he reconstructed the occasion. And then realization hit them in the face. "Someone helped the Alpha. Damn sure! And that couldn't be anyone but Magda," I snap. "She suddenly arrived here and the next day, she left. And when she reappeared, the women left right away for Human Town. Everything indicates that this Magda arranged the contact between Saray and the Alpha. That human bitch! This happens when you take a street dog home," I curse the woman.
"Important now is what we can do about it," Ivor chipped in.
Eric stares at me. "Unexpected events require drastic measures. You have no other choice if you don't want to lose her, Ralph. Advance the mating ceremony. Once you mark her, there is no turning back. Alpha Jasper will have to accept that he lost Saray as his mate forever"....