28. The New Breed

The dead bulging eyes stared back at Eden. Tristan's dead body was splattered on the muddy floor with its head twisted at an odd angle. The early sun rays of the morning made it look even more hideous.

"Eden, calm yourself." Oliver put a comforting hand on his Alpha's shoulder. He was standing beside Eden.

Eden had been mute ever since they found out Marley was missing. However, his silence was contrary to the strong rage and ferocity seething inside him. All the other wolves had been steering away from their Alpha in the fear of becoming a victim to his wrath.

A werewolf without a mate was not a pretty sight.

Eden shrugged his beta's hands off his shoulder violently and walked away without sparing a single glance to anyone. The last thing he needed was people telling him to calm down. How could he when those monsters had his mate, *his Marley*.

The Alpha didn't know which emotion was overwhelming: Rage or concern for his mate. Caught up in the turmoil of his feelings, Eden didn't realize that now he was in his wolf form and running through the woods.

The beasts that attacked his pack last night were different from anyone he had ever seen. They looked just like the kid's drawing. He cursed himself for not believing that kid before.

His pack outnumbered them and fought with all their strength but somehow those monsters were still able to overpower them. What were they? Were they some kind of new supernatural breed?

Everything was spiralling out of control. Eden didn't know what to believe because after witnessing last night a new reality came crashing down on him.

They weren't alone. *Werewolves weren't alone*. There was more supernatural.

He let the breeze filled with grassy scent soothe him. He could feel his rage going down, allowing space for rational thoughts to conjure in.

Tristan's body was found almost a mile away from the safe house, where he was meant to take Marley. The possibility of someone killing him and dragging his body for a mile seemed absurd. Moreover, those beasts that attacked last night didn't take any life but merely injured his wolves to the point that they couldn't attack. *So, why kill a lone unarmed wolf? Why kill Tristan?*

There was only one possible answer. They came for Marley. Those bastards came for his mate.

Eden's mind then drifted to his abducted mate. The anger once again flared up inside him as he thought of Marley, who would now probably be injured and scared. Those monsters had better not laid a finger on her or...

Eden sniffed in hopes of catching a whiff of her scent but failed like many other numerous times. He felt shattered from the inside for not being able to protect the one person he was supposed to give his life for. However, he didn't allow himself to grieve or wallow in self-pity. There was no time for that, first he had to get Marley back in his arms and after that make sure that those bastards pay the hell for snatching her away.

Eden ran through the entire woods, looking for any clue that could provide any potential lead but it turned out to be another failed attempt. A frustrated growl rumbled from his throat before he made his way back to the pack house.

"Eden!" Mark called out when he saw his Alpha approaching at the foot stairs of the house. "Oliver found something. You have to see it."

Eden saw Mark's injured arm and suddenly the guilt washed over him. Mark didn't have to be at the receiving end of his anger. No other wolf had to be the receiving end of his anger; after all, they fought for him. He nodded, his expressions turning little soft.

Mark sighed not used to seeing his friend this helpless. He couldn't even begin to comprehend the pain that Eden was going through. Mark couldn't bear the thought of losing Emilia like that. "We're going to find her man... We will." He said with conviction.

Eden only gave a small nod then proceeded to follow Mark.

When both the boys reached the threshold of Tristan's room, Eden found clothes and other belongings of Tristan lying on the floor. Oliver was inside, sneaking into their late pack member's drawers.

"What are you doing?" Eden asked and Oliver turned around immediately, hearing his Alpha's voice.

"Eden, I think Tristan was responsible for the attack." Oliver replied and motioned for them both to come in. They both followed. "I found it strange that how Tristan's body was found almost a mile away from our safe house and also there wasn't any sign of struggle on his body. Only his neck was punctured, that guy didn't have a chance to transform. Wolves can sense other beings from miles away, so he had plenty of time to change and have a fighting chance but he didn't. It was like..." He trailed off, not sure whether to continue.

"Like." Eden raised his brows.

"Like he trusted his murderer. Like he knew it and didn't expect it to kill him. So I decided to snoop around his room." Oliver sighed. He picked up a shirt and a pair of pants lying on the bed, away from all other scattered materials. "Smell them." He tossed the clothes to Eden, who smelled them like his beta said.

When Eden caught the scent, his fist tightened and his jaws clenched in anger. It smelt like a mixture of werewolf and something else. That scent had been embedded into his memory since the last night. It belonged to those beastly bastards who kidnapped his mate.

"Maybe Tristan wasn't as loyal as we thought him to be. He was plotting with those fuckers behind our backs." Oliver concluded, clenching his fists. "Their scent on his clothes is fresh which means he met one of those only a few days ago. He was betraying us Eden."

"That son of a bitch!" Mark cursed.

Oliver's words felt like a big painful slap on Eden. He himself had handed Marley to Tristan to keep her safe. What a fool he made of himself?!

It was good that those bastards killed Tristan themselves or Eden would have made sure to torture that traitor until his last breath for betraying the pack and his Alpha.

"Eden! Eden!" Mark's worried voice brought Eden out of his thought. "Your palms are bleeding."

Eden looked down and saw the red liquid trickling down his hands, where he had dug his nails. In his fury, Eden didn't even realize that he had cut his own palms.

"I cannot even trust my own guards." The Alpha let out a humorless chuckle. "Who should I trust now?!"

"You can trust us." The beta spoke immediately. It was painful for him to see his Alpha losing hope like that. "You can always trust us."

Eden nodded, suddenly feeling drained of all energy. How much he wished right now to have his arms wrapped around Marley, breathe in her addicting scent and smile at her shy, red face. Thinking about his mate reminded him of Oliver's.

"Is Sanjay okay?" Eden asked Oliver. "He isn't hurt, right?"

Oliver smiled. "Physically, there's not a scratch on him but emotionally he's not doing good. Ever since he found out that Marley's been abducted, he has turned into a mess."

"Go to your mate Oliver. Right now he needs you, Callum and I will take it from here." Eden commanded, earning a grateful look from Oliver.

"I have looked through most of the cupboards but few are still remaining. Are you sure you want to do that?" Oliver asked. He wanted nothing more than to go back to Sanjay but also wanted to help his distressed friend.

"Get out." Eden sighed and turned to his other friend. "You too Mark, I'm sure Emilia must be pining after you." He didn't want to deprive his friends of luxury that he had lost himself. They needed their mates' comfort and he had no right to keep them away from it.

Mark rolled their eyes but followed his orders anyway.

"Send Callum here!" Eden shouted to their retreating backs and his friends replied with a 'yeah'.

Eden turned back to the messy room that had previously belonged to the pack's 'traitor'. He willed himself to not to lose his mind to anger again and keep his head straight. It was difficult when he knew Marley was in danger but somehow that thought only pumped up his determination.

He needed to find his Marley.

*********

Marley's eyes opened, waking her up from a dreamless-dark sleep. A small lantern hanging at the front wall was the first thing that caught her eyes. The light from the fire burning inside it dimly illuminated the whole room.

Suddenly, all the memories of the horrifying night came rushing back to her, making her heart race in panic.

Where was she?... And Eden!

As she turned her head to look around, a throbbing headache restricted her. A small groan of pain escaped from her. The hard surface beneath her was doing a poor job at providing comfort. She tried to sit up and after a few painful attempts, succeeded.

Marley once again looked around ignoring the pain. The room was small and dark, having the burning lantern as the only source of light. It was empty, besides the bed she was sitting on and a wooden chair by its side. She saw a window, which was covered with worn out and dirty curtains.

She was about to get off the bed when the door burst opened and walked in a figure.

"Good. You woke up. I thought I might have to kiss you because you were starting to look like a sleeping beauty." The boy laughed at his own joke. His shaggy brown hair fell to his eyes and he huffed to blew them away.

Marley frowned, her eyes turning to glare at the stranger. *Only Eden is allowed to joke with her like that*.

The boy's laugh turned into nervous chuckle under Marley's intense eyes. "I-I'm sorry. I thought it might cheer you up, you know after being taken away by a buff guy and waking up in a really dirty and smelly room." He rubbed the back of his neck in nervousness.

"By the way I'm Theo." He held out his hand but when Marley made no move to shake them, he took it back. "O-okay..."

Theo sighed looking at the scared girl. He knew why he was here but had no idea what use did they have of the poor girl. Odis better had answers for bringing her here, Theo thought. He once again glanced at her, and after receiving no response, with a defeated sigh he left the room.

*******