The Alpha and the Exile
Chapter 13

Michael walked me back to my room in the pack house after the intense kiss we had shared outside. It was just a kiss, but I couldn't help feel that it changed everything, and I wasn't too sure exactly how I felt about that. The shrink had warned me that he wasn't ready or possibly even capable of a romantic relationship. I wasn't much better myself.

Hell, I was only eighteen. I should be exploring the world and myself, not shackled down to running pack. I almost laughed at the thought. Should be and what if's never did anyone any good. The truth was that I was Luna of my pack and Michael was too broken to be my mate in the actual sense. Saying anything else would just be deluding ourselves.

We stopped outside Michael's door. "Tonight wasn't bad," I admitted, sticking my hands into my jeans pockets. Feeling oddly nervous I added, "Perhaps when things settle down we can do this again sometime. Have a good night." Turning to go to my own room, Michael grabbed my arm stopping me.

"Oh no, Peaches," he said, pulling me back towards him.

My nerves grew, and I tried to laugh it off, whatever it was. "What?"

"You're not going to blow this off so easily. You opened this can of worms, and now you're going to have to deal with it," he said, pushing me against the wall and trapping me between it and him.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I told him, trying hard to ignore how my heart raced or how his closeness was making me itch to touch him.

Michael started laughing as he looked down at me with one arm leaning against the wall just over our heads and supporting his weight. "You are really a bad liar, Alice," he told me. His thumb brushing against my cheek. He leaned in closer to me, his lips inches from mine. "It was all so easy to ignore until that kiss..."

My heart raced as he drew in closer. I knew it was a bad idea and for all the reasons I had already thought of. Not only could I bring myself to stop the kiss, but I wanted it. I needed to feel his lips against mine. Just as they were about to touch someone cleared their throat, breaking me out of this daze, Michael had snared me in. A silent snarl curled his lip as he turned to glare at Mario.

"Sorry Luna, but I have something I need to discuss with you," my beta said.

I pushed against Michael lightly so I could escape from his closeness. "Okay, let's go talk in my d-office." I inwardly cringed. I kept forgetting it no longer was Dad's office, but mine.

"The beta, right?" Michael asked as he walked up to Mario. When he nodded, Michael slammed his fist hard into Mario's side, sending him to his knees.

My heart jumped, and my stomach clenched as if I'd been hit. "What the hell? Why did you do that?"

Michael shrugged as he walked back towards me. "Next time he'll wait until we're finished," he said. Wrapping a hand around my neck, Michael pulled me into an aggressive kiss. He didn't hurt me, but it was oozing with possessiveness. He let me go and went into his room without another word.

I stared in shock at the door. Anytime I started to forget who he was and all his baggage, Michael seemed more than happy to remind me. Mario groaned as he got up off the floor and I rushed to him, feeling guilty that I hadn't moved to help him earlier. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he snapped a little sharply as he stood then sucked in a pained breath. When I gave him a curious look, he looked a little sheepish. "Sorry."

"Let's go talk about whatever it is you needed to talk to me about," I replied, and we went downstairs to my office.

I frowned as Mario closed the door behind us. "This must be bad," I said as I sat down in the large chair behind the desk.

"It is," Mario told me, sitting in front of me. "Evidence has been found, and it suggests the one that sabotaged our systems was Flinn."

The breath rushed from my lungs as I stared at him. It couldn't be. Not Flinn. He wasn't happy with me, but this was betraying the pack. "I can't believe that. What evidence is there?" "A fingerprint and a witness," he replied.

"That's it? He's on the security team, Mario. There could be a lot of reasons for that," I told him.

My beta shook his head. "The witness puts him in the time frame of the vandalization, Alice, and he has no reason to be there."

I sighed and leaned back in his chair, trying to ignore the ache in my chest. It couldn't be true.

"I'm sorry, Alice," Mario said with a somber expression. "I know he means a lot to you, but the evidence is there."

I let out a small growl as I sat up. "Have him put in the holding cells, and I'll question him tomorrow." It just goes from bad to worse, I swear.

"Yes, Luna," he said standing. When he was at the door, he stopped and turned to me. "So I take it things between you and Mike are going well?"

At the mention of his name, my heart sped up. Despite that I knew Mario could hear it, I acted as if normal. "Things are going. I'm trying not to rush in and complicate everything even more." "That's probably a good idea," Mario said then opened the door and hesitated. "Just don't forget who he is," he added and left the room.

I scowled at the now empty doorway. I knew perfectly well who Michael was. I didn't need everyone throwing it in my face. Michael was doing that for them. I sighed and let my head fall to the desk. What was I going to do? Flinn a traitor? I really didn't want to believe it, but Mario wouldn't have said it if there was room for doubt. I said a few choice words as I stood up from the desk and left the office. Feeling suddenly exhausted, I decided to just shower and go to bed. I'd worry about everything else in the morning.

Morning came a lot sooner than I expected. I miss the days where I could do things like sleep in or actually sleep the whole night through. Mario drove me to the holding cells. I looked up at the plain ugly building, a sense of dread filling me. I would admit that I was afraid of what he would say. It was one thing for us to be angry at each other, but if he betrayed the pack. I didn't know what I was going to do.

I took a slow deep breath and walked inside. Mario wanted to be there with me, but he had to do the stuff on the council that I should've been doing instead of being here. One of the security led me through the maze of halls to where Flinn was being kept. Outside the door Koreyon waited, looking about as happy as I was to be here. "Luna, no one's talked to him yet," he said as soon as I reached him.

"Thank you."

He shook his head slowly. "I trained him, taught him everything I know. I'd never would've thought..."

I laid a hand on his arm, sharing his feelings. "I know. Maybe there is an explanation. If there is, I promise. I'll replace it."

With another slow, deep breath, I went inside. Surprise then suspicion crossed Flinn's face when he saw me. I sat in the chair across from him. "Has anyone told you why you're here?" I already knew the answer, but I felt like I should ask the question anyway.

"No," he replied sourly.

"In the last push against our borders, someone helped the rogues," I began then explained the sabotaging of the computers and security systems.

"And you think I did it?" I couldn't tell by his voice if he was angry, surprised, or had expected it. When I nodded, he scoffed, staring at me as if he'd never seen me before. "You can't be serious. What is this? Revenge? Look I said I was sorry about before. I didn't mean to really hurt you."

"This has nothing to do with that, Flinn. There is evidence that suggests-"

"Suggests?" Flinn said loudly, cutting me off. "Come off it, Alice. You know me! I'd never do something like this."

"It's not about what I know or think, Flinn. Someone has placed you at the outpost in the same time that the systems were destroyed. How can you explain that?" I asked, hoping he had a good explanation.

"Easy. They're lying. I wasn't there," Flinn replied. "Look, it's one thing to be pissed at you, but the pack? My family is here, Alice. I would never do anything to hurt them or Jennie."

Normally I would've agreed with him. I would've said Flinn adored his family, especially his little sister. Then I would've also said that he'd never hurt me either and we all saw how that went. Flinn smelled of the truth. He was nervous and afraid, but when he spoke nothing in his scent stank of lies or betrayal. Sadly, I wasn't willing to risk the pack based on his scent alone.

"I did not do this, Alice," he said leaning forward, glaring at me with obvious anger. "Maybe you should check out your witness. I'm being set up, and I'm willing to bet this, so called witness knows who."

I clenched my jaw and did my best not to show my frustration. "I'm still investigating the incident, but I'm afraid until some better explanation can be made you will have to remain here, Flinn."

He growled at me, leaning back in his chair. "Just what I thought. This is about revenge. You know I'm innocent, but you're going to let me rot in here, letting everyone think I'm a traitor."

"Think whatever you want, Flinn," I told him standing up and leaving the room. When the door was closed, I leaned against the wall and sighed. This was looking to end up being one hell of a mess. Could nothing just be resolved easily and quickly? I straightened when I heard Koreyon walk up to me.

"What do you want me to do, Luna?" He asked then pressed his lips tightly together.

"I want all the details. I want to know who this witness is? What were they doing there and what exactly did they see. If Flinn's lying, he's doing a damn fine job of it. Give your duties to someone else, I want you investigating this full time, and you will report only to me. Understand?"

"Yes, Luna. I promise it will be done," he said, looking relieved. He didn't want Flinn to be guilty as much as I didn't.

"Until then," I started, glancing at the door. "We'll have to keep Flinn under lock and key. Better safe than sorry."

My chief of security let out a sigh, but nodded. "Understood."

When I returned back to the house, I went for a swim. Hoping that doing laps would not only help me de-stress but think about what I was going to do with all the problems that kept cropping up into my life. One of those said problems watched me like a wolf watches a lamb as I got out of the pool.

"Hey Michael," I called to him as I picked up a towel, trying in some vain attempt to shield myself from that look in his eyes.

"Hey," he replied, walking up to me and taking the towel from me. He wrapped it around my shoulders pulling me closer to him and started to dry off my shoulders. "What happened?"

Goosebumps broke out along my arms that had nothing to do with any chill in the air. I didn't remember it being so hard to think around Michael before. "What do you mean?" I asked, trying to distract myself from the feelings his hands on me were causing.

"Well, the beta butted his nose in last night then took you somewhere this morning. While I could account for the interruption as he just doesn't like me, I doubt he was escorting you to do your nails," Michael told me as he moved the towel down my back.

"Just pack stuff," I said, wondering how I could put some distance between us that wouldn't come off as rude.

"Which is?" Michael asked, giving me a slightly impatient look.

I grabbed the towel from him, wrapping it around my waist, and told him, "Nothing for you to worry about. Did you talk with Dr. Evans, today?"

I started to move away from him when he grabbed the towel, keeping me in place. "Alice, don't," he told me and there was a hint of warning in his tone.

"Don't what? There is nothing for you to worry about. You simply need to worry about being on time to talk with Evans, that's it," I told him, trying to sound nonchalant.

With a sharp jerk, Michael pulled me against him. He fisted my hair, forcing me to look up at him and the other arm wrapped tightly around my waist, holding me in place. "I mean it, don't. Don't patronize me like some child. I am your mate, and when I claim you, this pack will be mine too."

A sliver of fear makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. "That's not going to happen for a long time," I tell him, refusing to feel small or helpless.

"That can happen at any time and whenever I want," he told me with a tone that was deadly serious. "Now tell me what is going on?"

I swallowed and refused to be cowed by him. In my own deadly tone, I said, "I am not telling you anything until you let me go and if you ever hope to have any chance of making a claim on me Michael Howe you will never grab me like this again."

A slow, smug smirk spread across his face as he slowly let me go. Holding his hands up, Michael took a step back. "Yes, ma'am."

I stared at him, more than a little awestruck. He was enjoying himself? "There has been an issue with the rogues," I started then told him everything about the sabotage and that Flinn looked like the guilty party. A sharp bark of laughter from Michael made me jump.

"That guy? Nope. He didn't do it," he told me, sounding completely convinced.

"Oh really? And how can you be so sure?"

"Whoever did that had to have a pair of balls on them or be super invested," he replied. "Your boy toy is neither. He's too much of a coward to make a move against the whole pack, and despite all his bark, Boy toy really doesn't care about you as much as he thinks he does. If he did, he wouldn't have given up on you so quickly."

"I wouldn't say that. I don't think he gave up quickly at all," I said.

Michael gave me a wolfish grin. "Please, one little threat of hanging him on a tree branch with his entrails if he ever touched you like he did that day he hurt you and he was swearing on the life of his mother he wouldn't even come near you," he said, again his tone was completely serious.

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