Chapter 4 Alpha Territory

Rafael

The D'Ávila estate rose like a bastion between the woods and the concrete - neither a mansion nor a fortress, but a symbol. Bulletproof glass, walls lined with black iron, and the continuous sound of discreet engines patrolling the surroundings. When the electronic gate opened, I felt the air change. The territory recognized my presence. The energy of the place vibrated back, silent, submissive.

The Alpha had returned home.

I got out of the car, adjusting my jacket. The façade lights reflected in the windows, casting long shadows on the marble entrance. Caio Amaral, my Beta, awaited me next to the door, firm posture, vigilant gaze. He was the kind of man few could decipher: direct speech, cold temperament, but a loyalty that, so far, had withstood the chaos.

"The perimeter is clean, Alpha." He handed me a folded report. "We reinforced the teams on the south wing. Murilo requested an urgent meeting about the leak."

"I expected it." I skimmed the numbers, notes on schedules, route codes. "How many know that Maia Duarte is under contract?"

Caio hesitated for a second before answering:

"Only the inner circle. The Council is still debating whether to announce the union as a political alliance."

"Keep it silent for now." My tone allowed no discussion. "I want them to observe the reactions before the news circulates. If anyone opens their mouth before the time is right, I will know."

The gift of reading thoughts was not a privilege - it was a burden that, at times, I could barely tolerate. Voices of soldiers, omegas, betas echoed at the edges of my mind, a constant murmur that I had learned to filter. But when I focused on someone, the silence gave way. And then I saw - intentions, lies, fears. The minds of others were an invisible battlefield.

Murilo waited in the meeting room. The old Councilor maintained the same impassive countenance since he watched me grow up. He had the elegance of those who govern with a pen, but the political nose of a predator.

"The leak has been confirmed." He spoke without preamble. "One of the night patrol routes was diverted. Someone provided the location of the sentinels to the rival group."

Caio projected the map onto the digital panel. Red dots marked the routes. A circle blinked near the border line, a supply transport area - fuel, medicines, weapons.

"The last time it was used, no one noticed any alteration," Caio explained. "This morning, we tracked unauthorized communication signals. Three seconds of transmission. Enough to deliver coordinates."

Murilo crossed his hands. "The Council demands answers before the next moon."

Answers. They wanted blood, not explanations.

"It wasn't a technical failure," I said, cutting through the air. "It was sabotage. And it doesn't come from outside."

The two exchanged glances. I approached the panel, analyzing the map closely. Each route represented a piece of what I had built over the years - security, hierarchy, order. Someone was taking apart the board with the precision of someone who knew the game.

I approached Caio, fixing my eyes on his. The mind-reading came like a wave - fragments, memories, voices. Intact loyalty. Legitimate concern. No betrayal. I breathed.

Then, I turned back to Murilo. There, the silence was thicker. He thought carefully, molding each idea as one hiding secrets from himself. I pushed him a little more - I saw loose images: the Council meeting, discussions about Maia, the concern about the balance between packs. No trace of direct conspiracy. Just fear.

"Anything else to say, Councilor?" I asked.

"Only a piece of advice," he replied, measuring his words. "Control your Omega. Her presence draws attention. Some believe that alliances based on compassion weaken power."

I felt the irritation rise like contained fire. "To sympathize is not weakness. It is strategy."

"And when the strategy feels, Alpha?" He raised his eyebrows. "When she starts questioning orders?"

"Then I will teach her not to forget who commands."

The silence that followed was heavy. Murilo looked away first, in a subtle gesture of submission.

I left the room and went up to the office. The upper floor had large windows overlooking the woods. From there, I could see the patrol lights moving, the silver reflection of the moon on the fences. The whole house breathed under my presence. The territory responded - a whisper, a recognition.

I poured a glass of whiskey. The amber liquid glowed, but the taste seemed metallic. I thought about Maia. The way she had faced me in the Council meeting still lingered. No Omega had ever looked at me like that: without fear, without flattery. There was something dangerous in her strength. Something that both attracted and irritated me.

I closed my eyes, and her energy cut through my memory: firm, challenging, the sweet perfume mixed with nervousness. I knew, in that instant, that the contract would not be a simple exchange of favors. She had claws. And claws, in the wrong hands, cut more than they defend.

A metallic click yanked me out of my thoughts. The intercom sounded.

"Alpha, we have movement on the west wing," the security voice informed. "A truck entered the supply route without authorization."

"Maintain distance," I ordered. "I want an exact location and visual feed."

I ran down the stairs, my blood already racing. Caio appeared at the door, ready for action. We took the main corridor. The tension was almost palpable.

Outside, the wind carried the smell of fuel. The patrols moved with military precision. One of the soldiers pointed to the remote control screen: a truck stopped in front of the central depot.

"No one left the vehicle, sir. The internal cameras were turned off."

"Cut the power to the area. Now."

Darkness swallowed the courtyard. The light of the flashlights danced on the concrete walls. I took a step forward, my perception sharpened. The gift expanded, capturing nearby minds - anxiety, confusion, fear. And then, a cold, empty presence, as if thought had been ripped out.

"Pull back," I murmured.

The silence lasted two seconds. Then came the flash.

The explosion tore through the air with brutal force. The sound reverberated in my bones. The depot was swallowed by a wave of fire that rose in a column, illuminating the night. The impact threw me backward, and Caio pulled me before metal fragments shot across the floor.

Screams echoed around. The smoke rose dense, burning the lungs. The smell of burnt iron and gunpowder mixed with the damp earth.

"Perimeter, now!" I yelled. "Call the emergency teams! No one enters until I order it!"

I scanned the chaos, my heart pounding. Every cell of my body pulsed with Alpha instinct - the desire for control, the need for dominance. The territory was burning, and I felt the pain as if it were my own flesh being wounded.

I closed my eyes for a moment. I searched, among the noise of the minds around me, for an echo of origin. A distant voice, an infiltrated thought. I found a trace - cold, familiar, hidden among the shouts.

"This is just the beginning."

I opened my eyes, and the night seemed to look back at me.

There was war within the walls. And the enemy was not outside - it was among us.