Marry to Alpha or Vampire?

Elmer smiled at Theo, who also smiled back. If it weren’t for the girl by Elmer’s side, he might have been even friendlier.

“Elmer, is this your mate?” Theo inquired, his gaze focused on Sheila.

“Yes, this is my mate, Sheila,” Elmer responded, with an even more radiant smile. He wrapped his arm around Sheila, asserting his dominance as Sheila’s mate and introducing her to everyone.

“Hello, I’m Beta Theo,” Theo greeted Sheila.

Sheila replied with a smile, “Hello, I’m Sheila, nice to meet you.”

It was Sheila’s first time meeting The Iron Star Pack’s Beta. In some ways, she and Beta Theo should have been friends, but unfortunately, they were on opposite sides.

“I’m also pleased to meet you,” Theo observed Sheila. Her white dress made her seem innocent, but Theo sensed there was more to Sheila than met the eye.

“Elmer, why did you come so late?” Theo asked in a playful tone. “Were you on a date?”

Upon hearing Theo’s words, Sheila’s eyes subtly changed. She sized up Beta Theo, thinking that he might be testing Elmer.

“Sorry, I thought I lost my badge,” Elmer shrugged, looking somewhat helpless.

“Lost it?” Theo maintained his calm tone.

“I searched my house for it for a long time but couldn’t find it. It turned out Sheila had it, and thankfully she gave it back to me.”

“I accidentally took it home; I’m really sorry,” Sheila chimed in.

Sheila heard Elmer’s words but didn’t reveal any different expressions. She was working hard to play her role as Elmer’s mate.

But she knew that Alpha Cyril must be suspicious of Elmer. Otherwise, Beta Theo wouldn’t have asked those questions. He shouldn’t have been thinking so much.

“Since you found it, that’s good,” Theo said, placing the badge aside and giving a knowing smile.

“As soon as I found it, I brought it here for submission,” Elmer explained.

“Sign your name here, and you can leave,” Theo didn’t press further.

Elmer nodded, signed his name on the registration list, and left the Pack House with Sheila.

Theo watched Elmer and Sheila leave with a skeptical expression.

He held the fake badge and the registration list, heading toward Cyril’s office.

Inside the office were Cyril, Hazel, and the Parrish and Rankin couples, discussing matters.

“Elmer just turned in his badge,” Theo handed Cyril the badge.

Cyril examined the badge closely, and his expression darkened. Then he spoke, “This badge is fake.”

Hazel’s face showed a mix of emotions, and she frowned, seemingly unable to believe the result she had just heard.

This afternoon, Theo, Parrish, and Rankin had already counted the badges submitted by others, and all of them were genuine, with no counterfeits.

If Elmer turned in a fake badge, there were only two possibilities: either his genuine badge had gone missing, forcing him to create a replacement, or he believed the badge he submitted was real, but someone had swapped it out.

Regardless of the possibility, it wasn’t good news.

“I guess this has something to do with Sheila,” Hazel said. “Maybe I should start by asking Elmer.”

Hazel never believed that Elmer would be involved in an attack on McGo Family. He knew the seriousness of the situation and how much Elmer cared for his Pack. There must be someone using Elmer’s name for this.

Since the moment Sheila brought Elmer back, Hazel had sensed that Sheila’s intentions weren’t pure. If she could prove that Sheila truly used Elmer for this purpose, she would expose her true nature. Even though it might hurt Elmer, Hazel had to do it.

“I agree with Hazel,” Theo added. He recounted the story of Elmer’s lost badge being returned to him by Sheila and how he suspected that Sheila had taken Elmer’s badge and replaced it with a fake one.

“I’ll get to the bottom of this,” Hazel’s determination was evident in her eyes. She couldn’t stand the idea of Elmer being suspected.

“You can find a reason to probe Elmer’s attitude,” Cyril suggested. As an Alpha, he needed to take responsibility for his Pack. If it turned out that Elmer was responsible for the attack on McGo Family, Cyril wouldn’t spare him. But if Elmer was entirely innocent, Cyril would ensure he wasn’t punished.

“I know what to do,” Hazel said, looking resolute.

“I’ll have Carlotta and Viola keep an eye on you from the shadows,” Cyril told her. He understood that a mansion couldn’t keep Hazel’s longing for freedom at bay. Allowing her to explore with Carlotta and Viola’s protection should mitigate some of the risks. Hazel’s safety was paramount.

“If Sheila is behind this, she might be acting on orders from Putnam’s mate,” Hazel analyzed. There had to be some connection between Sheila and the fake Fiona in the medical room. Otherwise, Sheila wouldn’t repeatedly risk being discovered by visiting the phony Fiona. However, the nature of their relationship remained a mystery.

“We have people monitoring the situation in the medical room,” Cyril agreed with Hazel’s hypothesis. A Pack Alpha wouldn’t infiltrate another Pack without purpose. They just needed to figure out what Putnam and his mate were after.

As vampires continued to encroach on their territory, it begged the question: what did Putnam and his mate want? Were they planning to take over The Iron Star Pack?

Hazel found the situation increasingly complex, but the events were gradually falling into place. They would surely uncover who was pulling the strings behind the scenes.

“If we’re preparing for a direct war with vampires, we have to deal with Putnam first,” Theo suddenly spoke up. As Beta, he analyzed all aspects of the situation to find the best solution. Just like an Alpha, he had to consider the Pack’s safety.

If the peace agreement collapsed and the vampires truly attacked the werewolves, internal discord among the werewolves wasn’t an option. They needed to stand united. For the greater good, they needed to rally all allies willing to stand with The Iron Star Pack.

Putnam and his mate clearly weren’t suitable combat partners. Many outsiders had infiltrated the Pack, lying in wait for an opportunity. They had killed many werewolves. The werewolves couldn’t simply ignore this. The enemy was waiting patiently in the shadows, searching for the right moment to strike down all of those responsible.All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.

“I agree,” Parrish chimed in. “They’re like vermin in the gutters.”

“Besides Sheila, the witch Janice has been frequenting the medical room,” Rankin added.

He didn’t know why Janice, as a member of McGo Family, had been getting so close to a few werewolves or what kind of transactions they had going on.

“All of this will come to an end soon,” Cyril and Hazel exchanged a glance.

They were well aware of the current situation. From other Pack Alphas to vampires, even witches were now involved. It all seemed intricately connected, with everyone becoming entangled in an unknown conspiracy. Perhaps Putnam and his mate were just pawns for someone else, paving the way behind the scenes.

When Kassandra made the announcement, they would know who the most worthy allies for The Iron Star Pack were. At that time, they would eliminate all the hidden dangers lurking in the shadows. Cyril gazed out the window, determined not to allow any threats to the Pack to persist.