The answers you seek (Alpha Zachary)

'Never. I will kill you before you mark her,' Tubal raged in my mind, but I couldn't let him control me.

'She saved us before, Tubal. Don't be mean,' I tried to coax him, but he was adamant. 'She saved you, not me. You were twelve by then, but I wasn't with you then.'

Indeed, I had my first shift at twelve, but that was after the red-haired girl saved me. Her mother didn't give us a name, or maybe I could take Kari to visit her.

"Kari, why don't we go visit your mother?" I asked her. Her expression changed for a moment before a smile replaced it. "Zach, I told you my mom died, and my dad has been sick. Right now, I don't even know where he is," she responded sorrowfully. I felt saddened.

The people who could clear this misunderstanding were missing in action, and there is no other red-haired she-wolf as far as I knew.

"Fine, I will mark you if it makes you happy," I said, as I never intended to let her go. I'm a man of my word. As I moved closer to bite her exposed neck to mark her, nausea set in, but I was determined to reward her for saving my life.

I suppressed the urge, intending to take the elixir for my allergies after. However, before my canine could make contact with her skin, Gaius barged in.

"Alpha, this is urgent, please," he said.

Pulling away brought a relief I didn't want. It had been so long, and we had even mated, though it was under the influence of a strange drug so why couldn't I mark her? I decided to wait and try again.

"Kari, just wait on the sofa. I promise to complete it," I assured her. She smiled at me. "I trust you."

Returning to my chair, Gaius showed me a telegram. "Alpha, the Nether Wolves Tribe have lost their Alpha. This is the right time to strike and reclaim that land since it's close to ours. We can have more omegas to help with our perfume production," he suggested. It was indeed a good idea, except..." he was saying but I interrupted him.

"After what happened with that witch, I don't want to bring in more omegas." His expression instantly changed as he stared in Kari's direction. "What if Annabelle is innocent?"

Anger surged within me, and I slapped him hard. Any werewolf would have been knocked unconscious or fallen to the ground, but he remained standing, unmoved.

Gaius has always been my strongest warrior, which is why I made him my beta. However, now he was crossing the line.

"How dare you call her innocent when you were the one presenting me with all the evidence?"

There was no hint of offense on his face, only a calmness that infuriated me, just like what he said next.

"Alpha, I've been researching more about the appearance of the crimson moon. Although it occurs once every seven years, all the previous occurrences happened around a full moon, but this time it was different."

I couldn't believe he was being so gullible after being so steadfast before. "You seem to be losing your senses. It would be better to focus on your duties if you don't want to be replaced."

Pain was evident in his eyes as he took a step back. "I apologize for bringing her up, but there is something else I need to show you."

He left before I could stop him, and Kari came to embrace me, but I subconsciously pushed her away due to the unease I felt before regaining my senses and pulling her back.

"I'm sorry. My mind is clouded right now."

"It's okay, I understand," she replied softly. I was so happy to have an understanding partner. "I will make you tea," she offered, but all I wanted was carrot juice. That has been my favorite, with a blend of orange and ginger, though everyone thought it weird.

All leaders love black coffee and the hardest liquor, but here I was craving carrot juice and too ashamed to tell the she-wolf who was soon going to be my Luna.

"No need for tea. I'll be fine," I assured her. In a few hours, I will be done here and can go make my carrot juice by myself. This was something I never allowed anyone to do for me because I felt ashamed.

When I was younger, mom would do it for me without me asking, but after her grievances with my father, she left and I had to do it myself.

As such, I had a small pantry in my bedroom with a refrigerator filled with carrots, orange, ginger, and a juicer. These were all part of the reasons I never let anyone into my room.

"Okay, we can do the marking later, no pressure. I trust you."

She turned to leave but I instinctively reached out to pull her back, not giving myself time to process it before my canine sank into her neck, eliciting a scream from her.

It was time for her to mark me as well but Reid and Gaius rushed in simultaneously as my allergies kicked in, causing a pending headache and uncontrollable nausea.

Hurrying to the washroom, I emptied the contents of my stomach and took a dose of the elixir for my allergies, a remedy I always carried with me. I waited until my body calmed down.

'You may like to risk your life, but I don't want to go with you,' Tubal nagged, and I understood his sentiments. After all, he wasn't the one saved by Kari.

'I owe her this, so I don't regret doing it.' His response eluded me, but just as I made it back, I heard Reid saying, "How can you heal if he marked you? Is it because you haven't marked him too?"

If the mark disappeared, then it wasn't because she hadn't marked me. There was just one explanation for it. "What did you say?" I asked. He jolted at the sound of my voice.

"Alpha, we heard her scream and rushed in. She informed us that you marked her, but we can't see the mark."

My anger boiled because they both failed me. "That means the witch I marked is still alive. If you don't find her body, none of you should come back here," I roared. Reid was at the door, but Gaius was getting on my nerves standing there.

"Alpha, I think I have the answers you seek."