Urdon Pov
Rex was avoiding me again, and this time it was getting dangerous. I had ordered him to move into the Alpha wing three days ago so I could keep an eye on him. He had moved his things as I told him to, but he was never actually there.
Every time I went to his new room, it was empty. Every time I asked where he was, people gave me different answers. Training grounds. Border Patrol. Kitchen. Supply room. It was like he was running from me.
I also noticed he was getting thinner. His face looked hollow, and there were dark circles under his eyes that made him look sick. During pack meals, he barely touched his food. He just pushed it around his plate and stared at nothing.
"Have you talked to Rex lately?" I asked Marcus during training.
"Not really," Marcus said. "He has been acting strange. Distracted."
"More than distracted," I said. "Something is seriously wrong with him."
"Maybe you should order him to talk to you," Marcus suggested. "Use your Alpha authority."
"I should not have to order my Beta to be honest with me," I said. "But I might not have a choice."
After training, I went looking for Rex. I checked his room first, but it was empty like always. Then I checked the training grounds and the kitchen, and the library. Finally, I found him in the hallway near the stairs, looking like he was trying to sneak somewhere.
"Rex," I called out.
He froze and turned around slowly. His eyes were wide, and he looked scared. "Alpha," he said, and his voice cracked. "I was just heading to my room."
"No, you were not," I said and walked toward him. "You were sneaking around again. What is going on with you?"
"Nothing is going on," Rex said quickly. "I am fine."
"You are not fine," I said. "Look at yourself. You look like you have not slept in a week. You are not eating. You are avoiding me. Tell me what is wrong."
"I told you already," Rex said. "Border duty has been hard, and I am just tired."
"Stop lying to me," I said, and my voice got harder. I moved closer until I was right in front of him. "You are my Beta and my best friend. I have known you since we were kids. I know when you are lying, and I know when something is seriously wrong. So tell me the truth right now."
Rex opened his mouth, and I saw him struggle. His whole body tensed like he was fighting against something. His hands started shaking, and he grabbed his head.
"Just tired," he gasped out. "That is all. Just really tired from work."
Then he made a sound like someone had stabbed him in the brain. His face went white, and he swayed on his feet. I reached out to steady him, but he stepped back.
"Rex, what just happened?" I demanded.
"Nothing," he said, but he was breathing hard. "Headache. I get them sometimes."
"That was not a headache," I said. "That looked like someone was hurting you."
"You are imagining things," Rex said. "Can I please just go rest?"
I stared at him, trying to figure out what he was hiding. This was beyond strange. Rex had never acted like this before. He had never lied to me or avoided me or looked at me with fear in his eyes.
"No," I said. "You cannot just go rest. I already told you to move into the Alpha wing, and you did. But you are never there. So here is what is going to happen. You are going to stay in that room, and I am going to check on you every few hours to make sure you are eating and sleeping."
"That is not necessary," Rex said, and he looked even more scared.
"It is absolutely necessary," I said. "You look like you are about to collapse. I am not going to stand by and watch my Beta destroy himself."
"I am not destroying myself," Rex said.
"Then what are you doing?" I asked.
He did not answer. He just stood there with his hands shaking and his eyes looking anywhere but at me.
"That is what I thought," I said. "Go to your room now. I will have someone bring you food. And Rex."
"Yes, Alpha," he whispered.
"If you try to sneak out again, I will post guards outside your door," I said. "I am trying to help you, but you need to let me."
"Okay," Rex said quietly.
I reached out and clapped him on the shoulder like I used to do all the time when we were younger. It was meant to be reassuring. A gesture that said we were still brothers even when things got hard.
But the second my hand touched his shoulder, I felt it again. That burning sensation. Like something hot was pressing against my palm from the inside out. I pulled my hand back quickly and looked at it.
There was no mark. No burn. Nothing visible. But the pain had been real.
"You alright?" Rex asked, and he looked even more terrified now.
"Fine," I said and shook my hand trying to make the burning stop. "Sore from training. That is all."
"Right," Rex said. "Training."
"Go," I said. "Get some rest."
Rex nodded and walked toward his room. I watched him go and noticed how his shoulders were hunched like he was carrying something heavy. Something invisible that was crushing him.
I walked back to my own room feeling good about keeping Rex close. If something was wrong, I would figure it out. I would help him through whatever was happening because that is what family does. That is what the pack did.
I did not know I had just made the biggest mistake of my life. I did not know that by keeping Rex in the Alpha wing, I had made it easier for whatever was haunting him to reach me at night. I had brought the danger right to my doorstep and invited it to stay.
But I would not figure that out until it was too late.