Page 10 of Rescued by Four Alphas (Claimed by the Four Alphas #2)

" W here the fuck are our security guards?!" I snarl, my hands clenched into fists. "We pay them a fortune to protect this house!"

The glass crunches under my boots as I pace the living room. My wolf prowls just beneath my skin, demanding action, demanding blood.

"Leo, take Dahlia to the safe room," I say.

"I'm not going anywhere," Dahlia protests, clutching her sheet tighter. "This is my home too."

"Just do what I fucking tell you!" The words explode out of me before I can stop them.

Dahlia flinches back like I slapped her. The hurt in her eyes makes my chest tighten with immediate regret.

"Shit," I run a hand through my hair. "Dahlia, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. Please. Just let Leo and Axl take you somewhere safe while we figure this out."

She nods reluctantly. "Okay."

Leo wraps his arm around her waist. "Come on, beautiful. Let's get you somewhere secure."

The front door bursts open, and Matthews rushes in with three other security guards. Their faces are flushed, and their weapons drawn.

"Sir, we heard glass breaking," Matthews pants. "What's your status?"

"Where were you when someone was throwing bricks at the house?" I demand, stepping closer to him.

Matthews shifts uncomfortably. "We were conducting a perimeter check on the east side of the property."

"All of you? At the same time?" My voice drops to a dangerous growl. "That's not protocol."

"No, sir," Matthews admits. "Johnson stayed at the main gate."

"Clearly that worked out well," Evan says dryly, examining the broken window.

I turn my glare on the rest of the security team. "You're paid to protect this house and everyone in it. Tonight, you failed. Completely."

"Sir, we understand your frustration," one of the younger guards speaks up.

"Do you?" I take another step forward. "Because this happened because you weren't doing your fucking job."

The guards exchange nervous glances. Good. They should be nervous.

"I want to see the security footage," I order. "Now."

"Yes, sir," Matthews nods. "I'll pull it up immediately."

We crowd around the security monitor, and Matthews types rapidly on the keyboard, bringing up multiple camera feeds from the past hour.

"There," Evan points at one of the screens. "There was movement near the north wall."

A figure in a dark hooded sweatshirt moves across the screen. The hood shadows their face completely, and they keep their head down as they approach the house.

"Can you enhance that?" I ask.

Matthews clicks through different angles.

"They knew where our cameras were positioned. Look at how they stick to the blind spots." Evan says.

He's right. The figure is obviously avoiding direct camera contact while still managing to get close enough to the house to throw the brick.

"Shit," I slam my fist on the desk. "This could be an inside job."

"What do you mean?" Matthew asks.

"Whoever this person is, they are someone who knows our security layout well enough to avoid the cameras," I explain. "Someone with access to our system specifications."

Evan's jaw tightens. "I'll run new background checks on everyone with access to the house just in case there has been a new compromise."

"Lock down the estate. No one comes or goes until we identify our traitor."

"Sir?" Matthews looks confused.

"You heard me," I snap. "Activate a full lockdown. Check every inch of the perimeter. I want to know how they got close enough to do this."

Evan heads for the door as Matthew leaves as well. "Excuse me for a while."

I pull out my phone and dial Maxine's number. She answers on the second ring.

"This better be important, Stonefang."

"Hello to you, too, Maxine," I say, stepping into an empty corner for privacy. "I need some information."

Maxine Ridge, Alpha of the Ridges pack, is not someone I call lightly. Our packs have a complicated history, but she has ears everywhere in the shifter community.

"What kind of information?" she asks, her tone softening slightly.

"Someone threw a brick through our window tonight and left a charming little note with it. Has there been any incidents like this?"

"Fuck," she breathes.

"You're not the first," she says quietly. "We've had several prominent shifter families who have received similar threats in the past week."

My grip tightens on the phone. "Why am I just hearing about this now?"

"We didn't want to cause panic, and I needed to be sure it was a pattern." She pauses. "Check the brick. Is there a symbol carved into it?"

I walk back to the living room where the brick still sits among the glass shards. "What am I looking for?"

"Anything carved or painted on it. Even small scratches."

I kneel and examine the brick carefully. On one side, barely visible, someone carved a small symbol into the surface.

"There's something here," I tell Maxine. "Looks like a circle with a line through it."

"Son of a bitch," she swears. "My suspicions were right. We're dealing with the Natural Order."

"Who the hell is the Natural Order?"

"They're an anti-shifter extremist group," Maxine explains. "Shifters who believe shifters don't belong in human society. They want to force us back into isolation."

"What the hell? Since when has this been happening?"

"Well, you've been busy with your personal life, I guess."

"Fuck! Do you have any idea who's behind it?"

"Nothing's confirmed yet, but we think someone in the government is involved. The Natural Order has access to information that only someone in the government has access to."

My stomach twists. "I can't say I'm surprised. They begged us to integrate into society, and now they want to chase us out again. Humans piss me the fuck off."

"Onyx, listen to me." Maxine's voice turns serious. "Maybe it's time we stopped allowing these people to control us and fight back. We were good on our own. We didn't ask for this."

"That's not the answer to this. They are still more advanced than we are, and they have more weapons. We are still the minority."

"But they are scared. We can play on their fear."

"Maxine, do not do anything for now. Double the training with your warriors and send this to all the Alphas under this region. I will come up with a plan and get back to you."

"Fine. But the moment this gets out of control, I will retaliate with or without your blessing…"

"Maxine…"

"Fine."

"Keep me posted if you learn anything else."

"I will. And Onyx? Watch your back. If they found a way past your security once, they'll try again."

The call ends, and I stand there for a moment, turning the brick over in my hands. The symbol seems to mock me, and it's like a promise of more trouble to come.

I need to talk to Evan. If this group has government connections, we need to know who we can trust.

I head toward his office, and my eyes fall on the expensive artwork on the walls, a reminder of the privileged life we've built. A life that’s now under threat.

As I approach Evan's office, I hear movement inside. The door stands slightly ajar, but Evan never leaves his door open. My wolf senses sharpen, and I slow my steps, moving silently across the plush carpet.

I push the door open and freeze.

Matthews is behind Evan's desk with a stack of papers in his hands. He's photographing each page with his phone before setting them aside.

"What the hell are you doing?" I demand.