Beneath the Alpha’s Skin Lies a Stranger
Chapter 1
My mate never lets me touch his face, and our kisses are always quick and fleeting. I’ve always wondered why, until one night when he was drunk, I discovered the secret behind it—a complete face mask hiding a stranger underneath.
That night, I managed to get Caden to bed, my Beta instincts kicking in as I ensured he was safe. But as I adjusted the blanket, I noticed a strange seam where his face met his neck. Curiously, I rubbed it gently, and the seam widened as if it had been glued together. Without thinking, I gave a light tug, and suddenly, a whole face mask came off in my hand. My mind buzzed with shock, and my hands trembled uncontrollably as the mask slipped onto the bed. Panicking, I reached for my phone to call the authorities, but then I spotted the tattoo on the inside of Caden’s pinky.
YQ...
The initials of my name, from a tattoo we had gotten together on a trip to the Alps. Confused and anxious, I looked carefully at the man lying on the bed. His height, his build—still imposing as any Alpha should be—the tattoo, and the placement of the mole on his arm—everything was just as I remembered.
I had no choice but to admit that this stranger-faced man was indeed the mate I had been living with every day.
"So that’s why..." I murmured to myself, recalling the questions that had always lingered in my mind.
Caden and I had known each other for years and been mated for three. He treated me well, but he never let me touch his face. Any attempt to caress was strictly off-limits; even kissing had to be shallow. At one point, his odd behavior made me consider rejecting the mate bond. But he was desperate, tearfully begging me not to go, and my deep feelings for him convinced me to accept his eccentricity.
After we were marked, aside from the face being a taboo, Caden continued to shower me with affection, and I gradually got used to it. I never expected he had been living behind a mask all this time.
Taking a deep breath, I picked up the mask from the bed to examine it more closely. The craftsmanship was astonishing, its texture remarkably similar to real skin, complete with skin-like pores. Some areas were thin, others thicker... It seemed to deliberately alter certain facial features.
I glanced back at the man on the bed. Without the mask, his face was more refined, paler than Caden’s.
Who was he? Why disguise as Caden? Where was the real Caden?
My wolf stirred within me, a low growl of unease rippling through my consciousness. *Something’s wrong,* she whispered, her voice tense. *This isn’t our mate.*
Holding back my confusion and fear, I carefully reattached the mask, quietly closed the door, and stepped out. I tossed and turned all night, unable to pretend nothing had happened. Yet, I couldn’t call the authorities either. Whether or not he was truly Caden, he was still the person I loved and had known so well—or so I thought.
I had to uncover the truth before deciding what to do next. The Alpha King, Paxton, had always been like a father to me, taking me in after my parents died. If anyone could help me unravel this mystery, it was him. But he was abroad, and I couldn’t risk alerting the impostor before I had proof.
As I lay in bed, my mind raced. The Hunt pack was my home, and I couldn’t let it fall into the hands of someone who wasn’t truly my mate. I would find the truth, no matter the cost.
