The Merciless Alpha(erotica)

As soon as the work was done, we’d be together and straightened it all out, I told my wolf. She waited patiently as he went through his proposal. I was impressed; Leo was in a place of strength. He could have demanded anything, and Luna Miller would have to take it. Instead, he found a solution that neutralized the humans and served the best interests of both Packs. I had to admit, it was better than the plans in my head when we left the Welch Pack.

I liked his wolf; he was dominant but fair, maybe not as strong as mine, but he hadn’t needed to be the bitch I was to get things done. He treated Susan well, placing blame where it lay and help where it was needed. It was difficult evaluating him physically when he was in a scooter, his arm in a sling and lower leg in a brace. His face and arms showed bruises from the accident. He wasn’t as bulky as I expected in a mantled Alpha, but what Susan told me would explain it. She said Leo had remained in a funk after his mate died of cancer, and it got so bad that her husband took over for the good of the Pack. When Pack members saw him, they’d all said he was wasting away. She expected he would be dead in a year or two, not starting another Pack. The little girl at the center of all the problems was the reason for his return. His niece gave his wolf reason to live.

I started to pay more attention as he finished his proposal. My wolf took notice when he told Susan that she would be acting Luna. “What is he thinking,” I asked my wolf.

Then he said the words that broke me. “My mate is dead,” Leo said.

My wolf howled, and pain coursed through my body as I felt the rejection of his words. It took a moment to do anything, and I stopped my wolf as she rushed forward to attack him. “NO. Not here,” I told my wolf. I excused myself and left before my emotions got away from me. I walked out, heading back towards the front door. I practically ran out to our car, but I couldn’t run away like I wanted. The Chairman’s guard had the keys, and his business here was not done. I opened the door, then stripped off my clothes and tossed them in the back seat. Shifting into my rust-colored wolf, I shook my fur out.

Wolves couldn’t cry like humans could. My heart was broken, and I just wanted to get out of here.

A black wolf with some white and gray underneath ran out the garage entrance, moving towards me but leaving me my space. I took a sniff; he was the Beta, here to watch over me. I was not in their Pack, and I was in wolf form on Leo’s land. The Chairman’s guard also came out in wolf form and joined us. I chuffed and headed towards the woods I had seen behind the house; I needed to run to settle my wolf. As I did, I caught a glimpse of Leo in the office, looking out at me.

It would be the last time he would see me. I would leave with the Chairman and return home to Maine to lick my wounds. I’d been shocked to find a second chance mate, but at least it never went as far as establishing a bond. I’d never survive the loss of another mate.

The Beta took the lead as we ran hard through the woods, and I stayed on his tail so he wouldn’t slacken the pace. The guard followed behind us as we weaved along the trail, heading down into a ravine. We turned to the right when we reached the Cannon River, running hard through the snow for a few miles. He took us back up to the bluffs, then we looped back towards his property. He slowed on the slick trails near the limestone cliffs, finally slowing to a walk as we reached a rocky point. He looked back at me, then crawled to the edge and put his head on his paws.

I sat near the edge; the view was beautiful, the moonlight making the snow glow softly, while it sparkled off the river below. I was breathing heavily for the run, but my chest ached from more than just the cold temperatures. It felt like my heart had been ripped out of my body. Raising my muzzle to the sky, I released my pain and loss into the night sky with a long howl. It echoed off the bluffs on each side as I listened; far away, another wolf howled in response.

I lay down next to the Beta, looking over the edge. The cliff dropped off at least eighty feet into the rocks below, more than enough to end my life if I chose. I caught my breath as I thought about my life, and when I got up, I had made the decision.

I was not going to be defined by a male. I’d made my reputation without him, and I would go on with my life without him. It was his choice and his loss.

I stood up and motioned with my head to the Beta; I wanted to head back. He led us through the trails, and it wasn’t long before we saw the lights of Leo’s home ahead of us. When we got back to the car, both males left me to dress; the guard went back to the front door, while the Beta went into the garage. As I pulled the last of my outfit back on, the Beta was waving for me from the garage. I followed him into the cavernous space. “I know it’s not my business,” he started.

“But you’re going to talk about it anyway,” I said.

“Yes. My mate has told me about what happened, and before you go back in there, there are a few things I’d like to say.” He told me about the short history of the Miesville Pack, and the condition Leo had been in. He pointed to the stacks of whiskey boxes by the entrance to the house. “His normal day was to sleep late, eat poorly, go to his usual place for dinner that night, then grab a bottle on the way in and drink it until he fell asleep again.”

“I got the basics of his life. I fought the same things,” I said.

“He and his wolf broke out because Vicki and Liv needed him. He’s never let go of Catherine, his previous mate. We don’t think he was ready to find another.” He looked towards the door to the kitchen. “Please, talk to him before you make any final decisions. He needs you as much as you need him.”

“I need no one,” I said, “but I’ll speak to him. I am still a Council negotiator, and I have a job to do.”

“Thank you.” He opened the door to the kitchen for me; I walked in to find the Chairman talking to a preschool-age werewolf and her young parents.

“Ah, Adrienne. Sit, dinner will be served soon. This is Olivia Andersen and Brent Lawrence, and their daughter Vicki. Liv and Brent accepted each other shortly after her change completed, and Vicki here made her first shift about a week ago.”

I set my shoulders and sat down. “Congratulations on your mating,” I said with a forced smile. I could sense the mantle on Vicki. “And on your shift.”

“After our meeting, I believe the Council is not required here. I have urgent business in Michigan, so I will be leaving momentarily.”

“I will grab my things and get ready to go,” I said.Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

“No. Alpha Leo’s plan is a good one, but it is just a plan right now. I want a Council representative here to monitor it and make sure it happens. You’re the one. You will stay here, in this house, and brief me daily on progress.”

He couldn’t do this to me. “Sir, if we could speak in private, I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to be here right now.”

“You are here. Your mate is here. If I have to lock you in a room until you can work this out between you, I will. Adrienne, the only way you leave here unmated is if you kill him first.”

I sat back, my wolf and I were furious. If he thought I was going to bend down and move my tail aside for this man after what he did, they had another think coming. “That just might happen,” I said with a growl.

“Good luck, Mediator McInnis. Thank you all for dinner, and congratulations on your Pack.”

*********

“Alpha, the Chairman is leaving, and Luna Adrienne is remaining here,” I heard from Anita over the link.

I opened my eyes; I’d moved to the bed, napping with Vicki, who was now gone. “I’ll be there shortly,” I said. I asked my wolf why he didn’t wake me when she came back, and he said she wasn’t ready for me yet. I slid onto the scooter and drove over to the closed door. The Chairman was putting his coat on when I drove into the living room. “I apologize for my absence, Mr. Chairman.”