2. Strange Alpha
Strange Alpha
Blake
“A lpha, there’s a new wolf in the area that’s asking for pass-through rights. Says he’s looking for his son, an omega,” Axel, my second and also my brother, informed me.
Glancing up from my paperwork strewn over the large mahogany desk, I nodded at my brother. “Is he here?”
Axel nodded, a complicated emotion passing over his face immediately putting me on my guard.
“Show him in, Axel.”
Chase, I need you to sit in on this. I voiced the thought through our pack link.
My other brother, one of the beta twins, Chase, had an uncanny ability to tell if someone was lying or had ulterior motives.
A skill that was increasingly useful as I worked to undo the damage that my father had done to the pack during his rule.
On my way, Alpha.
I still struggled with the title. I’d been the alpha of the Sweetwater pack officially for barely a year now and I’d gotten us back into the black financially, had the betas building new pack housing, and babies were being born to happier omegas.
Just seeing pups, or kits, babies of any alter species being born gave me hope for the future survival of my pack.
Axel ducked out of the room, calling for the visitor to enter, Chase hurrying to follow.
Running an assessing look over the man that preceded Chase into the room, I took his measure and found him wanting.
There was something wrong… off, with the way that the large man held himself, like he…
I searched for the right words, my wolf giving me the image of a fight.
Yes, like he was on the brink of violence.
His hair, a dark brown, was messy in an unkempt way and overlong.
His eyes were an insipid brown. The man was likely quite older than me - since we aged more slowly than humans - but looked around mid thirties.
He had pleasing features, though his nose looked like it had been broken, probably several times, and not reset squarely, so it was off center with a bump on the bridge.
His chin was a little weak, and the set of his jaw suggested a mulish temperament.
I don’t like him. Axel’s thoughts came through clearly and I felt agreement from Chase in the link. We cut the three of us off from the rest of the pack hierarchy because of our blood bond. Having a separate pack link was incredibly useful.
“Alpha Blake,” the man bowed his head the minimum amount to show proper respect. Axel let out a small growl, and the man inclined his head further, showing his neck in a weak show of submission. “Rincoln Hayes, asking for pass-through rights, sir.”
“Take a seat, please” I indicated the comfortable armchairs set in front of the desk.
I’d purposefully positioned the desk so only a wall was behind me.
Those seated in the chairs were always left unsettled that they had the open door at their backs and felt vulnerable to a potential attack.
Shifters on edge gave away their secrets easier, and this guy reeked of secrets and would likely try to feed me a bunch of little untruths.
From his scent alone, I could tell he was pack-less.
Independent wolves were fine, not very common, but if they were wanderers by nature, then they were usually well-balanced individuals.
I’d need to check this guy’s wrists because he acted like an exile, someone who’d been ejected from a pack.
Those I didn’t trust, with good reason. Although some exiles could be rehabilitated and taken back into a pack, they were few and far between.
Their scars would vanish when they took on a new pack oath.
Time would tell about this one. Careful, my wolf advised.
This strange man had my wolf’s hackles raised.
“Rincoln, thank you for saving my enforcers from chasing after you. There had been reports of a wanderer nearby, so I’m glad you showed your face.” The man shuffled slightly in his seat.
Three fucking days we hunted for him . Axel was not amused since making sure the territory was safe fell to him as my second, along with our head enforcer, our cousin, Deke.
“Thank you for seeing me, Alpha.” The simpering tone wasn’t quite mocking, just toed the line. I hated this fucker already, but until he actually broke any sort of law, human or supernatural, then I’d have to tolerate him.
Ugh, I hate everything about this weird dude. My wolf wants him out of here . Chase projected.
“Can I assume you are alone? Asking for rights for a party without the whole party being present isn’t acceptable, I’m afraid.”
“I am, although when I find my son, I’ll be sending for his betrothed.”
He’s been alone so far . Axel confirmed.
No lies yet. Chase’s infinitesimal movement caught my attention, and I glanced at him.
We’d have a debriefing after this meeting, but he clearly had thoughts about this situation.
Betrothed? What the fuck? This isn’t the dark ages!
My brothers echoed my thoughts. I worked to keep outwardly calm, the alpha mask in place.
“Another alpha designated shifter, I assume?”
“That’s correct. A wolf.”
Returning my gaze to Rincoln, I noticed an almost imperceptible flinch when my eyes landed on his before he looked away. Good, I was the higher alpha in the room. “If that happens and the other alpha comes to this area, he will have to ask for pass-through rights for himself.”
Chase moved again. Use the link Chase . Reminding him distracted me for a second as I struggled to think what conditions he’d want me to put on that. “I cannot guarantee that those will be granted.” I watched for his reaction and noticed his nostrils flare quickly. Hmm, he didn’t like that, did he?
He’s watching us use the link and I don’t want him to think you’re led by us and see it as a weakness . Chase explained.
Fair point .
Without the opinions of my brothers, I found myself stuck between a rock and a hard place. I didn’t like the guy, but that wasn’t a reason to dismiss him without the rights he was after.
“Alpha, if I may, I understand your reluctance to have an unknown alpha in your lands, but it is of great importance that I find my son. His Papa stole him from me.”
Chase gripped the arms of his chair. I knew without the mental link that Rincoln was lying, but without more information, my hands were tied. Without sharing another look with my brothers, I outlined my conditions.
“You are hereby granted pass-through rights. You will, however, be prohibited from entering any omega-only areas since you are an unknown alpha. This includes the use of the heat club that we have here in Sweetwater. We cannot have an unknown entity in such sacred spaces. All those that enter the heat clubs are checked, double, then triple-checked before entry for the safety of the omegas there.” Before giving the last condition, I paused.
I hated to grant this, but it was the absolute minimum that I could legally offer without pissing off the council.
I would not offer any assistance to look for this omega.
My wolf yipped at even the thought of it.
“If, after thirty days, you have not located your son, then you will have to leave my territory or face retribution. Do you understand?”
Rincoln’s features twisted for the briefest of seconds, enough for my beta brothers to both react to it, snarls filling the room. “I understand, Alpha,” he said finally, unable or unwilling to take us all on if he argued. He’d forfeit his rights if he attacked. “Thank you, Alpha Blake.”
Abruptly, he stood to leave, baring his throat and bowing much lower than his initial paltry attempt. “Thank you Rincoln. Thirty days starting from today.”
Axel escorted him to another beta enforcer, who would ensure he left the property and also tell the other enforcers that he had the correct pass-through rights.
When my brother returned to the room, he wrinkled his nose at the chair Rincoln had inhabited before choosing another.
“Remind me to spray something in here, or light a candle to get rid of that exile smell,” Axel groused.
“So he was an exile?”
“Possibly, he just smells off, but we will have to wait a few days before his history request with the council is fulfilled. With the full moon this weekend, likely longer,” Chase said, sounding frustrated, “and if we get the wrong person who feels sorry for the exiles, then it could be longer.”
“That is, if he’s an exile. We can’t just assume.” Axel pointed out.
“How long are we looking at?” I inquired.
“Anything up to two weeks,” Chase said, slumping in his seat.
“What should we be on guard for?” Axel asked, ever the practical.
We sat thinking of the possibilities for a minute before Chase spoke up.
He was the more considerate of us. The brains for sure.
If he’d been born an alpha, he’d have been the one that had taken the pack over when our father had died.
Chase had a steady way about him and I was sure that he would lead us well.
He wouldn’t have let things with father go on so long if he’d been able to intercede.
They’d had to wait until I came of age since the twins were older than me.
Only their beta designation and their inability to sire young prevented them from running the pack.
The other alphas, most of which were my enforcers, wouldn’t allow them to lead, even with Chase’s extra gift.
“Rincoln was lying about something when he said he was looking for an omega son that had been stolen.” Chase pointed out.
“Stolen omegas would be big news with the council. Maybe we should look into his claim?” Axel suggested.
“Exiles have no quarter with the council. You need an advocate for that. It’d be all too easy for him to claim that the omega was stolen after he was made into an exile.
” I pointed out. “The question is, were the omegas both exiled too? Or was the sentence only for their alpha? There are too many questions here.”
My brothers nodded at me and I considered my options before picking up my phone since he was probably too far away and calling my head enforcer, my cousin, Deke. It rang a few times before he answered.
“Yes, Alpha?”
“Deke, I need you to put a watch on that exiled alpha that has just been given rights.”
“Of course, Alpha. May I ask why?” Deke was another alpha, possibly my most trusted outside of my brothers, not only because he was my cousin.
He’d been handed the pack by his father, my uncle, who was too grief stricken to rule.
He led it for a year and gave it up as soon as I came of age.
So while the question would have rankled from anyone else, I was pretty sure of the reasoning.
“On discussion with my brothers, I have some concerns regarding the safety of the omega he’s looking for. He didn’t ask for any help. I didn’t offer. My wolf didn’t like the idea, so that alone has me wondering how truthful his claims are that his omega son was stolen from him.”
“Understood, Alpha. A light watch and an evaluation. Might I suggest we question anyone he interacts with?”
“You may and I agree. We need to gather information about this guy. He has my wolf on alert, and we need to know why. I won’t allow another omega to come to harm if I can prevent it.”
“Yes, Alpha. It’ll be done. I’ll monitor him myself when I can. Can we spare anyone else?”
“Take a three-man team, split the day into three, so two are always watching while one rests,” I ordered, and once Deke had agreed, I ended the call.
I sat back in my comfortable black leather chair.
The leather creaked at my movement, but it was still pretty new, the last one destroyed in a fit of temper by our father in his last days.
It had taken me months to be able to work in the office for any length of time when I officially became alpha.
My uncle had refused to work there, taking an office on the other side of the house up until he handed over to his son, Deke.
When I took over, our cook suggested I redecorate the space.
It made me consider making the space my own, though I hadn’t done too much, having other priorities.
It had been difficult to take over a pack in so much trouble.
I’d been working in the periphery before I came of age to help the omegas who, on the surface, seemed to have their rights but were withdrawn and scared when in the presence of an alpha.
I’d also worked with some ?betas at the farm.
We made alcoholic cider but shifter strength, which sold well.
My father had been mismanaging the whole thing, taking too much out and forgetting to reinvest in technology or equipment to make a better product.
Then my uncle didn’t care, so I had to work twice as hard to get anything changed.
My wolf brushed along my mind in comfort. Thank you, I told him.
Letting out a sigh, I rubbed a hand over my face.
“You need a break,” said Chase.
“He needs to get laid,” Axel interjected.
“Agreed,” Chase replied, and they laughed at my expense while I rolled my eyes at them.
“I’m too busy for anything like that.” I frowned.
My brothers had to suspect that I’d never been with anyone.
It was difficult to keep secrets in a pack, but it was still embarrassing.
Not from lack of choice. I’d just never felt the need.
As alpha, I had plenty of offers. Omegas that wanted to mate with me and have my heirs, betas that were willing to scratch an itch for prestige, but I didn’t have the time for that sort of complication.
No one had really appealed. I was better off on my own.
“You should hit up Heatwave,” Axel suggested.
“You want to send our baby brother to a heat club?” Chase squawked, “are you serious?” He turned to me, “have you ever even taken an omega through their heat?”
I could feel the flush that ran from head to toe. “No,” I whispered, “I know plenty about it from working with the omegas we have here. There’s never been a male omega in the pack and you know I don’t want a female.”
Axel and Chase shared a look. “We are taking you to Heatwave,” Chase said firmly. They both had the look that said they wouldn’t be swayed on this.
“Maybe, but not now. Give it a couple of weeks.”
I had to admit that taking an omega through their heat sounded like an incredible experience, an honor that I wouldn’t take for granted. Could I though? Would there even be an omega male there that I clicked with?
Being alpha was lonely. I certainly didn’t have the time to look for a mate, and the omegas in the pack were complications I couldn’t be bothered with since they’d be matings of convenience, not genuine affection. No, I needed something satisfying, with no ties.