Page 21 of Fall of the Alpha

21

THE ALPHA’S MATE

Alek

The Wolf’s Pet. It was an apt enough name for how the Wolf was treating Bella. Similar to how Trace and Cora treated Aria. A little different from how they treated Alek.

Every time the Wolf’s gaze touched on Alek, it hardened, but he didn’t say anything, and whenever Bella shifted on his lap, he softened. There was a low, rumbling purr that made Alek want to relax, even though he was doing his best to remain on guard.

“Can you leave your pet here so we can talk?” Cora asked, raising her eyebrows.

The Wolf’s lips curved down, but only momentarily before he gave her a sharp nod. When they got up to leave, Trace remained in place, a silent watcher as always. The other two Alphas turned and left the room, already deep in conversation, though Alek noted the Wolf did glance over his shoulder at Bella before leaving.

Not that he needed to worry. The room was filled with his soldiers. Alek recognized Jordan and Trish at a nearby table, speaking with the other female Alpha he’d seen before, and another Alpha and Omega couple.

As soon as the Wolf was through the door, Aria scooted over to the chair next to where Bella was still sitting, watching him go.

“Hi! I’m Aria.”

Blinking, Bella gave herself a shake, as if she was trying to wake herself up. Something about the Alphas was utterly hypnotic, so Alek could understand. He was a little surprised Bella seemed so serene, but he was also relieved she wasn’t hysterical.

“I’m Bella.”

“I know.” Aria cocked her head at Bella. She was being far more friendly with Bella than she had been with Alek, and he wasn’t sure if it was an act or not.

Keeping an eye on Trace, who seemed wholly focused on his food rather than what the others were doing—though Alek didn’t truly believe that for a minute—Alek also shifted seats, so he was closer to Bella.

“Are you… how are you?” he asked awkwardly. In their current position, he wasn’t sure if asking if she was okay was the right thing to do, but he did want to make sure she was okay. Not that he knew what he would do if she wasn’t, but he’d find something… some way…

One thing he’d learned about Cora and Trace was that they were very protective of Omegas. If the Wolf had abused her, he’d find a way to convince them to help her.

Bella looked up at him, giving him a tremulous smile.

“I’m as well as I can be.” Which was the best answer under the circumstances. “What about you?”

“I’m… fine.” The word was inadequate. He was brutally confused, stressed, and frustrated, yet, in some ways, he felt freer and happier than he had in Zone One. But he wasn’t sure he wanted to admit that to her. Especially after the way Redmond had reacted to his mere presence here.

Bella might be an Omega, but that didn’t mean she was feeling the same kind of conflict he was. He wasn’t sure what she would think of him. For some reason, he didn’t want to disappoint her.

Bella cast a wary glance at Aria, as though she suspected the other Omega’s motives and also that she might be a reason that Alek would lie.

“Aria is from Zone Three,” he said by way of introduction. Immediately, Bella’s gaze sharpened with interest. Finding an Omega who had also come from the zones was, in some ways, even more interesting than an Omega who had been born here. Because, of course, an Omega who had been born here would prefer the territories.

An Omega who had come from the zones… well, that was up for debate. Though Alek knew how Aria felt at this point.

“I was kicked out of Zone Three,” Aria said cheerfully. “Now, I’m with Trace and Cora in Riversong, the territory next to this one.” She glanced at Trace as she said his name and seeing that he glanced up at her, fluttered her eyelashes at him. A ghost of a smile graced his lips before he focused back on his food.

The Alpha male was practically a rock when it came to his expression, but Alek was learning how to read him.

“What’s it like being an Omega there?” Bella asked.

“Very similar to being an Omega here,” Aria responded with an encouraging smile. “Lots of pampering and pleasure. I’m not saying there aren’t bad Alphas, but the rot starts at the top and works its way down, just like in the zones. Cora, Trace, Malachi… they’re all good Alphas.”

As Aria kept talking, Alek couldn’t help thinking about what she had just said.

The rot starts at the top.

The top was where Bella’s parents were. Where his parents were. Especially their fathers.

And in some ways, she was right. They were rotten to their core, even though it made his chest tight to think of his father in such a way. But how could they really know that the Alphas here were any better?

Malachi

“No.”

Cora sighed.

He knew he was being unreasonable, but his answer was still the same.

The other Alpha’s expression was full of sympathy, echoing their shared grief.

“She’s not Tatiana,” Cora said gently.

For the first time in years, hearing Tatiana’s name didn’t strike him through the heart with an unbearable lance of pain. It hurt. His chest ached. But he no longer wanted to howl in rage at the skies—the doing so of which had broken his voice and given him the nickname he was now known by. His rasping voice was a lifelong reminder of the day Grigori had murdered her… when she’d saved Malachi’s life at the cost of her own.

He’d mourned her every day since.

“I know,” he said harshly. He did. “The resemblance is only superficial, you know.”

Tatiana had been far more outspoken than Bella. She’d been sassy, pushy. Then again, Bella was still scared around him, but he was sure she was also naturally quiet. Reticent, even. She was a careful thinker, assessing everything, watching everyone, and only then making a decision. Tatiana had made her decisions with her heart more than her head, and from what he could tell, Bella was the opposite.

No, they were not the same, and he was not looking for a female to take Tatiana’s place. Not in the way that Cora meant.

Though the physical resemblance between Bella and Tatiana was there and might be what had drawn him to the little Omega in the first place, that would have been easily pushed aside once the initial bout of lust was over. Instead, he found himself admiring her for herself, and not only that, but it fit in perfectly with the plan he and Cora had devised.

He gave the other Alpha a look.

“This was your idea, remember?”

She huffed.

“I know, but we didn’t know what she looked like when I conceived of it.” Cora sighed, rubbing her hand over her forehead before tossing her long braids back over her shoulder. “I’m worried about you. I’m worried about what will happen if things don’t go the way we want.”

“I won’t risk her.” It didn’t matter that she was not Tatiana. He would not put her in harm’s way. He wouldn’t put any Omega in harm’s way, but especially not her. This time, no one was going to die for him. “I sent the message to her father, instructing him to leave Grigori behind. If he does not, that’s our answer. He’s more faithful to a treacherous, power-hungry leech than he cares about his own daughter.”

He didn’t know which way it would go. The only reason he cared was that if Paldon accepted his offer, it would make things much easier. Already, the agreement he and Cora had come to with Paldon years ago had changed things in their world.

Hostilities between the zones and the territories were at an all-time low. There were far fewer opportunities for Alpha warlords, such as Jeffos, to rise. The Alphas in the zones remained dangerous, but they had plenty of places to exercise their violent urges that didn’t involve actual battles.

And the Betas in the zones were becoming more and more enamored of the ‘glamour’ of the territories. They were slowly losing their fear of the zones of Alphas and Omegas. The gates had opened, and so had a multitude of doors. Paldon had lost control of the situation, lost control of the flow of information the second he’d allowed the gates to be opened and his Betas to start coming into the territories. Alphas and Omegas still weren’t allowed in the zones, but it hardly mattered.

The more Betas who entered the territories and returned unharmed, the more of them visited the fight nights and came away exhilarated and awed by the Alphas, and the more they became used to the Alphas and Omegas, the less power Paldon had. He did not even seem to realize it. He’d been so eager to consolidate his power in the wake of the old warlord’s demise, he’d agreed to the treaty Cora and Malachi had put forth.

That or he’d never understood how exposure to those who were different could expose his lies about them.

The lies that would be entirely revealed when he agreed to mate his own daughter to the Wolf.