Alpha's Protective Pup

6

I stared. “I can see you’ve protected her, but you can only do so much. My father dislikes you immensely. Have you forgotten? If I don’t speak to him, then the chances of him letting this half-breed stay in the den are slim to none.”

The two of us stared each other down until the unconscious woman in his arms shifted and moaned in pain. This broke the spell and reminded me of what I needed to do.

If anyone knew how bad my father had become over the years, it was Lukas. He was my best and oldest friend. There was no one I trusted more in the pack. I’d told him things that, if my father ever found out, he might lash out because I had dared to spill our secrets.

When I approached the area that acted as my father’s home base, my stomach twisted into knots. I didn’t want to do this, but I had to. Lukas wouldn’t have brought the woman here unless the situation was desperate. Besides, I saw how weak and injured she looked.

The moment I smelled her, there was this wave of protectiveness that washed over me. It was something I often felt when thinking of my pack and the ones I was very close to. However, it was a scent stronger than any I had encountered before.

“Are you going to pace out there for hours or come in already?” my father called out from inside.

I winced. Of course, he could hear me walking outside his office. I couldn’t fathom why I hadn’t considered it.

“Yes, sorry about that.”

I walked inside, trying not to appear nervous as I approached where he sat.

“So, what is it?” Father asked, dark eyes boring into mine. “Is there a reason you’re bothering me right now?”

I had blue eyes I got from my mother. I inherited most of my looks from her. Her reddish-tinted hair, warm smile, and pale blue eyes. This might have been the reason my father averted his gaze whenever he looked at me, unlike with some of my other siblings.

Out of all five of us, I was the one who looked the most like our mother. The others either resembled my dad or looked like a mixture of both our parents.

I cleared my throat, making sure I held my head high. Dad would have me talk to him in no other way. If I did, I’d be sure to receive a tongue-lashing. I could handle it, but didn’t want to hear it.

“While Lukas was out scouting his part of the territory, he came across a woman being attacked by a sick wolf who had trespassed on our area.”

He blinked. “And is the wolf dead?”

“Yes, but that’s not why I came to you, father. I came to you about the injured woman.”

“What do I care about, an injured human?”

I sighed, deciding to ignore his comment and just continue with my story. “When Lukas approached the human to see if she was still alive, he realized she smelled of Lycan blood. It was weak, but it was there.”

“A half-breed then,” my father muttered, not appearing pleased with the news. “Let me guess, Oscar. You’ve come here because your friend brought the woman to the den with the intention of our healer tending to her wounds, correct?”

“Yes,” I told him, nodding.

He chuckled. “And why should I agree to let her stay?”

I had thought of a way to convince my father to let her receive treatment for her injuries during the entire walk here. This was not the first time I dealt with my father’s shrewdness, so I knew what to say to get him to agree to let her stay.

“The woman’s Lycan blood had been dormant until now. Imagine how much the pack will respect you if you not only take in an injured half-breed but help teach her the ways of the wolf,” I explained.

The expression on my father’s face shifted. “Hmm, you are right. Then tell Lukas I will allow him to bring this woman to the healer. However, Oscar, you and him are responsible for her. If she causes any trouble, then it’s going to be on both your heads.”

I nodded. “I expected as much, father. And I gladly accept responsibility should anything happen during the time the woman is here healing and thereafter.”

“Good. Then go speak with Lukas so I can get back to what I was doing before you interrupted me.”

After bidding my father a quick goodbye, I rushed back to where Lukas was still waiting and told him what my father said. From there, we delivered her to the healer who shooed us out of the room so she could work in peace.

This left me waiting outside the door with Lukas. Despite our earlier awkwardness, things seemed much calmer now. I supposed it was because the woman wasn’t in such proximity to us.

“Your father is going to find out about her omega status eventually,” he said to me.

After a sigh, I responded, “I’m aware of that, Lukas, but I’ll just tell him I wasn’t aware of it because my senses are not as strong as his.”

Lukas rolled his eyes. “God, your father is so egotistical! And before you say anything, I’m aware he was never this bad, but from what my parents have told me, he’s always been like this.”

“My mother did a great job at suppressing those negative qualities in him,” I admitted.

No one wanted to admit such things about their only parent, but I had to be pragmatic about it. As my father’s faults multiplied, a sense of unease permeated through our pack.

“You should make a play for the leader,” Lukas said, though the phrasing itself wasn’t that shocking.

He told me this every week.

“I will when the time is right and not a moment before then.”

Lukas groaned. “Oscar, you tell me I’m stubborn. You might be worse.”

“I am not stubborn,” I growled. “I’m simply trying to avoid any unnecessary bloodshed. You think I want to end up in a fight with my father, Lukas?”

“No, of course not.” He shook his head.

I huffed. “Look, now is not the time for us to discuss this, all right? Let’s just table it for now and come back to it at a later date.”

Lukas meant well. He was brainstorming potential obstacles that could arise in the future. When it all came down to it, he was still my father. Our relationship had never been warm or close, but I still clung to the hope that one day he would be proud of me.

The chances of that happening were slim. Hell could freeze over before my father ever said those words.

Lukas and I stood right outside the healer’s door the entire time. Every time we heard even the slightest movement near the door, our senses heightened and we snapped to attention. I didn’t want to talk about why I was so insistent on knowing how the woman fared, and it seemed Lukas had a similar reluctance.