The Alpha King’s Broken Mate

Naevia It had been three days since my father’s death and barely five hours since I watched them lower his body into the ground. Yet, I was standing in the middle of the decorated pack house, smiling like my world had not just torn apart. “Your father was the finest leader we’ve ever known, Naevia.” Elder Morrison gripped my shoulder as he spoke, his breath reeking of whiskey. “You’re tough just like him, and we all know you’ll get through this. Your father will be proud of you.” Would he? I wanted to ask. Would he be proud that I stood here, pretending I wasn’t falling apart? That I kept nodding, kept smiling, kept performing for each one of them to prove myself strong enough? I forced a smile on my lips, “Thank you, Elder Morrison.” I had repeated these words so much over the last couple of days that they now came out automatically. “Your support means everything.” He moved away, and immediately another person took his place. Then another. They all blurred together, each of them telling me how great my father was, how sorry they were, how strong I needed to be now. As if I didn’t already know. But I kept nodding and smiling. “Naevia.” Hannah, my best friend, appeared beside me with a glass of water, her blue eyes scanning my face. “You look like you’re about to collapse. When was the last time you sat down?” “I’m fine.” I muttered, taking a deep breath. “You’re not fine. You’ve been standing here for three hours, and you haven’t eaten anything.” She pushed the glass into my hands. “Drink. If you pass out, Elliot is going to freak out. Where is he anyway?” Before I could answer, a loud voice cut through the soft murmur of conversation that filled the room. “I think we need to address the elephant in the room.” Caleb, the Beta’s son, announced as he strode toward me, “I understand we all loved our beloved Alpha Alexander and I’m sure we’ll miss him, but nobody’s talking about what happens next. About who becomes Alpha.” The room fell silent. My wolf, Auren, stirred inside me, hackles rising at the challenge in his tone. I instinctively looked toward Elliot, my husband, who stood near the back of the room. But he didn’t meet my eyes. Instead, he bowed his head and looked away, his jaw tight. My heart cracked, but I pushed it down. He was still reeling from the battle. Elliot had fought beside my father in that brutal battle. He had watched him die. He led the warriors through the final desperate hours of the battle, securing the victory. That war had broken something in all of us, I couldn’t imagine what it had done to him. “Caleb, this isn’t the time—” I started, but he cut me off. “When is the time, Naevia?” He moved closer, his voice rising. “Your father just died protecting this pack. We need strong leadership now more than ever. Who knows when we’ll be attacked again? And frankly, I don’t think you’re the right choice for us at this time.” I felt Auren snarl in my mind. ‘Let me out,’ she growled. ‘Let me show him exactly how right we are.’ ‘Not here. Not now.’ I forced her down, though it took more control than I cared to admit. I stepped forward, “Last I checked Caleb, you’re the son of my father’s Beta. Not an Alpha. Not an Elder. So your opinion on pack leadership means exactly nothing.” Caleb took another step closer to me, “Aside from your bloodline, Naevia, what do you really offer the people? Your father earned his position through decades of battle. What have you earned?” The crowd around murmured in agreement. I couldn’t believe it, these same people had just been telling me how strong and tough I was. “I’ve trained since I could walk. I’ve led patrols, strategized battles, and earned my place in the council chambers way before my age-mates even learnt the right side of the bow to shoot from!” My voice rang out clear and sharp. But Caleb only laughed bitterly. “You have Alpha blood, Naevia. That’s all you have. Your husband led the warriors to victory. Elliot held the line when your father fell. Where were you? Leading parole and strategizing battle?” I opened my mouth to respond, but Caleb snorted. “This pack needs a proven warrior,” he pressed, stepping closer. “Not someone who—” He moved faster than I expected, his hand shooting out to shove my shoulder hard. The surprise of it, combined with three days of exhaustion, sent me stumbling backward and I crashed to the ground. The room erupted in gasps and whispers. Hannah rushed to my side, helping me to my feet. I looked for Elliot again, certain that now he would step in, that this attack would finally rouse him to my defense.But the space where he’d been standing was empty.He was gone. “Goddess Caleb! You’re unbelievable! You all are unbelievable! Naevia has worked hard for this pack all her life and you won’t even let her mourn her father for a full day?” She held me steadily, “Are you okay?” I let her lead me away, and as we moved out of the room, I heard the conversations resume behind us. “Elliot would make a strong Alpha.” “She didn’t even fight back.” “Maybe Caleb has a point.” Hannah stopped at the bottom of the staircase. “Don’t listen to them. You should take a break, get off your feet. Elliot would be worried if he saw you like this,” Hannah continued. “Do you know where he is?” The question made me pause. I scanned the crowded living room, looking for my husband’s familiar frame, noting that I hadn’t seen him since the funeral. I had been so busy, putting together this banquet and receiving the guests, that I didn’t realize he wasn’t here. I felt my stomach churn with worry, “Maybe he’s upstairs. I should find him,” I murmured. Hannah squeezed my arm. “Go. I’ll handle things here.” I slipped away from the living area and headed upstairs, moving to the second floor to check his office which I found empty. I was walking towards our bedroom when a sound from down the hallway made me freeze. Was that… moaning? I moved down the hallway, trying to figure out where it was coming from, but it didn’t take me long to figure it out. It was coming from my brother’s room, which was now only occupied by his widow, Diane. My brother, Thomas, had been dead for a year now, after he had fallen really sick. His wife had decided to remain in the pack house with us, and we were happy to support her through her grief. I mean she had every right to seek comfort where she chose, but the timing struck me as inappropriate. It was her father in law that had died too, she couldn’t hold it down till the funeral was over? “f**k!” A deep groan came through the door, and something about that voice made my stomach drop straight to the ground. I pushed the door open, and the sight punched all the air from my lungs. Diane’s pale body straddled him as she bounced up and down, her head slightly thrown back in ecstasy as she moved. And under her, hands gripping her hips, with his eyes shut tight, and his mouth slightly open was Elliot. My husband. My mate. The man who had vowed before the Moon Goddess and the entire pack to honor me. “H-have you told Naevia yet?” Diane’s voice was breathy, punctuated by her movement. “That we’re mates? Because when you become Alpha at the ceremony, I want to be right there beside you as Luna.” Elliot groaned, his fingers digging into her flesh. He didn’t answer, didn’t open his eyes, just held on to her tight. “If you feel too guilty to tell her, I can do it.” Diane laughed, the sound breathless. “I don’t mind being the bad guy if it means—” Elliot’s eyes snapped open and he looked like he was about to respond, but his eyes flickered to me by the door and the color drained from his face. “Naevia—” He shoved Diane off him and lunged for his clothes, stumbling toward me with panic written across his face. “Naevia, I can explain—” The slap I gave him when he tried to touch me, echoed through the room, and my palm burned from the force of it. “It’s not what you think Naevia.” Elliot crashed to his knees, his hands reaching out to grab my dress and I wrenched away from him. “Oh really? Because it looks like you were screwing my sister in law, I don’t need to think about it.” The rage that built in me as I spoke, was unlike anything I had ever felt. “No, no, Naevia please…” Elliot tried to reach out for me again, but I stepped out of the way. “Don’t you dare touch me! You’re f*****g disgusting. I’m downstairs with half the pack gathered around the house, mourning my father, and you’re up here f*****g my dead brother’s wife!” “Please, please just listen, Naevia!” Desperation made his voice crack. “My wolf has been going crazy since the war. I needed… I just needed comfort, and you’ve been so busy and stressed about everything, I didn’t want to burden you with—” Nausea rolled through me, as I spoke. “Stop.” “I didn’t mean for this to happen, I swear, it’s just—” “I said stop!” I wrenched away from his grip. “Save your pathetic excuses for the council. You’ll need them during our divorce proceedings.” Behind him, Diane laughed and the sound made my skin crawl, causing me to really look at her for the first time since I entered the room. Gone was the sad, grieving girl. “Oh, perfect, that actually works out great for everyone.” she said, sitting up and wrapping the sheet around herself. “See, the elders have been talking. About who should be Alpha now that your father’s gone. And guess whose name keeps coming up?” She looked at Elliot with this gleam in her eye that made me want to claw them out. “The warrior who led us to victory. The hero who saved the RedMoon pack. My mate.” The word made me pause. “Mate?” “We found out three months ago,” Diane said, and she had the audacity to sound proud. “The Goddess chose us for each other. She gave us both a second chance. Which means when Elliot becomes Alpha, and he will, I’ll be Luna. Not you.” I looked at Elliot. “Is that true? Is she your mate?” He wouldn’t meet my eyes. “Naevia—” “Answer the question.” “Yes.” His voice was barely a whisper. “But it doesn’t change how I feel about you. It doesn’t change what we had—” “What we had?” I repeated. “We’re married. I’m your wife. Your chosen mate, and you’ve known this for three months but didn’t say a word? Tell me Elliot, what exactly do we have?” “Naevia…” he tried again, but I walked away, not wanting to hear any more from him. My mind was churning. The elders favored him? My father’s body wasn’t even cold in the ground, and they’d already decided to replace me?