CHAPTER 4: The Alpha's Burden
1612 Words
Alpha Leonard’s POV
I watched Lena scramble off the bed, her face pale with terror. Good. She should be afraid.
"I said get out." My voice came out as a growl, my wolf pushing against my control. "Now."
"Please, Alpha Crane, I just need to talk to Elisa." Lena's voice shook. "Just five minutes."
"You have no right to be in my territory. You have no right to speak to her." I took a step forward and Lena flinched back. "Leave before I have you removed."
Lena looked at Elisa one more time, desperation written across her face, then ran past me and out the door. I heard her footsteps echoing down the hallway, the elevator doors opening and closing.
Elisa stood frozen in the middle of the bedroom, staring at me.
"What did she mean?" Her voice was quiet but steady. "What was she trying to tell me?"
"It does not matter," I said.
"She said Williams threatened her. She said he is not who I think." Elisa took a step toward me, her chin lifted in defiance despite the fear I could smell on her. "What did she mean, Leonard?"
I wanted to tell her to drop it. I wanted to dismiss her questions the way I dismissed everyone else's. But something in her eyes stopped me. She had been broken and betrayed and sold like property in the span of two days. She deserved some answers.
"Williams is exactly who you think he is," I said carefully. "A spoiled, entitled beta who values status over everything else. Whatever Lena wanted to tell you, it changes nothing. He rejected you. He chose her. That is the only truth that matters."
"Then why did she look so scared?"
"Because she is in my territory without permission. Because she knows what happens to people who trespass."
Elisa studied my face, searching for something. "You are hiding something."
"I am hiding many things." I stepped back, giving her space. "But none of them concern you right now. You need to rest. Kieran will take you to see your father in an hour."
I left before she could ask more questions. Before my wolf could do something stupid like tell her everything.
The elevator ride down to my penthouse felt longer than usual. My wolf was restless, pacing inside my mind, angry that I had left our mate alone and upset. Our mate.
Elisa was not truly mine. She had signed a contract, nothing more. No mating mark. No bond. Just a business arrangement that would end in one year.
But my wolf did not understand business arrangements.
I had made a blood oath fifteen years ago, kneeling at Elena's grave with my brother standing witness. I swore I would never take another mate, never risk that kind of pain again.
Elena had been my everything. My fated mate, chosen by the Goddess herself. We had been so happy, so ready to start our family. And then she went into labor and everything went wrong. The baby was breach. The cord was wrapped around his neck. The pack healer could not save them.
I lost them both in one night.
What I did not know until months later was that my brother had paid the healer to fail. He wanted me weakened, grieving, vulnerable. He thought that with Elena gone, I would give up my claim as Alpha and he could take over the pack.
He was wrong.
I exiled him and took everything he had. I thought that would be enough revenge. I thought the blood oath would keep me safe from ever feeling that kind of loss again.
Then I caught Elisa's scent at Williams' graduation party two years ago.
I reached my penthouse and went straight to the security monitors. I told myself it was just a routine check, making sure the building was secure. But my eyes went directly to the camera feed from Elisa's apartment.
She was sitting on the couch, her knees pulled up to her chest, crying silently. Her shoulders shook with each sob but she made no sound. It was the kind of crying that came from someone who had learned that no one would come if they heard.
My wolf howled inside me, desperate to go to her, to comfort her. To mark her and make her truly ours so no one could ever hurt her again.
I gripped the edge of the desk.
She had agreed to a contract. Nothing more. She did not want me. She wanted safety and security and a way out of an impossible situation. I could give her those things without crossing the line.
The memory came unbidden, sharp and painful as always.
Two years ago. Williams' graduation party at his father's estate. I had only attended because my brother insisted, claiming it would look bad if I did not show support for the family. I spent most of the night avoiding conversation, counting down the minutes until I could leave.
Then the wind shifted and I caught her scent.
Honey and wildflowers and something uniquely her. My wolf recognized it instantly. My second mate. The Goddess had given me a second chance.
I followed the scent through the crowd like a man possessed. I found her standing by the dessert table, laughing at something Williams was saying. She wore a blue dress that brought out the gold in her eyes. She was so young, so full of life and light.
Williams leaned down and kissed her. She kissed him back, smiling against his mouth.
And I felt my heart break all over again.
She was my second mate. And she belonged to my nephew.
I left the party without saying goodbye. I spent the next week in the mountains, letting my wolf run until we were both too exhausted to think.
When I came back, I made myself a promise. I would watch over her from a distance. I would make sure Williams treated her well. I would protect her in whatever way I could.
But I would never tell her the truth.
I left the security monitors and grabbed my keys. I needed to get out of this building before I did something I would regret.
The cemetery was quiet at this time of day. Elena's grave was in the far corner, under an oak tree she had always loved. I came here once a month, always alone, always after dark.
I knelt in front of the headstone and traced her name with my fingers.
"I never thought I would want this again," I said quietly. "But she is mine, Elena. The Goddess gave me a second chance and she was mated to my nephew. Williams threw her away like she was nothing. Like she was not the most precious thing in the world."
The wind rustled through the oak leaves. I liked to think it was Elena, listening.
"I know I swore I would never take another mate. I know I made that oath with you as my witness. But she needed me and I could not walk away. I had to help her. I had to." I paused, searching for the right words. "I am not breaking my vow. This is just a contract. Just business. She will be free in one year."
Even as I said it, I knew it was a lie. My wolf would never let her go. Not now that I had her this close.
"I am sorry," I whispered. "I am so sorry."
I stayed there until full dark, talking to a woman who could not answer, asking forgiveness I did not deserve.
When I returned to the building, Kieran was waiting in my penthouse. He stood by the windows, his arms crossed, his expression grim.
"We need to talk," he said.
"Not now."
"Yes, now." Kieran turned to face me. "You are playing with fire, Leonard. The pack will not accept her. Your brother will go to war over this. And that girl? She will hate you when she realizes you have known all along."
"Known what?" I poured myself a drink, needing something to do with my hands.
"That she is your mate. That you have been watching her for two years. That you let Williams claim her even though every instinct you had was screaming at you to stop it." Kieran's voice was hard. "You think she will forgive that? You think she will understand why you waited until she was broken and desperate before you made your move?"
"I did not make a move. I offered her a contract."
"You bought her." Kieran walked over and took the glass from my hand. "Stop lying to yourself. You bought your mate from loan sharks and told her it was business. What do you think happens when she finds out the truth?"
I wanted to argue. I wanted to tell him he was wrong. But every word he said was true.
"I will tell her," I said finally. "But not yet. She is too fragile right now. She needs time to heal."
"And you need time to make her dependent on you so she cannot leave when she learns what you have done."
"Get out."
"Leonard—"
"I said get out." My eyes flashed gold, my wolf rising to the surface. "Now."
Kieran held my gaze for a long moment, then nodded and left.
I stood alone in my penthouse, staring at my reflection in the dark windows. Kieran was right. I was playing with fire. I was lying to Elisa. I was setting myself up for disaster.
But I could not stop.
I would not stop.
- Writer
