Alphas Don’t Beg

chapter 13 - Why we hate the Royals.

Zander POV

That was one of the most cringe worthy breakfasts I ever had, or didn’t have because I couldn’t eat anything after that.

“Mate” did I mention it’s the only word Jax has been saying ever since we saw Leah?

It’s like he lost all abilities for communication other than that.

“Mate”, okay, okay, I got it.

Last night she threatened to reject me.

But she doesn’t mean it, right? She was probably just angry.

It’s really weird how you get attached to a person you just met.

Damn mate bond.

I tell Max and Alex that I’m going to my room, then do the exact opposite of that.

I start walking towards her house and I can finally see her window.

I was so focused on that window hoping to get a glimpse of her, so focused to the extent that I didn’t really see the flying fist coming towards me.

Damn, the son of a b***h actually knocked me to the ground.

“Stay away from my f*****g family, and lay another hand on my brother and I will rip it away from your body” beta f*****g Gabriel growls.

Shit! So he knows.

“Listen, I shouldn’t have punched him, and I’m sorry for that” even if he deserved it.

“You can shove your apologies up your ass because it won’t change anything” he says while I stand up and fix my clothes.

“Well, that’s not really up to you, Gabriel”.

“No, it’s up to Leah, and if she had to choose between her family and pack or some stranger she just met… I wonder who she’ll choose”, that son of b***h.

I grab him by the collar with my fangs out and he has his claws ready, there will be blood shed.

“ZANDER” I Hear Max yell.

“GABRIEL” and Leah screams.

So, we both stop like someone pressed the pause button.

“You promised, Gabriel” Leah says to her brother, and he only responds with a frustrated sigh retracting his claws.

“Stand down, Alexander” Max says with her alpha tone, pissed, so I do as she commands.

“How did you know I was here?” I ask Max.

“Like I’d believe you would just stay in your room. I made that mistake yesterday and I wasn’t about to repeat it”, I’m not as stealthy as I thought then.

“And you beta Gabriel… you need to take a chill pill and understand the fact that, of course, he’d want to see his mate” she says directing her attention to beta f*****g Gabriel.

“And punch my brother while he is at it?” Gabriel retorts. s**t!

“You did what?” Max asks me, gritting her teeth and glaring at me.

“Well, I said I’m sorry and I was back to offer my apologies again” I lie, I was back to see my mate, the fucker deserved to be punched.

“Not accepted” Elijah says, that little f**k.

“you little-” I was about to shower him with some words of my choice but Max cuts me off.

“Alexander”.

“Beta Gabriel on behalf of my stupid cousin over here I would like to offer my apologies to you and your family for his unacceptable behaviour” Max says with her Princess tone now, and Gabriel looks stunned.

She got several tones; she is diverse like that.

“Who are you?” Beta f*****g Gabriel asks Max, still shocked, probably because it’s the first time he ever hears Max apologize for something and it’s not even one of the times she insulted him.

“Accepted” The little f**k responds immediately to Max, with hearts popping out of his eyes and it’s beta f*****g Gabriel’s turn to glare at his brother.

“If I may suggest, let Leah and Zander talk… alone… so they can figure out their situation by themselves as it should be” she says still in her princess mode.

I love my cousin.

“You own me big time, asshole” Max links me.

“If she agrees, I’ll give you my first born” I link back.

“Leah?” Gabriel reluctantly asks his sister, my mate.

After a short pause, she nods.

I go to her and we start walking away from the house and the two sets of glaring eyes that are her brothers.

When I feel we are finally alone, I pull her by the hand to a stop.

Her hand fits perfectly into mine, as I feel a little firework going all over my body.

We get lost in the feeling for a while before she pulls her hands out of mine.

“About last night” I started saying, before I got distracted with the slippers she’s wearing.

It has a huge unicorn head on top of each foot.

“Seriously, what’s up with you and unicorns?”, I’m extremely intrigued at this point.

“What? What are you talking about?” She says, blushing, trying to hide her feet somehow.

“You can’t really hide it, it’s huge, like too huge” I say laughing.

“Well, asshole, unicorns are beautifully magical, they have healing powers and they symbolise purity and grace, and let’s not forget that they have super cool hair, what do you have?” she says aggressively.

Clearly, it’s a passionate subject for her and I find it adorable.

“Well, I have you” I say with a genuine smile, and she blushes even more.

“Alexander” she starts to say.

“Zander, I’m only called Alexander when I’m in trouble” I tell her.

“Like the girl with blue eyes just did?” she asks.

“Yeah, exactly like that” I say lightly chuckling.

“Is she like your boss or something?” she asks curiously.

“Or something”.

“Is she a royal too? Well, she said you’re her cousin, so she must be” she asks and answers herself.

“You got it” I answer anyways.

“Why did you have to be a royal?” she says with a sad sigh.

“Why does your brother hate royals that much?” I ask trying to get to the bottom of this.

“He is not the only one, it’s kind of a family thing”, what does that mean?

“What did royals ever do to you?”.

“Not to me, to my parents’ families… you see… the king killed their alpha, half of their pack, and kicked them out of their homes just because they crossed him, they were forced to live like rogues and on the run… my mom was pregnant with her first baby and because of the conditions they were living in, she lost the baby… they really suffered before alpha Patrick’s father took them in on the request of Patrick himself… he was the one to find them” she says with a distanced look, and sorrow contouring her face.

Uncle Derek wouldn’t do that without a valid reason.

“But the old alpha was a friend of the king” I say.

“Yes, but Patrick was never a fan for some reason and after what hunters did to Lauren, the queen being a hunter herself and the king refusing to help him, it just sealed the whole royals are rotten assholes thing”, Ouch.

“Thanks?”, that one cut deep.

“I don’t mean you… but I guess I do, don’t I… you are one of them” says a little heart broken.

“Even if the king did all that, which I believe there is an explanation for… what does that have to do with us? Why does every royal automatically get judged as a rotten asshole?”.

“Well, there is your family’s history” she says like it’s a known thing.

“Which is what?” I ask curiously because I have no idea what she is talking about.

“Starting with the king who killed his own father”, No, it was my father who killed him.

“And the Queen who killed her own mother”, still wrong, the former Queen ran away.

“The king’s brother who killed his mate’s brother”, Nop, that was sub hunters.

“Then his mate killed her own father” N-, okay that one was right.

“And didn’t the queen get her first mate and his pack killed?” not really, that story is way more complicated than that.

“You got all of that wrong except one” I correct her.

“Of course, you are going to defend your family… my point is … the royals are murderers who lust for blood and kill anyone who gets in their way” she says.

“You really believe that?” I ask hurt.

“My family does”.

“You don’t believe that” I state.

“BUT MY FAMILY DOES” she shouts in frustration.

“It’s what we grew up on, it was almost like a bedtime story that we were told every single day, I might not full-heartedly believe it now… but my family do, and I don’t want to lose my family… please understand this” she says with a cracked voice, tears brimming her eyes.

“Okay Leah, I won’t make you choose… all I ask… don’t make up your decision now… maybe later you can give me a chance? … would you do that?” I ask hopeful.

“I will”, and that’s enough for me for now I guess.

“Can I ask you one more question?”.

“Yes” she answers.

Now to the other question I want to ask, but not as her mate, as alpha Maxima’s beta and cousin.

“Does Gabriel think the same way as your parents?”.

“Gab was the one who made me doubt it in the first place… he might say he does or act like he believes it… but deep down, way deep down… I don’t believe he does… but he is loyal to the extreme, he is loyal to his family, and he is loyal to his alpha and that’s why he will follow their beliefs even if he doesn’t believe it himself… even if it killed him” she says proud and worried at the same time.

“Hmm” I answer contemplating each word that she just said.

“But it won’t kill him, right?” she asks anxiously.

“Don’t worry Leah, I’ll make sure it won’t” I reassure her with a smile, not being sure myself.

She smiles back at me, and we start walking back.

We were almost at her house when we saw a surprising scene.

Is that Max and Gabriel smiling at each other?

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Hello guys, hope that explains things a little.

What do you think Max and Gab are talking about?