The Alpha I Chose

Chapter Nine

Malcolm

Evan and I are back in my office, the door tightly closed and a glass of whiskey sits on my desk in front of me. I haven’t touched it.

“That was… interesting,” Evan says cautiously.

I look at him.

“If you have something to say then say it,” I tell him, having a good idea where he’s going with this.

“She reminds me of her.”

I look at him sharply.

"Don't."

Evan sighs.

"You know I'm right."

"No." My voice comes out harder than I intended. "She's nothing like Eliza."

Evan leans back in his chair.

"Really?" he asks quietly. "Because from where I'm sitting, she looked exactly like Eliza. Not so much appearance wise, but the sass? The strength? Yeah, Malcolm. She did.”

My jaw tightens.

“She’s loud."

"So was Eliza."

“She argues." I grit my teeth.

"So did Eliza."

“For f**k’s sake Evan, the girl thinks she can garden in a dungeon."

"Okay, that part might be unique,” Evan says, a smile twitching the corner of his mouth.

Despite myself, I almost smile. Almost.

Then the image of bruises flashes through my mind.

Finger-shaped marks wrapped around pale skin. The fading bruise beneath her eye.

My stomach twists. Evan's expression turns serious again.

"Malcolm…”

I close my eyes.

The last time I'd seen bruises like that, they'd belonged to my sister. And I'd been too late.

I push the thoughts from my head, confused now that it appears my master plan to destroy Garrett Blackwood may not be as cut and dry as I originally thought. I pick up the glass of whiskey and down it, savoring the burn.

“If Blackwood is doing a repeat performance of what he did to Eliza, that changes everything,” I tell Evan. “If the girl-“

“Meadow,” he says cutting me off. “If you’re about to tell me you aren’t going to use her as a pawn in your revenge game anymore, the least you can do is use her name.”

I grit my teeth again. Why the f**k did I make this guy my Beta?

Because despite his carefree and kind attitude, he’s smart, Havoc speaks up. Listen to him.

“Fine, if Meadow is truly not wanting to go back to Blackwood Ridge, we can offer her sanctuary here. We can keep her safe. It’s the least we can do since…” my voice trails off.

“Since we couldn’t keep Eliza safe?” Evan asks softly. I don’t reply.

“So what do I do now?”

~ ~ ~

This is ridiculous, I tell my wolf as I stomp down the stairs, a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt in hand. I have never in my life given a prisoner comfort items.

She’s not going to be a prisoner if she chooses to stay, Havoc reminds me. Give the girl a break and don’t be an asshole to her when you go in there.

I reach the bottom of the steps and round the corner. I release Blaine, my guard, from his duty and he rushes off, clearly happy to head home to his mate and new pup. I stand there for a minute and just as I’m about to reach for the door handle, a knock sounds from inside.

“Excuse me? Mr. Kidnapper’s Guard?” Meadow’s soft voice sounds from inside.

Did she just call Blaine Mr. Kidnapper’s Guard? Havoc chuckles. That’s a new one.

Are you actually laughing? My wolf is notorious for his temper and even I don’t think I’ve ever made him laugh before.

I was clearing my throat, he says. Now get your ass in there and be nice.

Rolling my eyes, I open the door and find the girl standing there, her face tear streaked, with smudges of dirt from her hands where she had tried to wipe her face. Seeing me she takes a step back, frowning.

“Why are you here again?” she asks.

Without saying a word, I hold the clothes out to her and her face immediately lights up.

“Oh yay!” she squeals, hugging the clothes to her chest as if I just gave her the most amazing present in the world. “I was just going to ask your guard if I could have some clean water to wash up with.” She looks at me hopefully.

“Are you f*****g with me?” I ask her bluntly. Her brows furrow in confusion. “I mean, you’re not making this s**t up are you?”

Her eyes darken as she scowls at me. Looking down at the sweats and t-shirt in her hand she throws them back at me, hitting me in the face with them before they drop to the ground.

“No, you big giant jerk of a man! I am not lying about my mate hitting me or how unhappy I was there! I had to dress a certain way, wear my hair a certain way, talk a certain way… when I was actually allowed to speak that is! And I haven’t seen my sister or my parents in six freaking months!” She pauses to take a breath before continuing.

“Just because you’re a giant cranky butthole of a man who kidnaps people for fun does not mean that the rest of the world is out here being deceptive and telling lies just to get a stinking pair of sweatpants!”

Damn.

I hold up my hands as if to let her know that I surrender.

“I’m sorry!” I exclaim. “I wasn’t meaning to imply… I mean, I guess I was… I just…”

Smooth, man, Havoc chuckles again. Never seen a she-wolf get you so worked up before.

I close my eyes for a second, running my hand down over my face. I take a deep breath and start over.

“I came in here to let you know that if you’re being truthful, if your mate is as bad as you say he is to you, then I believe you’re in danger and am offering to allow you to stay here until we have a better plan.”

She twists her face up, scrutinizing me.

“Are you lying to me? Are you just making this crud up?” She asks, throwing my words back at me, albeit in a less crass manner. I sigh.

“I’m serious Luna Blackwood,” I say to her, using her title and hoping the respectful term will prove that I’m being honest. She wrinkles her tiny freckled nose up in disgust.

“Please don’t ever call me that again. Just Meadow is fine,” she says. Bending over and picking up the clothes she had thrown at me, she asks, “Does this mean I don’t have to stay in the dungeon?” I smirk.

“It’s not actually a dungeon,” I tell her. “It’s just the storm cellar we use during tornado season.”

Her eyes widen, and she glances around the room again.

“It’s a very convincing dungeon.” she says. “Although as far as dungeon decor goes I’d have to give you one star. You need some chains hanging from the wall. A few old bones in a corner, maybe. And less fertile soil.”

I just stare at her, not even knowing how to respond. Bones in the corner? I just shake my head.

"Come with me," I say motioning for her to follow. "Let's find you a room, I guess."