The Alpha I Chose

Chapter 13

Malcolm

“Meadow,” I say once breakfast is over and the crowd surrounding her has dispersed. “Could I talk to you in my office for a few minutes?”

Her brows furrow.

“Only if you promise not to throw me in the dungeon again,” she says with a hint of mischief in her voice.

“For the love of the Goddess, it was a storm cellar.”

“There were bars on the window.”

“For safety - will you please just come with me?” I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. This girl…

“Lead the way, Captain!” She swoops down into a low bow, ushering me in the exact wrong direction.

“My office is the other way…” I deadpan.

“I was testing you!” She smiles, her eyes sparkling.

Shaking my head I turn and head towards my office with Meadow skipping beside me. I glance down at her.

“Are you… barefoot?”

“My feet are too cute to be confined.”

I don’t even question it. My limited experience with Meadow has already taught me that she has an answer for everything. Whether or not her answers make sense is another matter entirely.

We reach my office and I unlock the door with the keypad, swinging it open. Before I can move, Meadow marches in ahead of me flicking on the light switch and makes herself comfortable on the couch.

I close the door behind me and pour us each a glass of water. After handing Meadow hers, I lean on the edge of my desk.

“We need to discuss what we do now,” I tell her. “I don’t know if Blackwood is going to come looking for you or if he’ll simply chalk you up as a loss.”

“Oh, he’ll come looking for me,” she says rolling her eyes. She takes a sip of water. “I’m his property after all.”

“Is that really how he made you feel?” I ask her gently.

“No… that’s what he told me.”

I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut. I sit there silently for a few moments, her words burning into my brain.

“Malcolm?” she asks, her voice soft. “Can I go home?”

I jerk my head up, my eyes piercing hers.

“You want to go back to Blackwood Ridge?” I say, my voice sharp. After everything she’s told me her words make my stomach turn.

“Ew, no!” she cries. Her voice softens wistfully. “I want to go home home. To Silver Creek. To my family. To my chickens… my creek… my sewing machine…” Her eyes glisten with unshed tears. “I want to be somewhere that I love… and somewhere that loves me.”

I hate the idea. If Meadow is here, I can keep her safe. I can’t promise her safety when she’s halfway across the country from me.

You can’t keep her here if she doesn’t want to stay, Havoc tells me. You can’t trade one prison for another, even if you call it protection.

I sigh knowing he’s right.

“Okay,” I say. Meadow’s eyes widen. “I’ll take you home.”

Meadow jumps up and once again launches herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck.

This girl and her damn hugs.

This time, I don’t hesitate to wrap both of my arms around her, holding her close. I’m starting to understand that it’s something that she needs… and something that’s been missing from her life.

She releases me, taking a step backward, a blush creeping into her freckled cheeks.

“Sorry about that.”

I smirk at her, hoping to lighten the mood a little bit.

“It’s okay, Meadow. I’m getting used to your attack hugs.”

She laughs softly, looking down at the floor.

“Um… I do have one more favor to ask,” she says tentatively.

I raise an eyebrow.

“Go ahead.”

“Would you maybe go with me to take Clover for a run?”

“Meadow. You’re welcome to shift and run anytime you like. You’re not a prisoner here.” I tell her.

“I know, but…” She shifts her weight from one foot to the other. “It’s just that it’s been awhile since I’ve shifted…” her voice trails off.

I can feel my blood turn cold as the realization hits me. Blackwood didn’t let her shift.

“You weren’t allowed.” I say, trying to keep my voice neutral.

She shakes her head.

“He said it wasn’t necessary.”

I close my eyes, resisting the urge to put my fist through my desk. It wasn’t necessary? That bastard knew exactly what he was doing.

A wolf isn’t a pet you can lock away for months at a time. They’re the other half of our soul. Six months without shifting?

Goddess above.

Clover had been trapped every bit as much as Meadow had been.

I open my eyes, doing my best to keep the rage from my voice.

“We’ll go together.” I tell her. Meadow lets out a shaky breath and drops back to the couch.

“Thank you, Malcolm.”

“How about this…” I say, quickly putting together a plan. “There’s a full moon tonight. If Clover’s been trapped for so long she’ll need every advantage she can get. We can go for a run, come back and sleep for a few hours and then head to Silver Creek after breakfast.”

Meadow’s face lights up.

“Really? I can go home tomorrow?” She asks excitedly.

Despite everything, I find myself smiling.

“Really.”

We finalize our plans for tonight’s run and tomorrow’s twelve hour drive before Meadow races out of my office to go find Emily. I sit down at my desk and think for a minute before I start making arrangements to ensure that the next several hours go as smoothly as possible.

First, I speak to our pack’s lead healer, Doctor Anne, and make sure she can be on call tonight in case there are complications with Meadow’s shift.

Next, I ask the omegas who work in the kitchen to have sandwiches and snacks ready for tomorrow’s drive. I also request an extra meal to be ready after our run tonight. If Meadow's shift is anything like I suspect it will be, both she and Clover will be exhausted.

Having already met Meadow, nobody complains about the extra work. If anything, they seem eager to help.

I take care of a few other things before I’m satisfied that everything is set. I sit back in my chair with a smile.

Meadow is already reclaiming pieces of herself.

Tonight, Clover gets to reclaim hers.