An Alpha’s Revenge

Chapter Two

Eleanor’s POV

“Alpha Lanie, Alpha Even,” I bowed my head slightly at each of them, as I walked into my office. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Both alphas were quick to bow in return, and I studied them as I sat down at my desk before them. Lanie was seated in front of me to my right. She sat with perfect posture and her face carefully poised to remain emotionless. She had been a beautiful woman in her prime. I remember stories from my parents telling me about Lanie and the many pursuits male suitors had for her heart. She had long black hair, which now had streaks of white, which she kept slicked back in a bun. Her face was still beautiful to look at, even with the signs of aging and wrinkles. I had secretly always admired her for how she ruled over her pack. Female alphas were certainly rare, and she was a trailblazer at that. Lanie had made sure to keep a tight ship of her pack since she had so much to prove back before others trusted her. I heard a rumor when I was younger about how she laid down the law before accepting her mate that she would be the alpha of the Silver Mountain pack and no one would take it from her, and if he couldn’t accept that, then she would reject him. When I was just starting out as an alpha, I looked up to her as an idol and modeled a lot of my pack after hers before finding my own stride. Though I knew I’d never have a daughter of my own, I would have raised her to be strong, wise, and independent.

Alpha Evan, on the other hand and to my left, had seen too many fights to be considered handsome anymore. He had a rugged look to him and many scars, more I’m sure were hidden under his unruly brown hair. He had an honest face, though, and his piercing blue eyes always sought out the truth. If there was one thing I knew about Evan, it was that I could trust him because he was always truthful. I had had several dealings with Evan, and I remembered how he treated every meeting as though he was discussing military tactics. I did like that he was always prepared for the worst. He had helped me create a strong warrior program and helped me find and train up Xavier and his father. My warriors would not be where they were today without his help. Also, he was my dad’s best friend before his end, and that held a lot of weight with me. If my dad had trusted and cared for him and his family, then so could I.

When I rightfully took the claim of alpha for my pack, I vowed to not only make my parents proud, but also to learn from those around me in order to be a good alpha.

Unlike Evan, I had heard from many of my she-wolves that his son, Charles, was very handsome. Supposedly, he had the same piercing blue eyes as his father, but golden locks like his mother. I was told he was very tall and very muscular. I heard other strange rumors about Charles as well that made me wonder. Apparently, he was determined to stay pure for his mate, which for male wolves was extremely unheard of. I had also heard that he had planned on making some changes in the Golden Sunrise pack when he took it over from his father.

I turned my attention back to the alphas sitting in front of me.

“Alpha Eleanor,” Lanie began.

“Please, just Eleanor, you both know that,” I interjected.

She gave me a small smile and continued, “You know that both myself and Alpha Evan were friends with your parents?”

I nodded. I knew it well.

“Well, as we promised you, we have been searching for the alpha who murdered them, and-”

“And we think we’ve found a lead!” Evan interjected, giving Lanie an apologetic look.

“I wanted to tell her that,” she spat with a smile.

Evan gave a sheepish smile in return and looked back at me.

I blinked a few times. “What lead? Really? This is amazing!”

“Do you still have the note that you found when you woke up on that day?” Evan asked.

I nodded again, feeling my mouth go dry. I hadn’t thought of that note in several years. I began looking through my desk and finally fished it out after pulling out most of the contents of my drawer. I put it on the table for both of them to see. It read: “I will be back for you,” Underneath the words was a symbol that made me shudder.

Lanie cleared her throat. “One of our scouts found this same symbol carved into a tree hours south of here.”

“This could mean that the killer is part of the alliance here or…” Evan trailed off.

“Or they’re struck again,” I finished for him. “This is very interesting.”

Lanie leaned forward slightly and said, “This means that at the annual alpha meeting, we could find out more answers.”

I used my hand to lean on my chin. “Yes,” I started, “Or it could lead to just more questions. But either way, we have something. Someone should know something while we’re there.”

Evan nodded in agreement. “With your permission, Ella, I’d like to bring a few of my men to do some digging for you at the meeting. This way, no one can make the connection to you.”

“Why would you need my permission, Evan? You want to catch the killer almost as badly as I do.”

“I know, but they were your parents, and even after death, I want to honor them.”

I bit my lower lip to stop the tears from pricking in my eyes. “Thank you,” I managed to choke out.

Lanie grabbed my other hand. “They would be proud to see how you’ve blossomed into the alpha you’ve become,” she said, tears in her own eyes.

I laughed to break the awkward silence that had settled over us and stood. “Was there anything else you’d like to discuss?”

“Actually,” Lanie started, but got a look from Evan.

“What?” I asked, my eyebrows beginning to scrunch together.

Lanie looked from Evan to me and back again. “About mates.”

I held up a hand. “Lanie, we’ve talked about this.”

“I know, but think of your mother! She’d never have wanted this for you”

I sighed. “We don’t know what she’d want for me anymore. That was stolen from me years ago and that’s part of the reason why I’ve sworn off mates. I can’t become distracted.”

“You’re certain to reject whoever it is?” Evan asked.

“Yes. And you’ve both known about it since I took over the pack on my 18th birthday.”

Lanie huffed, “It’s amazing you haven’t met him yet in the five years it’s been. I was hoping all this time would have changed your mind.”

I walked over to the door. “You two didn’t seriously come all the way to talk about this again, have you?” I asked.

They just shared a look.

“Then goodbye. You both know I’m set on this. I’m not sure why you guys keep pushing this on me. Evan, you’ve felt the pain of losing your mate. It just about killed you. Had it not been for Beta Richard, you would have died! Like actually died! How can you wish that on me?”

“Eleanor,” Laine started. “The mate bond is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. Unconditional love. The Moon Goddess herself made this person for you. Don’t spit in her face.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m not spitting in her face. Honestly, if she’s watched me at all, then she hopefully gave my mate to someone who won’t reject him.”

“What about the male? What if he doesn’t want to accept your rejection or reject you?” Evan asked.

I laughed, “I know how annoying I can get. It won’t be too difficult for me to get rid of him. He’ll be packing his bags before the day is over. I’m not high maintenance, but I understand that I’m a lot.”

The two alphas shared another look and laughed lightly at the comment.

“Don’t close your heart off to love, Ella dear. I do know for a fact that your mother would’ve wanted grandchildren,” Lanie said.

“If that’s all,” I said and opened the door to the hallway. “Can I offer you both some breakfast before your departure?”

The alphas got up from their chairs and followed me out after agreeing to a light breakfast. Not long after we all finished eating, I sent them off back to their packs and promised to meet with them not only before the meeting but during the annual alpha meeting as well. Evan had mentioned wanting to go over his plans before showing up to ensure I was in the loop, but also to help make it look like I wasn’t participating in the undercover research as well.

My heart jumped at the thought of finally getting to know who did this to me all those years ago, and I certainly didn’t want to mess it up. I knew I had to trust Evan, he always had my best interests at heart. He and my father were close friends before everything. But I also didn’t want Evan to think I couldn’t do anything to help. It was, after all, my parents who were murdered.

I sighed as I went back to my office and sat down at my desk. I had a lot of planning to do before that weekend, which was only three weeks away. I sent a mindlink message to Angel asking her to keep everyone away from my office today and the following weeks and to send meals when they came around. She quickly agreed and left me alone as I paced my office and started working on a plan to hopefully locate my parents’ murderer at the meeting. I couldn’t give myself away, but I couldn’t let Evan do all the digging. They were my parents after all. What kind of daughter would I be if I let someone else do all the work for the mystery that panged my heart everyday.

I often wondered what my life would look like currently if my parents were alive. Would I have found my mate already? Been in love? Been a mother? I looked down at the symbol laying on my desk. Rage filled me to the brim to the point that my body began shaking uncontrollably. I hated this man with every fiber of my being. I wanted him to suffer a death so brutal that he would feel it in the afterlife. He left my life in ruins and haunted me daily. He would pay, and I would make it count.

Be careful, El. We’ll only get one shot at this. You must control your anger right now.

I blinked a few times and sighed deeply. Yes, Rae. You know I'll be relying on you just as much as Evan and his men. I couldn’t have made it this far without you. We’re a team, and we’ll always be one.

I felt Rae purr in affirmation, and then she stopped abruptly.

Rae?

Don’t give up on the mate bond just yet. If you trust my judgment, like I know you do, you’ll listen to me whenever we meet him. And we’ll make the decision together. Who knows. Maybe the mate bond will help us in our quest instead of distract us.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever.

I rolled my eyes. What was up with everyone being obsessed with their mate and the whole mate bond thing anyway? I had never wanted another werewolf badly enough nor even looked at another werewolf with the intent of being with him before. s*x was s*x. As long as it felt good, and there were no feelings attached, then it didn’t really matter. It was a means to an end. I was happy for those who wanted to participate, but I didn’t understand the need to push it on everyone else. I rolled my eyes again for good measure.