The Alpha's Runt Mate (complete)

Chapter 12: Leonidas POV

Chapter 12: Leonidas

After my stunt I got a call from Alpha Nathan's beta. "Your presence is being requested at dinner tonight," he said, monotone. I perked up, "Did my daughter ask for me?" He said, "No, Alpha Nathan did. I don't know if the Luna is joining us tonight." 

I wanted to be angry about his rudeness but the mention of my daughter being Luna caught me off guard. I had been so angry about the situation I had not considered what her being the young Alpha's mate meant. I had hoped she would meet a mate who would become Alpha of my pack and allow me to retire. Now she was gone and I was left with no heir. I had hoped all these years of making her learn to survive would make her strong. She had surprised me though. The moment she knew they were mates she left me and this pack behind as if we hadn't been her whole world for 18 years. I envied her a little. I had done what was expected of me my whole life and without realizing it I had pushed her down the same path but with even less respect.

"I will be there," I said. He hung up and texted me a time and address. I told my new beta Peter to dress for dinner. He remained expressionless. Such a bore I thought, rolling my eyes.

After a 30-minute drive into a different territory we arrived at a large beautiful 4-story white house with many windows. I was surprised at how many people I saw. Several pups and their mothers were playing in the garden while dozens of warriors jogged by. Their numbers were definitely impressive.

"Just like that! Good job!" I heard a familiar voice. I looked to my right and saw Willa with a few pups. She was showing them how to do cartwheels in the grass. I was shocked. She never played with the pups in our pack. Then again, she was always busy with housework. She was wearing black leggings and a sweatshirt. They had to be new because they looked like they fit her. I was about to call out to her but Alpha Nathan appeared suddenly and grabbed her up. She was laughing and kissing him. She was completely transformed and it had only been a day. 

Willa's joy seemed to evaporate the moment she glanced in our direction. Her eyes conveyed confusion and discomfort. Alpha Nathan glared at me the moment he realized she was climbing out of his arms because of me. She hid behind him. I watched curiously as he asked her politely to go inside and dress for dinner. I felt my wolf beam when he realized our pup would be at dinner too. Her being out of the pack house had made him lonely. He ranted for hours about how I had not done enough to protect her from Lucas like he wasn't just as guilty.

Alpha Nathan greeted me after Willa had already disappeared into the house with a herd of pups chasing behind her. She wasn't much taller than the pups but I could see the way they admired and respected her. I felt myself smile as I realized she was already fitting in and being accepted as Luna. It was what I had hoped for in our pack but knew that was a fleeting hope now.

Beta Thomas showed Peter and me into a grand dining room while Nathan disappeared upstairs, I'm assuming to get changed. Like Willa, he had been dirty from being outside. I tried to not think about the fact that my daughter was probably sharing a bedroom with a male. I couldn't ignore the fact that she was an adult now but I was hoping he wasn't rushing her. I daydreamed for a moment about my early days with my mate Lily and how she had made me wait a month before she would let me mark or mate her. She was stubborn, determined to prove she could control me. I shook those thoughts away when the couple emerged. Nathan was wearing a pair of jeans and a button-down shirt while Willa wore a form-fitting summer dress that stopped just above her knees. She looked adorable.

I wanted to go and hug her but offered my hand to both of them instead. She looked at me curiously but smiled when she realized what I was doing. "Hello, Father," she said. She whispered a thank you. What for I wasn't sure. I followed them back to the table and sat where I was told to by an Omega dressed like a chef.

Several people funneled into the dining room and stood by. They let the elderly and pups sit at the table with us. I had thought this was a private dinner but apparently it was a pack affair.

Alpha Nathan stood at the head of the table and raised his glass, "I want to start tonight off with a toast to my mate and future Luna, Willa. She just joined us and yet she has already taken to her role of being a symbol of love, peace, and community. Everyone here will get one-on-one time with her in the coming days and I guarantee each of you will see what I see, a kind-hearted woman with a desire to do what is best for her new pack. She has already expressed a desire to me to work with the pups so anyone here who is looking for a night out officially has a Luna to help with childcare."

Many young parents in the crowd raised their glasses and cheered. "To Luna Willa!"

Nathan continued, "To our elders and warriors you all now have a Luna to help with injuries and illness. I learned today that Willa trained herself in First Aid. She also knows how to mix herbs and plants for medicine. She has a lot of knowledge to share."

The elders at the table nodded in appreciation while the muscular warriors standing up high-fived. I felt my heart race. How did I not know this about my own daughter? I had no idea what she had been doing with all of her free time.

To my surprise Willa stood up and said, "I just wanted to thank Nate and my new brother-in-law Matthew. Both of you have entered my life from out of nowhere and accepted me for who I am. No one here asks me to be something I am not. I am far from perfect. However I will always accept you all here without judgement."

The crowd cheered. That was the most I'd heard my Willa talk in years. It was very eloquent too. After the toasts, food and more drinks were served by well dressed Omegas. I sipped on my wine while Peter just stood by like the bodyguard he was. He was offered food and drink but he declined. 

Alpha Nathan told me that he appreciated my "efforts" and would keep his end of the deal for the multi-pack treaty. When it was time for us to leave Willa grabbed my hand for a second only to immediately let go. I looked down, confused, "Yes, Willa?" She fidgeted nervously as she said, "I hope you don't hate me for what happened with Lucas. I didn't have anyone to turn to." I felt my heart break. I had shut her out to the point she didn't think she could come to me about the abuse. I reached out for her hands and said, "I don't hate you. If anything I hate myself for being so blind to everything. It took you leaving the house for me to realize you deserve way better than what I have provided. I'm glad you have Alpha Nathan." She looked at me with big bright emerald eyes, her mother's eyes, and smiled. She looked to her mate who just nodded as if they were having a silent conversation. I knew they weren't mind-linking yet because she wasn't marked. Suddenly Willa gave me a quick squeeze around the waist and said, "Thank you, Father. Have a safe trip home." How rapidly she had grown up and transformed over night astounded me. A week ago she would have never hugged me like that.

Alpha Nathan shook my hand and gave us directions for the quickest route back to the main road. When I looked back one last time I saw my Willa talking with a pup and thought maybe it wasn't too late. Maybe I could still have a relationship with my daughter.