Rejecting Alpha Dreads

Chapter11

Chapter 11

Once I reached my room, I went straight to bed.

No time to overthink anything because there was only so little overthinking could do. I switched my phone to airplane mode to avoid any calls at the moment, and while the music continued to play downstairs as the moans of the partyers rose to my window, I drifted off to sleep.

I woke up early at 2 am to everywhere in the pack house being graveyard quiet, so I sat up on my bed and started to cry.

I really just wanted a way out of this pack without offending my pack or reigniting the conflict. It took a lot from both packs, that conflict. I’d always wanted to ask Dreads how his mum died. Was he there to witness it? How did he feel at that point? You know, normal conversations that couples should have about their past just to further strengthen their bonds. But Dreads and I would probably never get to the stage of having this level of dialogues. And after what I went through tonight, I wasn’t even interested in a conversation anymore. That humiliation had changed the dynamics of everything.

I couldn’t wait for dawn. It was still dark and I cleaned the tears from my eyes. Three of the most important people in my pack would be arriving. I wished my dad was part of them, but the thought of seeing Alpha Davies, George and Benson was okay enough.

I hoped to report my husband and Beta Rob to members of my pack, but I had secrets I wouldn’t want leaked yet. If, for example, Beta Rob mentioned at that meeting that he caught me at a hotel with George and Benson, the decade-long conflict would resume there.

When they killed my uncle, I watched it happen. He was a farmer whose field was situated somewhere near the boundary. I’d been visiting to see my niece, his daughter Juliet, when we heard screams outside. Juliet and I had been playing in a large wooden barn. We peeped through the window to check what was happening. To our horror, it was a combat. My uncle was fighting off invaders from the neighboring pack. He was outnumbered and consequently overpowered. Someone sunk a silver-blade knife into his wolf form.

I covered Juliet’s mouth with my palms, gagging her screams of dread as we saw blood pump out of her dad like a little fountain of red water. He shape-shifted back to his human form and fell to the ground. I shielded Juliet’s eyes so she wouldn’t see the end of it and dragged her down from the window, helping us hide behind one of the giant haystacks within the barn. Four fat cows, oblivious of the danger, kept chewing the curd, and when one of the invaders checked into the barn, they only saw the cows but not us. By the time the attackers left, and Juliet and I ran to meet my uncle (her dad), Mr. Graham was long dead.

Which was why I considered this border conflict meeting today an important one. Lots of folks, like my uncle, had lost their lives to the unnecessary boundary tussle.

I shut my eyes and slept off again.

And when I opened them, dawn was here.

I couldn’t leave my bed out of humiliation. The lower wolves, the servants, they had all seen my nudity and shame. There might however be a silver lining to yesterday’s s**t-show, I thought. Dreads had pushed me into a new limit. Right now, I could do anything without remorse, anything like going to that hotel over and over again and lying about it over and over again.

A maid brought breakfast to my room. She smiled at me but I could tell it was patronizing, most likely fake. So I avoided her eyes. Besides, I had been burned and won’t be a fool twice. It wasn’t the time to make new friends given the ease with which people around here got compromised. Hello Felicia, I’m talking about you. I sighed and dipped my tea bag into the hot water the maid had brought. The bled into the water like black ink. My original pack was known for strength and loyalty, but it seemed this one’s particular trademark was living loose.

The maid left and I was soon done eating.

No mater what, I had to leave the room. It was going to be a hectic day. As the Luna, I must make the kitchen had all the necessary things it needed to prepare a feast. It meant I’d come face to face with Felicia, but then it was time to man up. Show her who the boss was.

In an hour, I was there with them at the kitchen. The chief maid, a woman in her forties, bowed to me.

“You got everything you need?” I asked, inspecting the list of groceries she’d handed to me.

“Just few items left,” she said. “But a driver has gone out to shop for them. He’d be back soon.”

I spotted Felicia amongst the kitchen staff who by my estimation were about ten in number. She was backing me while chopping vegetables on a counter, dressed in a gown that was way shorted than the rest of her colleagues’ outfits.

“I’d like to go and arrange trays of refreshments,” the chief maid said to me.

“Alright, make sure everything is perfect. We don’t want our guests to think we’re unprepared.”

“Okay Luna.” She bowed and left.

“And you,” I said to the hoe to my right. “If you’re going to be dressed like that, don’t let me see you anywhere near the meeting area, else my husband wouldn’t save you from what I’m going to do to you.”

Felicia nodded and sarcastically replied, “Yes Luna,” in the same exact tone as her boss the chief maid had just done.

I turned around and didn’t let it bother me.

After refreshing myself in my room, I wore my dress, a deep green gown that accentuated my hourglass figure and fell gracefully down my legs. I wanted to look my best, to show strength and dignity, despite the turmoil within my heart. It was important to show that yesterday’s event didn’t break me. I would keep looking okay so they wouldn’t see the revenge coming.

A few hours later, the sound of engines announced the arrival of the visitors. My stomach churned at the sound. It was finally time. Dreads and I would have to pretend that all was well, and would go out as a couple to receive them.

I went out of my room and just stood at the entrance, knowing Dreads must’ve heard the engine sound too and would be out. Out the hundreds of meetings he’d held since being mated to me, this would be the first one he was attended with me. It felt awkward. His door, as I suspected, soon opened and he stepped out dressed impeccably in black suit and suede shoes. You’d hardly believe it was the same person disgracing himself at the pool just yesterday night.

He regarded me for a brief moment because he couldn’t help it. I was sparkling. Yet I pretended I didn’t see his admiration. I frowned and walked ahead of him towards the pack house’s gate to receive our guests.

They stepped out of a blue sedan in the pack’s parking lot; George, Benson, Alpha Davies and two other folks that were obviously security.

George was a carbon copy of his father Alpha Davies. He and his cousin Benson walked behind him as the three approached us.

My heart pounded as I stood by Dreads' side.

Alpha Davies stepped in, followed by George and Benson, and everyone seemed to hold their breath as the two groups regarded each other. Alpha Davies, a tall man with silver-streaked hair and a stern expression, nodded curtly at Dreads.

“Thank you for receiving us,” Davies said, his voice carrying the weight of years of leadership.

“Of course,” Dreads replied smoothly, though I could sense the underlying tension. “Please, make yourselves comfortable.”

George’s eyes met me briefly, a silent acknowledgment passing between us. Benson, always the more expressive of the two, couldn’t hide his concern as he took in my appearance. I forced a smile, almost tempted to stick my tongue out and make a face.

We moved to the large dining room, where a long table was set for the meeting. Beta Rob, the degenerate, joined us too. He had a stitch on this forehead from my assault yesterday. Right now, he still managed to wear his perpetually sarcastic demeanor as he took his seat and smiled at me. I took my gaze off him.

Alpha Davies wasted no time addressing the land dispute, his tone firm and authoritative. “The borders between our packs have always not been clear. Recent activities suggest so, and we need to resolve this matter.”

Dreads leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled. “I agree. However, the reports I’ve received indicate incursions from your side mostly. We need to establish a neutral zone.”

As the discussion grew more heated, I felt a hand brush lightly against mine under the table. I glanced up to see George giving me a subtle, reassuring look. It was a small gesture, but it meant the world to me in that moment.

Beta Rob, who had been silently observing, decided to interject. “Perhaps a third party should oversee this neutral zone. Someone impartial,” he suggested, his eyes flicking toward me momentarily before returning to the group.

Alpha Davies raised an eyebrow. “And who do you suggest?”

Rob’s lips curled into a thin smile. “Luna Priscilla. She’s connected to both packs. It makes sense.”

My heart sank. I knew this was Rob’s way of trying to place me in a difficult position, to test my loyalty and perhaps drive a wedge between me, Dreads and members of my pack.

Dreads glanced at me, his expression unreadable. Then he laughed. “What do you think, Priscilla?”

I took a deep breath, summoning all my courage at not getting offended. “I’m honored by the suggestion,” I said. “But it think it is bullshit.”