Mother of Alpha - Burgov Series III

5. Vanya

I didn't sleep that night. How could I? My life hasn't been ideal so far, but at least it was predictable. Call me a hermit, but I like things being predictable.

I had enough attractions for a lifetime and I always hoped that when I settled down with the right woman, my woman, my life would be blissfully boring. I know s**t happens, but that's just life, and I always liked things being stable. At least at one end.

Whenever s**t hit the fan of one part of my life, it was comforting to know some other is in perfect shape. Like when Sabine threw my sibling and I from Midnight Banes. Yes, this was a hard time, with barely any perspectives, but Sasha, Ilia and I were never closer. Whenever Ilia did everything in his power to make my hair go white, I had a thriving Pack to bury myself in. And finally, when there was danger on our borders, caused by Ottie's captors, I had a first row seat with my brother finally coming out of his shell, and learning that new people can be good for you.

But now my life has reached the place where I can't find anywhere that peace everyone needs once in a while.

Harvest Moon is strong, but because of how big we got, I feel like I'm constantly working, and if I'm not, I'm thinking about it.

My family is growing and I love that, but it's also a harbinger of how much more I will have to do soon.

Not to mention Alphas Chambers, where I hold an important spot. When we brought this institution to life three years ago, I hadn't thought how inconvenient it could become. Alphas Chamber was our response to the League's questionable work, and its main purpose was to act whenever some Pack had trouble with neglect and bureaucracy reigning among our legislative organ. It was great at first. I felt like we were making some difference in our world. We signed some new laws, updated a few old ones, and things were looking promising. But as the Chamber started gaining respect and popularity, it became almost customary for other leaders to summon us directly rather than following the correct order and asking for the League's aid first. From the project I was really proud of, it turned into another gruesome obligation.

And now this.

I don't want to sound like a jerk, and say I don't have time for my own Mate, but I really needed one thing to go according to the plan. But like always, nothing ever is how I hoped it would be. Or maybe that's just my tired, bitter mind speaking for itself. After all, I spent the last ten hours in my car watching Her door.

What was I hoping to see next?

I have no idea.

Maybe the father of that boy coming home from work and taking his place by the dining table next to my woman to solidify that there's nothing left for me here.

Maybe another glimpse of her, to see if she's happy.

Maybe something else. I can't be sure. But when evening turned into night, I couldn't make myself drive off. I just simply couldn't. I wanted to be sure. Maybe I needed to see her husband or boyfriend or someone to know that even though fate was on my side, timing as usually was not.

She's a mother. It's not just Diana I would have to win over and whose life I would have to uproot to be with her. There are two of them. Not to mention a potential father. It's basically impossible for us to be together. There's too many things that would have to change on her side for this to work, and I don't think any woman would be ready for that. It's not like I can give up my role and chase after her, no matter how much I want it to.

Maybe when Nicky is older he could take over, but it's still at least fifteen years in the making before I will have someone to leave Harvest Moon to. I don't suppose a woman like Diana would stay single for that long. If she is even single. The fact no man came for the night, doesn't mean he isn't in the picture. They might not live together, or he could be on a business trip, or work abroad. And here I thought I had problems yesterday…

The sun was already rising when my phone started ringing.

Ilia. Of course, my brother would want to check up on me.

"Hello." - I answered, hearing just now how tired my voice was.

"Where the hell are you? We should leave in about an hour if we want to make it to Stacy's ceremony and your room is empty."

"I'm sitting in the truck in front of her home."

"Whose… Oh, Diana's?" - It wasn't as much of a question as it was a statement.

"Yeah." - I confirmed with a sigh.

"And? Did you talk to her?"

"No, but guess what…"

"What?"

"She's a Mom."

There was a silence on the line I was kind of expecting. I didn't know what to say or think either, so how the hell should my baby brother know.

"And the Father?" - he asked carefully and his voice was just as uncertain as my thoughts.

"I haven't seen him."

"Okay, so maybe he's out of the picture." - he said, relaxing a bit, and I could almost see him nodding. - "But does that change anything for you?"

"I don't know. Human Luna is one thing. People will accept her sooner or later, because she's my Mate. But her son, I'm not sure about that."

"You know what, it's like with a junk rash, you immediately worry it's something bad. Maybe stop thinking the worst and deal with it when you cross that bridge. Who knows, maybe you have an illegitimate son somewhere out there too. It's no one's fault she had life before you, but you should think about how to combine your two lives."

I knitted my brows trying to follow my brother's metaphors.

"Did you just compare my Mate's son to the STP?"

"No, I compared the situation. That's what you do, Vanya. You always see the worst possible scenario, and as a leader that's great, because you are ready for whatever. But what if it's not as bad as you think? What if she's a single Mom, who's struggling to make ends meet, and you would be her knight in shining armor. And about the kid, I wouldn't be so worried, I even think he might take it better than his Mother. Kids love crazy s**t, and I think shape-shifting Stepdad might be cool." - he wasn't wrong, I always prepared myself for the worst possible outcome. This situation isn't the exception, and maybe Ilia's right about the boy too. It's not his existence that bothers me, but flipping his life upside down. But what if he wouldn't mind? Maybe they both need me.

"Okay, here's what we're gonna do: come fetch us, before Ottie eats the entire buffet and, in the meantime, I'll give Grisha a call. Her name and address should be enough to do some background checks." - he said.

"You want to spy on my Mate?"

"Not spy, but check if she's married or in a custody battle or something like that. It wouldn't hurt anyone and if that would make you stop moping around, I don't see anything wrong with it."

There was a lot wrong with it, but I was also curious. But the question is, am I curious enough to breach her privacy even more?

It turned out the answer wasn't that hard.

"Okay, do it. I'll pick you up in fifteen."

"Perfect. Just enough time to drag Octavia away from the pastry section."

We ended the call and with one last glance at her window I drove off. I picked up Ilia and Ottie in front of the hotel and we continued our journey to the Stonewall, but as I passed car after car on the highway my mind was still in that shabby building, wondering what Diana's story was.

We were an hour away from Stonewall when my phone rang, with Grisha's name on the screen. I picked it up immediately, not even letting it go to the second signal.

"What do you have for me?"

"Well, good morning, Alpha. And congratulations." - he said in an amused tone, prolonging the moment just to piss me off.

"Yeah, yeah, what have you found?"

Grisha started chuckling and I was glad I was hundreds of miles away, because the urge to knock my Beta cold was getting pretty strong.

"Eager I see."

"Grisha." - I said with a warning and a low growl.

"Okay, okay. You would probably be pleased to know that she's not married and from her social media I'm almost positive she's single. All she has are pictures of her, the boy and some blonde chick."

That was good news. Definitely good news.

"And have you found something about the boy and his father?"

"Well, that's where things get interesting. The boy's name is Sean Eccleston and on his birth certificate there is no father listed. She stated that Father is unknown."

Unknown. There's another long list of possibilities. She could have run away from some crazy ex, which makes me extremely angry as there are no positive reasons to do so. The guy could have died before she gave birth, but then she would at least list his name, so that's probably not it. Or her son could be a result of a casual fling, but Diana doesn't strike me as a woman who does that a lot, but I could be biased since she gave me a cold shoulder yesterday.

"Anything else?" - I asked.

"That's all I have for now."

"Okay, it's more than I was expecting. Thank you, Grisha."

"At your service, man. If you want, I can look for other cases of human mates or the history of mixing two species." - Grisha offered.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

"Great, consider it done. Send my best to Stacy."

"We will."

"Okay, so talk to you later." - he ended the call and I pressed my cell to my chin, pondering about what he just shared. That's not so bad. It looks like she's unattached, so I'm back to square one, where I should think about ways to get her attention.

"Everything will work out." - said Ottie, putting her hand on my shoulder and squeezing it in a reassuring way. - "I just know it."

"Let's hope you're right." - I muttered.

"Oh, I am, I always am." - she admitted slyly, and Ilia glanced my way and did a small eye roll, but discrete enough for Octavia to miss it.

Three hours later, we were standing below the makeshift stage cheering with the rest of the Stonewall people and invited guests for Stacy and Eric, her Mate and future Alpha of the Shadow Woods Pack. Poor boy had to endure more than enough threats and warnings of what might happen to him if Stacy wasn't happy. But he took it all with a polite smile, not looking surprised or intimidated at all. He seems like a nice enough boy and I trust he would be good for the youngest Freemont, and I know for a fact that he would have dozens of strong wolves watching his every move. I wouldn't be surprised if old Walter moved in with them. As Stacy's only living parent, he's been fiercely overprotective since the day he got his daughter back.

"Ellie is such a beautiful name. And when exactly is the due date?" - Summer asked when we were sipping our drinks after the official part. The other three girls cornered Ottie and were gushing over her unborn daughter, while me and the rest of the guys were standing at a safe distance.

"September. I can't wait. I have so much to do and so little time."

"I remember my first pregnancy." - Summer said with a secretive smile. - "I went ape-s**t crazy, I still wonder why Dustin took it all so calmly."

"The answer is bourbon. A lot of it." - Dustin muttered quietly so that the girls would hear him. - "But that's true. Prepare yourself for the worst my friend." - he clapped my brother's shoulder with a chuckle that, if anything, made Ilia look like he was eating a raw snail.

"And how are things with you guys?" - I asked, turning to Yuri, who flew all the way from Dark Woods simply to accompany Grace.

"Good. We're moving forward, but the pups are still way ahead of us. Right now she's on the mission to change every corner of the Beta's suite, saying it's an unhomey bachelor's hole. And the worst part is, Sabi is on her side with everything, it's like I don't have a say." - Yuri admitted and it probably was meant to sound awful, but somehow he was smiling the whole time.

"Because you don't." - Dustin smirked.

"I know, but she even asks our Gamma for his opinion and not me. That's just frustrating."

I started laughing over a never-ending biff with Michail and that's when I felt someone approaching us, and I turned to the left.

"Alpha Burgov, can we have a word?" - Alpha Walter asked, rocking his head towards the Pack House's entrance. I nodded and followed him to his son's office. I knew this conversation was coming and I think I made my decision, but it's still not easy to deliver it. I like Cynthia a lot, and if she was somehow aware of her Father's proposition she might get hurt. But she understands what it's like to find a Mate, so maybe she'll understand.

"Have you thought about my offer?" - the old Alpha asked, handing me a fresh glass of his finest whisky.

"I have, and to be honest I wanted to go through with it, but my situation changed." - I said carefully.

"Oh, did it? How so?" - he asked, raising his brows.

"I found my Mate yesterday. It was a bizarre coincidence actually, because I met her on our way here."

He smiled and nodded, understanding what I meant without unnecessary words.

"Fate works in mysterious ways. In that case, I believe congratulations are in order. When can we meet your future Luna?"

"It's not that simple, she's a human, so I think it would take a long time for me to gain her trust."

His brows flew high and eyes went wide like two saucers.

"H-human?" - he stammered - "That's…"

"Yes, I know. Unheard of."

The door to the office opened and old Granny Spencer wheeled her way in, unbothered that someone inside was in the middle of a conversation. It always made me laugh, how she thought her advanced age allowed her to give no f***s about anything, good manners, chain of command, or even something so obvious as politeness.

She stopped her wheelchair next to the chair I was sitting in and sighed dramatically.

"All those parties and ceremonies make me feel even older than I am. Wally, be a good boy and bring me some ice tea." - she said to the previous Alpha.

"Mama Spencer, Alpha Burgov and I, were in…" - Alpha Walter started, but it took just one particularly mean glare from the old she-wolf to make him stop talking. - "Right away, Ma'am." - he said instead and left the room to fetch the lady's drink of choice.

"I asked Omegas to spill the rest of the ice tea, so we have at least ten minutes before they make the next batch." - she said with the tiniest curl on her wrinkled face. I sometimes wonder if she's torturing the previous Alpha on purpose simply for the fun of seeing him squirm, but even I have a problem with saying no to Octavia's grandmother.

"So you're saying that your Luna is human, eh?" - she asked, and I wanted to know how the hell she heard that through the closed door, but that was a pointless effort. She wouldn't say either way.

"That's right." - I confirmed instead.

"That's very rare. I haven't heard of that taking place in almost fifty years."

"And you heard of it at all?" - I frowned.

"Of course, you don't think you're special enough to be the first one to have a human for a Mate, don't you?"

Leave it to Granny Spencer to shove you off from your high horse.

"No, of course not."

"Hmm." - she hummed and gave an approving nod. - "Alright, I think you might be special after all, vessels are very rare."

"Excuse me, but what do you mean by vessels?" - I asked, knowing that she was baiting me for it, and I fell right down her trap and we both knew that.

"That's what human Mates are called, Ivan. They are not only extremely rare, but also very useful, not to mention how endangered they could be if someone ill-willed discovered their identity."

My blood started circling faster at the mere hint that Diana could not be safe.

"Forgive me, Mrs Spencer, but I don't think I understand."

"Well, vessels were more common in the past, when the werewolf population was smaller. I believe that their appearance is meant to keep the genes strong and avoid inbreeding, because you see a vessel always breeds strong and healthy pups of the exact same rank as the other parent is."

"Really?!" - I asked like a hopeful i***t, because that would be fantastic.

"Really." - Granny Spencer smirked, but her face got serious quite fast. - "And that's why they are so valuable. I remember once, a long time ago, hearing about the idea of seeking and using them to amend the dying Gamma gene."

My heart skipped a beat and my eyes bulged. I haven't even thought of that. But of course, when something unique is discovered, there will always appear those willing to use it in a wrong and twisted way.

"You found her, my boy. Now she's your responsibility. You have to make sure she's safe, she's much more than just your Luna." - the old she-wolf said, seeing my reaction.

I locked eyes with her, and even her old age didn't make her hazel eyes any less sharper. Elizabeth Spencer is many things, but she's not stupid. She knows how to lead the conversation just to get whatever she wants from it. And I believe I'm about to make that wish come true again.

"I will keep her safe." - I assured her, even though I had no idea why.

"I know you will, my boy. My Granddaughter keeps telling me you always do the right thing. I'm glad she's not mistaken." - she patted my hand, as if she was saying 'Good boy!' to a dog and started wheeling away, forgetting all about her damn ice tea.

Now I should focus on making Diana allow me to keep her safe.