The Alpha King

Chapter 9

Ryker

What the actual f**k?

One minute I was howling at the moon as happy as I could be and suddenly before I knew it everything turned to s**t. When she asked about other women I had a hunch the subject wasn´t going to be a picnic at the beach kind of talk. But I would have never guessed the way she said it would tear a big ass gap between us. How that woman´s mind worked was a deep f*****g mystery, like a black hole, information went in but it was everyone´s guess what happened beyond the void. As any woman´s mind if I was being honest.

It was as clear as daylight she was terrified of commitment or should I say love terrified her. Everything the word represented, my little archer was scared of it and tried so hard to run away. Her scent changed the minute I brought it up confirming my suspicions so I pushed forward, trying to make her understand there was nothing to fear with me.

In vain though.

She took the first opportunity to jump out of my car and ran. It took everything in me not to go after her telling her not to run away from me, it only excited Khan to chase his mate but I have perfected the art of self-control over the two centuries, so I stayed in the car deciding to leave her alone for a day or two before seeing her again.

But the way she shied away from me made me doubtful. A person wouldn´t have that kind of self-defence mechanism if something hadn´t happened to them in the past. The mere thought of someone hurting her made a deep rumble resonate in my chest as it made its way up to my throat before I released it with full force. Gripping the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white and my eyes flashed red as Khan came to the surface fighting for the control to turn the car around and make Artemis tell us who has hurt her in such a way she didn´t want to be in a relationship.

My gums hurt as my canines grew longer until the tips were poking out behind the lips while my nails turned into claws.

“Khan don´t you dare!” I snarled in an inhumane voice, more of a beast than a human

.

“Mate is hurt by someone! We need to know who and kill them! Make them suffer! Break every bone in their body and skin them alive before we rip their heart out of their chest and feed it to the ravens!” Khan growled in my head in return not backing out.

“You´re going to crash this f*****g car if you keep pushing, you don´t even know how to drive. We will learn what happened to her but this is not the way to do it.”

A moment of silence hang between us until reluctantly Khan retreated huffing while swishing his tail back and forward. He was not happy. Not that I didn´t understand his way of thinking, hell he wasn´t thinking. Khan was driven by sheer animal instinct to protect and offer comfort to Artemis like the good mate he wanted to be to her. It pained him to see her in that light, it hurt me to see her so vulnerable even if it was just a few seconds. My first impression of her had been the complete opposite, strong female who didn´t take bullshit from anyone so it was like a punch into the gut when I saw her compose a crumble to the floor although she did gather herself rather quickly, but it was merely a mask to hide behind.

No one reacted that way unless something bad had happened to them along the line of growing up.

It was going to be a challenge but I needed to take baby steps with her and try to earn her trust so she would hopefully tell me about what troubled her mind so much she shut her down and escaped the situation.

With a frustrated growl, I raked my left hand through my hair while steering the car with my right trying to figure out my next plan. There was no way I was going to just leave her behind and go back to my pack but I needed to earn her trust before bringing her with me. With that in mind, I knew what I needed to do.

Glancing at the road and my contacts on my phone I selected Zeke´s number and tapped the call button putting it on speaker.

“Hi alpha, what´s up?” Zeke answered on the third ring sounding cheerful for whatever reason I didn´t want to know.

“I´m staying in the city for some time, how long exactly I don´t know but you can either go back home or stay with me. I´ll call my father and ask him to take charge temporarily if you decide to stay in the city.”

There was a silence on the other end and I waited for Zeke to come up with an answer he felt like giving.

“Because alpha Lionel or because of your mate?”

I rolled my eyes at that question simply because it was a stupid one.

“Do you seriously think I would stay here for days because of that brat who likes to call himself an alpha?” I scoffed and received hefty laughter in return.

“Well, I thought you might surprise me and tell me you want to develop your relationship with the called brat. Maybe you would even grow to like him.”

“Hell will freeze over before I even remotely can say I like him. Which is never going to happen. Now, if you´re done pulling my balls, give me a f*****g answer are you gonna stay or go back?” I growled staring at the dark road ahead my car gripping the steering wheel a little too tightly. Goddess, I needed a run and maybe some hardcore training session to take this edge off.

“And here I thought you loved it when I was pulling your balls.” Zeke chuckled earning another warning growl from me.

“Tell me again why I keep you as my beta?” I asked.

“Because I’m damn good-looking, funny and you love me? Plus I’m the best beta ever lived in your pack.”

“Somehow I doubt those are the reasons.” I huffed getting tired of this banter. I just wanted his damn answer.

“Alright, alright no need to bite my head off, alpha. I´ll stay with you, I could use a break from the pack life for a few days.”

“Good. I`ll call my father. Try to find a decent hotel where we can check in and let me know.”

“Consider it done.”

With that, I ended the call and heaved a sigh easing the grip on the wheel. Seeing a parking lot on my right I slowed down, put the winker on and turned the car finding a spot to park before shutting down the engine. Leaning back I closed my eyes for a moment feeling tense and stressed because the situation I had found myself in with my mate was crashing down on me.

Rubbing my face I finally straightened, took the phone from the holder, searched my father’s number and hit the call button the second I found it. Glancing at the clock it was nearly midnight but I knew my parents were still up.

“Hello, son.” My father´s deep rumble came through the line after a fifth ring.

“I hope I didn’t interrupt anything?” I asked immediately regretting the question because I heard my mother’s giggle in the background. I definitely had interrupted something.

My father chuckled and I could hear ruffling, then footsteps before a door was opened and closed.

“No, not really. If you had called an hour later then you would have interrupted something.”

“That’s something I didn’t need to know,” I muttered dropping my head back at the headrest and earning a burst of laughter from my father.

“What is it that you want to talk about at this hour?” he asked changing the subject much to my relief. I wasn’t uncomfortable knowing about my parent’s s*x life since it was normal for mates to be overly affectionate in the werewolf world but I didn’t feel the need to talk about it openly on the phone.

“I’m calling because something came up and I need to stay in the city for a few days, maybe more and Zeke is staying too. Can you take over for the time being?”

“Is it anything to do with the meeting you intended?”

“I learned some troubling news at the meeting, yes, but this isn’t the reason why I’m staying here.”

“So what is the real reason then?”

I took a deep calming breath. I knew my parents would be happy once they learned I had found my mate and it shouldn’t matter to them if she wasn’t a wolf but something was still nagging at the back of my mind. It made me uneasy.

“I found my mate.”

The line went dead silent for a minute before I heard hurried footsteps, opening the door and a startled yelp from my mother.

Here we go.

“Say that again son.” My father ordered and I knew he had put the phone on speaker so my mother would also hear the news.

“I found my mate,” I repeated slower this time with a deeper voice fully knowing what was about to happen. The second I finished my announcement excited shout hurt my ear causing me to pull the phone away from my ear for a second with a grimace.

“Don’t scream at my ear woman, do you want me to go deaf?” my father growled and I chuckled while rubbing my ear.

“Oh shut up. This is wonderful news! I was afraid our son wouldn’t find his mate in our lifetime.” my mother spoke happiness clear in her tone of voice. It made me smile spite the situation I was in.

“Tell me everything! Who is she? Which pack? Have you completed the mating bond already?”

Those questions squashed the little happy feeling I had when she screamed at my ear earlier.

“She’s not a wolf, she’s human.” I told them and got a quiet “oh” in return from her.

“It doesn’t change anything, son. You found her, that’s the most important thing. You take as long as you need with her. I know how difficult it is going to be when your mate is a human. Don’t worry about the pack, we will deal with that. You have our support, always.”

My father’s speech made me go quiet, my throat tightening slightly. I knew they would give me their blessing but still, when I heard it, it caused a tidal wave of emotions to wash over me.

“Your father is right. It doesn’t matter if your mate is a wolf or a human, the mate bond is sacret and should be cherished and respected. You concentrate on learning about your mate, we can take care of the pack. Hopefully, we can meet her soon.”

“I hope so too mom, I really do.”

“So, what kind of girl is she?” she then asked enthusiastically and I couldn’t help but laugh at that.

“She is a warrior in spirit, an expert with archery, ninjutsu and aikido. But she is afraid of commitment and it would seem she doesn’t believe in love. The way she reacted when I took her out earlier tells me something has happened to her in the past. She’s guarded.”

“Sounds like she’s a person who could benefit from being a mate of an alpha.” my mother hummed thoughtfully. I frowned hearing her saying that.

“Why?”

“Do you understand the real definition of what it means to be an alpha?” my father asked. I stared outside the side window deep in thought. I knew the misgiven concept humans thought what alpha was supposed to be.

“Alpha isn’t just a leader and dominant male. He is someone who takes care of the pack members, guides them, protects them and nurtures them offering comfort when someone is distressed. He is a teacher, protector, provider and a leader.”

“Exactly. And that is what you need to be to her. Show her she can trust you no matter what, that you are there to protect her when she has reached her limits to do so herself. Offer comfort, but respect her boundaries and wait for her permission.”

I wetted my lips turning my gaze to my lap. My father was right, but I needed to be careful with her not to scare her away. I needed every bit of knowledge I have learned over the 200 years and how to use them to help her. It wasn’t going to be easy but I refused to give up.

“Yeah, thanks, dad.”

“You’re welcome, son. Now, get some rest and get back to us when you have something new to tell us.”

With those words, we ended the call and for some time I just stared outside lost in thought. I could feel Khan’s yearning for our mate as he lay down softly whining occasionally. I couldn’t blame him, I felt the same way.

I didn’t get to drown myself in longing for my mate for long when the phone started ringing and glancing at it I noticed it was Zeke. Accepting the call I put it on speaker.

“Alpha, I found a hotel and booked two rooms for a month. Is that alright?”

I smiled at Zeke’s greeting.

“Yes, that’ll do fine. My father is taking over the pack for the time being so I can stay here as long as it takes.”

“That’s a relief. I’ll text the address and wait for you in the lobby.”

Ending the call it didn’t take more than ten seconds for him to send me the info about the hotel and I looked it up where it was.

Nebula Hotel.

I couldn’t help but chuckle. Of all the hotels in the city, he had to book the rooms from the five-star hotel celebrities favoured. Most people would had think of this as a show-off but knowing Zeke, he selected this hotel because the security in it was high top class. And that was why he was my beta, he always thought about the worse scenarios and how to prevent them from happening.

Sighing I started the engine, shifted the gear and reversed from the parking space before turning the car toward the main road. My mind was racing a thousand miles a minute while I drove through the dark road occasionally stopping at the red lights.

It wasn’t long before I could see the silhouette of the hotel appearing in view after the final left turn that took me to the road going right up to the hotel’s parking lot. Huge oak trees shadowed the road on each side giving it a feeling like you just entered a thick forest before you reached the front yard that expanded widely.

The parking lot was spacy and I had no problems finding a spot for my car. Shutting down the engine I took the keys and stepped out of the car while looking around. Street lamps illuminated the yard, high iron fence surrounded the entire area making sure no trespassers were able to get into the lot without security guards noticing.

Closing the car door I locked the doors and started walking toward the entry making notes that the building looked like an old palace. Maybe it had been a royal palace once upon a time. It wasn’t unheard of that people bought old abandoned palaces and turned them into hotels or spas giving the building a new life.

Our rival pack had done so in the neighbouring city and I had heard it was a business that made money if you knew how to do it. I however wasn’t so keen to dwell in that kind of business.

Walking through the doors I was greeted by a spacious lounge area with surprisingly neutral pastel colours and grand two spiral staircases leading to the upper floors. Near the right staircase were the checking area and a young looking female sitting behind the desk staring at the computer screen with a frown.

Before I could take a step toward the desk, Zeke appeared out of nowhere and with a grin halted at my side.

“She looks upset because of the late phone call I made and demanded two rooms from the top floor.” Zeke chuckled and I frowned.

“Why would she be upset about that? It brings money to this hotel.”

“Apparently all they had left from the top floor was two presidential suites and she claimed that those rooms are costly and reserved only to the VIP guests.”

“I’m still lost to the reason why she is upset.”

“It confuses me too but apparently the rooms were not ready and she had to alert the cleaners to go through the rooms and she had to make sure they were ready before you showed up. I may have said that my boss is the owner of the United Paper Mills company. That got her attention.”

I rolled my eyes at that crossing my arms over my chest.

“You know I would have been happy with just a regular room. The bed is still a bed no matter what kind of room it is in.”

“I know but again, other rooms weren’t available and with the suites, you need a keycard to get to the top floor in the elevator so, I was merely thinking about your safety. Can’t be too careful. Why is it that I have to explain everything twice, something on your mind preventing you to concentrate?”

Grunting I unfolded my arms and stuck my hands into the jean pockets and took a deep breath. Zeke was doing his job as my beta and I couldn’t scold him for that. And he was right, my mind was elsewhere at the moment so I wasn’t on my A game and I was also tired as f**k.

“Alright, let’s check in and get some sleep. I sure as hell need it.”

Zeke nodded and we approach the desk.

I watched as I approached the desk how her frown slightly altered when she lifted her gaze from the computer’s screen. Locking eyes with her I gave the woman a friendly smile and stopped at the front of the desk.

“I’m sorry for the late reservation but it was a last-minute decision to stay in town,” I explained hoping to defuse some of her clear annoyance which I still didn’t understand because this was her job.

“It’s quite alright, the rooms are ready and here are the keys. Enjoy your stay,” she replied with a clipped tone although she tried to mask it with a smile which was clearly as fake as the rest of her. I could see the fake lashes, botox-fulled lips, hairpiece and thick layer of make-up. The air around her was heavy because of her perfume and the scent attacked my nose causing me to almost suffocated but somehow I managed to breathe through it. Why humans thought that would be attractive was a mystery to me but it wasn’t my business so I kept my mouth shut, took the keycards and with a polite nod turned toward the elevators.

“Someone has sucked way too many lemons and stuffed their pants with sand,” Zeke muttered beside me as I halted in front of the elevator and pushed the button waiting for the doors to open.

“Zeke,”

“What? That lady needs to get laid before she turns sourer than vinegar.”

Sighing with a shake of my head I stepped into the elevator when the doors opened and pushed to the top floor while Zeke came to stand on my left.

Stifling a yawn I couldn’t wait to crash on the bed and get some sleep hoping to dream about my headstrong mate.