Burned By the Alpha I married

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

J.J POV

Suzzy's living room smelled like vanilla candles and something else that I couldn’t afford to mention.

I had stepped in, and offered myself a seat. I sat on the brown wooden chair across from where she was seated, on another brown wooden chair like mine.

Watching her as her fingers traced the rim of her cup, at this moment, her eyes never quite met with mine.

"Suzzy, you said you needed to see me, that it was urgent,"

"Of course it’s", “she said, setting the cup down, and adjusting herself close to where I was seated. Before I could realize what she was up to, her hand had already landed on my thigh when I grabbed her wrist.

"What is that, J. J?” " Why are you acting like a kid? Is it bad for me to have missed you?"

Her voice cracked, just slightly.

I came here because her voice sounded broken over the phone, desperate, like something was wrong, and not for this. I am aware that I am indebted to her, which I had told myself several times, but this debt, I can't afford to repay such desires, and some part of me hated how often I had to remind myself about that.

My phone buzzed against the table. As I glanced down at my screen. It’s Grandpa. I picked the phone and tapped the receiving call button.

"J.J!, I want to see you right now!" he said.

I stood up at once. Suzzy, I am sorry I need to go see my Grandpa, it’s very urgent, “I said.

Her face turned pale, filled with anger, as she clenched her fist like she was going to blow somebody.

I quickly bent and grabbed my car key that was lying there on the table.

"Please do take care, Suzzy, “I said, as I quickly made my way to the parking lot, where I had packed my car. I slammed my door open, jumped inside and then zoomed off”.

I had never seen Grand Pa in this mood before, as I walked into his sitting room, and met him, sat there on one of those brown couches, hands folded, jaw tightened, hard enough to crack walnuts.

"Do you have any idea what you've done, J. J?"

"Grand Pa, what..." is that?”

"Sit down," he said.

I sat on the couch across from where he was seated, wondering why he was this moody.

"You broke your bond with Nelly." Do you understand the implications of what you just did?" Have you forgotten that Lion Heart and Brace Rock have been circling each other for six years now waiting for an excuse to start a war? And you just handed them one of those excuses now."

The room tilted a little, with my mouth open, but was void of words.

"If you know what is good for you, and everyone of us, better find her now, "Before things get out of hand, he said”.

"I thought the meeting was just all about Nelly, until he dipped his hand inside his trousers pocket, pulled out his phone. His thumb jabbed at the screen, as he turned it, to show me. It was a photo of me and Suzzy, with our arms brushing against each other, captured by someone from an angle I never saw coming. The news has splashed across the gossip pages, like our posture in the photo meant something serious.

“Alpha J. J's Secret Romance”, as it was captioned.

"Whatever this is, end it, now!, J. J," he said, with his second right finger pointing towards the floor.

"It's…not what you think, Grand Pa.

"I don't care what it is. I am concerned about what will be the outcome of you replacing Nelly with her.

I stared at the photo until the caption became blurred in my eyes. I had wanted to explain further, I had wanted to tell him that my closeness with Suzzy actually meant nothing serious, but those words got stuck in my throat like fish bones.

I paused to remember at the age of nine, being abducted and locked up in that dark room, how Suzzy was my only companion, and the one who saved my life, and I owe her my life for that. I can’t just cut off from her like that. I processed in my head.

“Fine, I have heard you Grand Pa, I managed to say.”

“As for Nelly”, I hadn't thought of her name in days, but right now her name is stuck in my head. The bond is gone, because I allowed anger to cloud my sense of judgement.

But now I had come to a resolution, so I picked up my phone and placed some calls. In the morning, the news was already everywhere. Every T-V station, radio station, pack messenger running the same words: a $3,000,000 reward for information leading to Nelly's location.

Jonathan must have thought I'd lost my mind, for making such a whopping offer for someone, that I practically neglected her existence for four years. But whatever is the case, I am determined to bring her back now.

Days had passed, and there had been no news of her, no information regarding her location at all, but then an intel was dropped. She was seen leaving the state, today, by air.

I could remember the rough and speedy drives, my boots hitting the pavement, my guards struggling to keep pace, and my heart slamming against my ribs like it was about to pull out.

I remembered looking up to see the plane that was already lifting off the ground, as we arrived at the airport.

I stood there, with my fists clenched, watching it disappear into the sky, as something inside me broke quietly.

Four years are gone, and the Lion Heart pack was drowning economically.

Watching everybody smiling in this conference hall, shaking hands, while behind closed doors things weren’t all right.

The Rising Sun Pack was the only lifeline left, rich beyond reason, and untouchable. Ruled by a Queen Luna I'd never met, but only heard whispered of her as a powerful legend, well respected, the type that you can’t cross.

I had sent an invitation myself and her office wrote back within the week, the Queen would honor your invitation, and to me, it was a thing of joy to have her accept to honour our invitation.

"Everything has to be perfect," I had told Jonathan, my beta, earlier in the morning, on that conference day, straightening my jacket for the third time. "She is not someone we can take lightly. I need full decorum, everyone must treat her like royalty, because that's exactly what she is.

“Noted, Alpha”, “Jonathan responded, already moving to check the hall one last time.

It was already afternoon, when the estate hall was filled to the brim. Pack leaders, dignitaries, advisors, across the country were all seated, waiting, as the air thickened in anticipation of someone so important that was yet to arrive. Then I moved through the crowd, exchanging greetings with our old allies, shaking hands, as my mind kept drifting to the doorway, when Jona leaned in, with his voice lowered against my ear.

"Alpha, the eagle has finally landed, she's on her way into the hall."

I straightened my suit's collar, and then arranged myself well, the time is now, I said to myself, as I tried to compose myself.

The doors finally opened, and everyone in the hall rose to their feet, in standing ovation, for the most powerful woman most of them had never seen, including myself.

I rose with them, with glass in hand, a practiced smile already forming in my face.

And then I saw her face, but it was unclear if what I saw was actually real or not, so I pulled out my white handkerchief from my suit pocket, and wiped my face clean.

This was actually happening for real, and I couldn't believe it. My hand suddenly became frozen, and I lost grip of the glass of wine in my hand as it slipped off my fingers and shattered on the tiles.

The sound was swallowed by the silent wave crashing over the hall, because standing in that doorway, wearing a crown instead of the heartbreak I left her with, was Nelly!, …