Alpha Mate

Chapter 6

Calum Pov

As soon as the door to my office shut behind us, Ashlyn was ready to fire her questions at me as though she had been holding them in for so long she was ready to burst.

"Who is that woman?" she asked.

I ignored her question, prolonging the inevitable conversation. "Can I get you anything to drink? Why don't you have a seat?"

Ashlyn's response was to roll her eyes at me playing the good host. Most times she came into my office, I was not quick to attend to courteous offerings. We were always straight to business, knowing that if we wanted to have a little sibling chat, it didn't have to be done in my office.

"Don't be coy with me. I'm going to get answers from you one way or another. Why is she here?"

This time, I didn't try to change the topic or distract her. I did, however, take my time sitting down at my desk before I responded to her. One expectant look from me and she followed suit by sitting in the chair across from me. If she wanted me give her information, we would have to do it on my terms.

"That's Morgan," I told her. "She is here because she was attacked by rogues just outside of our borders and needed help, including medical attention."

Ashlyn's nostrils flared, making her look like she wanted to wring my neck. Wouldn't be the first time in the twenty or so years we have been siblings.

"That's not any new information, Cal. I know she was in our pack infirmary after the attack because I was taking care of her daughter, Lilian, at the time." Hearing the word 'daughter' made me wince. I had avoided thinking about that word since I first laid eyes on my mate. Though I neutralized my features, Ashlyn had noticed my reaction and wouldn't let it be ignored. Her eyes narrowed. "There's something more about this that you're not telling me. You're treating her differently than everyone else."

I shook my head. That was exactly why I hadn't given her attention all week, as it would have drawn that sort of suspicion. It was a bold claim made by my sister. I kept my expression unfazed as I denied it. "That's not true."

"Oh really? Then explain to me why you're still keeping her here when she is fully healed. You've been expending resources to take care of her when you could have sent her home days ago. That's not like you to take on those responsibilities after someone no longer needs your help."

"What if she doesn't have a home anymore? The rogue attack didn't seem to be random. They could've taken out her pack if there were more of them."

"Even if that were the case, it still doesn't explain how the two of you were in the hallway," she claimed.

"What about us in the hallway?" Ashlyn had been watching us closely. Though we had not shown the affection of mates, Ashlyn's eyes had missed nothing.

"You really think I wouldn't notice the way you challenged her? Not to mention the way you let her challenge you. With every other guest, you are polite and welcoming. Instead, you were trying to get on her nerves, And when she snapped at you, you stood there and took it. You have never allowed anyone except for me talk to you that way before. Why is she different?"

I let out a deep sigh and let my head fall back against my office chair. Ashlyn was onto me. It would be sooner or later that she figured it out with or without my help. While my gaze was on the ceiling, I could hear her shifting in her chair with impatience.

I brought my gaze down from the ceiling so I could meet her gaze once again. "You have to swear not to tell anyone."

"You can trust me, Cal." Ashlyn's voice had turned soft as she waited for me to reveal my secret. "Lance spoke with me the other day and he said he has no idea what your interest in her is. If you can't confide in him, let me know so that I can support you through it."

"She's my mate," I let out in a rushed breath. It was the first time I had said it out loud. Despite the circumstances, the words brought an adrenaline through me at having found her.

"What?"

"She's my mate," I repeated louder.

"Cal, that's incredible! But why haven't you told anyone? You should be introducing her as the pack's Luna and showing her around, not locking her up in a room all day."

"Don't you think I want to claim her as my mate? It's more complicated than that."

"What do you mean?"

"She didn't wait for me."

Ashlyn scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You men are all the same. Thinking that women are only valuable for their purity whilst no one keeps you accountable to keep it in your pants."

"It's not just about that, Ash. It's one thing to have been with another man before me." The thought was enough to make my fists clench, but if it had only been that I could truly get past it. "However, it's an entirely different thing to have a child before finding your mate. She could have started an entire family before meeting me. A family I can't just rip her away from."

Ashlyn gave me a look of sympathy, finally understanding what I had been going through after finding the one who was meant for me. Ashlyn hadn't met her mate yet, but she could imagine how much it would hurt to find out her mate had planned to live out their life with a family that didn't include her.

"It's very uncommon for a wolf to start a family before finding their mate, especially as young as Morgan is. Maybe it's just a misunderstanding. What if she found that baby in the woods at the mercy of rogues and her instincts to protect her just kicked in?"

"What do you think the odds of that being the case are?"

Ashlyn deflated a little. "Close to zero. I've seen them both together and they look just alike."

All I could do was nod. I hadn't seen the little girl, afraid of what it would confirm for me. Speaking with Ashlyn made all of my hesitations seem more real. When Morgan was hidden away, it was easier to feel as though there was hope in having found my mate.

"What if the father isn't even in the picture?" Ashlyn asked.

"It doesn't matter. Morgan will likely want nothing more to do with me after the way I treated her."

I was done talking to my sister about this. It was far too painful to discuss and getting me nowhere. For so long, I had dreamed about being my mate's everything. Even if it were still possible, we were off to a dreadful start.

"Not sure I would blame her-"

If the phone ringing hadn't cut her off, my piercing glare would have. Though I wanted her to leave while I answered the phone call, she stayed put in her chair. I picked up the phone, giving her a look that told her to remain quiet.

"Hello. This is Alpha Calum Brown of the Blood Moon pack."

"Good afternoon, Alpha. I'm Evan, the beta of the Moonlight pack."

"What can I do for you?" I asked under the assumption his alpha may want to form an alliance with me. It wasn't rare these days that I set up meetings with alphas from other packs to discuss combining our resources to combat rogues, who were becoming more vicious as time went on. Part of the reason for their increased presence was because they had grown overconfident in their abilities after causing damages during their frequent attacks on different packs in the area.

"I am just calling to see if anyone in your pack has seen a woman in her early twenties who has a one-year-old girl with her."

My mouth instantly grew dry at the mention of the familiar pair. Why was this pack looking for them? What if they tried to take my mate away from me?

"No." Without a second thought, I immediately hung up the phone.

Ash gave me an incredulous look. "What the hell was that?"

As wolves, we had a heightened sense of hearing. While this was mostly a blessing, it was also a curse at times. There was no doubt that Ashlyn had heard Evan's portion of the short conversation. She knew he was looking for Morgan and her daughter and that I lied about not seeing them.

"What?" I asked, irritated with my younger sister. She shouldn't have even been in the room. Now she would try to make it her business, though it wasn't.

"Why didn't you tell him the truth?"

"Since when am I obligated to tell another pack anything?"

"Don't be more of an asshole than you already have been. For the sake of your mate, you should've told that beta you know where she is. I understand that you're hurt over the situation, but hiding her away like this isn't doing anyone any good."

I rolled my eyes. "You always act as though you know what's best for everyone."

"I'm not acting, just telling you the truth. Keeping her here only hurts both of you. If you won't accept her as your mate, you need to let her go. That phone call was likely her family looking for her. Her and that baby need to be with them after all they've been through," she reasoned.

My jaw tightened as I was still uncertain about what I should do. Ash had a point, but she gave the solution as though it would be easier for me than it actually was. I hadn't gotten to know my mate yet, but I wanted to try before we were inevitably apart again.

Ash stood so that she could be closer to me. She reached out and put her hand on my shoulder as a way to comfort me. "I know it's not an easy decision. At the very least, you should call him back to let him know that they are safe. Her family would want to know that. They've probably been worried sick about them."

"You're right." I let out a deep breath. "Thank you for talking some sense into me, Ash. I'll call him back, but can you let me do this alone?"

"Of course. Good luck, Cal."

Ashlyn made her way out of the room, leaving me in the silent office. It took several minutes before I was able to pick up the phone again. Once I had it, my thumb hovered over the most recent number in my phone's history, pressing it after my hesitation.

"Hello."

Explaining why I would be calling Evan back was the last thing I wanted to do. I didn't want him to know that Morgan was her with me, I just wanted more information from him.

"Beta Evan, this is Alpha Calum again who you spoke with just a moment ago," I shuffled through the papers on my desk as though I could multitask during the phone call. Moving my hands as though they were busy calmed my mind. "I'm wondering if perhaps I could be of more help to you in your search for these girls. I'm curious about their situation and why you're looking for them."

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm not certain that I should share that sort of information with you," Evan replied skeptically. He clearly didn't trust me after the way I had become interested in helping him all of a sudden.

"You'll have a better chance of finding them with my help, which will only be effective if I know who they are. Answer me, why is it so important you find them?"

Evan sighed, giving in. He must have wanted to find them badly enough for it to be worth the risk of sharing private information with me. "Alright, I'll tell you. The baby girl is the alpha's daughter."

My eyebrows rose in surprise. If my mate had a baby with the alpha, it was more serious than I had imagined. For all I know, Morgan could have willingly run away from him.

"I see." Hopefully, he couldn't hear the way I said the words through gritted teeth. "If she's the alpha's daughter, why isn't she safely within the pack?"

"Our pack was attacked by rogues a week ago. When it was over, she wasn't in the safe room with the others. We assume that the two were chased off by the rogues. We are going to continue searching to find any evidence that they survived."

Each answer only brought me more questions. My heart strained at the thought of my mate running from rogues outside the protection of her pack. She was my only real concern.

"How does Morgan fit into this?" I asked.

"You've seen them."

"I never said that."

"No," Evan admitted, "But I never told you what the woman's name was."

Fuck. I cursed in my head. My curiosity over my mate had caused me to slip up. There was no way I could play it off as clueless after implying that I've met Morgan.

"I may know a little more about their whereabouts than I have let on. I simply wanted to ensure that I wouldn't reveal them to anyone who couldn't be trusted. Now that I know why you are searching for them, I would be willing to meet you within my territory for your alpha to retrieve his daughter. However, I want my question answered before we make any arrangements."

"Of course, Alpha. The alpha's daughter was entrusted with Morgan during the attack by our luna."

If the alpha had a Luna that wasn't Morgan, what connection did she have with the baby then?

"Why her?" I asked.

"Morgan is the alpha's sister.

"So that would mean the baby is Morgan's..." I trailed off.

"Niece," he finished for me.

Fuck. If my mate had thought of me as an asshole before, she would really think that of me now after I treated her poorly over a misunderstanding. My hand curled up into a fist and slammed on the desk. I stood, angered at the fact that I had wasted all this time with my mate while having the wrong idea about her.

Even with how upset I was at myself, a wave of relief rushed through me. If she was the alpha's sister, that would make sense why Ashlyn said Morgan and the baby looked so similar to one another. I could only hope and pray that Morgan would give me a chance after I beg for her forgiveness.

"Our packs are a lot closer to each other than I had realized. Our border patrol found the two being attacked by rogues right outside of our border. They've been here under our care ever since," I explained. "Your alpha and luna are welcome to come to our territory for them."

"Thank you. Once I tell them the news, they won't hesitate to be there."

Hanging up the phone, I put my head in my hands. How would I ever find a way to make it up to my mate? That is, if she doesn't leave with her alpha once she gets the chance.

Knowing I had put myself into this situation, I stood up and left my office. The way to the guest room my mate was staying in was a blur. When I motioned Xavier to let me in, he opened the door without question.

My presence was met with the cold and distant stare of my mate. If I hadn't ruined everything, her eyes would have been full of love and longing at the sight of me. For the first time, I saw the alpha's daughter. Seeing the resemblance between the two would've crushed me before I found out they weren't related in the way I first thought.

"I need you to come with me." I didn't bother with an explanation of the phone call that had just taken place. It wouldn't change my actions throughout the past week or the way she felt about me. She would find out soon enough that her brother and sister-in-law were coming to take them back home.

I could see the uncertainty in Morgan as she hesitated to stand. It was my fault that she didn't trust me. Luckily for me, she would follow me with her niece because of the fact she hated this room so much she would do almost anything to leave it.