Chapter 13

THE ALPHA KING

^TWO DAYS EARLIER^

A sharp knock echoes through my room.

“Come in!” I bark out, my mood sour. I can feel something brewing, something big. I don’t know what it is yet, but it’s got my wolf, Blade, all riled up. He’s pacing and growling inside me, more restless than usual.

My door swings open and Dinah, my beta, steps in. “Hey, King!” she greets, her voice full of energy.

I can’t help but roll my eyes. Dinah and I go way back. We’ve been inseparable since we were pups.

Her dad was my dad’s beta, so we spent a lot of time together. There was a time when we thought we might be destined to be mates. Boy, were we wrong!

Dinah is a force to be reckoned with. She’s a wolf/witch hybrid, fierce and loyal to the core. She’s earned her title as beta, beating every wolf who’s dared to challenge her. I think she gets her fire from her mom.

Her mom was a tiny thing, only four foot ten, but she could put the fear of God into her six foot four husband. It was always a sight to see him cowering from his pint-sized mate.

Dinah’s just like her. She’s petite, only about five foot three, but she’s a powerhouse. She’s not to be underestimated, not by a long shot.

She’s got this beautiful, bronzed skin that makes other women green with envy. Her features are strong yet feminine, and her curly hair bounces with every step she takes.

I let out a groan. “What do you want?”

“Can’t an old friend drop by to say hi?” she shoots back, a playful glint in her eyes.

“Dinah, you never show up at this hour unless something’s up.” I narrow my eyes at her. “Spill it.”

She holds up her hands, a tablet in one of them. “Alright, alright! You got me! There’s a video going around… it’s gone viral. It’s about a wolf hybrid. You need to see it.”

She thrusts the tablet in my face. I pull back and glare at her. She’s trying to hide a smirk. She knows exactly how to get under my skin.

On the screen, there’s a girl, probably college age, being bullied by another she-wolf. I can’t help but stare. She’s the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen, even if she does look a little wild with anger.

Her hair is sleek and shiny, a rich chestnut color with auburn highlights. It’s pulled back into a high ponytail. Her jeans fit her perfectly, hugging her curves in all the right places.

~Damn.~ I feel my jeans tighten slightly. I shift in my seat, trying to adjust without Dinah noticing.

Even with the angry look on her face, her freckles make her look innocent, like she wouldn’t hurt a fly.

Her features are soft and feminine. She’s a goddess, easily outshining Aphrodite herself.

As I continue to watch the video, I see why Dinah wanted me to see it. Wings burst from the girl’s back, green flames engulfing her before raining down on her tormentor.

I’m in awe. She clearly doesn’t have control over her powers yet, but I can’t help but feel drawn to her. Both me and my wolf are intrigued by this little wolf.

“What happened to the girl who was attacked?” I ask.

“She’s in a coma, but stable,” Dinah replies.

I nod. ~Good. Maybe she’ll think twice before bullying someone again.~

I have no patience for bullies.

“And the girl. What do we know about her?”

“Her name’s Olive Dubois, nineteen years old. Her mom’s a beta’s daughter. No info on her dad.”

~Figures.~ I sigh.

“They’ve been moving from pack to pack since she was about thirteen. The video was taken on The Dark Wood Pack territory. No one knows where she is now.”

~Interesting.~

“Get my best trackers together. Tell the gamma he’s in charge while I’m gone. We leave tonight.”

“Right away, my king.” Dinah nods and leaves the room, her steps determined.

That evening, we head to the airport and board my private jet. We’re heading to The Dark Wood Pack territory. The flight takes a few hours.

We decide to spend the night in the nearest city before heading to The Dark Wood Pack in the morning.

I can’t sleep. Blade’s pacing in my mind, restless. I groan and pull the pillow over my face.

The next morning, we drive to The Dark Wood Pack in black SUVs. When we arrive, I see Alpha Max waiting for us.

He looks calm, but I can see through his act. He’s nervous, maybe even a little scared. Not just because I’m here... but why?

I step out of the SUV, dressed in a navy Dolce & Gabbana suit and a rust orange tie. I walk towards him, radiating power and dominance.

Alpha Max is older than me, about twenty-seven. He’s tall, but not as tall as me. I’d say he’s about six foot two or three. I’m six foot five.

I know I’m intimidating to other wolves, and I use that to my advantage.

Alpha Max bows his head in respect.

~Good alpha.~

He offers his hand and I shake it.

“Good morning, my king. We have a lot to discuss. I’ll have your luggage taken to your rooms while we talk in my office,” he says.

~Straight to the point. I like him.~

I nod and follow him to his office. I’m a man of few words.

I sit behind his mahogany desk, my tall frame dwarfing the chair.

“So, what do you know about the hybrid?” I ask, crossing my arms.

He squirms a bit before clearing his throat.

“We think Olive is somewhere on the east side of the forest. We’ve marked the spot where her scent vanished.

“We think she might have had some help from someone with magic,” he says.

“But, I’ve talked to her mom who doesn’t think Olive has any friends around here, or any friends at all really.

“I know this is true at the college. Other than that, it’s a real mystery.” He frowns.

“I see. Have you learned anything about her dad?” I ask, leaning forward and resting my elbows on my knees.

“Her dad? No, I’m afraid not,” he answers, looking a bit confused.

“If I may, my king, what are you planning to do with Olive?” Max asks, sounding uneasy.

~Ah, there it is. The reason he’s on edge… Does he have feelings for her?~

“If she’s not a threat, then I don’t plan on hurting her,” I say.

He nods, looking relieved.

“Take me to her mom,” I order, standing up.

“As you wish, my king,” he answers, doing as he’s told.

***

I look at the charming cottage in front of me. You wouldn’t guess this is the home of a dangerous hybrid. But, how dangerous is still up in the air.

I knock on the door, maybe a bit too hard.

A flustered woman in her early forties opens the door. I can see the resemblance to her daughter right away. She’s really beautiful.

Her eyes are full of fear of the unknown, but without me even having to ask, she bows. She says, “Your Highness,” and opens the door, inviting us in.

Alpha Max and I follow her into the cottage.

The cottage is small but cute. I can’t help but smile a little as I watch the woman rush around, cleaning up clothes and food wrappers.

“I’m so sorry. I wasn’t expecting company! I must look like a total mess!.” She’s out of breath as she rushes around the small house.

She stops in front of both of us and sighs.

“Sorry about that. What can I get you?” She smiles.

I rub my mouth, letting her know there’s dried food on her face.

She squints her eyes in embarrassment, turning bright red before rushing to the kitchen. I smirk, amused.

~Clearly she’s not handling her daughter being AWOL very well.~

She comes back into the living room and sits on a sofa, motioning for us to sit while she anxiously wrings her hands in her lap.

I take the armchair while Alpha Max sits on the sofa next to her.

Alpha Max starts, “Sasha, the king has some questions about Olive.”

“I see. What do you want to know?” she asks, sounding nervous.

“I want to know more about her dad and his background,” I say, sounding authoritative.

She freezes and turns pale, clearly thinking about what to do next.

“Ah. I, um…I’m really sorry, Your Highness. I can only say so much, and that’s as much as Olive herself knows.

“Anything more than that, I’m sorry…I really am, and I’ll accept any punishment you think is necessary… But I won’t say anything that Olive herself doesn’t know.

“She needs to learn the truth before I share it with others. I owe her that much,” she answers, shaking, waiting for me to scold her.

Alpha Max’s eyes snap to me, worried about how I’ll react to her defiance.

Blade is silently fuming— he’s impatient to find out more about this girl, almost obsessively so. I stay calm, quieting Blade for now.

To their surprise, I answer calmly, “I understand and respect your wishes. But, since I’m being so lenient, I expect you to fully cooperate.

“You have to be willing to be used as bait to get your daughter to come out of hiding. I won’t hurt you, but she doesn’t need to know that. Do we have a deal?”

She nods, looking anxious.

“Very well then. Tell me what you can.”

After getting very little information from Olive’s mom, I ask to be taken to the spot where her scent disappears. I mind-link Dinah to get our trackers to come.

After a couple of hours, we get to the spot, marked by a small, orange flag.

“Dinah, scout out the area and see if you find anything magical. Trackers, see if you can pick up any scents,” I order.

I step back and watch as Dinah gets to work without saying another word. With her eyes closed, she waves her hands as if she’s writing in the air.

She does the same thing in several spots. She scoops up handfuls of dirt and leaves, bringing them to her nose to smell.

The pack trackers turn into their wolf forms and carefully search the area, noses to the ground.

An hour later she asks for my attention.

“There’s some kind of cloaking spell here. I can’t say where the magic is coming from. I’ve never seen this kind of magic before.

“But from what I can tell, it works like a one-way mirror. Whoever is on the inside can see out, but we can’t see in,” Dinah concludes.

“The pack trackers have picked up other scents. They’re not werewolves, humans, or vampires. We still don’t know what species is helping her, and why.”

“Thank you, Dinah.” I smile at her, showing my appreciation.

I step forward to the orange flag.

“Little Wolf! Little Wolf!” I call, teasing her.

“Won’t you let me in?” I half smile. I do enjoy toying with my prey.

After pretending to wait for a few moments, I continue, “No? Have it your way.” I pretend to shrug.

“Olive Dubois! We know you’re hiding in there.” I raise my voice, not sure how big the area of the cloaking spell is.

“As your king, I’m asking for you to come out. I don’t want to hurt you right now, but if you don’t show yourself, I’ll have no choice but to use force to catch you.

“Anyone who’s helping you hide will be seen as a traitor to the crown and will be punished accordingly, the punishment for this being death.

“I’ll make your mother suffer in ways you can’t even imagine,” I say, my voice cold. “I’ll send you pieces of her, one by one, until all that’s left is her head. I’ll serve it to you on a silver platter.”

“But you can stop all this, Olive. Just turn yourself in. It’s that simple.

“You’ve got two days. I can’t wait to see you.” I flash a half-smile and walk away.

Dinah sidles up to me. “You do love a good chase, don’t you?” she teases. “Think she’ll show?”

“She’ll show, alright. And once she does, she won’t be able to get away from me.” I can’t help but smile.

“Do you think she’ll join us?” Dinah asks, clapping her hands together in excitement.

There’s something about this girl that’s got Blade all worked up. He’s been hounding me about her nonstop.

He wants to see her, to breathe in her scent, to be close to her. I can’t figure out why. Sure, she’s stunning in the video.

But he’s seen hundreds of women. None of them have caught his attention like this little wolf has.

~She’s mine,~ Blade growls in my mind.