Alpha's One Night Bride
Alpha’s One Night Bride – Chapter 16

“I’ll only be gone for a week. I’d rather you stay under the protection of Sabrebite,” he told me. “Plus, you have to work.”

He was right. We just got back from our honeymoon a couple of weeks ago; there’s no way Marian would allow me to take another week off, regardless of who I was with. She has a business to run, and I need to respect that. I also needed to trust that Jonathan knew what he was doing and that he would report any findings.

“I’m just going to miss you,” I told him, burying my face in his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and held me in an embrace.

“And I’ll miss you,” he whispered back.

I waited for him to leave before heading to work myself.

Marion was already in her office when I arrived. Both Mallory and Lucille were standing outside of her office door, both looking nervous. They both turned to me as I entered, frowning.

“There you are!” Mallory said. She didn’t sound pleased, more annoyed than anything. “Marian was going to flip if you were any later.”

I was confused because I wasn’t even late.

“She wants to have a meeting,” Lucille explained. “She’s been freaking out all morning.”

“What’s going on?” I asked as I placed my belongings at my desk and joined them at Marian’s office door. They both shrugged, just in time for the door to swing open and Marian to be standing there.

I was relieved that she didn’t look angry. She looked beautiful as always with her freshly cut red pixie hair and fair features. She wore a red blouse that tucked into high-waisted black dress pants, along with red high-heels.

Looking amongst the three of us, her eyes landed on me, and her red lips turned upward into a smile. The last time I saw her smiling was during that dinner party when she was laughing at something her husband was saying. That was also the last time I saw Dorie, Jonathan’s ex.

I was glad he hadn’t spoken to her since that night, but I also had a feeling it wasn’t going to be the last time I hear from her. She doesn’t seem like the kind of wolf that gives up without a fight.

“I have big news,” Marian said, bringing me out of my daydream. “Boris Conway, the country’s most powerful and richest werewolf, took interest in Arina’s photography of Onyxfang.”

My mouth dropped open. I’ve heard about Boris. Jonathan had told me that they met briefly at one time during a business trip to Silverside. Boris is the Alpha of Silverside, a werewolf city I’ve only dreamt of going to. I’ve only seen Silverside through images; it’s populated by thousands of werewolves. The buildings are skyscrapers and Jonathan told me they have the best museums in the country.

Boris, being the Alpha of the biggest city in the country, made it his mission to protect it as their greatest landmark. Before he was even 18 years old, he founded the Grey Howler Detective Program (GHDP). By doing so, he created multiple police forces throughout the country.

Each town has a Grey Howler Police Department, even Ironclaw and Sabrebite. In Ironclaw they call it the Grey Howlers of Ironclaw, aka GHIPD or IPD. In Sabrebite we call it Grey Howlers of Sabrebite, aka GHSPD or SPD.

Boris appoints the Chiefs of each department and assigns them to a town. The chief appoints the deputies. The Grey Howlers are the one thing that Alpha’s don’t have control of in their towns. Regardless of the location of each department, the Grey Howler Departments are Silverside’s territories. However, that doesn’t mean the Chiefs can’t be manipulated by the Alphas without Boris knowing about it.

Boris contracted with each town to provide them protection and by doing so made Boris one of the most valued werewolves this country has ever had. Not to mention the fiercest, the most powerful, and the richest.

Boris lives in the Silverside Manor with his wife, Nikini Conway, Son, Geoffrey Conway, and daughter, Makena Conway. The most known family in the country and yet somehow, he saw my photography and is interested in it?

It’s surreal.

“Did you hear me?” Marian asked, eyeing me. “Boris Conway is interested in your photography.”

I realized I hadn’t even said anything in response; I was dumbstruck.

“I sent it to him,” she answered, I stared at her confused. “He was a huge fan of your mother’s work and when I saw your photography, I saw her within your work.”

For the second time that day, my mouth hung open.

“My mom was a photographer?” I asked. I knew she loved art; painting and drawing were something we shared, which is why I wanted to continue pursuing it. But I had no idea she was a photographer.

Marian frowned.

“Yes. She was a freelance photographer for a long time. She traveled everywhere. I thought you knew,” Marian said.

The more I learned about my mother, the more in awe I was of her. That must have been how she made friends outside of Ironclaw, such as Monet and Alex.

“So anyways, Boris’s wife, Nikini, has been wanting to open a new art gallery in Silverside. So, they’ve been looking for some new art pieces to feature. I sent in some of my favorite work from the studio and they took a liking to Arina’s photography,” Marian continued to explain.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. From the looks of Mallory and Lucille, they couldn’t believe it either. Though, they didn’t particularly look as thrilled as I did.

“They want to come to the next art show we host and take a closer look at the photography and some of our other work,” Marian finished.

“They want to come here?” I asked, it came out as a whisper. “To see my photos?”

“Yes,” Marian confirmed. “When I know more details of when I’ll let you know. But be ready! This could be life-changing for you.”

Life-changing.

It seemed like the last few weeks have been nothing but life-changing. A month ago, I was just some lone wolf, trying to make it through without falling apart. Now I’m somebody’s Luna, and potentially being featured in what could be the biggest art gallery in the country.

None of this felt real.

A few hours later, from my desk, I could hear the mumbling of Mallory and Lucille.

“We work our butts off and she’s the one who gets recognized. She’s still a kid. How is that fair?” The voice came from Mallory.

“Nothing is set in stone yet. Her work is what got their attention, but once they are here and they see all the art we’ve created, I’m sure they’ll want to feature us too,” Lucille assured her.

“It’s just stupid that she comes in and outshines us like that,” Mallory hissed.

“Nobody is outshining anybody, Mal. Don’t let this one setback distract you from what’s important,” Lucille reminded her.

It was unsettling listening to them. The last thing I wanted to do was outshine anybody. I didn’t want to step on anybody’s toes. All I wanted was to create art and follow in my mother’s footsteps. I had no idea how close I was to doing that until now.

I couldn’t wait to go home and tell Jonathan about everything that I….

My thoughts trailed off as I remembered that Jonathan wasn’t home. I grew sad knowing that I didn’t have him there to talk. I know he’s only gone for a week, but my heart ached as I continued to miss him.

As I returned home that night, it felt weird returning to an empty house. It felt bigger and much quieter. I felt uncomfortable sleeping in his bed without him there to hold me. I felt hallow knowing he wasn’t there to protect me. He wouldn’t have left me if he had thought for a second that I was in any danger.

He said he had friends in dangerous areas that he didn’t want me to go to. He remembered that some friends, of his family, were at my mother’s funeral, which meant they must have known her. Anything they could know would help us greatly in investigating her death.

I knew my mother was sad due to my father’s constant verbal and physical abuse, not to mention emotional neglect. But I know she would never kill herself. Knowing what she did about my father, she would never have left me in that situation.

“Jonathan?” Sitting in my wolf form, I spoke through my mind to him. I had just finished my hunting for the night and now I was allowing for the cold autumn night air to wash through my blonde fur. I was trying to hold off on contacting him until he contacted me, not wanting to interrupt his investigation. But I couldn’t stop thinking about him. I wasn’t sure if it was my wolf-self that was thinking about him or my human-self. But I knew I needed to speak with him.

“Everything okay?” He asked, his voice roaming through my mind.

“I just wanted to hear your voice,” I told him honestly.

“I’ve been missing you,” he said softly. “I’m glad you called.”

“Yeah?” I asked. “Did you find out anything?”

“Nothing we don’t already know. But your mother knew a lot of people. It seemed like she traveled a lot,” he told me.

“Yes, and I think now understand why,” I told him.

“What did you find out?” He asked.

“She was a freelance photographer. She traveled everywhere to take photos. I thought she just loved art, but she loved photography too,” I told him.

“That explains a lot,” Jonathan agreed.

“She must have given up on photography because of Rock. His abuse left her with self-doubt and depression,” I said sadly. “I remember when I was young, she would spend a lot of time with me in my room to get away from him. We would stay in my room for hours with the curtains closed. I thought it was weird because it was clearly daytime, and I never understood why she spent so much time inside…” my voice trailed off.

“Do you think it was because she was depressed? Or because Rock wouldn’t let her leave?” Jonathan asked.

“Both,” I told him softly. “She was depressed, and she was a prisoner. She was imprisoned by him, and I didn’t even know it.” After a breath of silence, I added, “How could an Alpha do that to his luna? She was so afraid of him because he did nothing but ridicule and beat her. Knowing an Alpha has that much power and strength that he could use his force to hurt someone smaller and weaker, it’s terrifying.”

“Alphas aren’t supposed to use their claws and teeth to hurt their lunas,” Jonathan muttered. “They are meant to be used to protect their lunas.”

“I don’t think Rock got the memo,” I responded.

“It’s not just Rock using his strength to hurt Emlin. It’s Rock breaking the law of a werewolf. It’s an unforgivable act and something that could jeopardize him being an Alpha,” Jonathan explained.

“We don’t have any actual proof,” I told him, sounding defeated.

“But we will. We aren’t going to give up on this yet. I promise, Arina, I will stop at nothing until we figure out what exactly happened that night your mother died,” he assured me.

I felt my heart skip a beat at his words. I wished he was here. At that moment, I just wanted to hug him and k**s him and tell him how much I loved him.

I thought about telling him the news about how Boris Conway is interested in my work and how Nikini Conway is opening an art gallery that might feature my photography. But that sounds like something I should tell him in person. So, I decided to keep that to myself for right now.

“I’ve been thinking about you a lot today. I have to admit though, I’m not sure if it’s my wolf-self, or human-self,” I admitted. I heard him chuckling lightly.

“Are you happy with your new marriage?” He asked; his question took me by surprise.

“Of course, I am,” I told him, without hesitation.

“As am I,” he said softly. “I love you, Arina. I want to spoil you for the rest of your life.” That brought a smile to me.

“Jonathan, what would have happened if I didn’t dial the wrong number that night?” I asked him.

He was quiet for a moment.

“Eventually, I would have found you.”