Mated To The Wrong Alpha
Chapter 19

Over breakfast preparations, Ava confided to Helen that Arthur thought Marla needed a friend.

Helen snorted and shook her head.

“That girl can put on the best act around the males and they buy it every time, hook, line and sinker! I can only imagine the tale she spun for Arthur. ‘I was just trying to be friendly. Everyone misunderstands me. And I’m still so broken up over Ryne.’ Bull! She’s mad because Ryne lost the challenge and now she isn’t lady of the house.” Helen was getting worked up and beating the eggs faster and faster as she spoke, the sticky mixture threatening to fly over the edge of the bowl. “Arthur, of course, won’t hear anything against her. He’s still too caught up in misplaced guilt over her father, which was not his fault, no matter what he says! And then, when you throw in the incident with Ryne; well, we all know how that messed with his head!”

As Helen paused for breath, Ava interrupted, not understanding one of Helen’s earlier comments. “Wait. Back up. What happened with Marla’s father?”

“Dietrich? He died in a freak accident about eight or ten years ago. Arthur was, oh, about fifteen or sixteen at the time, I think—barely out of being a pup, in my mind—but he wanted to learn how to do patrols.” Helen set down the whisk she’d been using to beat the eggs and gave Ava her full attention. “Even back then, Arthur was showing leadership potential. While all the other boys were sniffing around the females, he was trying to learn pack business. He was such a serious little fellow.” She smiled reminiscently. “Anyway, Dietrich said he’d take Arthur with him and show him the ropes. It should have been a basic patrol, especially with a young one along, but Dietrich was showing off, at least that’s my opinion. He took Arthur over some of the roughest territory we own, down by the cliffs and ravines—there was absolutely no need to go there.” Helen shook her head. “Dietrich was running full out, which was just plain craziness on that type of terrain, probably trying to show up Arthur and prove that he couldn’t keep up with the adult males.”

Giving a heavy sigh, Helen concluded the tale. “To make a long story short, Dietrich missed his step and fell down a ravine, breaking his neck. He died instantly, but, at the time, Arthur didn’t know that. Arthur tried to reach him and when he realized he couldn’t, he ran back for help. Of course, it was too late.” She paused and pursed her lips.

Ava recalled Arthur’s early warnings. “That was one of the first things Arthur warned me about, not to go near the ravines by myself. Now I know why. He probably relives the horror of the experience every time someone is in that area.”

Helen nodded. “The accident affected Arthur deeply. Everyone told him he wasn’t responsible, that Dietrich knew the area and should have been watching, but Arthur wouldn’t listen. He felt it was his fault for wanting to go along, for not getting help fast enough. That boy beat himself up for months over the accident. Then, he pulled himself together and decided that he should be Marla’s protector. Arthur said that with her father gone, it was his job to watch out for her.”

“But what about Marla’s mother?”

“Jeannie left a few months after the accident. She’d married into the pack and decided to go back home.” Helen shrugged. “I don’t think she ever really felt comfortable away from them. Some wolves are like that; they can’t make the transition no matter how long they’re with another pack. Marla didn’t want to leave; she’d been born here, after all. So Arthur promised to keep an eye on her. He got her an apartment, helped her get her driver’s license and even tried to screen her boyfriends.”

She smiled at the image of a young Arthur trying to vet who Marla dated. That probably hadn’t gone over well!

“Marla, being Marla, lapped up all the attention and put on her ‘poor little me’ act whenever she wanted something. Arthur never could see through it. I suppose guilt blinded him. For a while, I thought Marla would talk Arthur into being mates. They dated a bit, but then she switched over to Ryne.” Helen resumed preparing the eggs, adding a dash of salt and pepper. “I think Arthur was confused at first. After being responsible for her for so long, he didn’t know what to do. About that same time though, he became Zack’s Beta and threw himself into the job wholeheartedly. Zack and I used to worry about him.” A frown marred the woman’s brow as she slowly stirred the eggs again. “The poor boy always tried too hard, worrying about everyone else before himself. That was one of the reasons Zack had Ryne become co-Beta. He was trying to get Arthur to ease up and start living his own life. It only worked for a while though. And now with Zack gone, well…it’s all back on Arthur’s shoulders again.”

Ava spoke softly. “I guess that explains why Arthur wants me to be nice to Marla. He still feels responsible for her.”

Helen snapped out of her reverie. “Yes, but he should be more concerned about you. You’re his mate, after all, not Marla. Mind you, Marla’s playing all her cards right. She knows exactly what buttons to push to get Arthur to do what she wants. Right now, she’s got Arthur thinking it’s his fault she’s by herself. He feels guilty about being the reason Ryne left, even though the challenge was Ryne’s own idea. And Marla could have gone with Ryne if she chose—I’m sure he asked her—but the idea of living on the road and trying to find a new pack, or forming one of their own, would have seemed like too much work for her. Oh, no. She wanted to stay right here in the lap of luxury, with a well-established pack and a hefty bank balance.” Helen had once again picked up a head of steam while talking about Marla and resumed vigorously beating the already thoroughly whisked eggs.

“Um, Helen?” She decided she should try to save the eggs, surprised they hadn’t turned into meringue! “I think the eggs are ready now.” She raised her eyebrows and looked meaningfully at the frothing bowl.

“Oh!” Helen stared nonplussed at the dish and gave a guilty chuckle. “Sorry, but I’ve never liked nor trusted that girl, and the idea that Arthur is trying to make you befriend her just makes my b***d boil. Why, I’ve a good mind to go and tell him—”

She laid her hand on Helen’s arm. “It’s okay, Helen. Arthur is really stressed from all of the problems the pack seems to be having right now. If befriending Marla for a while takes one worry away from him, , then I guess I can do it. I might not like it, but I’ll do it.”

Helen studied Ava’s face for a minute, then smiled. “Ava, I know your mating was arranged but…are you falling for our Alpha?”

Shrugging, she turned and busied herself buttering the toast. “I honestly don’t know. Before I was mated to him, I had a boyfriend named Seth. We’d been friends all our lives and I thought I was in love with him, but now…I don’t know. I mean, if I really loved Seth, how could I be drawn to Arthur? I haven’t known Arthur for that long, but I do like him as a person. He’s been very considerate, and when we’re together, there’s this feeling, a connection, that just seems so right.”