Mated To The Wrong Alpha
Chapter 24

Ava and Helen worked together to clean up the meeting room, having sent Carrie off to bed. With her pregnancy so far advanced, she tired easily and her ankles were swollen. As Ava gathered paper plates and napkins, she glanced towards the front of the room. A few people still remained talking to Arthur and John. Marla was standing near the edge of the group and seemed to be trying to catch Arthur’s attention, but the Alpha was too busy to notice.

Helen walked by with the remains of the slab cake and paused, taking in the scene. “Marla made a strategic error tonight when she mentioned selling the land. Now she’s trying to backpedal. Arthur loves this place and he’s been worried sick about losing even a corner of it. Her ‘playing devil’s advocate’ line didn’t go over well. William could get away with it—Arthur knows he’s a crafty old coot and was setting things up so the facts could be stated; but Marla was simply planting seeds of doubt. It’s going to take something pretty big to get her back into Arthur’s good graces.” Smiling smugly, Helen went on her way.

Ava finished collecting the garbage, keeping one eye on the group at the front. Eventually, it was down to Arthur, John, Marla, and Franz. Marla was looking distinctly irritated that Arthur was basically ignoring her, and Ava wondered how the woman couldn’t get the message. Shrugging, she began to gather the chairs, stacking them in the corner.

“Ava, I can do that.” Arthur began to walk away from the group, but Marla grabbed his arm.

“Arthur, I need to talk to you—” The curvaceous blonde pressed herself closer to Arthur, but he stepped away.

“Marla, I’m tired. Whatever you need to say, you can tell John.”

“Oh, but I was hoping you’d be able to drive me home tonight. One of my headlights isn’t working and…”

Arthur cut her off. “Franz is heading into town, aren’t you Franz?” The man nodded. “I’m sure he’d be willing to give you a lift, or follow behind your car, to make sure you get home in one piece.” Pulling his arm free, Arthur walked away and started to fold up chairs, failing to see the astonished look on Marla’s face, which then turned into a pout. Abruptly, the woman turned and stomped out of the room. John and Franz shrugged and continued their conversation.

Ava had watched the whole incident with interest. Helen was right. Arthur was upset, and Marla would have to do some fancy footwork to get on his good side again. The thought pleased her, and she was barely able to stifle her smile. Arthur was her mate, and while she wasn’t sure exactly how she felt about him, she did know that she couldn’t tolerate the idea of Marla getting her claws into him.

Between the two of them, they soon had the chairs put away. John carried the coffee urn upstairs and Helen declared that the room was ‘good enough’ for the night.

“We can vacuum, wipe the tables, and deal with the presents tomorrow. I don’t know about you young people, but my old body doesn’t appreciate being up until midnight anymore.” With that, Helen took her leave and John headed upstairs as well.

Turning off the lights, Arthur put his arm around Ava’s waist and led her to their suite. Once upstairs, he wearily pulled his shirt off, stretching his neck as his tense muscles twinged. “What a day. I’m exhausted.” He dropped to the edge of the bed and took off his shoes and socks then rested his forearms on his knees. “I don’t know how it was for you, but the unease of the pack during that meeting was really noticeable to me. I’m not sure if John and I managed to reassure them sufficiently or not.” He exhaled gustily and rubbed the back of his neck.

Remembering her thoughts during dinner, she sat down beside him and began to rub his shoulders. “I think you did the best that you could, given the circumstances. It seems to me that with so much happening all at once, there’s really no way to completely soothe everyone’s concerns. You presented the facts, stated what you were doing to deal with the issues, and now they have to have faith that their Alpha will do his job.”

“Thanks. I know that the pack is behind me and some needed to air their concerns, but it’s really wearing trying to remain calm and reasonable. The Alphas of old would have ripped the throat out of anyone who questioned them or gave them a hard time. It wasn’t the right way to do things, but in some ways it was easier.” Arthur gave a rueful chuckle and smiled gratefully at her.

“Mmm, that shoulder massage feels good.” He leaned appreciatively into her hands.

“Here, lie down.” She gave him a gentle push and Arthur rolled onto his stomach. Straddling his h**s, she began to work on the stiff muscles of his shoulders, neck, and back. “My goodness,

I’ve felt concrete with more give than your back.”

“That’s where my stress always goes; right into my shoulders.” Arthur closed his eyes and gave a m**n of pleasure as her efforts began to meet with some success. “I can’t believe the mess I’m facing. When I was Beta, there were never this many problems, but since Zack’s death it’s been one thing after another.”

“You do seem to have more than your fair share to deal with.” She shifted to apply more pressure to a particularly nasty knot in his shoulder.

“Problems with hunters and trappers are common every fall, but this business with Ryne is really getting me down. I never would have thought he’d turn on his pack like this, and despite what I’m saying to the others, I’m beginning to have my doubts as to his innocence. There are too many coincidences.”

“What was Ryne like?”

“Well, he was always more impulsive than me. Quick to fly off the handle or jump to conclusions, but he was equally quick to apologize and admit he’d made a mistake. Ryne was hardworking and loyal to the pack, but he fit into the human world quite well, too. He had a promising career as a nature photographer and actually had a few exhibits of his work. They weren’t economically profitable, but there was quite a bit of critical praise for his pictures.”

She suddenly remembered the picture she’d seen and admired in the mall. It had been one of Ryne’s. Opening her mouth to comment on it, Arthur sighed and began talking again before she could speak.

“In the weeks before Zack’s death and the challenge, Ryne seemed to change. He’d usually been upbeat and sociable, but suddenly he was like a bear with a sore paw, keeping to himself and miserable with everyone. Something was bothering him, but he would never tell me what it was. Even so, it was a complete surprise when he issued the challenge for the leadership. He’d seemed happy as a co-Beta and more interested in pursuing photography than seeking more responsibility.

Being Alpha wouldn’t have left him with much time for taking pictures.”

“Did you ever consider not accepting the challenge?”

“No. There was something inside me that wouldn’t let me back down. Call it instinct or ego, but I knew that I had to step forward, that the pack needed me and I was the best man for the job. That’s not to say that on days like this, I don’t wish that I had remained a Beta.” He chuckled into the pillow.

“So what do you think Ryne’s doing right now? Is he really going around trying to hurt members of the pack as some sort of twisted revenge against you?”

“It’s the only reason I can think of, though any vendetta should be against me, not the whole pack.” Arthur shifted under her and rolled over, folding his hands behind his head. Her palms rested against his chest and their eyes locked. “I’ve had enough work for one day. Let’s talk about something more pleasant.” Reaching up, he twirled a lock of her hair around his finger. “Did you enjoy the party?”

“It was certainly a surprise—I honestly had no idea—and it was very nice of everyone to be so welcoming.”

“Helen and Carrie approached me with the idea the first day you were here. Initially, I thought it was a welcoming party for you, but somewhere along the line it became the next best thing to a bonding party. Both of them felt a public acknowledgement of our union was needed.” He shrugged then tugged gently on her hair, pulling her down so that she was lying on top of him. The steady beat of his heart thudded under her ear and he wrapped an arm around her waist while trailing his other hand up and down her spine.

“Are you happy here, Ava? I know it’s only been a few days, and I’ve been so caught up in business that I haven’t given you the attention you deserve but… Is it okay? Is this working for you?”

Feeling the warmth of his body spreading through hers and the play of his muscles beneath her, she could only think of how right it felt to be pressed against him, to feel such closeness. She nodded. “Yeah, so far it’s been okay.”

“Good.” He rubbed his hand leisurely up and down her back. “You know, I was nervous about this whole being mated business. I’ve never really had a family—a long boring story that I’ll tell you some day—but it’s something I’ve always wanted. I’ll give you fair warning, I’m not sure exactly how to be part of a small family unit. I know how to belong to a pack but being close to just one person is foreign to me. I promise I will do my best by you, though.”

She lifted her head and looked down at him. He seemed vulnerable at that moment, not the self-assured Alpha that had faced a large crowd a few hours earlier. “I know you will,” she whispered softly, pressing a gentle k**s to his lips.

“I think I’m going to like this.” He replied half teasing, but she could see the sincerity in his eyes. “It will be nice to be myself around someone and not always the stern, oh-so-wise Alpha.”

“Somehow, I think the Alpha part isn’t going to disappear simply because we’re alone.” She chuckled softly as she tried to picture Arthur being an ordinary, run of the mill person.

He considered the point. “You’re probably right. When I became Alpha, I could sense a change within myself, like a set of extra dominant chemicals or genes were suddenly set free within me. I’m trying to remain calm and impartial, but I find myself having to rein in my temper when someone opposes me.” He gave a rueful smile. “I guess the old instincts will always be there.”

“It’s who we are. Yes, we’ve evolved and become more civilized over the years, but on some level the wolf mentality will always be a part of us; it’s our heritage.”

“You’re pretty wise for one so young.” He kissed the tip of her nose.

“I’ve always thought so!” Smiling smugly, she rested her head on his chest again, gently tracing patterns on his upper arm with her fingertips. This was nice, being together, just talking.

There was a level of comfort developing between them and it made her feel good inside.

Arthur’s breathing was slowing and his arms around her waist were loosening their hold. Lifting her head, she saw that his eyes had shut and he was sound asleep. Carefully, she climbed off him and he murmured in protest but didn’t wake up. She changed into her nightgown, removed Arthur’s belt and pulled off his pants so he’d be more comfortable. Settling a blanket over him, she crawled into bed beside him.

“Good night, Arthur,” she whispered as she turned out the lights, quickly falling into a deep sleep with her head against the shoulder of her mate.