Fated To the Alpha by Jessica Hall
Chapter 163: Andrei POV
I sat in my office bored as I looked over the business portfolio’s. I really needed to get into the City and check on things. Some of our pack businesses had taken a major hit recently, there was no explanation for it that I could find, yet the numbers were dropping. Sitting back I toss the file down on my desk when Zane walks in.
“What’s up, have you seen Sage?” I ask him, wondering what she was getting up to today, she was always so busy now making me suspicious of her activities and a lot of the time, I struggled to find her. Or when I did she was always in the fields helping our men with harvesting and gardening.
Or sewing, she spent a lot of time sewing now. Not that it bothered me but it did make me wonder if she was trying to provide the entire pack with quilts with the amount she had made so far.
“Think she is off with Vince and Casen in the fields” Zane says, not meeting my eye and I lean forward bracing my arms on my desk watching him.
“That didn’t sound like a very sure answer, Zane” He sighs running a hand through his hair.
“She was there last I checked, I have been busy dealing with the Southern border”
“Another attempt?” I ask him and he shrugs, I knew they weren’t telling me how bad the rogue situation was getting on that border. Yet I trusted they would tell me if I needed to intervene.
“ So why are you here?” I ask, turning back to the many documents causing my headaches.
“I was checking the business reports earlier” I held them up, also trying to figure out where the money was going and why we were slipping under into the red on a few of them.
“You think it is odd too?”
“Yep, any idea on what’s going on?” I ask him.
“I was talking with Derrick before he left, I think we need to change accountants”
“That is also what I am thinking too, the reports from the managers don’t match the accountants”
“Want me to handle it?” Zane asks. “You want to deal with it?” I ask him.
“I can take Malik, or wait for your father to return and take him, he is better with this stuff then me” Zane admits and he was right, having my father here was a blessing and a torment, though now he has been gone a few days I have noticed his absence and how much he was helping out.
“Yeah wait for Derrick to come back and let him handle it with you” Zane sighs, taking a seat and I realize it is nearly 4PM. The day slipped by quickly. Everyday seemed to blur past me these days, I felt like I was on autopilot most of the time.
Getting up I grab my coffee mug and head to the kitchen and dump it in the sink. Zane follows me upstairs to the surveillance room.
“ I can check them, why don’t you go shower and then find Sage” He offers. I don’t know what is going on with him the last few days since my father left, but he has been up my @ssconstantly like a bad wedgie.
“It’s fine Zane, you go find Sage and tell her to come home for me” I tell him and he looks at the surveillance cameras nervously and I c*oc*k my head to the side observing him, he seemed worried about something.
“Definitely, why doesn’t he want us checking the cameras?” Donnie says, also thinking he had been acting odd the last couple of days.
I walk in, kicking the cameras on not noticing anything suspicious at first and I could feel Zane lingering behind me and I look over my shoulder at him to realize he was mindlinking someone.
Turning back to game cameras, I spot movement. I watch the figures freeze and turn around noticing Sage somewhere she shouldn’t be. Vince and Casen with her. They look back toward the packhouse and Zane takes in a sharp breath behind me.
My blood instantly starts boiling in my veins, there was no reason for Sage to be out that far and why so close to where she was captured by me. She knew that was out of bounds. I had already Str!pped shreds of both boys last time I caught her out of bounds.
Barging past Zane he tries to grab my arm. “Let me explain, they mean no harm Alpha” he says in a rush.
“Now why would you need to explain unless you were aware of this?” I growl at him before shoving him off. I rush out of the packhouse walking around the back of it and running through the trees in their direction.
They had to p@ssme to get back to the fields and Donnie urged me faster, forcing partial control. A growl tears out of me when I hear them running from me, I quickly catch their scents before spotting them. I pick up my pace tackling Vince in his wolf form.
He whimpers and we both slam into a tree making Sage and Casen stop in their tracks. A menacing growl escapes me as I get up.
“ Someone care to explain what the f*uc*k you three are doing this far out?” They all looked at me yet I noticed the baskets they were carrying were now gone.
I looked at Sage who looked at Casen petrified. Casen steps forward to say something and I step toward him when Sage yanks him back, stepping in front of him.
“We weren’t doing anything wrong” She says and I feel my anger building, she knows she shouldn’t be out this far. Vince shifts beside me and I look down at his n@ked form and he ducks his head and I reach down to grab him.
“It’s not their fault, Andrei. Let them go” Sage speaks, making me look at her but they knew where she was allowed to be and it wasn’t here.
“ I am going to give you 5 seconds to answer my question or- ” I was cut off by movement behind me and I turned to see Zane and Malik behind me. I growl forcing my Alpha aura out and making the drop to the ground.
Turning back around I find everyone on their hands and knees fighting the urge to submit. Walking over to Sage, I grip her arm, yanking her to her feet. Casen goes to protest but I glare at him and he bares his neck to me.
I start stomping through the forest dragging her with me, Donnie growling and pacing in my head wanting to punish them for risking her life by taking her so close to the borders.
“Speak Sage before I f*uc*king explode” I tell her as she stumbles trying to keep up with me. I keep a tight grip on her so she doesn’t fall but I was much too angry to stop. I didn’t trust myself not to hurt one of them.
“I was taking food to the rogues” She blurts out and I freeze looking down at her.
“You were what?” I scream at her and she flinches at my anger and I f0rce myself to take a deep breath, trying to calm myself before I do something I couldn’t come back from like hurt her. I grit my teeth and I could feel my entire body trembling with rage.
“They just need help, I wanted to help them” She says and I keep walking through the forest toward the packhouse, I was aware of them trailing at a distance behind us, knew they were waiting for me to lose it. I had no doubt they would attack me for her but I wouldn’t hurt her no matter how much she angers me.
“Andrei please, let-”
“Don’t Sage” I warn her as the packhouse comes into view. I push her ahead letting her walk on her own and she stops making me run into her.
“Keep walking, don’t f*uc*king tempt me right now, sage” I wanted to lock her in my basement where I knew she would be safe, where she couldn’t run off and if she defies me she might just find herself down there. She lets out a breath but continues to walk.
She stops at the door pressing her hand to the panel. The door unlocks and I shove her inside before slamming the door and removing her palm print so she can’t get out. She bangs on the door as I lock her in.
“Andrei, no. Please don’t lock me in. Let me explain” I ignore her walking away and back to the treeline. Zane was standing there waiting for me with his hands out like he was trying to cage a wild animal.
“Where are they?” I ask him.
“I sent them home, but Andrei you don’t need to do this. She only wanted to help them”
“Show me, ” I tell him. Zane shakes his head.
“No”
“Excuse me? You will f*uc*king show me where she goes. Now I know why I can never find her, how long Zane. How long has she been sneaking around behind my back, and how many of you knew?” I
ask him. I felt betrayed, they were lying to me, my own f*uc*king mate has been lying to me.
“The last 2 months, they haven’t been coming in search of food since she started doing it Andrei”
“She f*uc*king kept it from me” I scream at him.
“Because she knew you would be like this, we all kept it from you” He tells me.
“How many knew, f*uc*king tell me Zane”
“Everyone but you,” He says, shocking me. I take a step back.
“Everyone as in the entire fcking pack knew and not one of you said anything, I am your fcking Alpha” I scream at him, taking a step toward him my fists clenching by my sides with the urge to punch him.
“And she is our Luna, ” Zane says.
“Not yet she isn’t, now f*uc*king take me to them” “We don’t see them, we drop the baskets and
that’s it, the next day they are empty” Zane says.
“I won’t ask again, f*uc*king tell me” I warn him. He scrubs a hand down his face.
“You hurt them, she wont forgive you this time, the f*uc*king waterfall but I won’t be helping oyuhunt down rogues, I am done with this sh*t Andrei” He says before stomping off toward the packhouse.
“Where are you going?”
“To check on my Luna” He snaps at me and I growl at him. I turn heading into the forest.
I found the spot yet the baskets were gone and I am pretty sure they never got a chance to drop them here. I squat by a tree out of view of the river. I could feel them mindlinking me and I shove Zane and Malik out. Clay also tries but gives up but after a couple of hours I mindlink Zane.
“How is Sage?” I ask Zane.
“How do you think she is, just come home to your mate and let it go Andrei” Zane says but I ignore him blocking him back out.
The light turned to darkness and I remained in my spot waiting to spot the rogues that they have been hiding from me. I waited hours, the night turning colder as it went on. Glancing down at my watch I press the b*tton and it lights up telling me it was 7:30 PM.
I was about to give up and turn back around when I heard movement on the other side of the river before a teenage boy stepped out with four others, a girl who looked around Sages age, and two others around 6 and lo years old. I watch as they walk along the river.
“There children Andrei” Donnie whispers in my head. I watched them look around for a bit before turning around in disappointment and my stomach sank.
“We were like them once” Donnie says and I growl at his words not wanting the reminder and they all freeze looking around for the threat. The older girl shifts and so does the teenage boy, both of them taking protective stances in front of the two children that weren’t old enough to shift. I step out of the shadows and the girl and boy step forward growling, backing toward the mountain base beside the waterfall.
The two children dart off toward the cave behind it when the younger one, a boy, is shoved under the water by the f0rce. The she -wolf howled and the teenage wolf rushed over before freezing when my eyes darted to the boy that was trapped to see the waterfall spit him out.
He starts coughing washing down stream and before I realise what I am doing I had stepped into the water and gripped his arm pulling him above the water. I wasn’t sure if I grabbed him or Donnie f0rced control.
I felt like a bystander in my own body as I pulled him to my side of the river. The she-wolf with matted brown fur growls jumping into the water and the boy shifts back reaching his arms into the waterfall and I knew the pressure must be K*lling his arms.
I watch as he helps the girl out of the cave, his eyes not leaving mine. The she-wolf shakes herself out of the water with her teeth bared, her eyes on the boy I had a hold of. I look down at the petrified child.
“Come with me” I tell no one in particular before turning around, pulling the child with me into the trees.
The she-wolf lunges at me, her teeth tearing into my leg and I growl before kicking my leg out on instinct, her body goes hurdling into a nearby tree.
“Don’t test me girl, now tell them to follow so you can come back to my Luna, the one who has been leaving the baskets” I tell her. She gets to her feet looking at the boy in my grip. I let him go and he instantly runs to the she-wolf who steps in front of him protectively.
“Come, don’t. I don’t care but food and shelter is that way” I tell them pointing toward the direction of my pack house. I start walking heading back home.
“What are you doing?” Donnie asks me.
“ I have no idea” I tell him as I trudge back home before hearing them following after a few minutes. Walking home, I walk a slightly different route and come across the baskets stuffed behind a tree. I stop bending down and picking one up.
The footsteps behind me stop and I rummage through it to see what’s inside. I find a quilt on the bottom folded neatly and recognise it as something Sage was working on last week with Malik. I swallow and look over my shoulder to find the boy that fell in the river staring at me, his clothes drenched. The she-wolf behind him and the other two a little further back.
I hold up an apple to the boy, he hesitantly reaches his hand out before snatching it and darting back to the she-wolf. I look past her to the girl before tossing one to her and she catches it with both hands.
“Grab the other basket” I tell her before getting up and walking again. I walk for a few minutes before hearing the she-wolf growl loudly making me stop to stare back at her when a hand grabs mine.
I looked down at the boy blinking at him in shock before staring at my hand he was holding. His brown eyes peered back up at me before he looked ahead, biting back into the apple I gave him. I close my hand around his small one and continue walking back home.