The Possessive Alpha
Chapter 77

ALPHA CHARLES

Even after twenty years of being mated, sparks still engulf my body when I have Olivia in my arms—sitting together in my office chair while our closest friends sit in the chairs around the room. It’s been quiet for the last ten minutes while they process all the information we just told them regarding Elle.

According to Cynthia’s strict rules, it was time to include the pack; it was becoming annoying following every rule she set for Elle’s life, treating her like a pawn on a chessboard. But the unbreakable vow I made all those years ago only cares that I don’t f**k up the promises I made.

While Toby and Sam process, I can tell Jake and Ashley knew more about the whole situation than they were letting on, based on the side glances they give each other. It wouldn’t surprise me, though; Andrew always tells his parents everything. I don’t think the kid has ever lied to them, unlike Matt, who would lie to his heart’s content if it meant saving his Alpha’s a*s and partially as blackmail for a later time.

“I always suspected there was more to Elle than you two let on,” Toby finally spoke, “she was always too strong for an Omega.”

“Damon was always too obsessed with her to be an Omega,” Sam chimes in, “he might have felt an attraction to her, but never that level of obsession. I told Melanie a million times not-.” A large, frantic male bursts into the room, scanning the room, his eyes wild while he takes us in, drinking our scotch, relaxing after a long night of endless questions and two shifts.

“Where is Theo? What happened? Is he alive? Why did his link break?” the man huffs, breathless like he ran a hundred miles to get here, his clothing disheveled, his hair sticking up at odd ends.

“Simon,” Olivia says, her Luna voice shining through as she talks to him calmly, standing up from my lap to pour him a drink and direct him to one of the open seats. “Please, have a seat.”

“No!” He barks, his aura starting to become darker, putting pressure on even me, but as a council Beta, he can influence me too. “Not until someone tells me what the hell happened to my son!”

“Theo is fine,” I say, taking a sip from my drink, observing him as his eyes finally return to their everyday shade and his breathing evens out.

“Theo is alive?” he asks, taking the scotch Olivia hands to him, drinking the whole thing in one gulp before sitting in the chair nearest him. As if anticipating he’d need another, Olivia refills his drink before sitting back on my lap. “Then why did I feel his pack bond snap?”

“Were you not at Elle’s shift tonight?” Toby asks, glancing between the rest of us, his confusion evident.

“No,” Simon replies, his voice as cold as ice as his eyes shoot daggers at Toby. “I had council matters to attend to. Who is Elle?”

“You haven’t met Elle?” Oliva asks, tilting her head to the side, “I am surprised that Theo hasn’t introduced you to her yet. I guess he will have to know that she is his new Luna, and he is her Beta.”

“What are you talking about?” Simon demands, looking at the others in the room for clarification that he heard right, “Beta for who? Surely, not Damon? Because Theo can only be a beta for the rightful Alpha of Silver Run. It was one of the only conditions given to me by the council when they offered me the job.”

“We know,” I reply, taking another drink of the scotch before lifting Olivia out of my lap, getting up from the chair walking toward a painting on the other end of the room. “We know the requirements for new council members. Your lineage is denied from officially joining any pack other than your origin.” I continue while punching in the unlock code on the safe hidden behind the painting.

“Then you know it’s impossible unless…” Simon’s voice trails off as his mind races to catch up to what we are saying. Taking the large accordion folder from its home of many years and the small envelope with his name on it, I walk it over to him as a chuckle escapes his lips and realization ignites within his eyes. “Cynthia, of course. She was always ten steps ahead of everyone else.”

“Here,” I say, handing him the folder, knowing it’s time to finally let him in on the whole plan, what we know of it at least.

“What’s this?” he asks, puzzled as he takes the file, arms buckling from the unexpected weight.

“Every spell, incantation, and legal precautions Cynthia and Alaric took to protect Penelope. However, that’s not her real name. It can all be found there,” I say dryly, refilling my drink. Jake and Toby stand next to me, filling their cups as well, staying silent while Simon asks all the questions I already answered for them an hour again.

“Jesus f*****g Christ,” Simon exclaims, looking at the accordion file in his hands, “a Guttenberg is lighter than this shit.”

“Well, there are descriptions of over two- hundred and fifty spells. All of which have been placed on Elle or those around her,” Olivia informs him as she drinks another sip, but our bond tells me the exhaustion is starting to affect her. But I know she will stand beside me until the matter is resolved. “Most are to repress the mate bond, but some are to change her appearance or that of others to look like her. There are a couple of spells to confuse those she meets, l like Theo.”

“He doesn’t recognize her?” Simon asks, confused, “Not even Cerberus?”

“Cerebrus does, but these spells maintain a disconnect between our human selves and wolves. So the wolves will recognize one another, but they won’t be able to tell their human,” I tell him as he looks at the file, completely overwhelmed and a little heartbroken that he knows none of this, that he wasn’t trusted as a beta to know what his Alpha had planned.

Based on the looks Jake and Toby are giving him, I can tell they empathize with Simon, a pang of guilt stabbing me in the chest, knowing I caused them to feel untrusted in their positions. “Why didn’t they tell me?” “Did they think me untrustworthy? That I wouldn’t protect my Luna?” Simon whispers, looking between us, trying to figure out why we were told when he wasn’t Alaric’s Beta.

“I don’t know, Simon,” I tell him truthfully as I sit next to him and hand him the envelope addressed to him in Alaric’s wiry scrawl, “Alaric left this for you to explain everything.”

“Thank you,” Simon says, “I’ll read it later. Why did they bring Elle here?” He asks, stumbling over Elle’s name, almost calling her Penelope as he is accustomed to.

“Damon,” Olivia says, giving me a sheepish look at spilling the beans, but honestly, telling Simon the truth is like a huge weight being lifted off my shoulders.

“I should have known,” Simon mutters, shaking his head, “that boy was always weirdly possessive and jealous of her, even at a young age. I swear there were a few times he would have killed Theo for daring to be her Beta.”

I cannot help but chuckle aloud, and neither can anyone else, forcing him to give us a questioning look, but it’s Jake who clues him in, “I think he almost killed Matt more than a few times since her arrival, he’s like his father and doesn’t know how to keep his mouth shut.”

“It’s not in our nature,” Toby replies, sounding bored with a shrug of the shoulders, and he isn’t wrong; every male from their family always has a foot or two in their mouth.

“He’s also like his father and loves to torment his Alpha,” I quip, with a glance, “I remember the way you would comment about Olivia to watch me get all pissy about it.” My words earn a growl from Sam, the most jealous mate I have ever met, and I am an Alpha. If looks could kill, Toby would be dead a hundred times over. ‘Thanks for that,’ he grumbles in my head.

‘Did I get you in trouble?’ I reply, through the mindlink, ‘I didn’t realize. I was only reminiscing on fond childhood memories. Karma’s a real b***h isn’t she?’

“So, how is the plan progressing?” Simon asks, not wasting time on the nitty-gritty of the situation, “like, is it on schedule?” I can tell that knowing Elle is alive when he thought she was dead is pushing his wolf’s sense of loyalty. He was born into that pack, and his family had held the Beta position since the creation of Silver Run.

“Good,” I shrug. Things have gone too perfectly. A secret part of me is waiting for the other shoe to drop. “Everything Cynthia said would happen has, and it seems we are on track for Damon to mark Elle by his birthday ball.”

“Is she eighteen yet?” he asks, his face scrunching, trying to recall but unsurprisingly comes up empty thanks to all the f*****g meddling.

“We don’t know; every birth certificate in that folder has different birthdates listed. We were only given one date, her first shift when the spells have worn off, so that Scarlett may come through,” I say, taking another swig from my drink, “do you know why Cynthia would hide Elle’s real birthday?” I ask him the question that has been nagging me for years to find the answer.

“Who knows,” he says, looking down at the file in his hands, “but knowing Cynthia, she had to have a good reason to do it, but I don’t have a clue what the reason is.” I shouldn’t have expected much. The poor man didn’t even know his Luna was still alive until a few minutes ago.

“I’m sorry they didn’t tell you, Simon,” I say, refilling his drink and handing it back to him, the meaning clear in the gesture. While I was always closer to Alaric, Simon was a loyal Beta, and he didn’t deserve to be kept in the dark like this.

“So what’s next in Cynthia’s master plan?” He asks, and I notice that his voice sounds icy, his pride wounded at being excluded from deciding the best way to ensure that Elle, the Luna of Silver Run, stays safe until she can take over the pack.

“Hope their wolves can break through the spells and convince their humans to mark each other, right?” Toby asks as his mate, Sam, quietly sleeps against his chest. Looking around the room to find the other women asleep as well, and glancing at the clock, I realize it’s seven am.

“Pretty much,” I grumble, still struggling with many of Cynthia’s choices regarding Elle and Damon. “Hopefully, the kid can seal the deal before the ball, and we know Tiberius is coming for her. Only a matter of time before it happens. If I were a betting man, he would make his move sometime this weekend when the territory has quests and warriors are spread thin.” Knowing that Tiberius, who is older than me, has been actively coming after Elle since childhood makes the bile in my stomach rise to my throat while Poseidon growls loudly in anger.

“And what happens if they don’t?” Simon asks, his face and voice full of nerves.

“Hope that Damon and Slade don’t kill us all,” I say while downing the rest of my drink; the other men are doing the same, no one saying a word because we all know the truth of my words.