Stronger- #Wattys2019

Part 32

The internal turmoil bubbled and raged as Alexander wallowed in guilt. Nothing had gone as planned. Everything about Nadine had left him off kilter and unable to remain in control the way he was accustomed to.

Things were supposed to be simple. He had it all planned out. After Claudia, he never looked another female in the eye. He didn't want a lover. He didn't want a mate. He couldn't risk allowing another into his life.

Then his life fell apart. His worst nightmare toppled him over with the most intoxicating grey eyes. He hadn't meant to find her, to see her. It was an accident. And everything after that had been one mistake after another. Each mistake proof of his earlier thoughts, he was meant to be alone.

The days events warred with his instincts, making him jittery and desperate to release his overwhelming emotions. Unfortunately for the Wade Pack gamma, he was the first prisoner to face the barely controlled fury of the Wolf King.

Slamming the door open, molten amber eyes focused on the chocolate haired man left naked and chained to the wall. "Let's get this started."

A dark chuckle bubbled up from the former gamma. "Are you sure you're the one in control here? You seem pretty pussy whipped to me."

Alexander frowned slightly, before he slammed his fist into the man's face. "So, your sniveling pup of a leader chose to invade my home, to attack other alphas, over the supposed slight to his mate's sister and you want to call me whipped? Please."

"My daughter was tricked! Liam was duty bound to fight for her honor!"

"I'm not going to argue with your stupidly thick head over a fair fight. She lost, end of story. The rest of this was over reaction. Especially since you followed a fucking rogue to do it." Another hit landed in the prisoner's ribs.

The news got his attention though. The former gamma's face twisted in confusion once the pain eased enough for the words to be processed.

The king didn't wait to continue. "Did you know that laws were passed nearly thirty years ago, forbidding the abuse of omegas?"

Brown hair fell slightly as the man's head tilted, not wanting to answer, but full of questions. "Changing a law won't change nature. Why try?"

Alexander sucked on his teeth and shook his head. "Your daughter broke the law. She issued a challenge to someone she thought was an omega, knowing that if her rank was accurate, she could have killed her for nothing more than being weaker than her. It was an abuse of power." Amber eyes stared deeply into brown eyes as they started to understand. "Had Nadine actually been the omega your daughter thought she was, your daughter's life would have been forfeit. Something the Council and I were willing to overlook as it turned out the girl had a wolf after all. But you realize that now, don't you? You fought her."

The gamma gulped. "The female alpha." Of course the man knew about the wolf ahead of time. The only information he hadn't known was that she was an alpha.

"The female alpha." Alexander confirmed. "My mate. Your queen." Admitting it again came easier, more natural despite the still coiled confusion.

"That bitch will never be my queen." The gamma's rage rushed forward again.

Fingers pressed into his face, nails dug into the soft flesh as he was forced to look at the more dominant wolf. "Watch what you say about my mate."

"Or what? You'll kill me like you did Liam? She isn't even your true mate!"

"Liam was a pathetic pup. He left your daughter vulnerable and jaded, ripe for breaking the law. Worse, he left your other daughter in a dangerous position and your pack suffering the consequences." The king glared at the gamma as he stiffened at the reminder of his older daughter, Liam's mate. "Did he even tell you he was made rogue? That Liam was stripped of his alpha title and banished?"

The growl that ripped from the man in front of him told him enough. He hadn't told his pack.

"Nineteen members of your pack were killed or seriously injured, following a fucking rogue!" The fury started to boil over. "And for what? For the supposed honor of someone who broke the law. I tried to let it slide, I tried to leave your girl out of this. Instead, Liam forced shame on your entire pack. Then, ran like a fucking coward, leaving his mate to face me for his crimes."

"No! She's innocent! She had nothing to do with this! She wasn't here and didn't know!" Her father fought against the silver shackles that bound him.

There was a long slow moment as Alexander tried to fight the smirk that wanted to pull at his lips. He had the gamma where he wanted him. He was obviously driven by the love of his children. "I have guards headed for your pack to bring her here."

"She's pregnant. That's why she didn't come. She shouldn't be traveling. Please!"

"Oh, but we can't leave her out there on her own. What if Liam tries to contact her? Would she help her mate, aid and abed a rogue on the run? Or would she follow him? I can't imagine that would be safe for her pregnancy or for a newborn pup. I'm sure you wouldn't want that for your grandchild."

The man crumbled a little.

Exactly what the king had been hoping for.

"What do you want?" The gamma's voice rasped.

Looking down at the weak wolf in front of him, Alexander shrugged. "I need to know what's really going on. This..." He gestured around him vaguely. "This was about far more than your whining daughter. No pack risks the lives of their best warriors to take on the royal pack. This is overkill for the ego of one little girl, I don't care who she is."

Dark brown eyes glared at the king. "You're not the savior you think you are. Lashing out at innocent people, fighting to control what can't be stopped."

Alexander pulled back to watch the gamma. "What innocent people? Your pack attacked. There's nothing innocent about going after pups."

"And what of my sister, huh? She disappeared and rumor is you killed her. What could your father's beta female have done that was worth taking her life? What of her mate? Or their daughter, your own mate? Or have you forgotten my niece already? Traded her memory for that omega slut?"

There it was. The source of his rage and anger. Alexander was right, it was deeper than the challenge only days ago.

"So, you thought you knew what happened and sought revenge? Why would Liam care?"

The man snorted as he rolled his eyes. "Liam has his own reasons. You're not as loved and supported as you think. Many alphas despise you. And you're too arrogant to even notice."

The king roared in pent up frustration. Why? Why now? Why was his past suddenly crawling out of the shadows to seek him again? He knew the answer... Nadine. Whether they knew she was his mate or not, she was the spark which started a fire in his enemies. And now, they knew the truth. She was a breath of fresh air which could fuel their retribution or smother it.

What would happen to Alexander? Would he burn in the process? Or would he learn to breathe again?

Caught in his competing emotions and memories, he let go. Taking his uncertainty and rage on the man in front of him. The gamma thought he was a savior figure, Alexander would prove him wrong. He was an alpha. And no alpha held that spot without a little violence along the way. It was their nature to fight in order to protect, to dominate in anyway possible as a means of maintaining control. And through it all, he was the alpha of alphas. He was at the top of the food chain. A lesson the gamma was quickly going to learn.