I'm the Alpha!

*Rowan*

“We need to tell her the truth.”
James sits across from me, nervously tapping his hand on the arm of the chair. I have a stack of papers in front of me which is meant to make him think I’m not paying attention, but if I’m honest, I haven’t thought about anything else all damn day.
I never should’ve gone into Hezzlie’s room last night. And yet, as the sun begins to set, casting long shadows across the carpet, I know I will do it again tonight, given the opportunity.
A picture of her writhing on the bed pops into my mind. I push it away. Again. It’s not the first time, and it won’t be the last time.
“There’s no need to tell her anything presently.” I set the papers down and straighten Mara’s picture. He lets out a frustrated sigh. “I’m glad you interceded before Wilma said more.”
He shakes his head. “I understand that you want Hezzlie left in the dark about the fact that she’s likely capable of shifting into a wolf up until we know for sure, but why not tell her the rest? If she knows who her father is and what you intend to do–why you’re doing it–”
“No.” It’s more of a bark than a carefully thought out response. “I’m not telling her anything. She’s a prisoner here, James, until I can figure out the best way to trade her.” Again, my eyes flicker to Mara. I imagine her sitting in a room similar to Hezzlie’s. I assume she’s kept to herself for the most part over the years. If that bastard has her chained up somewhere, I will kill him.
James lets out a sigh and adjusts in his chair. “I don’t get it.”
“She won’t understand that she can shift until she does so. Chances are, she will be able to, even if her mother is a measly human. Her father is a powerful Alpha King. Of course, she should be able to conjure up at least some sort of a scrawny little wolf.” I try to picture what her wolf will look like and come up with a small Husky dog instead.
“Okay, I get that. Her birthday will be here soon enough. We’ll find out then. But as for the rest of this, I don’t understand.”
“It’s not for you to understand, James.” I’m doing my best not to yell. “When she gets over there, I don’t want her to be able to tell the king anything. Not how badly we’ve missed Mara, certainly not mother’s state, and not a single detail about the kingdom. I can’t fucking believe Dean showed her around.”
“He showed her the kitchen, the dining room, a parlor or two, and the library.” He scoffs, shaking his head at me.
“What if she gleaned some information about the layout of the mansion and the number of troops we have on hand from that? She could share it with him.” He’s a healer. He doesn’t understand how much pressure there is on me as the pack Alpha to make sure that everyone is kept safe. That means keeping every bit of information on lock down, no matter how trivial it may seem to everyone else.
“Fine, Alpha. Whatever you say.” He’s given up. That’s good, I’m tired of talking about this. I want him to leave.
But another question pops into my head. “The mother? We’re sure she’s not important to him, right?”
“Right. She was just a bit of fun for him. A one-night stand from what I’ve gathered.”
I nod. “Good. Go ahead and send her home. Now.”
“Now? It’s almost dark. Besides, we promised her we’d have a birthday party for Hezzlie since she can’t stay for her birthday. It’s to be held Friday night.” He’s awfully defensive all of a sudden, like it’s his fucking birthday I’m cancelling.
“James, why are we pandering to them? And… I heard you gave her a huge sum of money as well.”
“From my own account,” he clarifies quickly. “It’s not pandering. It’s being kind. Something you should–”
“Watch it.” I snarl at him. He’s right. I’m not nice. But I’m not supposed to be. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think maybe she was your mate.” I almost laugh as the words slip out of my mouth. I know it can’t be true since I’m fully aware of who Hezzlie’s mate is.
He shakes his head vehemently. “No, she’s not. I wouldn’t mind if she was if she were going to stay here. She’s a kind, intelligent, lovely young woman. You’d see that if you spent any time with her.”
“I don’t need to get to know her, James. I’m sending her away. Soon. Remember?”
He grumbles under his breath and folds his arms. He’s already tried to talk me out of sending her off, but there’s no point. I can’t keep her and get Mara back. Mara is my primary concern now as she has been since the war ended. Solomon Darksky got his way on both accounts, killing my father and stealing her from her warm bed. The bastard needs to rot in hell.
For all these years, he’s been keeping her, not even letting her write or call. I have to find something worth trading for her, and that’s why I’ve been searching incessantly for the daughter I heard he had all those years ago. I was beginning to think she didn’t exist when I found her.
Hezzlie Stone.
I don’t care what the fuck she is to me. I’ll reject her the day he agrees to take her. If he won’t have her, well, she’s no use to anyone. I can’t release her back into the world because he could just go and collect her himself. So she’ll either stay here… or she won’t.
James stands and oscillates for a few moments as he’s prone to doing when he wants to tell me something but wouldn’t dare. Finally, I cock my head to the side and ask, “What?” in my Alpha voice.
He takes a step backward and almost knocks the chair over. I’d laugh if I wasn’t trying to be intimidating. “Nothing,” he sputters. “Just… I think if she has another dream tonight, which she will, you should let me handle it.”
Again, I picture how her back arched as she came up off the bed, how her straps slipped down, the way her mouth moved when she whispered my name.
“Fuck off, James.”
“But Rowan–I’m her doctor,” he reminds me, exasperated.
I chuckle. “And last I checked, I’m your Alpha. Get the fuck out of my office, and don’t try to tell me what to do.” It’s the boldest he’s been in a while, well, except for on the phone, but that’s different. He shakes his head, wanting to say more, and strides quickly to the door. With his hand on the doorknob, he looks over his shoulder at me, but he doesn’t speak again. He does slam the door, and then I burst out into immature laughter that would have my mother scolding me if she were here.
But she’s not here, not exactly. She’s in her room, staring at an old photograph, sipping booze, and wishing she could go back in time.
We’re the only two left of our family, left here, anyway, and I can’t even talk to her.
I’m not laughing anymore. I reach for Mara’s picture and lift it closer. “I’ll get you back,” I promise her. “If it’s the last fucking thing I do on this earth, I will get you back.”