His Savior

Talk with the Alpha

~Cory~

               A throat clears in the distance, and my eyes shoot open. I stand up straight and look towards the doorway to see the Alpha watching Zahara and me. I haven't had much interaction with the Alpha since I've been here. I've mostly spent my time with Zahara or Luna Amara. Truth be told, I'm intimidated as hell by the Alpha. I know I'm weak, and Zahara can do much better than me. I fully expect her father to demand that she rejects me, and I guess I figure that the less he sees me, the longer I can put that off.

               Zahara turns and looks at her father. "Sorry to interrupt Bean, but can I speak to the both of you? In my office?" Zahara nods, and Alpha Byron turns and heads up the stairs. I sigh, and Zahara looks at me with a smirk on her face.

               "Come on, let's go." Zahara grabs my hand, and we head up the stairs to her father's office.

               We make it to his office, and the door is open. Alpha Byron is sitting at his desk, waiting for us. We walk in and sit across from him. I place my hands in my lap because I don't want to be disrespectful to the Alpha. I try to meet his eyes, but it is too nerve-racking to do.

               "Are you nervous, son?" My head snaps up, and I look at Alpha Byron. His deep voice damn near shakes me to my core. I should have known it would be like that; Alphas hold so much power. I didn't expect him to address me, so I'm not really sure what to do. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

               "Y....yyes Al.....Alpha." I swallow the lump that formed in my throat. "Just a bit," I whisper. I start to drop my head when I hear a deep chuckle. I look back up at the Alpha, and he is.....smiling at me?! I'm lost, not understanding what's going on.

               "You don't need to be afraid of me. I won't hurt you. You are my daughter's mate, so you are family." I didn't expect him to say anything like this. I nod and give him a small smile. Zahara runs her hand up and down my arm. "I wanted to speak to you both. Cory, Zahara has told me about your childhood and life before you got here." I gasp a bit. I didn't know that she would tell her father, but I guess it would make sense that she did. I hate to know what he thinks of me to know what I've been through. "She also told me about the pills you have been given over the years, and I'm sorry they did that to you. I asked around, but I wanted to ask you......what do you remember about your parents?"

               "Well, I don't remember my mother much. I can remember her smile and little things like that. I don't remember my life with her. She was killed when I was young. I was sent to live with my father when that happened and I don't think I had ever met him before that." Zahara places my hand in hers and rubs circles on the back of my hand for comfort.

               "My dad was a nice man. He was always good to me, when he was around. He was already married to my stepmom when I went to live there and she tried her hardest to keep us apart. When he was killed, I was lost and had no one. No family anyway. I did have Beta Cyrus to look out for me, but he would get in a lot of trouble whenever he did. He was loyal to my dad and never really liked Laslo or his mom." Alpha Byron nods as I speak, taking it all in.

               "Your father was the Alpha of the pack right? Alpha Derek Williams?" I nod. "I never really knew him, but I had heard of him. I asked around and those that knew him had all good things to say. They say he was a caring man and a fair Alpha. I have to say that not many people had good things to say about your stepmom." I chuckle at this because I'm not surprised. "I heard it was a rogue attack that killed your father, but there are many that question that."

               "What do you mean?" I had never heard that people had questions about how my father died.

               "Some people I talked to thought it was weird that he died in a rogue attack. Your father's was the only injury and the witnesses seem to have slightly different versions of the story. Your father was an amazing fighter and shouldn't have been bestest by a rogue. The incident, itself, seemed to have raised questions for many. There is no proof that the attack didn't happen so no one could do anything." I didn't know any of this; then again, I wouldn't have. I wasn't included in anything.

               "Does anyone have any proof that goes against a rogue attack?"

               "Not at the moment, Bean. I have people working on it though." Alpha Byron turns to me. "I'm guessing that Laslo took over as Alpha because you were thought to have no wolf." I nod. That's exactly what I was told; I was weak without a wolf. As a matter of fact, there was never a discussion about me taking over the pack. They never even acknowledged that I was the Alpha's son and heir.

               "But you do have a wolf, well you will have your wolf soon." I turn to Zahara and smile.

               "I spoke to him earlier. His name is Sylas." Zahara smiles back at me.

               "The fact that you are the son of an Alpha means you are entitled to that pack. Wolf or no wolf, you are the heir. Laslo is falsely filling the Alpha seat."

               "I don't know anything about being an Alpha and I don't think the pack would want me in charge."

               "You can learn to be an Alpha son. That can be taught to you. If you don't want your inheritance, that's fine. You can let Laslo keep it. I don't think he is worthy of the position and he clearly has things to answer for. If you decide to go after your birthright, I will be here to support you."

               "So will I." I grip Zahara's hand and give it a squeeze.

               "Bean, can you let me talk to Cory for a minute?" Zahara looks at me, then her dad, then back at me. She smiles at me and gets up from the chair.

               "I will go take a shower. I will see you two later." Zahara kisses me on the cheek and walks out of the office, closing the door behind her.

               "Cory, we haven't spoken since you've been here and I think it's past time to do so."

               "Alpha Byron, I know that I'm not good enough for your daughter." The Alpha's eyes get really big. "I know that she deserves someone better, someone stronger. I don't know what to do to-" Alpha Byron holds up his hand to stop me.

               "I don't want to hear that from you again. You were dealt a horrible hand in life, and it isn't your fault. You are my daughter's Goddess given mate, and I would never go against that. The only thing I need from you is to love and care for my daughter. If you do that, we will never have issues with each other. Zahara is my first born and my only daughter. I love her more than words can express. She is a strong woman and can do anything in this world. She is capable of making her own choices, and she knows what she wants. I just wanted to get to know my new family member is all." I can feel my face get hot. I jumped to a major conclusion, but I couldn't help it. I know what I've been through and what I'm lacking.

               Alpha Byron gets out of his chair and walks over to me. I get out of my chair, waiting for whatever is coming next. He holds his hand out, and I timidly take his hand. He closes my hand between his. "You are welcome here and I want you to remember that. Also, it's Byron or even dad. We have no need for titles." I give him a small smile, and he releases my hand. "I'm sure Zahara's waiting for you." He winks at me and walks out of the office. I take a few deep breaths and set out to find Zahara.