Alpha

Chapter 16

We'd ordered the main meals and were now waiting for them to be prepared. The waiter delivered a bottle of champagne.

"I'm going to take you back to just after the territory war ended. We returned, and my Beta suggested a meeting with the elders. The elders warned me that even though it wasn't a complete failure, many of the other Alphas would see it as one. I'd already agreed to attend this meat market previously, and I figured that you would have been subjected to this nonsense like I was. A part of me hoped that you'd realize that you wanted me in your life and once you saw me in a neutral place, you'd reconsider your position and thoughts."

I didn't know what to say about that. Konrad might be right in that thought. We were away from our worlds in a neutral place. The strain of our life had been lifted for a few days, and we were here to be free and have fun. No talks of war or territories. No takeovers, death, or anything else that coincided with pack coups.

"They said that it was almost guaranteed that an Alpha would target me. It's not allowed, but I was told that there are ways around it, which you saw with Colin."

"Was it a complete setup?"

Konrad shrugged as he sipped on the champagne.

"I don't think so. It's not like you were wearing a neon sign that said Alpha."

"I meant you. Were you rank jumping?"

For a moment, Konrad looked at me without saying anything. In one corner of his lips, the tiniest smirk curled as he opened his mouth.

"That would be against the rules of the mate meetup, Megan."

I tilted my head with raised eyebrows, silently challenging the statement.

"I merely stopped a monster from taking advantage of someone."

Konrad smiled as if he knew that I didn't believe him.

"So anyway, the elders said that I had to consider the future carefully and start preparing for the inevitable. I started preparing for the fight. Every day I would train. In the gym exercising, learning combat with specialized teachers. I even learned to meditate. How crazy is that?"

I smiled. "Yeah. You're like a live wire that can't sit still. Seeing you on the mat was so out of character."

"And that's basically it. My elders warned me to expect the worst here, and I had to attend. There was no getting around it. Not showing up would have added to the mess that the war caused."

"But now it's different. They've seen how strong you are."

Konrad nodded, but I sensed that he was uneasy.

"I'm not powerful," he said softly. "They don't see how easily you weaken me."

"I used my words to try to win the war, Konrad. I'm not the strong Alpha that everyone thinks I am."

He shook his head.

"I don't mean the war. I'm talking about everything. It kills me to know that I'm nothing to you."

"That's not what I think of you."

Konrad's eyes rose as his head lifted. Despite the pain in his eyes, there was a smile. It was soft, barely visible, but enough to show a fraction of happiness.

"It's not just you. I have issues with all Alphas. I know what goes on when their mates are at home. I know what they get up to when they're off being lord of the land. I'm not prepared to endure that kind of a life. I am the Alpha of my pack, and I fought hard to be accepted after being labeled an Omega. Why should I accept subservience to my mate when it is my birthright to be a leader?"

"What if your mate wasn't an Alpha?"

"What do you mean?"

He shrugged, looking down at the stem of the champagne flute as he twirled it on the table.

"What if I gave it all up for you?"

I stared in disbelief. Before I could respond, the door opened, and the waiter brought in our meals.

Konrad sat back, giving me an uneasy smile as the waiter fussed around the table. It felt like it took an eternity for him to leave.

"You cannot be serious. You can't step down from your leadership."

"Why not?"

"It's your birthright."

With a shrug, Konrad started slicing the meat on his plate. I guess he really was starving.

"Means nothing to me now."

"What do you mean by that?"

Konrad sighed, letting go of his cutlery.

"In our time apart, I've had a lot of time to think about everything. I know what life was like before, after, and during, and I know which one I want. It's been a scattered mess of time but even in those few moments, I got a taste of the good life, a life with you. That's what I want and if it means that I have to pass the leadership to my brother, then I accept that."

"You realize that my Betas will enforce a subservience contract on you."

He nodded as he picked up the cutlery again.

"I accept whatever it takes to ensure that everyone is happy. I will sign whatever you and your Betas demand."

"You don't know me. I don't know you either."

Konrad's gaze lifted. "It's fine,"

"No, it's not. When's my birthday?"

He didn't have an answer.

"Guess what? I don't know when yours is either. I don't know how many siblings you have, I've never met any of your family, and even though some of your pack was in my chalet tonight, I didn't even talk to them because I was too busy getting into your pants. This isn't just about compatibility in the bedroom."

"So, you're telling me that in all the times where we've been alone and not having sex, you've not paid attention, or other things have distracted you enough that you haven't noticed anything?"

"I'm just saying that you're jumping head first into this when this is new. I'm not averse to a future together. I just think that we need to slow down a little. You're talking about letting go of your leadership to become the mate of a leader."

"I don't find being the mate of the Alpha to be negative, even if you seem to think being male and a Beta is."

Putting my napkin on the table, I sat back in the seat. I wasn't hungry to begin with, and the meal was bigger than I'd anticipated. Konrad was almost finished, which wasn't a surprise. He said he was hungry, and he ate like he thought someone would take the meal away from him at any moment.

"My brother was Beta. At one stage in his life, my father was too."

"Not what I meant, and you know it. Let's be honest here, shall we? You're scared to admit things, and it's fair enough. I did try and take everything from you but you know the circumstances and things are different now. I have approached you with an offer of subservience and I know that your pack will enforce it if there is ever a time when I overstep my boundaries. I hope that it won't happen but we can't predict the future."

I sighed, glancing at the time on my watch. It was nearly two am.

"You know what? I think that we should sleep on this. It's been an extremely long day, and the emotions are all over the place. When we wake up, we will be feeling better, and then we can revisit the subject."

Konrad said nothing as I stood and collected mythings. He wasn't impressed and stood, dumping the napkin on the table. Thatwas fine. He could be annoyed, angry, or upset. This path that we were about totake had to accommodate the hopes and dreams of the both of us. It was for thetwo of us to walk the path as willing partners, not for one to walk down withdelusions as he dragged the other along for the ride.