The Alpha's Mistress

4

Word Count: 1736

~Onyx

My mother paces in front of me, a murderous tension lengthening between us.

"My response was perfectly reasonable," I insist.

Her face shifts between at least three different expressions. Shock, anger and frustration.

"Reasonable?"

I shrug. "I didn't kill him."

Were I not so concerned about Sienna's presence, and so pleased at the hospital's official opening, I would have gutted him right there.

"That shopkeeper went and blurted out the whole story to the entire town!" Her face tints slightly red in her anger.

I've lived with this woman long enough to inure me to her tendencies. What did she expect me to do? Simply let the man call my friend a whore?

"They don't know it's true."

"Of course they do. Your reputation precedes you, Alpha." Strands of hair drift around her face, having fallen from her intricate braided hairstyle. It's enough of an implication to suggest her stress and frustration.

"I was protecting a member of my Pack," I note simply, folding my arms over my chest. "He called her a whore."

This entire scene reminds me so greatly of childhood.

I'm banished to a chair while my mother rants and raves in front of me, scolding me for one thing or the other. She's changed absolutely nothing about her office too, which sinks me deeply into such memories.

"This is what I was talking about. This behaviour is unacceptable," she seethes, her heeled feet clicking against the wood floor as she paces. "Any more of this and your proclivity for protecting this girl will get out to all the other Alpha's who are currently salivating at our borders, looking for a weakness."

I supply her with a bland smile, trying to comply.

"It won't happen again," I assure her.

Chances are it will. I'm no Saint.

"I don't believe that to be true." Her stare chills my skin. "We are announcing her as your mistress in three days, then I am bringing the marriage candidates here until you pick one."

I rise to my feet, my mother entirely unfazed by my towering height.

"By exposing Sienna to the whole Pack, you're putting more of a target on her back," I growl.

"Her face is plastered over every newspaper in your Pack. The amount of shared renditions of her is absurd. Everyone wants to know who the Alpha's best friend is."

"I'm certain this won't protect her." My fingers tighten into fists at the thought of anyone harming her. Today was bad enough. He's lucky he didn't lay a hand on her, otherwise he would lose what could cause him to make that mistake again.

"People respect mistresses more than friends. We've been over this," mother exasperates, tossing her hands up.

I wipe my hand down my face, frustrating eating away at my calm façade.

"I just...give me more time."

Seeing her look of disgust, hearing her rejection is too much for me to bear right now. Once I offer this to her, there is no going back.

Our friendship will never be the same again...

Mother's mouth opens, ready to spew some kind of protest when her office door opens.