Alphas daughter

Chapter 10

"So, whats up with Jordans wolf?" Zach asked as we trudged through the woods. Usually I would run but if my dad wanted to speak to me urgently then the chances were it was a lecture so I decided to take my time.

"Jordans wolf is strong and aggressive, but unlike the rest of us, for some reason Jordan isn't as strong as her wolf so when her wolf feels the urge to take over, Jord can't resist it," I explained.

"Does that happen often?"

"Not anymore. My dad asked me to help her with control a few years ago so she is better now but she struggles to calm down when she is scared."

"What did you do today to get her to calm down?" He glanced at me as we crunched along the leaves.

"Its called grounding. Its something humans do when they need to calm down. They discuss their surroundings and it forces them to focus on something other than their fear."

"Smart," he said with a genuine smile. My steps faltered at his uncharacteristic compliment and a facial expression besides a smirk.

"Thanks," I mumbled, thrown off completely by his friendliness.

"How long do you think this meeting will last tonight?" He asked, changing the subject - something which I was grateful for.

I shrugged, knowing the meeting could be five minutes or five hours. It really depended on what my dad said and how the pack responded to it. I highly doubted anyone would own up to attacking the cub so hoped it would be quick.

I looked to Zach who was scuffing his feet over the frost coated grass. "Can I ask you something?" I spoke before I had registered the words in my head.

"Can't guarantee I will answer but sure." He smirked.

"Was it you?" I whispered and his head shot round to face me, his eyes glaring. "Did you attack the cub?" The words hung in the air as his gaze remained locked on me. Hurt and anger flashed across his face as I awaited his response.

In seconds I was pinned against the nearest tree with Zach's face millimetres from mine. He let out a deep growl as he gripped my arms in his tight, vice like hold. "Why would you think that?"

His eyes glowed a shimmering amber colour, blazing with anger and I almost shrunk back. Instead, I snarled back at him and attempted to wrestle out of his painful hold.

"Well, nothing like this has ever happened before, is it really a coincidence that it happened the night you arrived?" I snapped, growling while I thrashed in his grip.

"Apparently I need to remind you that I was with you before you found the cub, therefore it couldn't have been me," he growled.

"You left the cafe before me, you could easily have done it before going to my house," I countered and he glared at me while I continued. "You also then happened to be with the Alpha meaning you would be taken off the suspect list, and you have been getting close with him since to make sure he doesn't suspect you. It all makes sense." I put all the pieces together and looked up to see his stunned face. He looked a little lost as my explanation was practically flawless.

"What motive?" He grunted earning a shrug in response. I had no clue why anyone would attack a cub, it couldn't be for revenge as they were just a little kid, it must have been for the fun of it. "Listen to my heartbeat Ella and ask me questions you already know the answer to," he instructed me.

I hesitated slightly, I didn't want to be proven wrong and the fact he was willing to risk it suggested that he didn't do it, but I couldn't back out now. "Whats your name?" I asked.

"Zachary Thorn." His heart beat remained steady as he articulated his name slowly.

"How old are you?"

"Im 18." he told me and again his heart beat was steady.

"What happened to your family?" I gulped as I awaited his answer.

"They were killed," he muttered and again his heart beat remained calm.

"Did you attack the cub?"

He narrowed his eyes at me and tightened his grip. "No," he replied, letting go of me and stepping away. His heart beat continued its steady rhythm as he responded and I instantly felt my stomach clench with guilt at the accusations I made. "Next time you accuse me sweetheart, make sure you have a solid case," he snapped before walking on ahead.

We continued the rest of the walk in silence until we finally reached the house. I trailed in behind Zach and headed straight to my fathers office. "Good you're here." He sounded completely monotonous and I felt a pit form in my stomach.

"Hey, whats up?" I tried to sound calm and confident but my voice wavered.

"Sit down," he ordered, indicating to the chair in front of his desk, I slipped onto the chair as he perched on his desk directly in front of me. "How was school?" He asked, his brown eyes narrowing. In my peripheral vision, I could see Zach leaning against the door frame, watching as my father intimidated me.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"I want to know how school was," he replied and then he raised an eyebrow. "Do any running?"

Suddenly the butterflies in my stomach went into a frenzy as I processed the question in my head. "You told him?" I snapped at Zach, who remained completely emotionless.

"No," he replied.

Great. That was the second time I had accused him of something.

"You knew?" My dad scowled and Zach shrugged.

"How did you know?" I gasped, it must have been Ryder, that guy can't help but open his big mouth.

"The school phoned me," he growled. That answer was worse. The school called him? They wouldn't call my dad unless they knew something was up. I felt my stomach drop to the floor and I sat, completely lost.

"They what?" I mustered, breath hitched in my throat. Tears pricked my eyes as I waited with baited breath for him to tell me how I blew our biggest secret.

"Relax, they don't know. They did however, call to tell me they have never seen someone run as fast as you and they think you should consider transferring to a special running school." His voice was harsh and stern as he spoke and I couldn't help but tremble slightly under his intense glare.

"Oh... I can explain," I mumbled, spouting the lies out of my mouth with ease. There really was no explanation. I ran. Fast.

"Ella. What happened to being careful?" He asked gravely. His fists clenched tightly at his sides and I knew he was holding back the flood of anger and if that dam broke, I was as good as dead.

"I know, I am sorry. It was his fault," I said pointing to Zach who simply raised an eyebrow.

"My fault?" He asked innocently.

"Yes. He tried to beat me dad, I always win." He laughed slightly but still held his serious look.

"Ella, how fast did you run?"

I hesitated once again. Should I lie? No, he would know if I was lying. "Maybe a little over humanly possible, but the only people who saw were other wolves and our teacher and she just thinks I am gifted so everything is fine." I attempted to rationalise the situation before he bit my head off.

"Please be more careful. I have to have all these talks with pack members that go into the human world about discretion and conformation. I will not have my own daughter be the one that reveals the secret. Am I clear?"

I nodded vigorously before responding. "Yes sir." I smiled. "You know, any other parent would be proud to have a gifted student." I mocked, knowing it was safe to relax now.

"I am very proud, I would just prefer to be a proud parent of a child that isn't locked away and experimented on." He laughed.

"Fair enough." I shrugged before heading upstairs to change for the meeting.