Stronger- #Wattys2019

Part 28

Letting go of Nadine had been the hardest thing Alexander had ever done. She was injured and it was once again his fault. He should have seen it coming. Liam was a whiny brat who wouldn't have let the issue go, with or without an official position. Tragic, really. He led his pack into ruin, probably not even aware he had been stripped of title. Sadly, several gave their lives for his pride while he ran.

The coward.

The king knew he had guards hounding the poor excuse of a former alpha down. Damn, did he want to be out there with them. Liam never deserved such a title. It was honestly a surprise no one in his pack hadn't challenged him before.

As Alexander looked down, he remembered why he hadn't led the hunt with his men.

The girl in his arms had done well. He could see snippets of her fighting while he dealt with his own obstacles. He saw his own men follow her commands. He watched as she stepped into her natural position.

Yet, despite her initial protests of him carrying her to the clinic, her exhaustion took over. She fell asleep in his arms before they even reached the stairs to make their way into the lower level medical suite. For all of her reasons not to trust him, she unconsciously trusted him enough to let go of that fight. And he didn't know what to do with that knowledge.

There was no denying his possessiveness, his protectiveness. His instincts had grown stronger. He had become attached to her in a way he wasn't sure he could avoid any longer. However, he knew he needed to continue to fight against it.

"Alex." His mother's voice was hesitant. "Alex, I'll watch her. But you have a lot of angry and confused alpha's upstairs. You need to face them. Face the truth."

"What truth?"

Grace sighed as she cupped her son's face and forced him to look at her. "Nadine is their Queen. They already feel it. Alpha Markus saw the connection, as did others. Why do you hide from this?"

He dropped into a chair outside of Nadine's room, not answering his mother's question. Amber eyes never left the view through the window as doctors worked to stitch up her injuries. The way he should have ordered them to do after her challenge. The reminder added to his guilt at an exponential rate. He looked down at his own blood soaked skin. He had taken a few gashes as well, yet he healed already. They had taken longer than usual, yet healed nonetheless. He didn't want to be healed. He wanted to feel the pain along with her. Why should he escape without punishment when she was the one who didn't deserve any?

As he sat there he realized his reasons for fighting against the mating bond had shifted. Slowly. Imperceptible. Until suddenly, he was there.

There was no denying the pain in the king's eyes. And it tore at his mother's heart. "You were chosen for her, Alexander. And she for you. There is a reason you're destined as mates. No matter what you think of yourself or of women... this is different. She is different. You are different together."

"Having a mate is a weakness." He shook his head.

"No Alex. Having a mate makes you stronger. She gives you passion and a reason to fight. Don't you see it? You never even noticed the abuses against omegas before, and you walked into the alpha meeting with a fire. Because of her."

"We'll see." He didn't want to talk about it anymore. He couldn't explain any of it to his mother. He hadn't explained any of it to anyone.

*****

"How is she?" Markus's worried voice was the first to cut through as Alexander joined the alpha families in the ballroom. The various alphas were understandably shaken and unwilling to separate from their mates and pups. The king could see the worry mirrored on the faces of Markus's sons.

It almost pulled a smile from the worried king. For all of the anger and distance she put between her and the Bosch alpha family, they still cared as a family. She was lucky to have them. "He nodded. Nadine still hasn't spent enough time in her wolf form to speed up her healing much. However, the cuts are all flesh wounds and being stitched up as we speak."

The alpha ran a hand through his black hair. "I still can't believe she's an alpha. A female alpha. And her power..." His words trailed off before he looked at his king once again. "Are you... is there... what are your intentions with my daughter?"

Slowly the murmurs of the room quieted down, all ears waiting to hear the response.

Memories flooded his head. The screams of Liam Wade, claiming Nadine to be his bed partner, nothing but a toy. Her warnings of how others would view her without a solid hold on her position in his life. The whispered gossip he heard floating around the graduation ball, speculation of how she had gained the favor of the former queen. The pathetic views of the university students.

With each memory, his wolf snarled at the situation created.

Why were people so ready to jump to conclusions and talk behind others backs? Why did anyone feel entitled to know the details of anyone else's lives?

It set his nerves on edge and spurred his need to protect his mate.

The truth. He needed to tell the truth. It was the only way to protect her honor and stop any gossip started by Liam's ridiculous outburst. Yet, his stubborn defiance continued to search for another solution to the problem in front of him.

However, before he could complete any other thought, instincts took over. His wolf forced itself forward, drowning out the complex mind of its quest. Against all choice, his mouth opened and his lips spoke. "She is my mate and will be your Queen."

Well, damn.