FATED TO ALPHA HUNTER BY VENNEH LISAH

𝗛𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥'𝗦 𝗣𝗢𝗩:

"Angry" was an understatement. Ania had just pulled rank over me. Well, not technically. I knew she didn't have authority over me. Despite that, the threat felt the same. And when it concerned Kellen and her son, it aggravated me. As I stormed off towards my office, I was sick and tired of always coming in second place with Ania.

Joe was waiting in my office when I opened the door, looking at his phone. He looked up at me as I stepped inside and shut the door behind me. He gave me a disapproving look as I moved towards my bar and poured myself a drink.

"What's the look for?" I asked.

"Do you have to ask?" he said, leaning back in his chair. I passed him his drink, and he took it, sipping it.

"Ania?" he asked, and I growled. My Lycan side pressed beneath my skin, and I had only just shifted back on the walk here. I didn't feel like having to tame my anger again.

"Don't!" I warned him, and he clicked his tongue.

"Your anger and your drinking," he held his glass up, "are getting the better of you!" he snapped at me as I took my seat. I sighed, and Joe got up from his seat, moving around the room and retrieving some pants from the closet behind the door. He tossed a black pair of shorts to me, and I snatched them from the air before setting my glass of whiskey down on my desk.

"What is it?" I asked him, pushing my chair out so that I could pull them up my legs, seeing his face grimace.

"I want to send someone to Club Leicester to check out the nightclub and see if they can get any intel on reports of it hosting underage patrons in our city," Joe said, just as Lemmy wandered into the room. As I was doing up the drawstring on my pants, I slumped heavily in my chair.

"Lemmy, you should be with Ania," I told him, and he shrugged.

"Well, I'm here. Kim is with her," Lemmy answered nonchalantly before moving toward my bar area. Instead of grabbing a glass, he took the entire bottle before walking over, topping up my glass, then tipping the bottle to his lips. "What are you doing, Lemmy? I will need that," I shouted.

"I am saving that liver of yours, my alpha," he said, sending me a wink. I picked up my glass and sipped it, turning my attention back to Joe, who had some disturbing findings on underage patrons being allowed into nightclubs.

"So you think they are allowing under 18s in?" I asked, also agreeing. I had thought that for a while; all of us had suspicions about that club, but we still had to prove our theories. They nodded. "Hmm, interesting," I muttered.

"Interesting? Let's leave the nightclub aside. I don't trust Kellen. Too much doesn't add up. Now that's interesting," Lemmy said, and he was right. We were barely scratching the surface.

"What do you think, Ben?" I asked him, detecting his scent in the air as he appeared. I hated how vampires could move around like ghosts.

"Too much of this doesn't make sense and can't be verified. And you saw how shocked I was to learn I had a nephew," Ben said.

"I have to admit the whole Kellen thing makes little sense to me. Why wouldn't she come forward? It makes no sense. If Willie was a Devonshire, we should have known, and we could have protected him. So why not tell us?" Joe chimed in, shrugging. He had a point. Devonshire's royal family held immunity, so who was Kellen hiding Willie from?

"Do you think Kellen is lying?" I asked, and they all nodded.

"I think it's half-truths. Why didn't she tell us about Willie's paternity? We could have protected him and offered him immunity. And if he truly is King Devonshire's son, why didn't she take him to the king? Why hide him?" Ben added.

"I agree, that sounds suspicious. Ensure that someone is posted with Kellen and Willie at all times, and have them taken off the pack house grounds and placed under guard until we can figure out what's going on," I ordered.

"What about the Leicester club? Can I send a few men to check it out?" Joe asked as he picked up a piece of paper from the pile. With so much to consider, my mind was in chaos.

"The Leicester club?" Lemmy grabbed the paper from Joe's hand.

"I volunteer myself, Alpha. I will surveil those older girls and provide you with the information you need," Lemmy declared.

"It's surveillance, not a test run," Joe scolded.

"Scratch and sniff. Taste and whiff. Whatever it takes, I volunteer my time and skills for the task," Lemmy said, and Joe shook his head in disapproval.

"I am willing to make those sacrifices for you, my alpha. I have this one handled. I will take Stanley and..." Lemmy paused for a few minutes before his eyes fell on Joe.

"Joe! You can come. Boy's night out. What do you say?" Lemmy nudged Joe, who growled in response.

"What exactly is Stanley going to do at the club? Who will remain with the alpha?" Joe demanded.

"He will handle the surveillance part while I test out the girls. Duh!" Lemmy replied. I gave Joe a look, indicating that if Lemmy was going, he must go to babysit. Lemmy might not do anything but have fun. Joe groaned and scrubbed a hand down his face. I knew I would be fine without my beta or gamma.

"Fine," Joe said with a shake of his head.

"I better go find some going-out clothes," Lemmy said excitedly before chugging the bottle of whiskey. He burped loudly. "You'll have to drive though," he told Joe before holding up the bottle. "I have been drinking. Don't tell the boss man," he whispered, and I raised an eyebrow at him, considering the boss man was watching him down his liquor.

"He is going to be the death of me," Joe groaned, and I laughed.

"That's Lemmy for you," I told him, and he nodded.

"Yeah. If he wasn't trustworthy, I would have killed him myself," Joe chuckled, getting to his feet.

"I'll be back later. Will you be alright here?" Joe asked. I waved him off, telling him to go. Joe needed some time off, not that he would really be taking time off, but it would be good for him to get out of the pack house. And Lemmy would force him to relax, which is why I didn't protest him wanting to go.

"If you need me, call and I will head back," Joe told me.

"I'll be fine. I just need to pull Ania into line," I sneered.

"She isn't a pet, Hunter. And maybe if you treated her as your equal, she might actually listen to you," Joe told me.

"I do treat her equally!" I exclaimed.

"When it is convenient for you. For instance, Kellen and her son, yes, they needed punishment, but dragging Ania along and forcing her to watch? Who you were punishing, Hunter? It was uncalled for," Joe stated.

"She has to learn how things work. She needs to learn to lead," I told him.

"Yes, lead alongside you. But every time she tries, you shut her down or use her weakness against her. If you want her to learn to rule alongside you, then show her how and stop forcing her. She did what any woman in her position would do, any person who knows what that damn whip feels like. Ania knows that pain, yet you took her along to watch?" Joe said incredulously, shaking his head as he pulled on his coat.

"He needed to be punished, Joe," I told him, but he shook his head.

"You're never going to learn, Hunter. If you want her to respect you, then respect her too! I'm getting sick and tired of... you know what?! If you want to help her while I'm gone, teach her how to un-command people!" Joe snapped before turning on his heel and walking out. The door clicked shut.

Deep down, I knew he was right. In a way, I was punishing Ania for not letting me kill them. I suddenly felt ashamed of my actions. Joe was right. My anger and jealousy were getting the better of me.

𝗔𝗡𝗜𝗔'𝗦 𝗣𝗢𝗩

After watching Hunter storm off, I turned to Kellen and began pulling my clothes back on. I untied her hand and it fell limply at her side while Willie grabbed his mother around the waist. I saw Kim and Valentine in the distance and ordered them to bring rags and herbs, which they rushed off to do. I unclipped Kellen's other wrist, but when I tried to help her sit down, she slapped my hand away.

"Mum! She is trying to help!" Willie snapped at her, and I stared at Kellen, stunned.

"She has helped enough," she growled. "I could have let him kill you! Would you prefer I did?"

I growled back at her. "I am the only thing standing between you and my mate."

Kellen laughed. "You are exactly like your mother! A gutless whore who doesn't like a little competition," she spat at me. Before I even registered what I was doing, my claws slipped out, slashing her face as I slapped her. Valentine rushed out with Kim, who carried a bucket, and they stopped in their tracks at the sound of my palm connecting with Kellen's face. A shocked gasp left Valentine, and even Willie seemed surprised. I was definitely angry, but I was too furious to care.

How could she insult my mother, whoever she meant it for, after I had just saved her from being killed? I didn't even punish her for her previous actions. And yet, she spoke to me that way. I could have let her attacker kill her, but I didn't. I was willing to take a beating from my mate to save her son, who had killed my unborn child, just so she could have a second chance with hers. My hand stung as I straightened up, and tears burned my eyes.

My mate was furious with me for defending her, and then she threw it back in my face. Swallowing my bubbling emotions and the hurt her words caused, I said to Kellen, "You're right. When it comes to my mate, I don't like competing. He is mine, all mine. I can't share." I spat the words out before looking at Valentine and Kim. "Clean her up and get her off the pack house grounds," I ordered, walking past their shocked faces.

As I passed Kim, he grabbed my arm. "Are you okay? What did she do?" he asked.

I shook my head. There was no point in both of us being angry, and I just wanted to get out of there. "Where is my mate?" I asked. "I'm not sure. He's either in his office or maybe in your bedroom," Kim said. "I'll mind-link him for you," he offered, but I shook my head.

I told Kim to make sure they were both gone before I returned.

"My Luna, Hunter doesn't want you on your own," Kim warned. "I'm fine. I'm going to find him anyway," I reassured him, and though Kim pursed his lips, he nodded. "Fine, but don't go too far. Stay on this side. If he isn't in his office, come back here," he instructed me. I nodded and walked away.

I checked Hunter's office first, but it was empty. The security guard informed me that Hunter had gone to find Joe with Lemmy, as they were planning to go somewhere later that night.

With a sigh, I headed upstairs to see if I could find Rina. If Joe and Hunter were there, all the better. I wanted to talk to them about resuming school. I had already missed a lot and needed to get my mind off things. I found Rina in the beta quarters. Joe answered the door, and Rina got up to hug me before moving back to sit on the floor with baby Bryant, who was playing with some wooden blocks.

"I missed you," Rina said with a groan as the one-year-old tugged on her clothing from the floor. Hunter wasn't there either, but I shrugged off the feeling of trying to find him.

I leaned down, kissed his head, and messed up his hair before sitting beside him. "I heard the alpha made you watch?" I chewed my lip and nodded. Joe was not keeping anything from his mate, unlike my mate, who hid everything.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't watch that. I could kill him for making you!" Rina growled, and Joe growled at her. "Mind your tongue, Love," Joe told her, and she rolled her eyes at him as he laid back on their bed.

We talked for a little while, but I could tell it was straining on Rina. It was like she wanted to tell me more, but at the moment she had to choose her words carefully because of Joe.

"Can you go into town for me?" Rina asked Joe. He sighed and sat up. "He needs to learn to sleep without it," Joe said, and Rina shot him a look, but I could tell it had something to do with the baby. I felt terrible for not taking care of everyone in the pack and leaving the responsibility to Rina and the rest. As the Luna, it was my role to offer a motherly feeling to everyone, including the newest addition to the pack, the baby. But, in my defense, I had a lot going on. I was not in the right frame of mind to play mom to anybody. However, I could say that Rina was doing great.

"Joe," Rina growled.

"Fine," he growled, leaning down to take the baby. I was shocked to see the baby hold his arms up, allowing Joe to hold him. Hunter and I were doing a crappy job being Alpha and Luna. I thought Joe and Rina could do a better job than us.

"What's in town?" I asked, trying to shift my focus from my perceived failures.

"It's a microfiber blanket. The other one that was previously used by the other kids tore when it was washed," Rina told me. The baby was so sensitive that certain things irritated his skin, and he probably wouldn't go to bed without the blanket as it was a comfort item.

"I think there's one in our room. Hunter bought it for us along with a lot of baby stuff," I told Rina, not willing to inconvenience Joe because of me. Whatever Rina wanted to say could wait.

I was about to offer to go and bring a blanket for baby Bryant when we heard a knock on the door. We all turned towards the door as it was pushed open, and Hunter stepped inside.

"This is where you disappeared to," he said, his earlier anger gone. He stopped behind me, and I looked up at him as he reached down and offered me his hand. I allowed him to pull me to my feet.

"Are you okay?" he whispered, burying his face in my neck. I sighed, feeling better now that he wasn't still angry.

"Yes, now that you're here and calm, I'm good," I told him, and he kissed the side of my neck.

"Where are you off to?" he asked, looking over at Joe.

"He was heading into town to get a blanket for baby Bryant, but I think there's a microfiber one in our room," I told him, turning my head.

"No, it's fine. Joe will buy one," Rina quickly said, and Joe hummed in agreement.

"No, it's fine. I think Ania is right. We don't need more baby stuff for now. Bryant can use what we have. And thank you so much for taking care of the baby for us. I know it's our responsibility, but too much has been going on," Hunter said, pressing his lips to my cheek.

"It's our collective responsibility, so relax and deal with your issues. We have this covered," Joe stated.

"Thank you, Joe. I will ask one of the staff to bring the baby things over," Hunter said as Joe set baby Bryant on the bed.

"Are you sure you want to give it all away?" Joe asked him.

"Yeah, not like anything in there is being used. Baby Bryant can put it to use," Hunter said, and I felt a pang through the bond telling me that those words he spoke actually hurt him. I leaned against him and noticed the tremble in his hand on my waist.

"Come on, we can go. Maybe you can lie down and rest," I said, and he looked down at me smiling.

"Or we can make our own baby," Hunter whispered, and I tiptoed to kiss him. "That is after you rest, my love," I said, and he hissed, "For the first time since we met, you have not called me Hunter, or alpha, or used my title plus my three names, Alpha Hunter Allan Augustus. I think we are making progress," Hunter teased.

"Don't get used to it, Alpha Hunter Allan Augustus," I teased back, and he chuckled, kissing me before excusing ourselves.

Just as Hunter and I were getting ready to leave, a knock was heard on the door, and a man handed Hunter the baby stuff. But he shook his head, pointing to Rina, who had her hands out for it.

Rina hugged me and kissed my cheek, "Come see me tomorrow, or I can come to see you. I want to tell you about our hot new school principal," she mind-linked, and I nodded my head, looking at Hunter who was staring blankly at Joe. I knew they were mind-linking too.

When they were done, we said goodbye before walking back to our bedroom. As I walked to the bathroom, I noticed that the nursery room across from us was open. I could just make out a few baby things inside that were still not taken away. Hunter growled angrily, but I moved to close the door before he got upset. However, when I did, my breath hitched in my throat, and my hand trembled as I clutched the door handle. Tears burned my eyes as I stared through the open door at the small toys, plushies, and a cot. I found myself frozen with what could have been.

Hunter's hand ran down my arms from behind me as he pressed his chest against my back. "I know, Love," he whispered beside my ear. "This was my baby's room," I murmured, my lip quivering, wondering what the baby would have been like or who the baby would have looked like. I swallowed and blinked around at the things inside. "And one day it will be again, I promise. When you're ready, we can try again," Hunter whispered, his hand gripping mine around the handle.

He pulled the door shut, and my lip quivered as I turned away from it. A staff member appeared, and his eyes went wide when Hunter noticed him.

"I'm sorry, I forgot," he apologized quickly. "It should remain shut until further notice," Hunter said, and the staff nodded. "I'm sorry I made you watch Kellen," he said, and I looked up at him.

"Yeah, well, I may have slapped her and kicked her off our grounds," I told him, and he tilted his head to the side.

"She said something. It doesn't matter, but I don't want her back here," I told him. He nodded. We talked about how excited I was to resume school and have my life back on track.

"We will join the rest for dinner tonight," Hunter said, lifting my hand to his lips. "Yeah, we should," I said back.

He kissed it before draping his arm across my shoulders and pulling me along with him as we went to clean and freshen up. "You do know that you are way more powerful than me," he said, pulling on fresh clothes. "So, since you're my mate, what does that make you?" I asked.

Hunter said, 'Screwed if you turn it on me,' and we both laughed. He leaned down and kissed my head, but that scared the sh*t out of me. Having so much power only meant that so much was expected from me. Being targeted would always be a constant thing.