The Alpha's Shatter Zone
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“Once upon a time,” Lexi’s clear voice rang over the crowd, and they hushed. The pups ran up towards her and sat in a circle around where she stood by the fire, “there was a big, tough, border guard who roamed the woods of her Alpha’s territory. This guard took the job very seriously,” she looked at the pups with wide expressive eyes, and they hung on her every word, “making sure there were no threats, dangers, rogues, and especially...nasty Alphas trying to take control of the land.”

“Ooooh,” the kids whispered excitedly. Chesca knew where this was going.

“One night, the guard was tracking through the woods, listening, sniffing, watching for anything out of the ordinary. The moonlight was dim, making it hard to see. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and the leaves whispered secrets that only the best tracker could read,” her voice was soft and low, adding the desired effect. “The strong border guard wasn’t fooled. She was just turning and getting ready to fight, when all of a sudden—” she grabbed one of the pups “—a big wolf pounced, and tackled her to the ground!” The pups screamed in fright, right on cue. Chesca laughed.

“They tumbled and rolled, the wolf trying to tear out the guard’s throat, but of course, our favorite border guard came out on top, pinning him to the ground!” The pups laughed and clapped their hands. “And that’s when the guard realised who the wolf was! The meanest, biggest, toughest, scaryiest Alpha who exists only in your imagination! But was the guard scared? Did she scramble for cover and hide behind a tree?”

“Nooo!” the kids all shouted and Lexi shook her head along with them.

“No! She wasn’t scared of any alpha! She just glared at him and demanded, ‘Any last words?’ as every honourable guard does. The big alpha melted before her stern gaze, and dropped to his knees, clasping his hands in front of him. ’Please, I beg you! Don’t kill me! I beg for mercy! Please, mercy!” Lexi acted out the patheticness with all her expressive skills, and the pups were howling with laughter. Chesca heard a slight growl from the man beside her, whom Lexi was undoubtedly impersonating. She smiled to herself.

“Then do you know what the guard did? Hmm?” she looked at the children who started giving answers.

“She took him to the dungeon!” “She tied him up a tree!” “She gave him to our Alpha to beat up!” “She knocked him on the head with a stick!” “She told him to be good and sent him home?” “She scratched his eyes out and put his thumbs up his nose.”

These pups truly had vivid imaginations.

“No, no, no, but all good ideas,” Lexi smiled and nodded, hands on hips as she prepared for the climax of her story. “She looked into his pleading eyes and….snapped his neck, saving our Alpha from a lot of trouble!”

Chesca felt a growl escape her throat as she leapt up from her seat. All eyes turned to her, and she realised her fists were clenched.

“Noooo!” “What?” some of the kids looked scared.

“No, you’re right, the guard didn’t kill the mean alpha,” Lexi quickly said, throwing Chesca a daring smirk. “Because, she realised he was actually our Alpha’s mate! And secretly she knew that Alpha wanted her mate, and liked her mate, so she wrapped him up with a big red bow and delivered him to Alpha!”

The kids cheered and stood to their feet. “Alpha wants her mate! Alpha wants her mate!” they clapped. Lexi picked up on the chant, and the kids linked arms and danced around the fire like the little indians in Peter Pan. “Alpha wants her ma-ate, Alpha wants her ma-ate!”

Chesca risked a glance at Kaiden. One side of his mouth nudged up in a grin, and Chesca felt infuriation bubble within her. She glared once more at Lexi--who blew her a kiss--before marching away from the fire. The emotions swirling in her gut and warring in her head were maddenging, and she didn’t know how to get a hold of them. She’d be lost once before, letting anger and rage consume her, but she’d fought them and managed to tame. It was the only way she’d been able to lead her pack, with a clear mind. So why now was it so hard to control her feelings?

“Chesca!” she heard the object of her thoughts calling from behind, but she refused to listen and picked up the pace, running up the hill to the pack house. Her castle of refuge.

Charles found her a short while later. Of course he did, only he knew about her secret place she always used to go when things became too overwhelming or crushing. This place where she could cry or scream, and no one else saw the true anguish in their Alpha’s soul. This place where she’d overcome her own demons and risen to continue fighting for everything she now held dear.

The wall of the battlement between two spires on the roof of the castle. Her feet dangled over the ledge as she stared up at the stars, ignoring the light of the bonfire that still glowed further down in the valley, and the muted sounds of singing and laughing as her pack continued fellowship.

“Alpha…”

She turned at her beta’s voice and patted the spot beside her on the rock wall.

“I won’t apologise for Lexi, we both know how she can be at times,” he sat down beside her.

“Insensitive, cruel, uncaring, having no idea what she’s talking her mouth off about.”

“I understand, but cruel? No—”

“I’m sorry, Charles, I didn’t mean it like that. But sometimes I just wish she’d learn to feel a bit more.”

“I could sit here defending the finer points of my mate’s disposition, but I’m really here about you.”

She sighed and looked down. Charles was truly the only one who she would allow to lecture her. He had become like an older brother to her. A good beta, wise, understanding, and just. A little tough and down-the-line at times, but he had helped her rebuild and shape this pack to what it had become now. She wouldn’t have wanted any different man beside her as her second. “I don’t know what to think, Charles. Am I being too cautious? Fearful? Too harsh in not accepting a complete stranger into the pack, as my mate?”

“No, not exactly. It’s good to be careful, but—”

“He could be anyone and do anything, for all we know. We know he already wants to take over the pack, and was planning to kill me to do that, he made that clear. So why haven’t I locked him up in the dungeons? Why can’t I just deal with him like I always deal with threats to my authority?”

“Because he’s your mate, and despite how you feel on the matter, it has already been determined how you react to such fate. The bond will only grow stronger and harder to resist the more you fight against it.”

“Thanks for the encouragement,” she mumbled sourly.

“It is not I who has decided this, Chesca. Don’t take out your anger on me...or Lexi, for that matter.”

“I’m sorry, Charles. Truly I am. I have no idea how to stop my crazy emotions from making me act like this,” she dropped her head back and sighed up at the sky. “But you can understand where I’m coming from, right? How I can’t just accept Kaiden as my mate, my Alpha, and give him control of this pack? After everything we’ve been through…”

“I know.”

“You were there, Charles. You saw the destruction.”

“I was. We all were.”

“No, I mean, you were there, with me. You held me as my parents—” her voice broke and she sniffed, the images once more flashing across her vision. So much fire, the rain couldn’t put it out. So much screaming, the cracks of thunder couldn’t drown it out. So much pain, the emptiness couldn’t smother it.

Charles wrapped his arm around her and pulled his Alpha close. “And I’ll always be here for you, Chesca. No matter what decision you make with this, I will support you and help you through it. I will always be your beta and stand by you.”

“Thanks,” she said softly.

“And if I disagree, I will put forward my opinions, helping guide you to good judgment.”

“I know you will. You’ve always been such a good beta,” she smiled at him and wiped her eyes. Taking a deep breath, they both got up and Charles walked her to her room.

“See you tomorrow,” she said before preparing for bed, her thoughts heavy with memories from the past and different ideas about the future. Her life had never been more complicated, but maybe with the strength in her left behind by her parents, she would make decisions that were both right for her and her pack. At least, that’s all she could hope for as she finally fell asleep.