Chapter 32

Alpha Zagan

I wasn’t exactly thrilled about the idea of meeting Gabriel’s dim-witted father, but my interest had been sparked, even before Gabriel had reached out to me about the kid.

Just because my dad wasn’t a council member, didn’t mean we were in the dark about the goings-on.

Most of it was mundane, like pack transfers. Sometimes it was due to werewolves finding their mates or like the kid I took in today. Requests for warrior training assistance.

Damn Alphas shouldn’t be leading a pack if they couldn’t train their own warriors. Adoptions were less frequent. Especially human or hybrid adoptions. This one was peculiar though.

First, the paperwork came in as a human, then suddenly a hybrid. I rolled my eyes. They should have figured it out right away. The age was intriguing too. It definitely got me thinking.

I hadn’t given the adoption much thought when they had said it was a twelve-year-old human. But when it changed to a six to eight-year-old hybrid, my interest was definitely sparked.

^~FLASHBACK~^

I stood outside my father’s office. He didn’t call me in often, but when he did it was usually to dish out some sort of punishment.

I tried to remember if I’d messed up any task, or if I’d been beaten by any of the warriors, but nothing came to mind.

I heard his rough voice yell ‘come’, so I opened the door and walked in.

I quickly shut the door behind me, then stood in front of his desk. Feet slightly apart, back straight, hands behind my back.

I kept my head level, careful not to look down or stare him directly in the eye.

“You summoned me father,” I said, making sure my voice was steady and emotionless. I was also careful not to show any fear. As far as I knew, I hadn’t done anything wrong.

I wasn’t about to show any weakness now. If I did, I knew what would happen.

“How old are you, pup?” he asked.

I clenched my jaw. He called me pup on purpose. He knew it annoyed me. I could beat any of the adult warriors, sometimes more than one at a time. Calling me pup was almost an insult.

“Fifteen, sir,” I replied, my teeth gritted.

He hummed.

“It’s about time you became a man.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“I can already beat our male warriors,” I retorted.

My father walked over to me and chuckled. He placed his hand on my shoulder and squeezed hard. I had to use all my self-control not to flinch as his claws dug into my skin.

When he got no reaction, he removed his hand.

“It takes more than strength to become a man, pup,” he smirked.

I stayed silent. Talking back to him would only lead to punishment.

“I’m sending you over the border. I want you to try and blend in with the guards. They are mostly weak and pathetic, but you are much younger than them so the size difference shouldn’t be a problem.

“We have obtained one of their uniforms, and one of their weapons. While you are there, you can bed as many women as you can. They have some sort of breeder facility.

“You need to be an experienced lover for when you find your mate. You can come back once you have fucked at least one human, or stay longer if you like.”

I swallowed hard. I had no experience. We weren’t allowed to have any relations with other she-wolves, unless they were our mates. I wouldn’t find my mate until I was at least seventeen.

“Yes, father,” I acknowledged.

My father laughed.

“Don’t look so fucking serious, Zagan. Most pups would give their right arm for a mission like this.

“Just make sure those worthless humans don’t realize what you are, do you understand,” he reiterated.

I nodded, “Yes, father, when should I leave?”

He rolled his eyes. “No time like the present, and while you’re there you can bring back as much information about their forces. We already know a little, but you can fill in the gaps.”

“Yes, Father,” I concluded.

I gave him a slight nod of my head and left his office.

Once I was outside, I let out a sigh of relief and headed for the quartermaster. He was an older wolf. Maybe he could give me a few tips on how to please a woman.

Blending in wasn’t hard. The full-grown male humans were about the same height as me. I was a lot more muscular and toned but was able to hide it under the loose uniform.

It seemed they took turns visiting the breeder block after their shift. I went in the block a couple of times. The women I was assigned to cried at first.

But then they moaned and screamed my name. This was apparently normal according to the quartermaster. If you were doing a good job. The next time I came in, they smiled and batted their eyelashes.

I only went back a few times. Mostly because I’d seen another woman. She wasn’t housed in the breeder block.

The other guards said she used to be a breeder, but now she was off-limits as she was owned by the commander. She had a little boy who I sometimes saw her with. Sometimes, though, she was alone.

It didn’t take me too long to befriend her. She was much prettier than the other breeders.

I was going to have to leave soon, go back to my father. I decided I wanted this woman. She was older and probably more experienced. That’s what I was here for after all – to learn.

I knew I shouldn’t have done it, but I used my Alpha command on the woman. Forced her to sleep with me. She had no choice.

She was just like the breeders, she cried at first, then she moaned with pleasure.

After that, she would seek me out. I stayed longer in the camp than I intended. Mostly so that I could bed her regularly. In total, I was there a month.

When I told her I was leaving, she begged me to take her.

I laughed at her. Then she cried, told me she was pregnant.

I panicked and told her I would think about it.

That night I left and returned to my father with a report on the human compound.

^~END OF FLASHBACK~^

I kept quiet about the commander's lady. I didn’t spare a thought for my child.

As we neared the old Alpha’s home, I was struck by its modest size. It was nothing compared to the grandeur of my father’s house.

I watched Alpha Gabriel knock on the door.

He’d left his father with the ‘mourning’ parents. They should have been thankful. If anyone could set the boy straight, it was us.

An older woman opened the door. I figured she was the former Luna. Her smile was strained. I guessed the elder wolves here had as much fondness for me as I had for them, which was not much.

“Welcome, Alpha Zagan.”

She stepped aside.

Gabriel motioned for me to enter first, then followed me in.

Inside, I found myself in a cozy sitting room.

Two pups were seated on the floor.

A boy pup around twelve, and a younger one around six. At first, I couldn’t tell if the younger pup was a boy or a girl. But her delicate features gave her away.

She was quite pretty, even with her short hair. In my pack, we didn’t allow females to cut their hair short, not even the pups.

They were playing a familiar game. The older boy had his hands closed, and the pup was sniffing them, guessing what was hidden inside.

It was a bit surprising. We usually didn’t introduce this game to the pups until their wolf had been with them for about a year. Wolves didn’t usually appear until a pup was seven or eight.

I let out a half sigh of relief. If the pup was eight, then she couldn’t be mine.

“Elijah, Ellie, come here a minute,” Alpha Gabriel called out.

The two pups stood up.

When the little female pup saw Gabriel, she ran over to him.

“Daddy!” she cried out.

She jumped into his arms, and he hugged her close.

“I guess you missed me,” Gabriel chuckled, kissing the top of the pup's head.

A twinge of jealousy hit me. I wasn’t sure why.

“I’d like you to meet Alpha Zagan. He’s visiting us today from another pack.”

The pup looked at me and smiled.

I fought back a gasp.

Up close, I could see her resemblance to her mother. Except for her eyes. That was the most unsettling part. It was like looking into a mirror.

“Hello,” she whispered, shyly.

I stared at her until she looked away. I hadn’t expected her to be so bold. But of course, she would be. She was my daughter.

I glanced down at the male pup, Elijah. He was the Bane wolf’s brother.

He extended his hand, his head held high, but avoiding eye contact.

“Pleased to meet you, Alpha Zagan.”

I shook his hand and nodded. At least they had raised him right. They were probably grooming him to be the next Alpha.

His mother would be an Alpha female, but you wouldn’t know it from the way she cried for her son. My mother would never have cried like that. Not even when my father was punishing me.

I pulled my hand back and turned sharply at the sound of footsteps.

The former Alpha.

“Jason and Jasmine won’t be joining us for lunch,” he announced, his tone bitter.

Elijah looked at his grandfather.

“What about Samuel?” He asked.

My eyes flicked to the girl, watching her reaction to the mention of the pup who had tried to kill her.

She stiffened slightly, until Alpha Gabriel gently rubbed her back.

He was making her weak. She might be young, but if she was going to be a strong Alpha, she needed to toughen up.

“He’s been transferred to my pack,” I said, looking at the boy.

I watched as Gabriel gently placed a hand on his head.

“I’ll speak to you later, Elijah. Why don’t you go and help your Nana set the table.”

I barely stopped myself from rolling my eyes. If this was how they treated the future Alpha, I couldn’t imagine how weak the rest of the pack must be.

“So how old is your pup, Alpha Gabriel,” I asked.

He smiled fondly at the pup.

“We’re not sure, we think between six and eight. Probably closer to eight. Her wolf emerged yesterday.”

I wanted to laugh at their naive assumptions. Yes, most wolves appeared around eight, but a strong Alpha wolf could appear earlier. My own wolf emerged just before my seventh birthday.

Her wolf must be strong though, if she was already scenting.

“So how did she end up in your pack?” I asked.

At my question, he put the pup down.

“Go and find Nana, see if you can help Elijah,” he suggested.

She ran off through another door. Probably the kitchen or the dining room.

“She crossed the border. The border guards shot her. We later found out she had been severely abused. The humans seem to think it’s okay to abuse their pups,” Alpha Gabriel growled.

I felt my wolf stir. My upbringing had been harsh. My father had beaten me often, but only after my wolf emerged. That way, I could heal myself.

I didn’t really care what the humans did to their pups, but I did care what they had done to my pup.

“It’s something the council will be looking into,” Gabriel’s father interjected.

He shot Gabriel a warning look. I sensed the councilman wasn’t too pleased about him sharing information.

I smirked.

“We’re all on the same side, Elder Joel.”

At least we would be until I decided to claim my daughter.