Chapter 30
Rose's jaw dropped but she quickly shut it. "It's wonderful to have you here, Alpha Auri."
"How can a woman be an Alpha?" Leo grumbled, he was looking away from us and I growled.
"Leo, show some respect."
Auri put her hand on my arm and shook her head. 'It's okay, Ezekiel. Don't worry about it. I'm sure it's the same reaction as your elders would have toward me.'NôvelDrama.Org (C) content.
"That doesn't make it right." I growled. Turning back to Leo, I grabbed him by his shirt. "What the fuck is your problem?"
"Zeke! Stop!" Rose put her hand on my shoulder but Auri took it off and pulled her away from me.
He growled. "I want to know what the hell is wrong with you! You've been a disaster since we got back from the High Council."
"You think that gives you the right to insult everyone else? If you have a problem with me, then you take it to me. But you will not be disrespectful to anyone else. Auri could have removed your head for the disrespect and I would have had to just allow it!"
"She's a woman! You let her beat the shit out of you, or you've become too weak to even call yourself Alpha."
I growled and he did do. My fist came up ready to beat the shit out of him when suddenly the air in the room got thick. Letting go of Leo, I reached forward, trying to hold myself against the table but I fell to my knees. Leo was already on his knees baring his neck. Looking up, I saw Auri, her eyes the same golden color as Vale's. Her back was straight and her jaw was locked. She was pissed.
The whole room was on their knees but she was holding Rose who was looking down at us, wide eyed. Auri growled.
'Alpha Ezekiel, this is not the way to handle this.'
I bowed my head. Leo was shaking next to me, his eyes wide as he stared at the floor. The air lessened and I felt like I could breathe again. Leo was coughing, trying to gasp for breath. Stumbling a bit, I managed to get to my feet and tried to help Leo but he just shoved me off. Auri had let Rose sit and smiled.
Donna came in with a plate of food for Rose, Cory and Leo while also putting a plate of muffins in front of everyone. I nodded to Donna who smiled and I took one of the muffins. Tearing a small piece off, I put it in my mouth and chewed. Auri looked up at me and I sighed. I could takes the carrot and the spices in it.
'I guess we know our answer. I'll head out. There are a lot of things we need to do before tomorrow.'
Laughing, I nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Alpha Auri. I'll speak to you later this evening in regards to the plan."
She nodded and smiled. Giving a nod to the others at the table, she walked expertly out of the kitchen and the front door. Leo slammed his hands on the table as soon as he heard the door shut.
"What the hell do you think you are doing, Zeke?"
"What am I doing? What the hell was all that? You just going to disrespect an Alpha in front of her face? Literally brought you to your knees!"
Leo huffed. "Brought you to your knees too."
"She is the fucking Luna Queen! Of course, she brought us to our knees. Leo, what is going on with you?"
"How about you tell us why you were screaming 'Vale' last night like he was fucking you in the ass?" He growled out.
I stood up to him, looking up. "Because he was, Leo! Alpha King Vale is my mate. After hearing all your fucking over the years, I would think you could handle it."
His eyes went wide and he stumbled back, away from me. "The Alpha King is..."
"...my mate. Yes, Leo. Now, if you'll excuse me. I have work to do. I'm tried of needing to fucking explain myself every time I say something!" Huffing, I stomped through the house to my office and slammed the door shut.
Throwing off my sweatshirt, I went into the office bathroom and turned on the shower. After a quick rinse, I threw on some jeans but I realized I didn't have a shirt in the room. I grumbled but I refused to leave. Sitting down at my desk, I waded through the ridiculous amount of paperwork on my desk.
There was a knock on my door and it opened. Leo walked in, his head down and he shut the door behind him.
"I'm not in the mood..."
He sighed. "I'm sorry, Zeke."
I looked up at him, surprised. "What?"
"I'm sorry, for how I have been acting. I...I know you have the pack's interest always front and center. I shouldn't have acted that way. I will apologize to Alpha Auri in regards to my behavior. I just thought...I would start with you."
Sighing, I leaned back in my chair. "Leo, you know you have been my best friend coming up on two decades. You took care of me and helped me become the Alpha I am today. I know this isn't you and I know you're reacting to the stress that I have been under..."
"No. Zeke. I was questioning you as Alpha. Since you showed me your weakness at the High Council. I didn't realize it was because you had come into contact with your mate. I shouldn't have judged you based on that. I've known you for too long. I'm sorry."
Leo looked me in the eyes. They reflected remorse and sadness. I smiled and nodded. "We need to speak to the Elders. If you wouldn't mind calling them together for me."
Nodding, he smiled back and headed out of the office. I was glad that everything now was out in the open. The last thing I wanted to do was to keep secrets from him. He was my Beta and my best friend.
'Owen, please come to my office in twenty minutes. I need to speak with you.'
'Yes, Alpha.'
Even thought the mind link you could hear his distain and I smirked. Five minutes later, Leo opened my door. "The Elders are here."
Standing, I realized I didn't have a shirt on and groaned but Leo threw me a dark blue button up. He smirked and I grumbled a 'thank you', quickly buttoning it up. The five elders walked into the room just as I finished tucking in the tail of the shirt. I smiled at them and motioned for them to take the seats that encircled my desk.
I took a seat at my desk and cleared off the documents to the side so I could put my hands on the desk.
"This is very sudden, Alpha Ezekiel. What is it you want to discuss with us?" One of the elders, Joanne, was cross and a thorn in my side at every turn no matter if I followed their directions or not, was the one who spoke up.
"I've called you here because..."
Elder Brett cleared his throat. “I think we need to discuss the rogues sitting on the edge of the territory, in our territory, first."
I sighed. “They are a pack. The Golden Moon pack and they were sent by the High Council to remove the Darkry pack."
"A pack? Them? Please. I walked by one of their members this morning. She was blind. If that's not a spit in our face, I don't know what is."
"Were you here, Brett, when my father received help from The Huntress, back in his early days?"
He scoffed. "Well, of course I was."
"Then I wonder what you were doing during that time, because The Huntress then, as she is now, is blind. So I hope you did not say anything to her as you passed, otherwise I would regretfully need to inform you that you can go with the rest of the pack to apologize for your behavior towards The Huntress, Luna Queen, and now Alpha of the Golden Moon."
His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "I...I didn't..."
"Didn't know? You and the rest of the pack. If you would like, you may go with Leo after this and apologize to her. He needs to also apologize for her behavior." I smiled sweetly. "However, since that is already being handled, it is not the discussion I wish to have."
"Then what it is, Alpha? We don't have all day. Some of us have work to do." Joanne barked at me.
I remained calm despite her jab. She would always try to get me to be angry, to fight her. It was useless though and I knew it. Clearing my throat, my hands clasped together.
"I will be stepping down as Alpha as soon as the Darkry pack has been dealt with."
Three of the five elders were up, starting to yell different questions at me but I heard a distinct 'about damn time' from Joanne which made me chortle. Motioning them to sit back down, they quieted.
"Who will take up as Alpha?"
Leaning back in my chair, I smiled. "Honestly, I don't give a damn."
All of them looked at me, shocked.
"I will ask Owen but if he still refusing, I cannot force him to be Alpha. Not like you all did to me. So, you may be able to ask Leo to step up until Owen has a pup who is willing to be Alpha, but I will not longer be Alpha.”
"How dare you, you ungrateful pup!" Joanne growled. "We were stuck with you. A Silver has always been Alpha for this pack."
I smiled. "It sounds like this will be the first then. I will be joining Alpha Auri's pack and going with them when they leave. So I will not be here." "Who do you think you are?" Elder Brett growled.
Standing, I leaned over my desk, looking at each one of them. "I am Alpha. You are the Elders and while you seem to think you have power over the Alpha, you don't. My word is how this pack will proceed in the future. There will be no word after this out of any of you. If you want a Silver to be in the seat when I leave, I suggest you think about a way to make it more appealing to Owen. You are dismissed."
"You can't..."
Growling, I glared at the group. "I said, you are dismissed. Get out of my office."
My Alpha presence washed over them and they quickly stood. Shuffling out of the room, Leo was waiting on the other side. He watched them go and raised an eyebrow. Shaking my head, I flopped back down in my seat.
"They seemed particularly grumpy."
I nodded and rubbed my eyes. “I made them particularly grumpy. Is Owen here yet?"
Leo nodded. "You want me in for this one?"
"You can. It might help me from attacking him." Chuckling, I closed my eyes.
Owen came in and Leo shut the door behind him. He took a seat opposite of Leo in the room. I rolled my shoulders and opened my eyes.
"I..."
Owen cut me off. "If you are here to ask me to be Alpha, I refuse."
Leo growled. "Show some fucking respect to your Alpha. He may be your uncle but he is still your Alpha."
"I don't give a shit since you keep trying to force me to take the damn position. I refuse."
I cleared my throat. "Give me one good, valid reason why and I won't make you Alpha."
Owen's eyes widened and so did Leo. The both of them leaned forward.
"You have yet to give anyone a valid reason as to why you won't be Alpha. If you give me one, I won't force you or ask you again."
Owen's eyes fell to his lap and he fidgeted. "Faith isn't my fated mate."
My eyes narrowed but I didn't say anything. 'Leo, don't you say a word until he is done.' My mind link went through and Leo gave me a curt nod.
"What do you mean?"
"My fated mate is a human."