My fated alpha by Natalie
Chapter 8

Hayden

Luke was growling and it took me a great deal of effort to stop him from lunging at Garron. I didn't want more trouble.

Charlie threw me a look that said he was going to talk to me about whatever Garron had said. Well, I had known that I cannot really keep things away from them, but I hadn't expected Garron to show up all of a sudden.

He usually steered clear of my pack and my territory and as much as he loathed me, he wouldn't show up just to goad me.

The look that had passed between him and Raine was also bothering me. Nevertheless, I could talk about that later.

Right now, I walked into my office with Garron in tow. I ensured that all my pack members were well out of earshot. If Garron was going to be nasty to me, I didn't want the others to hear it.

I would deal with him my way.

Leading him inside, I asked him to sit on the chair opposite my desk. I turned around and closed the door on Charlie's face who was staring at me from beneath the tree.

I mind-linked him just to be on the safe side, "Don't barge in unless I ask you to, which is never going to happen. Just trust that your alpha can take care of himself on his own."

Before Charlie could even respond, I closed both the door and the mindlink.

Garron was looking around with an amused smile as he asked, "Pretty neat office you got here."

I placed both my hands on the table and asked him, "Stop beating around the bush, tell me why you are here."

His face contorted in annoyance as he responded, "I am here to do my duty as the alpha of the Black Forest pack. I am officially inviting you and your pack members to the ball which is going to be held next week....you know...to help you find your Luna."

There was a distinct twinkle in his eyes as if he was trying to goad me. I had not found my luna. But, I had made it pretty clear from the very beginning that I wasn't interested in finding one.

By now, every she-wolf in the north knew about it. So did Garron.

"I accept your invitation, anything else?"

I asked again with a pointed look. I didn't want him even a second more in my territory. But he only leaned back on the chair and smiled.

Rubbing his temple with one hand he added, "Easy there, alpha. You need to learn some basic courtesy to show to another alpha who is at your door. I come in good faith."

Flipping a file open, I pretended to not listen to him and just began rummaging through the pages.

Seeing that I wasn't paying him any more attention made him feel a little annoyed. Luke particularly enjoyed seeing him squirm but I ordered him to stay silent. Thankfully, he listened. "Well, that's not the only thing I wanted to speak to you about. I went to meet Alpha Jack and the other alphas from the southern territory last week to invite them for the ball."

"And?"

"And, they asked me to help them train their new recruits as well as current warriors."

"Then why don't you?"

I replied without looking up. I knew what he was trying to avoid speaking, but if he wanted my help he had to ask for it.

Swallowing his pride, he added in an awkward voice, "They want you to train all their new recruits as well as help polish their betas' and gammas' fighting strength. They think they are getting lazy."

Luke grinned in my head and I asked him to shut it. I couldn't deny that I loved the situation myself. Garron had come to mock me in front of my pack members.

But, he was pleading with me to make him look good to the others. Suppressing my smile, I replied,

"If they are, in fact, getting lazy, I cannot help them either. I would not waste my time training those who don't want to be trained. I have better things to do."

At my reply, thin lines of fury appeared on his forehead. I know I was being rude but I couldn't help it. I kept recalling Madeleine's face and the state in which I had found her. Part of me just wanted to smack his head on the table, but I restrained myself.

And to make matters worse, Luke was pushing me to be even meaner which wasn't really helping.

"Shut it will you?" I snapped at Luke who was trying to bait me into saying something even nastier to Garron.

In his defense, he just spoke of how Garron had treated Madeleine and how it had been Luke who had made it possible for me to help her. If not for Luke, I would have never met her.

At the mention of Madeliene, I grew restless again. Some part of me wanted to ensure that she was fine and not injured.

I didn't know why I felt the need to worry about a random girl who I had only met once, but her face had been seared into my brain.

It had taken her so long to get up from the ground and she had been limping when she was carried away.

Despite wanting to go and meet her, I had forced myself to stay confined to my office and busy myself with work.

Trying my best to ignore my thoughts of her, I made myself clear, "If the alphas need me to train their recruits or any other members, tell them that it will only be done my way. They are not allowed to interfere and meddle with how I run the training."

While holding a pen in my hand, I highlighted the key points of the large file that had been laid open in front of me. I had been sitting on it since yesterday, but I had not even managed to read a single page. My mind had been too clouded and my thoughts too muddled to think clearly. Garron only stared at me blankly but I offered him no other explanations.

I needed my team to be on their A game and I couldn't let lousy werewolves affect my team's morale.

The reason many packs stayed away from mine was that they knew my warriors and even my junior recruits were always in their best shape. And, that happened only with relentless training. Training and discipline.

Garron seemed to say something and opened his mouth but closed it when he couldn't think of anything. He only added, "Yes, I understand" before he fell silent again.

Even I got back to my file and started to work. Garron had hoped to make a big fuss of how I had entered his territory in front of my pack, but he had fallen flat on his face.

Having left with nothing more to share he got up from the chair and said, "I'll take your leave then."

I finally looked up from my file to give him a curt nod when I felt my beta hovering outside the front door.

I had clearly asked him to stay away and yet he was outside the door. Sometimes I really wondered if my pack members annoyed me more than the outsiders.

But before I could mindlink him, he hastily opened the door and said, "Alpha, we found an injured girl who is just screaming your name..."

Charlie didn't even have to finish the line. There was only one girl that I could think of to be injured and asking for my help. My breath hitched to think that she was injured yet again.

Ignoring Garron who was still in the office, I walked out of it and slammed the door hard as my feet automatically followed Charlie.

While following him, I was silently praying to the moon goddess to let her be okay and if she was even lightly scratched, forgive me for killing Steve.

Charlie neared the edge of our territory and began walking towards the deeper parts of the forest where there was a small river.

It was a quiet place that many werewolves would go to if they wanted some alone time or just avoid it.

As he guided me there, my feet followed him faster than he could walk and that is when I saw her hugging herself. Her sleeves were torn and she was trying her best to shield herself from the observing gazes. Her hair looked matted and I saw blood on her forehead. My face contorted into fury to see her like that and I rushed to her.

Upon seeing me, her face broke into relief as she only said one word- my name.

"Hayden"

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