The Cursed Alpha

The Farmers

FREY POV

I sat on my throne. It wasn't a real throne, but Chris always called it that back when he was Alpha, and I kept the tradition by calling it that. My wolf said it made Chris happy. On my right was Trent, my advisor. Zane was seated on my right. My skin tingled because of his hold of my hand. Chris was closer to the two people in front of me.

Both of them lived in my pack lands, but only one was a lycanthrope. Both were farmers. They had stormed in earlier, requesting a formal mediation. Darren had, apparently, been using too many nutrient sucking plants on his land, and it was messing with the nymph's land.

To be honest, I would rather that they had figured it out amongst themselves. But, since they came here anyway, I knew that it was my duty to hear and negotiate a fix to the problem. It was difficult, to be unbiased. As his Alpha, I was naturally inclined to side with Darren. Still, I listened to both sides patiently. It was a bit distracting having Zane's hand in my own, but I couldn't force myself to pull my hand out of his.

I started to rub my eyes with my free hand after an hour of sitting on the throne hearing the two quick-tempered farmers verbally battle it out. I had stayed up late last night because I was still a little behind on checking over applications of wolves wanting to join my pack. Zane had finally forced me to go to sleep, but that had been this morning around three.

"Oh, the state of our livelihoods bores you, does it?!" the nymph snapped at my barely suppressed yawn. Yaps held back my anger for me as I listened to the nymph. He was connected to the land, the rivers. I couldn't really force him off the land, even if I wanted to. "You know what, they're right! You're just a heartless b*tch! You work and work, but no one's ever seen you so much as smile! You emotionless monster!"

I blinked in surprise. I was about to say something when a sharp pain stabbed me in the chest.

Can you hold back the hurt? I asked Yaps.

I'm a bit too tired. I can only hold one emotion back, and I think you wouldn't want to kill the nymph.

I turned my attention back to the two in front of me.

"She's not a monster, you tree-f*cker! That's my Alpha you're talking about, and I won't have you going after me and her!" Darren started to growl, a low guttural sound low in his throat. "She's not emotionless, either! She's not Alone anymore, she has her mate, and she's felt so many things! If you weren't waterlogged all the d*mn time, you would've seen that!"

The nymph snorted.

"Well, I bet she has to at last fake some emotion when she's spreading her legs for that poor mate. I just hope the bed-warming's worth the cold look in her eyes." The nymph's tone is cold and his tone cuts deep into the few emotions that I have. My hurt intensifies, but I try my best to push the emotion down myself. I swallow and grip Zane's hand just the slightest bit harder than before.

"Follow me. I'll settle this later." Chris's words are sharp, and he leads the two men out of the room.

As soon as the nymph leaves I let out a breath. The hurt is throbbing painfully in my chest.

"Well, that was interesting," I mutter. I look over at Zane and take in his features. They're handsome, as always. But he looks down-right murderous. His lips are pursed and there is a blazing fury behind his eyes. His jaws are clenched, and I admire the sharp jaw line he possesses. I think about running my hand over his stubbly cheeks but decide not to. He looks pretty angry right now.

A deep growl resonated through the room and I gasped. It was B-G. It was one thing to hear his growl in my head, but a whole other thing to hear it out loud. My wolf grew restless and I could feel her whines of pleasure, her growls of lust. I swallow at start to ask Zane what's wrong when a horrified look crosses his face. My heart stops for a second, wondering what's wrong.

The growling stops in an instant, and I'm left feeling cold and alone without B-G's powerful voice surrounding me. Zane lets go of my hand like I'm on fire and runs out of the room.

Worry flows through me and I stand up, following Zane out. Before I do, however, I turn to Trent and tell him to go over the few applications I have approved of and contact those individuals to tell them they're accepted. I also tell him to tell the many I have rejected that they're still rogues. Then I turn on my heel and run after Zane, worry pulsing through me.