The Alpha's Daydream ✔️

Chapter 23

2520 words

~ Two hours earlier ~

Malachi almost felt skinny next to the bulky mass of muscle.

Almost, but he knew his own strengths. And they weren't in brawn like what most of the older warriors possessed. No, the young Alpha liked to think of himself as fair, unprejudiced, smart, and quick thinking. He made good decisions for the pack, having everyone in mind when deciding the courses of action. Not unlike the traits that all Alphas had, including what his father was like, Malachi was strict and determined.

But in some ways, he was nothing like his father.

Alpha Dennison somehow had it in his mind that males ruled supreme over the weaker gender, and not many wolves in his pack mourned his early death. Most breathed a sigh of relief, except a few of Dennison's most loyal warriors.

"Archie." Malachi addressed the older warrior as he came up beside him. The training field lay before them, the setting sun casting their long shadows across the short grass.

The strong and well-muscled warrior turned slowly. "Well, if it ain't the Alpha pup. Come to check up on our training? Think we aren't doing it right?"

"Nothing of the sort. However, I do like to oversee every aspect of the running of my pack. That includes the training of the new guards," Malachi nodded to the field a hundred yards over, where a number of younger wolves were training and sparring with Hamilton as their mentor. They kept to the routine Malachi had set for them, doing strength exercises before moving on to strategy and tactic training. Every new warrior needed to be well-prepared in case conflict broke out with rogues, or even between other packs.

"Don't know why you bother with that lot," Archie jerked his head and gave a condescending chuckle. "They're such immature babies."

Alpha Malachi felt his fingers curl into fists, the need to defend his pack members and own Beta burning in his heart. He could handle insults and prejudices from members of other packs. He'd grown up with everyone disliking his family and his father's ways of ruling. But to hear the insults from his own pack member cut deep.

He'd have to ignore it for now since he didn't want to get into a fight. He was here for more important matters.

"Well, Archie, I hear you're up to your old tricks again."

"Don't know what you heard, but it's not true," the older warrior instantly folded his arms across his chest in a defensive manner.

"So it wasn't you who's been challenging my warriors?" The young Alpha fixed the warrior with a chilling gaze, one that would make every regular wolf cringe in submission.

But Archie was stubborn. "Oh that," he shrugged causally. "You know we all need a healthy challenge every now and then. Puts the cocky warriors in their place."

"Sure. Except this was no warrior. She was new, which I'm assuming you figured out." When Malachi had heard about Ariella being pressured into a fight on her first afternoon here, it made him so angry, he felt enough energy coursing through him to end twenty rogue lives.

"Of course," Archie snickered, not bothering to hold back on his lack of respect. "Anyone could tell the fresh naivety of that face. Such innocence, it's almost sickening."

Malachi clenched his jaw against roaring in the warrior's face. "She's my mate. And your future Luna," he said sternly, hoping the older wolf would gain any amount of respect for the new young shewolf. She wasn't just anyone--she was the Alpha's mate.

But Archie just sneered, his priorities and loyalty clearly elsewhere. "That pretty little thing?"

Malachi rushed at him, pinning him against the wall of the guard house.