12. Sacha

Chapter twelve

Sacha

I felt…different. Maybe it was because of floating in the heated water or the food I hadn't realized I was ravenous for. But maybe it wasn't just that. I'd recovered a lot faster than ever before from a hard shift like that, but there was something more to this feeling inside me. Like I was…stronger. A take on the world and be invincible sort of strength. I wanted to shift and howl and make sure the whole pack knew who I was.

I tamped it all down.

Being newly mated might be the reason. Saving my mate from an interloper could, too. Zeke was mine, and I'd defended my claim to him. Logically, that sounded so bad, but my instincts were humming with possessiveness. That Zeke didn't seem to mind definitely wasn't making the wolf stop.

It wasn't a great frame of mind to be in when I needed to talk to my mother, though. She needed to know that the cats encroaching on our territory weren't just random sightings from a distance anymore. One of them had walked right up to my mate—stalked him, even—and propositioned him. Would that cat have done anything more if I hadn't found them when I had? A tremble lit through me as I got dressed in the pool house.

That feeling of power was also making me ignore the fact that my mother wanted me to hide my male mate from the rest of the pack. For one, that cat's crimes were mate-related, so Zeke's relationship to me couldn't remain a secret. But I also really needed everyone to know I was mated and accepted. I wasn't just the family's workhorse—I was loved.

Well, Zeke might not love me yet, but that he was sticking around said a lot about what he already felt for me.

When I came out of the pool house, Zeke was there waiting. "Give me your number so we can connect later. I'm being nosy, I know, but I really want to know how it goes with your mother."

"Oh!" I said as I realized something. "That doesn't shift with me."

He blinked a few times. "What?"

"My phone doesn't disappear like my clothes do. If I'd had it in my pocket, it would've just hit the ground when I shifted." And I hadn't been carrying it around with me for the past few weeks, ever since the first cat sighting.

"Huh," Zeke said, and I swore I could see him thinking. "That's really interesting since I thought phones were metal and glass and stuff like that. Maybe it's the battery? I suppose it's better that the whole phone sticks around instead of just the battery, though."

"That would get expensive fast." It was also really cute how his mind worked.

Zeke looked at his phone. "Okay, well, I have to get fitted for my suit at a boutique around here somewhere this afternoon, but maybe we can meet for lunch? Are you going to see your mother now?"

"Come with me."

He looked as surprised as I felt. "Are you sure?"

I nodded, even though I really wasn't that sure. "I want her to meet you. Plus, you're a witness, and she needs to hear what you know."

He nodded back and gulped as he looked at the resort entrance. I reached over and took his hand, trying to convey the solidarity we both probably needed to feel. Honestly, I knew I was dragging him into my world, but at least he wasn't kicking and screaming.

"Okay," he said, "let's go."

I led the way through the resort to the staff only sections and up to Mother's office. The door was open at the end of the hallway, and I could hear a lot of voices. I hated to interrupt, but it was that important, so I kept walking right into the room.

Those seated around the room took one look at me and stood up. I could scent their unease and realized they were reacting to mine. Taking a few deep breaths, I tried to calm myself.

From across the room, Titus asked, "What's happened?"

I had a choice to make, and quickly. I could either ask for the room and tell Mother alone, let her take it to the rest of them, or I could come out to the entire council right here and now. I glanced at her, finding her face scrunched up as she surveyed Zeke from head to toe and back again. She could guess who he was and her disgust was clear.

I made my decision.

"My mate," I said, "was just assaulted by one of the cats not a hundred yards from our front door."

The room erupted with raised voices, and I swore every single one of them was saying something about how Mother should've done more to combat the cats before now. I wasn't on the inside, I didn't know what decisions these people made, but to have this not come as a surprise to any of them was shocking to me.

They'd known the cats were that close? That they'd felt so confident in getting closer? That harassing our mates was possible? I was instantly angry because, hell yes, more should've been done long before now. Literally nothing had come down to the rest of the pack except a vague warning that the cats were near and watch out.

"There's no plan?" I hollered, looking from my mother to Titus and Marius. There were others present who ranked lower than them, but I knew who got things done for the pack. "This is a criminal offense. We would be within our rights to attack."

Zeke's hand tightened on mine, but I kept my focus on the others. As a human, he probably wouldn't agree with our more violent solutions to problems like this, but I would try to explain later.

Titus said, "Your mate isn't the only one who's been threatened."

"And our leader," Marius said with a sneer, "has repeatedly declined to act."

I could see Mother bristling and, this time, I wasn't on her side. While I was sure she had her reasons, I couldn't advocate for doing nothing.

"Mother, we have to do some thing. The cats will see our failure to fight back as weakness. It'll only encourage them to continue invading our territory and harassing our members."

The others piped up with their agreement or shared what they'd suggested, but all I knew was that Mother was getting angrier. Her face flushed and she started to sweat as she gritted her teeth. In that moment, I really saw her as the dictator she was trying to be.

"Don't you see what he's doing?" Mother screeched, pointing at me. " That's his mate! A human man. And that deviant cat went after our weakest link because of course he would. Sacha is actively helping the cats infiltrate our pack by bringing a pathetic queer—"

"Enough!" I yelled and, oh fuck me, I felt my anger rush out of me like a wave. I gasped as I watched it crash into each and every wolf in the room, sending them stumbling backward. Mother and Zeke looked confused as everyone else went quiet. Gavril gave a whine of fear that stung me. "I'm sorry," I said breathlessly. "I don't…know…what…"

But I did know. I knew. That was a power only an alpha could wield. Alphas could target a single member or the whole pack and emotionally influence them. I'd let them all feel my anger, and they'd reacted by backing down and cowering.

Was I an alpha?

"Finally," Titus said. "Marius, assemble the pack."

Marius actually bowed to me before dashing from the room. It was a dip of his head, but that was something we only did to alphas.

"Oh fuck," I whispered and gripped Zeke's hand harder.

"Sacha?" Zeke crowded close, cupping my cheek in his other hand. "What's happening? Are you alright?"

Before I could answer, Mother exploded. "Explain yourselves! Immediately!"

Titus stepped between her and I as he said something I absolutely never thought I'd ever hear someone say. "Sacha is the new alpha."

I was breathing so fast, my heart galloping, but at the same time there was a sort of calm washing over me. Like the confirmation of my sudden new status was a relief even as it scared the hell out of me. Being an alpha had been possible for me, but it hadn't happened as I'd grown older. It had been normal to assume Gavril would be next, not me. Never me. But the proof was in what I'd just done, influencing everyone with a pulse of power. Only alphas could do that.

"What? That's impossible." Mother tried to shove Titus out of her way, but he stood firm. "Move, damn you!"

"I will protect my alpha from any threat," Titus said with a snarl to his voice. "Even his own mother."

"Seriously?" Zeke asked with a grin as he stared into my eyes. "Just bam! and you're the new leader?"

I laughed weakly with him and nodded. "Guess so."

"That is not how it works!" Mother yelled. "Gavril will be alpha, and until then, I'm in charge."

"Not anymore," Titus said.

I couldn't see Mother around Titus, but I could hear her hitting him as she raged wordlessly. That had to stop. I'd known she was desperate to hold onto her position, but this wasn't the end of anything. She would still be the alpha's mother and enjoy the privileges of that status even though she was human.

I took Zeke's hands and kissed his knuckles, earning a smile and a nod as he stepped back. Walking around Titus, I grabbed Mother's arm before she could hit him again.

"Stop," I said firmly as I let her go. "There's no reason for this. You're not losing anything."

She smacked me. I reeled back, shocked to my core. My mother had never hit me.

"You're just as useless as your father," she hissed at me. "You'll end up just like him, too."

I watched her stomp out of the room, slamming the door behind herself. Gavril screamed for her to come back, but she didn't. She'd left him behind, and she wanted me dead. I couldn't… I didn't know what to think.

Hands touched my back, and I turned to find Zeke. He pulled me into a hug, and I clung to him because he was real and solid and safe.

"It'll be okay," he whispered. "I don't know how yet, but I'm here and I'll help."

I closed my eyes and breathed in my mate's perfect scent, letting it calm and center me.

"We need to tell the pack," Titus said. "Gavril, come with me."

"No! I don't want to die!"

I pulled away from Zeke to stare at my little brother. He was curled up in the corner of the couch and looked sincerely terrified. I went to him, crouching down in front of him. He tried to scoot away from me.

"Gav, no one is going to hurt you."

He shook his head. "Mother said they'd steal her power and kill me. That's what happened. I felt it!"

"Oh, Gavril, no. That's not true. I'm so sorry." My heart broke for him. It felt like my fault that our mother had done this to him. Like if I'd spent more time with him, I could've known about the lies she was telling him and stopped that. "I promise, Gav, no one's going to kill you."

"But she said that's what wolves do." He looked less scared and more confused now. "Wolves kill to take power from each other. That's why she killed our dads."