Chapter 18
Katya POV:
Getting to my room my mother digs through my bag grabbing some clothes and passing them to me. I slip them on and she looks around the room.
“It’s a nice room” she comments and I nod pulling my pants on. She goes to say something but stops herself.
“What’s wrong?” I ask her. She looks conflicted before I see her usual face slip on. Gone was my protective mother and in her place my biggest critic. I regretted asking instantly.
“Why didn’t you fight back?”
“I was n@ked!” I tell her, what did she expect me to do?
“You made yourself look weak, they won’t accept you if you look weak, you need to stand up for yourself”
“And last time I did, I got in trouble” I tell her and she sighs running her hand through her hair.
“You won’t get in trouble, do what you have to, to prove yourself Kat”
“Alpha Ezra said no violence between pack member’s mum, you want me to lay low then you tell me to fight back which is it?”
“You make us look weak, you are not weak. No daughter of mine can be weak, especially in your position” she says her voice raising.
“My position? Just say what you want to say mum, spit it out” I tell her sick of her judgement. Either way I am Dmn if I do and Dmn if I don’t meet her expectations.
“Your life is going to get a lot harder, and you being a pushover looks bad, your mate will have expectations and if you can’t prove yourself”-
“What are you talking about, I don’t have a mate mum. I don’t even have a wolf so I wouldn’t find him even if I miraculously did. And mates are meant to love us not shun us”
“Not all mates are equal Katya, your a weakness to any mate you get with not having a wolf so you need to show your strength in other ways”
“Get out!” I tell her and she stops her rant looking at me.
“Get out, I asked you here as my mum and you can’t even do that, everything is about titles and strength to you. If you think I am weak then just go, I criticize myself enough. I don’t need it from you too” I tell her, tears brimming in my eyes. Why can’t she just love me and be a mother for five seconds without criticizing me.
“You don’t talk to me like that, I am just trying to help you”
“Get out!” I scream at her losing my temper, my voice rising louder than I meant. She glared at me and was about to say something when the door opened.
“She asked you to leave now go” Alpha Ezra says to her. Sh*t how much did he hear? Panic set in and I heard my mother’s heart rate spike.
“I don’t know what you two are arguing about but it is clear Kat wants you to go Shirley, so leave” Ezra says and I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding. My mother’s mouth clamps shut.
“I will see you at the pack run” my mother says, kissing my head before walking out and past the Alpha.
She leaves and the Alpha steps in the room closing the door.
“What happened? You two were fine downstairs” he says. I shake my head knowing I can’t tell him.
“Your mother seems strict,” he says and I nod.
“She thinks I made myself look weak” I tell him.
“She said that?” He asked and he seemed annoyed.
“Yes,’ said my mate when I find him, that he won’t want a weak mate, that I needed to prove myself or some Sh*t” I told him, which seemed to anger him more. A growl escapes his lips startling me.
“You okay?” I ask him and he snaps out whatever mood he was in.
“You’re not weak, and no one should expect anything from you, Kat, especially your mate” he says.
“Well I hope you’re right” I tell him and we stand there in an awkward silence.
Mateo walks in clearing the awkward silence and for once I was actually happy he barged in. The Alpha too looked relieved.
“So which room are you putting her in?” He asks, looking at the Alpha.
“I’m fine here” I tell him and Mateo looks at me.
“Think the Alpha and I would be more comfortable with you upstairs” Mateo answers. The Alpha walks over grabs my bag not saying anything as he puts my things in it before throwing it over his shoulder.
I sigh before following them. Mateo throws his arm over my shoulder. “Be like a slumber party we can do make up, comb each other’s hairs” he says and I elbow him.
“What girls do that Sh*t” he says and I raise an eyebrow at him.
“Well I don’t” I chuckled at him.
“What never? even the Alpha and I have slumber parties” he says mockingly.
“Never been to one, what do you two do then?” I ask, wondering if they really did have sleepovers considering they live in the same place.
“Stuff our faces, watch Tv. Not much to do when not working and it is boring in case you haven’t noticed, sometimes we go to the wh*re” he says. When the Alpha suddenly growls at him.
“Sometimes we Get messages from the lad*ies of the night” he says, getting another growl from the Alpha.
“You mean a prost*itute?” I correct.
“See she already knows what the place is, why get your p*an*tie*s in a knot Ezra?”
“Why do you pay someone? I am sure some of the girls in the pack would give it to you for free”
“Why are you offering?” Mateo asks, wiggling his eyebrows at me. The Alpha spins around on the stairs and Mateo puts his hands in the air at his taunting.
” that is not what I meant”
“He knows that Kat, he is taunting, and to answer your question it isn’t right to mess around with pack member’s, knowing they have mates, so yes a brothel and a couple of girls who lost their mates but mainly brothels” the Alpha answers.
“So human woman?” I was a little shocked. The Alpha glares at Mateo and I watch as both their eyes glaze over in private conversation.
Mateo pats his shoulder walking past him up the stairs. “Always so tense,” Mateo mutters.
“I will see you later Kat for our slumber party” Mateo says, giving me a wink.
“Bl**dy fool” Alpha Ezra says, reaching down and grabbing my hand. He tugs me up the stairs but I didn’t even pay attention to where he was leading me, too focused on the strange tingling sensation of my hand in his. He stops and he clears his throat, making me look up at him. I pull my hand from his. “Sorry” I tell him, rubbing my fingers in my palm trying to stop the weird sensation.
“My room is next door, Mateo’s is down the end, it’s the last door,” he says and I nod, turning to look at the door we stopped at.
I open it and walk inside, the Alpha follows me in before stopping next to the dresser and placing my bag on it.
“Mainly this floor is empty unless we have Pack Alpha’s visiting. There is a Bathroom down the end but doesn’t get used much because we have bathrooms in our rooms so you don’t have to worry about others coming in”
I nod not really wanting to remember the earlier shower problem.
“Well I will let you do whatever, I will be in my office if you need me, I have things to prepare for the pack run” he says and I nod. He goes to walk out when he stops. He turns around before reaching into his pocket pulling a phone out and hands it to me.
He unlocks it while it is in my hand before going through it and stopping at the video making me look up at him, he doesn’t press play but shows me it before he deletes it.
“They took photos too” I tell him remembering the clicking sound of the snaps being taken.
“You can scroll and delete those if you don’t want me to see them” he says looking away.
“Not that it matters you already saw the video” I tell him scrolling through and deleting everything before handing him the phone. “Thank you” I tell him.
“I meant what I said, you can decide how they are punished Kat”
I shake my head. Nothing would undo what has been done.
“I can make them strut down the main Street n@ked in shame if you want”
“No, they will forget eventually and I couldn’t do that to someone I am not cruel” I tell him. Alpha Ezra brushes my hair back before tipping my chin up to look at him.
“And your mother thinks you’re weak? Most would want an eye for an eye for what they did Kat. Showing mercy is not weak, that just proves your strength, proves you are better than them” he says letting me go.
“Are you sure you’re the Alpha I have heard about for years, the one everyone fears?” I chuckle. He smiles at me.
“The rumours are mostly true but packs are family, I protect what’s mine everything else doesn’t matter”
“So you really K*lled all those people?” I ask slightly horrified.
“Yes they hurt my family, and my pack is family”
“So did you really K*ll your father?” I ask before realising I probably shouldn’t have asked that.
“Sorry I shouldn’t, you don’t have to answer” I tell him looking away.
“You can ask me whatever you want kat, and yes I did. He wasn’t a Good Alpha and an even worse father” he says.
“Does that bother you?” He asks.
“No, you had your reasons,” I tell him. He nods before looking at the door.
“I will see you at the pack run but I really should go, I need to make sure the borders are patrolled still during the run” he explains not that he had to. He is my Alpha after all.
“Okay”
“5pm Kat and I will be telling everyone the Packhouse is off limits, you won’t have to speak to them if you don’t want to. I will see you at 5” He says slipping out of the room. Great, now I need to find somewhere to hide in the forest so I remain unnoticed.