The Forbidden Alpha

Gabe

I woke from darkness so thick it had taken everything in me to fight to break out of it. The world was a haze and I couldn’t piece together which parts of my nightmares had been real and which had been in my head.

What happened? Where the hell is this? Where am I?

Slowly, my memories of earlier flooded into my mind. My mate… the pain poured in and it felt like I was crushed all over again.

I shuddered and looked to my left. Ady sat in the chair next to my bed holding my hand. I looked down to my chest and stared at the bandages that covered the stab wound from Olivia.

I don’t think I’ll ever recover from what I’ve gone through. I remembered the way Olivia stared at me as she drove the blade into my chest. The words I’m sorry barely audible as she looked at me with the faintest apologetic look.

My chest throbbed and I flinched before slowly reaching touch around the bandage carefully. Ady sensed my movement and jolted up from her sleep. Her eyes locked on me and she let out a sigh of relief.

“Thank Goddess Gabe! Are you okay?” She asked as tears filled her eyes.

“Olivia,” I groaned as I reached over and grabbed her hand.

She shook her head.

“No, we’re not going to talk about that right now. You’ve been out and you can’t be stressed right now. You need to rest and focus on your recovery,” my best friend tells me.

“I can’t Ady, I need to know about Olivia,” I plead.

She hesitates as she looks at me. The bags under her eyes tell me she wasn’t doing good.

“You’d want to know if it were Ethan.”

Adea sighs and I know I’ve won.

“She’s okay… Odis found her and brought her back. He’s been trying to buy Olivia more time but… she stands trial tomorrow,” Adea says.

Tomorrow.

I force my eyes ahead and focus on the wall. She’s alive. She’s okay.

“Thank you,” I croak. “I’m awake now, Ady. You should go and get some rest.”

Adea stares at me for a good minute. We sit for a few minutes in silence before she gets up.

“Thank Goddess you made it,” she says before shaking her head. “I don’t know what I would have done with you.”

I squeeze her hand.

“I’ll get the nurse for you on the way out.”

***

Adea

I knocked out the moment my head hit the pillow. I hadn’t had much time with Ethan because he had been busy with welcoming the new pack members and making sure they were all situated on top of his normal Alpha duties.

I’m overjoyed that he opened his eyes. I couldn’t leave Gabe’s side but being back in my room I had to admit it was lonely.

When I woke up, I found myself in an empty bed and snuggled under the blankets. Only a few hours were left until Olivia’s trial.

I didn’t want to get out of bed, so I would skip my run today, unable to think of anything yet thinking of everything at the same time.

I looked over at the clock. Fuck. I needed to get up. I was going to walk out of this room and make my way to the meeting hall. That was my plan so far.

I willed myself to get up. I would do this for Gabe and for my pack. That was what gave me the strength to get going regardless of the dread that lingered.

I was determined to live today for the pack members and get the justice that was deserved. I needed to get myself together. It was time to shake off the nervousness and laziness.

I grabbed the sheets and flung them aside before jumping to my feet. I dressed to what I believe was the way the Luna of Desert Moon would dress. I wore a red dress that hugged my curves and fell right above my knees. I paired it with black heels that weren’t too crazy.

I made my way to the meeting hall determined to be on time to meet Ethan. I knew he would be waiting for me.

Although we hadn’t been able to hold a Luna Ceremony, we would be going in together to show strength and unity despite the fact that our Gamma was on trial for espionage and betraying the pack.

As I walked into the meeting hall I could hear hushed voices. It sounded as if they were in a heated argument.

“I’ll find a way to fix this Alpha. I know there’s still a chance to salvage this situation… it’s not too late,” Odis pleads. “If I could just have a little more time…”

The desperation bleeding from his words as I turn around the corner. Odis hears me and stills. He doesn’t say anything else but his eyes remain on Ethan. Ethan doesn’t look like he believes there’s a way out of what needs to happen.

“Little one?” Ethan calls me over. My body heats as his eyes trail down my body. He offers me his hand and I don’t miss the way his eyes darken.

“Today we stand together as a unit,” Korra says, and I stride over to him. I take his hand and Ethan kisses my hand before he wraps his arm around my waist. The butterflies in my stomach flutter and I feel like I haven’t seen him enough.

“You’re out of time, Odis. We have witnesses that came forward one hour ago,” Ethan explained. “I will not be postponing. The hearing starts now.”

Odis cast me a look before looking back to Ethan. His shoulders slumped and he closed his eyes. Was that defeat or acceptance I saw? I wasn’t sure. What I did know was the discussion was over.

Odis walked over to the meeting room doors and opened them.. Ethan’s grip on my waist tightened before we turned and he led me into the meeting room.