Page 21 of The Alpha Wolf's Bullied Bride

When the sound escapes my wolf lips, it feels as though a weight is lifted from my shoulders. My wolf is at its most powerful, even though this form feels lighter than ever.

“Alpha Flynn,”Miles calls out to me through the mind link—my first as the leader of the pack. “You have some explaining to do.”

“Explaining?”My wolf brows furrow. “What do you want me to explain, Beta?”

Miles chuckles mentally. “That’s gonna take some getting used to.”He pauses, his voice entering my mind more seriously. “My sister, Flynn. Since when has this been going on?”

“There isn’t anything going on, Miles,”I admit earnestly, the radiant power suddenly dissipating and leaving me with a vulnerable feeling. When my inner wolf took over and announced Lila as the pack’s Luna, it was obviously didn’t consider the explaining I’d need to do.

Forget my best friend—I can barely give myself a suitable explanation.

“Then why did you choose her as your mate?”Miles asks.

“Because she’s the only one suitable for me,”my inner wolf replies, deepening my frown. What does that even mean? I bray frustratedly, tired of this game of cat-and-mouse between my inner wolf and my logical mind, but the wolf cowers suddenly and remains quiet.

“I guess you know better what you need for the pack’s interests. But, if you are gonna be my brother-in-law, we’re gonna have to celebrate. Drinks?”

“Not tonight, Miles,”I reply quickly, the weight of my decision only deepening when I remember why I needed to pick a mate in the first place.

I have to join the alliance with the neighboring packs, and my position as the Alpha of Blood Moon will only be secured once Lila and I join in holy matrimony for the Moon Goddess’s pleasure.

“I’m afraid we’ll have to hold off the celebrations for now,”I go on. “We need to proceed with the wedding, so I need to make preparations.”

“Of course, Alpha,”Miles replies more diplomatically. “Is there anything I can do?”

“Rest for now, Beta. Tomorrow, I will debrief you and the Delta about our meeting with the other packs.”

“Got it, Alpha,”Miles acknowledges before the connection is cut, allowing me to take a deep breath and soak in the cool air that calms me.

My wolf is proving to be stubborn, my inner voice’s lips pressed into a firm line. I know I have a lot of explaining to do—especially to my parents, who’d been convinced that I would take Cynthia as my mate.

While I descend the mountain, I rehearse what I’m going to offer as an explanation, deciding on telling my parents that Lila and I had been in a secret relationship for a long time. It’s plausible since she spent a lot of time in the Lycoan house when Miles and I first became close friends.

I shake my head as I shift into human form, dismissing the memories of the past in which I always felt more than a familial connection to Lila. I might not be the biggest disappointment to my parents as an Alpha who chose a wolf-less Omega as his mate, but I’m the biggest disappointment to myself, not knowing what any of it means for me.

“Mother, Father, we need to speak,” I announce when I enter the dining room of the main house. “About the Omega—” I’m cut off when my mother rushes off her chair and approaches me with outstretched arms.

“Congratulations, my son,” she praises, pulling back to cradle my face with both hands, her eyes twinkling appreciatively. “You have made a great choice tonight.”

“I have?” I frown confusedly.

“Yes, son,” Father adds from the head of the dinner table. “Choosing the Omega as your mate sends a clear message to your pack now that you’re the Alpha.”

I glance between Father and Mother, a shiver running down my spine. Am I the only one out of the loop as to why I’m drawn to the wolf-less werewolf of our pack? Is my inner wolf in cahoots with my parents?

“It does?” I’m perplexed by how accepting both my parents are as they nod.

“Of course, Flynn,” Mother replies. “Choosing Lila as your mate shows the others that Blood Moon values equality. With the upcoming alliance…”

“The other packs will recognize this as a sign of strength,” Father adds. “They’ll see that Blood Moon is a unified pack, where every member is equally important. From the head of the pack to the lowest in the hierarchy, we’re not willing to forsake any lives to the looming threat.”

I stare at my father, digesting his approval as it all begins to make sense.

If I’m meant to sign the treaty and keep the pack safe, it will do me good to have the Omega as my mate. Perhaps that’s why my inner wolf nudged me toward her.

It’s a decision made with the safety of the pack in mind. Smart move for my inner wolf’s intuition, I must admit.

It’s not Lila’s wolf I need, or her ability to stand by me as the Luna. It’s the strength of my own wolf, whose boundless,magnificent power I felt pulsing through my being tonight. I’ve underestimated my own capabilities, wanting to rely on a mate bond to seal the deal of my reign.

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