Secrets of an Alpha

Chapter Five

Natalia’s POV 

“You are looking great Lucille, have you done something new with your hair?” I ask her as I reach up to the top shelf to retrieve a bowl for my cereal. 

“Nope!” she chuckles in return whilst rolling out a piece of dough with her rolling pin. 

“Well you look fantastic.” I reiterate as I turn to look at her again curiously. 

“It’s amazing what a few nights of decent sleep and rest can do for a person… you know you are the fourth person to mention it this week.” she grins as I pour the cereal into the bowl and take a seat at the table. 

“Oh yeah?” 

“Yes Felix has finally caved and hired some help at the farm. It has really taken the pressure off of us both. I don’t think I really realised how much we needed help until now.” 

I smile at her widely before shovelling another spoonful of cornflakes into my mouth. 

“That great I’m happy for you both.” 

She puts down the rolling pin and picks up the piece of pastry to begin moulding it inside the pie tin. 

“You should meet him Nat… oh Goddess I doubt you’d believe your eyes, he’s that handsome and such a lovely lad too.” 

I giggle softly and nod my head. 

“Cool. I’ll look forward to meeting him sometime. Listen… I wanted to ask you something.” I add sheepishly. 

Lucille lets out a sigh and shakes her head from side to side gently. 

“Oh Goddess above, that’s never good!!” 

“Lucille!! Come on it’s nothing bad!!” I protest, giving her my saddest puppy dog eyes. 

“Okay hit me with it?” she retorts exhaustedly. 

“So my father has been having a little trouble finding another pack to ally with us and I’ve been trying to think of how I can change that…. What if I find out what is important to these packs that have already rejected us and try to offer them a new deal… where they are gaining from the agreement just as much as we are?” 

“Yes honey that’s normally how these arrangements are made but I don’t like where this is headed…” she says, giving me a cautious look. 

“I’m not going to do anything drastic! I just want to find out more about our neighbouring packs, I feel like I need to do my research before I go back to them with perhaps a new and improved counter offer…” 

“Natalia… your father will not appreciate you jumping into his business like this and I have to say I would agree with him love.” 

“Please Lucille!! I’m going to do it anyway with or without your help so you might as well tell me what I need to know!” 

“I don’t know-“ 

“What if I promise to go to dad first with anything I find out? Please?” I ask again with a small smile as I place my hands together hopefully. 

“Goddess above girl! Okay… you know Elder Parson that lives out by the farm? The next house down the road from ours?… well his speciality used to be pack negotiations. The old man knows everything there is to know about packs within a 100 mile radius and probably beyond but you’ll have to take this…” she pauses while she walks over to the fridge to fetch a freshly made pie. 

“It’s his favourite… he will sing like a canary if you give him this first honey.” she finishes. 

I smile at her widely and jump up to my feet to give her a hug. 

“Thanks Luce! I knew I could count on you!” I call out as I race off to get dressed. 

“Don’t do anything silly!!” she calls out after me as I leave the kitchens and head back to my room with a renewed sense of hope. 

*** 

As I walk down the dusty track past Silver Moon farm, I look around and soak in the beautiful autumn day. The sky is clear blue and the sunshine beats down gently upon my skin. It’s really is truly beautiful out here and it’s times like this that I realise how much I actually love Silver Moon. Despite the backwards, outdated rules of course. I glance over to the Lucille’s house in the distance, searching the landscape for any sign of Felix. Sometimes when I go for a walk out here, I drop by for a chat but I won’t have time today. Today is solely blanked out for my own personal mission. Just as I am about to turn my head back towards the open road, I catch sight of a man by the side of Felix truck. His attention is focused on a piece of machinery in his dirty hands. My mouth drops open a little in surprise as I take in his rugged and masculine form from afar. I tip toe a little closer to the fence and bite my lower lip as I run my eyes over him slowly. His light grey t-shirt clings to his body, patches of sweat and engine oil staining the material over his chest and back. His jeans hang low on his waist and I can’t help but let out a slight gasp when I see him reaching up to pull down the hood of truck. The action allowing his shirt to ride up, showing off a small portion of the muscled form underneath. His dark brows are furrowed in concentration and his dark hair is messy and disheveled, pushed away from his stubbled face which has a stain on his right cheek. All I can think about are his eyes… Goddess how I wish I could see them from here…

“…. Everything okay there Natalia?” a voice says I’m amusement behind me. 

I jump a little at the sound and drop the cake box which instantly hits the ground with a thud. 

“s**t…” I say quietly, shifting my eyes back to the handsome man who looks up towards me with a curious look on his face. I then look back at Felix with slightly flamed cheeks. 

“You scared me to death Felix!” I scold him as I pick the box up from the ground. 

“Sorry Nat… I did call on you but it seems you were distracted. Taking in the sights of this beautiful day we are having?” he asks with a sly smirk on his face. 

I roll my eyes and begin to walk back down the road. 

“See you later Felix!” I call out as he chuckles behind me. 

Fuck how embarrassing. Slobbering over Lucille’s farm hand and being caught red handed in the process… how humiliating! Goddess she wasn’t lying though that man is the definition of s*x appeal. No doubt he’s an asshole. The good looking ones usually are. 

I’m thankful when Elder Parson’s cottage comes into view and I take a deep breath, mentally preparing my speech in my head. I knock on the door and wait patiently for the frail old man to answer, which he does within a few seconds. 

“Hello Elder Parson… my name is Natalia. I hope you don’t mind-“ 

“Natalia? Natalia Fox?” he asks for clarification. 

I beam widely at him, happy that he remembers me. 

“Yes!” 

“Not interested-“ 

“Elder Parson please!! I’m not up to anything I swear. I just want to pick your brain about something. I’m doing some personal research and I heard you are the best and most insightful wolf to come to.” I lie enthusiastically, in an attempt to appeal to his ego. 

“Hmmm. Okay. You better come in.” 

I follow him inside the little cottage and he directs me over to the sofa in the corner of the room. I hand him the cake box and he takes it over to the table, placing it down and opening it up eagerly.

I wince a little when I see the contents inside are a little more rustic looking than when Lucille packed it up for me earlier. 

“Is this one of Lucille’s? Don’t tell me she’s losing her touch.” he says with a slight scoff. 

I smile weakly, I know he is only joking but part of me then remembers how deeply misogynistic Elder Parson’s is. He likes the old ways, a fact that he made clear when he was lead Elder Wolf for our pack. 

“So what are these questions?” he asks, making his way over to sit on the the chair opposite me on the sofa. 

I take out my notepad and pen and settle in for the long haul. 

“Well I want to know as much as you can tell me about the neighbouring packs… any little details you have could help.” 

***

“Yes, Alpha Gregor. Thank you so much for your time and I look forward to hearing from you soon with your answer.” I say with a smile before hanging up the phone and looking down at my notes. 

I tick Alpha Gregor’s name off my list and clap my hands together joyfully at my progress. I have successfully managed to contact eight different local packs today and have used my research to pitch them new deals and alliances, based on their current needs. Granted I wasn’t given a definite “yes” by anyone yet but I have hope that at least someone will get back to me after they have had time to discuss it with their team. My arguments were well structured and thought through and I was able to answer any questions that were thrown at me. Despite not being in line to inherit the Alpha title, I have made it my business over the years to listen and learn as much as I could from my father. I hope that I will be able to do him proud and perhaps even prove that a woman can be just as capable as a man in these circumstances. 

“What the hell do you look so pleased with yourself about?” Penelope asks me in amusement as she and Rosalie burst into my room unannounced. 

“Well girls I don’t know about you but I’m sick of sitting on the side lines and allowing our lives to be mapped out for us. Today I have taken my destiny into my own hands!” I smile as I pack the paper work away neatly in my rucksack, which I then place in my wardrobe. “What are you guys doing here anyway?” I ask curiously as Penelope throws herself on the bed. 

“It’s Thursday! Movie night! Duh?” 

“Oh s**t yeah…” I smile widely, before grabbing the remote from Rosalie’s hands to flick through the options Netflix has to offer. 

“Excuse me!! Just because you are in some sort of “change the world, boss ass b***h” mood does NOT give you the right to choose the movie! It’s my turn!” she protests as I wink at her playfully. 

“Oh Goddess fine!! Take it back.” I giggle holding it out for her to take from my hands. “I’ll go make us some popcorn!” 

“Bring me a soda!” Pen calls out as I make my way to the bedroom door. 

“and chocolate!! A s**t load of chocolate!” Rosalie adds quickly. 

I smile to myself and close the door, wandering down the hallways of the pack house barefooted. I start to make my way to the kitchens when I hear the sound of my father’s raised voice coming from his office. 

I furrow my eyebrows as I try to listen and look around the deserted hallway cautiously. No one is around so I decide to let my curiosity get the better of me, tiptoeing lightly over to the large door which is slightly ajar. 

*

*

*

“No Alpha Gregor, this is not a joke…”

“No believe me I know it seems that way but please trust me when I tell you there was no disrespect intended…” 

“Yes… yes I understand that but if you would let me finish…” 

“She’s just a girl… she doesn’t understand the implications of her actions and she certainly doesn’t speak for Silver Moon…” 

“She did? Well as I say all I can offer is my sincerest apologies… I will speak to my daughter about the matter. Rest assured you will not be bothered again.” 

“Yes… thank you for your understanding. Goodnight.” 

*

*

*

I clasp my hand over my mouth and can’t help when tears begin to sting my eyes. I watch as my father shakes his head exhaustedly before reaching for the phone which rings again violently against the silence. 

I drop my hand quickly and take off running down the hall. My emotions are building up within me and ready to spew to the surface and I know I have to be out of here and out of earshot when they do. 

I run down the stairs and fly out of the back door of the pack house, running towards the forest speedily. I burst through the trees and lean my back against the cool bark before sinking down to the ground. 

How could I be so f*****g stupid as to think that these Alpha men would take me seriously? And the fact that they paid me lip service… acting polite and listening to me harping on about trade deals and the like whilst all the time they were thinking I was some sort of joke? 

Absolute assholes. 

It’s times like this when I really hate men. 

“Are you okay?” a gruff voice asks from above me. 

I hastily wipe the tears from my face and look upwards into the eyes of the man I was of ogling embarrassingly earlier today. 

I bounce to my feet and plaster a neutral expression on my face. He looks at me in slight confusion, his green eyes looking into mine. 

“Yes I’m fine.” I say determinedly. 

“Oh right… it’s just you seemed upset and I-“ 

“What do you think I’m some pathetic she-wolf that needs someone to rescue her? Oh please.” I say, narrowing my eyes and walking past him dismissively. 

“No I just wanted to check-“ 

“Well don’t bother.” I snap, turning around abruptly to look into his surprised eyes. 

“Okay fair enough… have a nice evening.” he says in a slightly pissed tone of voice, holding his hands up in surrender to my unreasonable and downright bitchy demeanour. 

I watch as he picks up a basket from the grass and strides off in the opposite direction back towards Silver Moon Farm. 

As I watch him leave I instantly regret the whole interaction. I totally took my foul mood out on a complete stranger and that is one hundred percent not okay. 

“f*****g hell Natalia. You are on a roll tonight.” I mutter to myself in annoyance as the handsome man disappears beyond the trees.