The Alpha's Odessa

Chapter 3:Guilt and Betrayal

POV: Raphael

I'm trying to focus on my work, but today's events plague my mind. I can't have her in my class. Anyone but her. My heart aches with so much pain and guilt. Two years ago, I lost my mate and unborn pup. It was a tragedy.

400 years with Melanie and she never bore a child. Now she's gone. I've thrown myself into my work in light of my grief. Now all I'm left with is this heartbreaking pain in my soul. The sad thing is, today I'm not sure if this pain is mine or hers.

Being the Alpha isn't easy. I have many responsibilities. As much as I want to drown in my grief for the next few centuries, I can't. In all of my 826 years, I have never let emotions get in my way. I refuse to let them now, even if it was my mate who died. Haven being around jeopardizes that.

I miss Haven so much, but I can't be around her right now. It's too dangerous. I hurt her today. Not wanting her to be in my class is selfish, I know. I'll never forget the day she came into my pack. She was a two-week-old infant left on Julian and Lisa's doorstep. Whoever left her there left a note with very basic information like her date of birth and such. She wasn't even given a name yet.

When I first laid eyes on her, I was instantly drawn to her. I almost took her in myself, but she was human. I'm an alpha. That would have been dangerous territory. That I will never understand. How could a human have left a baby in a wolf pack? We don't get many humans around here.

Julian and Lisa have two children. Both of them are boys. They always wanted a daughter, so they felt as if the goddess had blessed them with one. They took her in and raised Haven as their own. We tried to find out where she came from but had no luck.

I've always had this need to protect Haven and I did until I didn't. It was the day I realized what she truly was to me. The day those damn rogues came into my pack and attacked. Haven stayed home because she was sick with a cold, so I promised Lisa to take care of her while they were away on their trip.

At the time, Haven knew what we were. She knew werewolves were real. She knew what to do if there was ever an attack. She was to go into the basement and lock herself in if she was home. If not, she was to make her way to the safehouse. Rogues had entered the house before I could warn Haven of the attack and to hide. I believe she was the target of the attack. It wasn't a normal attack. They were searching for something or someone.

I knew Haven was in trouble because I felt what that son of b***h did to her. I failed in protecting her and I will never forgive myself for it. It's dangerous for Haven to be around me. My guilt isn't the only reason for distancing myself from Haven. It's something I can never act on or admit. Feeling her pain gave it all away and with Melanie gone it only makes it worse. Admitting what Haven is to me is a betrayal to Melanie.

When it became clear that Haven's memories weren't coming back anytime soon if they ever would, we decided to keep it all a secret from her. Now she thinks we're all human like her. She remembers being attacked. She struggles with that even now. I was an i***t for grabbing her like I did. I should have known she'd have a panic attack.

Haven doesn't like to be touched. She's not comfortable around men. I know she is trying to be and heal from it all but that even triggered a lot of negative emotions in Haven. She grew into a depression. She was so afraid to go to school and see any boy. She didn't want anyone to touch her. There were a few times she tried to commit suicide. I can feel it when she gets to those low points and can stop her. It's been three years since she's tried that again. Those first two years were the hardest for her.

I wanted to be there for her more, but I couldn't allow it, so what did I do? I avoided her at any cost. Now that will be impossible with her as my student. Haven is stubborn. When she's made up her mind there is no talking her out of it. She will argue about it all day until her point is made. It's one of the things I love about her. She becomes fearless about the things she believes in or wants.

My selfishness is getting in her way now. The only reason I'm even teaching this class is because the previous Professor unfortunately passed away. He was about 700, which is old for a werewolf. I'm 800 but I'm a special wolf. I'm immortal.

I'm not just any alpha wolf. I'm the high alpha. That makes me the Alpha of Alphas. Being the dean of a university isn't exactly something one would expect of the High Alpha, but I like to be functional in the pack. Being a part of my pack's education and helping them through their life is something I hold pride in. I enjoy teaching.

"Alpha, there's been another attack." One of my Zetas informs me through a mind-link. Zetas are pack warriors. "Where?" I ask sighing. Lately, there have been attacks all over. Packs are struggling. People are going missing. It started three years ago slowly. Now it's become more frequent. I'm getting more and more reports every day about the same attack. Whoever is doing this has a signature way of attacking. I have people looking for attacks that match these signatures. I wish I could just find out who is doing this.

"The Blue Thorn Pack. A ten-year-old girl is missing," He reports. In every attack, someone goes missing. "Was there anything special about the girl?" I ask. I've found that some of the people that go missing are special wolves. Mostly they've been white wolves and hybrids. Sometimes a wolf is mated to a witch or some other kind of species. The children born from them are always special. We haven't found one of them. They are all still missing.

The rest of the ones that are missing I have no idea what makes them special or why they were taken. It's a complete mystery to me. This person doesn't even care if they are children and their powers haven't come in yet. A ten-year-old wolf hasn't even come into their wolf yet. Rarely does a wolf come in so young. Typically, a werewolf first shifts when they turn sixteen.

"Her father is a dragon. She's a hybrid." The Zeta answers. "Alright, have the report emailed to me," I order. I need to stop this soon. This is getting way out of hand. I'm all out of ideas as to what to do to stop this. I've dealt with wars before. I've seen kingdoms rise and fall, but I've never seen anything like this. What is the purpose of the attacks? What is the purpose of taking them?

I make the decision I've been avoiding. I've been avoiding it for a good reason. "Jake, I need you to start sending out invitations to all the alphas. It's time to have a meeting about these attacks. Inform the council of their future arrival and schedule a meeting with them, so I can discuss the situation at hand." I mind-link by beta.

"Consider it done. How did my sister do today?" He would have to ask about Haven. "As far as I know, she did fine, but I only had her for one class," I answer. I'm not telling him about the panic attack I caused. Do you have any idea how protective he is of her? "Cool, Dad is worried about her. He's not so sure if she's ready to take this step. I worry about what will happen if some guy sits next to her in class." Jake admits. I worry about that too, which is why I took the precaution. I told everyone in her class not to sit next to her. I know it's isolating her, but I do mean well by it.

I may avoid her, but I do still watch out for her. How can I not? She's the only thing that haunts my mind. I only wish I could have protected my baby from being violated. I feel all of her fears and pain. If only I could act on it all without feeling the guilt and betrayal. Even now, thinking of her is a betrayal to Melanie.