Alpha Santa

A Wolf in Waiter's Clothing

Elijah

She stands there, looking breathtaking in the red dress I personally chose for her. It takes everything in me not to pull her close, bend her over one of the tables, and show her just how badly I need her. But what drives me mad is the way other men are eyeing her, lust in their gazes. I want to punch each one of them in the face, wipe that look off their faces.

But then, I hear Piper’s voice, defending me—the CEO—and it eats at me like slow-burning poison. She sounded so adamant, almost... hopeful. It haunts me, like she was imagining some Cinderella fairy tale where the rich, charming CEO sweeps her off her feet and showers her with luxurious gifts, like the dress.

The dress.

The one I thought I had given her as "Santa."

Goddammit.

I grip the edge of the tray in my hand tighter, imagining it snapping in two. The urge to break it is overwhelming, but I force myself to set it down carefully on a nearby table before I do something stupid like throwing it across the room. My jaw ticks as I stalk down the hallway, leaving the crowd of laughing guests behind.

This is Caleb’s fault. His f*****g fault.

I don’t even bother knocking when I reach his office. I shove the door open, and Caleb looks up from his desk, startled but not surprised. His calmness irritates me further.

“Elijah, what—”

I’m already across the room. My hand wraps around his throat, slamming him back against his expensive leather chair. His eyes widen as he glares at me, and his voice comes out tight, “Why do you always do this?”

I release him roughly, adjusting my tie with an angry jerk. He coughs, straightening his collar like if I hadn’t just pinned him to his damn chair.

“Your fault,” I snarl, pacing like a caged animal. “She’s looking down on me, Caleb. ME.”

Caleb rubs his neck, raising a brow. “What are you talking about now?”

I whirl on him, pointing a finger. “Look at you! Sitting here in your fancy suit, buying overpriced paintings, acting like you own the place—meanwhile, I’m out there playing waiter. Serving food and drinks, like some lowly servant, because you said I had to ‘stay undercover.’”

He doesn’t flinch, just leans back in his chair, watching me like I’m the one being irrational. Which, maybe I am.

“And what’s the problem with that?” he asks, his tone maddeningly calm.

“The problem,” I say, dragging a hand through my hair, “is that when I told her the dress came from Santa, she didn’t believe me. She looked disappointed—like she wanted it to be from the CEO. Like she’s dreaming of some rich prince sweeping her off her feet with grand gestures and expensive gifts. She even asked, ‘Who the hell is Santa?’”

Caleb chuckles under his breath. A goddamn chuckle.

“Are you laughing?”

“No,” he says, though the smirk on his face says otherwise. “I’m just saying… you’re jealous. Of yourself.”

“Shut up,” I snap. “That’s not the point!”

He rolls his eyes, crossing his arms as if he’s genuinely curious. “Then what is the point?”

I take a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down.“The point is, I told you—explicitly—that the card attached to the dress should state that it came from Santa. To humans, Santa is an old man with a kind heart who grants wishes no matter how hard. I wanted her to believe the dress came from him—not the damn CEO she thinks she’s supposed to fall for. But now… she knows, Caleb. Because of your screw-up, she knows Santa and the CEO are one and the same.”

Caleb blinks, then scratches the back of his neck. His hesitation is all the confirmation I need.

“It’s not my fault,” he says defensively. “She didn’t wish for a dress, Elijah. Santa only grants wishes, right? So, I thought it made sense for the CEO to send it instead.”

I throw my hands up in exasperation. “You thought? Are you kidding me? I told you to keep them separate, Caleb! Now she’s figured it out!”

“She doesn’t know for sure,” he says, leaning back with infuriating confidence. “She might suspect, but unless you confirm it—”

“She’s not an i***t,” I snap, cutting him off. “She figured it out the moment I said Santa gave her the dress. And now—now she’s probably dreaming of this rich, powerful CEO sweeping her off her feet, while I’m over here pretending to be someone else, serving hors d'oeuvres, wearing a uniform I don’t even belong in!”

"Look on the bright side: I sent the wolf painting to her with 'Santa' as the sender." He grins, and I glare at him, though a part of me is secretly thrilled that my mate was so drawn to my wolf that she wanted of him.

"Haven't you been listening to me? She knows the CEO is Santa now, so she’ll think the CEO of the hotel is interested in her, especially after gifting her a $100,000 painting. She won’t want Elijah the waiter anymore."

I just hope she still wants me to play along with this fake husband plan.

Caleb’s smirk returns. “So what if she knows? It’s not like you have to keep up this charade forever.”

I feel my heart stop in my chest, the panic threatening to choke me.“Do you think it’s that simple? She’s a human, Caleb. How the hell do you expect her to just accept that I’m a wolf, that I’m not who I said I was? She’s not ready for that. It’s a slow process, and I need her to fall for me—slowly. And that’s where Elijah the waiter comes in. She has to trust him, Caleb. She has to love him, not just the CEO. I can’t afford to scare her off now, not when she’s finally starting to believe in me.” My voice falters, the weight of the truth hitting me like a hammer to the chest.

Caleb studies me for a long while, his eyes narrowed. “So you’re afraid she’ll leave you. If she knows, she’ll never accept it, right?”

I can’t even look at him as I nod. “Yes. That’s why I need to go along with this fake husband plan of hers. She’ll thinks our marriage will be all a lie, but she’ll be in for a surprise.”

Everything will be real.

Caleb studies me for a long while, his eyes narrowing. “You’re really twisted up about her, aren’t you?”

I grit my teeth, my hands clenching at my sides. “Of course I am. She’s my mate. Without her, the pack stays cursed. I can’t have heirs. She has to carry my pups, Caleb. And if she doesn’t trust me, if she doesn’t love me—”

“You’ll lose everything,” he finishes quietly.

"Where’s Ryder?” I ask, changing the topic. “He was supposed to bring me the next list of wishes to grant for the pack. It’s overdue.”

Caleb sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Ryder’s not coming out of his room. He’s not speaking to anyone. Not answering calls or messages. I don’t know what’s going on with him, but it’s bad.”

I exhale heavily, shaking my head. “It’s because he found his mate.”

Caleb blinks at me, surprised. “He found her? That’s awesome. Why didn’t anyone tell me? Then what’s the problem?”

“She rejected him,” I say bluntly, running a hand through my hair. “She’s going back to her ex-lover. It’s killing him.”

Caleb whistles low, leaning back in his chair. “That explains a lot.” He pauses, studying me. “What are you going to do about it?”

“What can I do?” I snap, the frustration bubbling up again. “This isn’t something I can fix for him. He’s going to have to figure it out on his own. Just like I’m trying to figure out this mess with Piper.”

Caleb narrows his eyes thoughtfully. “Ryder can’t stay locked up in his room all day, wallowing. That’s not going to win her heart back.” He says this like winning a human’s heart is simple. The i***t doesn’t understand—he’s lucky to be mated to a werewolf. It’s not that easy for us.

I glare at him, my jaw tightening. “It’s not that simple for Ryder. His mate is in love with someone else. Deeply in love. She wants to go back to her ex who mistreated her. How the hell is he supposed to fight that?”.

Caleb softens, his tone dipping low. “Elijah, you know what’s at stake. Staying here in the human world, pretending to be a waiter, granting wishes as ‘Santa’—it’s all temporary. We’re running out of time. The elders are already getting restless. They’re fielding complaints about where the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma are, and about the balance of power. They’re barely keeping the pack calm because you’ve been granting their wishes. But you know we can’t stay here forever.”

I look away, jaw clenching. He was right… soon, we’d have to return to our world.

“I miss my mate,” Caleb admits quietly, and the rawness in his voice pulls my attention back to him. His expression is unguarded, full of longing. “I miss her. You know how hard it is for a wolf to be separated from his other half.”

I drag a hand down my face, the tightness in my chest almost suffocating. “I know,” I mutter. “That’s why I’m doing everything I can to make sure we go back as soon as possible.”

When Piper begged me to be her fake husband, I wanted to laugh at the irony. I should have been the one on my knees, begging her desperately. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t let her see how much I truly needed her. Not yet. I can’t scare her off.

I need her more than she’ll ever need me.

Caleb leans closer, his voice a quiet command. “Then you’d better make her fall for you. Make her love you—whether it’s the CEO, the wolf, or whoever you need to be. Just make her love you.”