Alpha King’s Wolfless Mate by Scarlett Higgins

Chapter 100

**Margot POV

It was a beautiful, cool morning and for once I had the chance to enjoy it. I was in my own small kitchen, brewing a cup of tea and listening to the birds singing outside. It was peaceful, but it wasn’t enough to keep my negative thoughts away.

Kelly hadn’t called for me so far today and I was relieved. Ever since I overheard Graham talking to his uncle, it was difficult to be around Kelly.

I didn’t know how much she knew about Graham’s plans or if she was directly involved, but it was hard to be near her without a sick feeling settling into my stomach.

The worst part of it was that I wasn’t sure if going to King Blake was the right thing to do. I was horrified by Graham’s admission, but I couldn’t deny that he had improved life in Lanecreek.

Was I going to hurt my pack by helping King Blake? Did this make me a traitor?

I sighed and poured the hot water into my mug. Dwelling on it probably wasn’t the best idea, but there wasn’t anyone I could talk to about this.

If I told my friends or family what I had heard, I would be putting them at risk. The less anyone else knew about this mess, the better.

Life in Lanecreek was finally improving after years of near starvation and strict regulations by alpha Phill*p. The people were free to walk the streets without fear of being accosted by Phill*p’s warriors and guards.

There was enough food to eat. No one had to beg for scraps in the streets or risk arrest for stealing from Phill*p’s orchards. Life was infinitely better than it had been under our last alpha or the alpha before him, but…

What I had seen during the Lunar Festival showed me what a pack could be. Maybe praising Graham for not starving, imprisoning, and killing us wasn’t right. Maybe things weren’t as good as they could be for us.

I couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like to live in capital city. I wanted to go to the university so badly, but I didn’t think that it would be possible for me.

As benevolent as Graham tried to seem, the idea of him allowing me or anyone else from the pack to move outside of Lanecreek seemed more than a little far-fetched. Graham was a little too involved in everything that happened.

It felt like you were being scrutinized whenever he was around. His kind smile sometimes seemed like a mask, especially when his sharp eyes locked onto you.

He had the habit of showing up

around town when he wasn’t expected. He would walk into the school and stand at the back of the room watching the teachers and students, or he would let himself into the kitchen of the local bakery. He felt entitled to every inch of Lanecreek and felt he should have access to everyone at all times.

At first, we thought that it was a sign of his genuine concern and care for the pack. We thought that he was checking on people and making sure that things were okay, or that he just wanted to get more familiar with the town. Now…

I sat at my small kitchen table and looked out the window at the sunny morning. The flowers looked incredibly vibrant in the early morning light. It was hard to believe that our pretty little town was the sight of such horrors only a few short years ago.

Now that Graham’s warriors and officials had taken control and things had stabilized in town, his

hypervigilance and constant observation felt insidious.

It made everyone uncomfortable. It was intimidating. But no one dared say a thing about it.

Since my association with Kelly started, people had started to give me the same strained and uncomfortable smiles they gave other residents of the packhouse. People were starting to distrust me, too.

It stung. I was only trying to help the new Luna acclimate to the pack, but the more clear it became that Kelly didn’t care about the pack, the more suspicious my friendship with her became.

People avoided me now. Some openly glared when I entered a shop or walked by their houses. It was becoming clear that the pack’s acceptance of Graham came from a place of fear, not respect.

Or, was I being paranoid? Was all of this in my head? Maybe things had

just been bad for so long that I wasn’t able to accept that life was good now? I honestly couldn’t tell.

I wanted to believe that Graham did care about us and that the pack was going to thrive under his leadership. I couldn’t accept that though, not after what I’d heard.

Graham was trying to elevate himself to a more powerful position and Lanecreek was just a stepping stone for him. It was just a means to an end. We didn’t matter to him.

Blake was a leader that had the respect of his people. No one at the Lunar Festival had seemed afraid. That look of constant vigilance and the air of uncertainty that were always present here in Lanecreek didn’t exist in Blake’s pack. He was a good king.

Despite his past with his uncle and his suspicions about Graham, he had still given us a chance. He had been prepared to meet with a man

he hated in the hopes that it would benefit his people. He still cared about Lanecreek, even though we hadn’t really been a part of his kingdom in many years.

Going to Blake was the right thing to do. I had to believe that. It was too late to take it back now. If I could help him put a stop to whatever evil his uncle as planning and whatever selfish schemes Graham had hatched, then I had a responsibility to do it. I couldn’t just bury my head in the sand and pretend that nothing was wrong.

I wanted to keep people safe if I could. I just couldn’t stand the thought of more bloodshed.

The celebration when Alpha Phill*p had died and Graham had taken control of the pack had been so hopeful. We had put all of our faith into him, but it was premature. We didn’t really know him, even now. No one did.

I sipped my tea and stared down

into the steaming liquid.

We had chosen not to know him because we wanted to believe that life was going to get better. We had all ignored the warning signs.

The circumstances of Alpha Phill*p’s death were the biggest warning we had that Graham wasn’t what he presented himself as, but no one had dared to look into it. All we knew were the whispers from the packhouse staff and the warriors-and most of those who had whispered were no longer with us.

About two years ago, Graham had gone into the field of battle with his father. It wasn’t the first time they had fought alongside one another, but it would be the last. Lanecreek won the battle, which was the expected outcome, but we were shocked when the warriors returned without our Alpha.

The returning group was somber and trailed a respectful distance

behind Graham, but it was clear even then that something was wrong.

The official story we were told was that Alpha Phill*p had been stabbed in the back by the enemy while negotiating their surrender. It was a horrible tragedy, and Graham had killed everyone in the enemy delegation in his rage.

The pack had entered a long period of mourning, led by Graham who had held several meetings in the town square to make announcements over the following weeks.

But something about his demeanor wasn’t right. He looked sad, he even cried, but his voice never wavered. His grief didn’t seem to penetrate beneath the surface. It seemed like an act.

At first, no one wanted to believe it, but then the rumors started to circulate.

All of the enemy delegation were

slaughtered as they ran away. That seemed odd, if they had attacked the Alpha. Why would they not kill Graham alongside his father?

There were no blades recovered from the enemy warriors, either. The only one that was known to have a knife on them at that meeting was Graham, who never went into battle without his great grandfather’s knife on his belt.

I didn’t want to believe it, but now I couldn’t help but wonder if the rumor was true.

Did Graham kill his own father?