Alpha King’s Wolfless Mate by Scarlett Higgins

Chapter 63

**Margot POV

The storm the previous night was so intense that a tree had fallen in the packhouse garden. I could see the damage through the window as I sat sipping my tea. It made me uneasy to think about the storm. The sky was clear blue all day and the sudden storm had seemed unnatural.

I couldn’t shake that thought all night as I had listened to the horrible rumbling of the storm. I was tired today, but I was doing my best to hide it. The future Luna had invited me to tea, and I couldn’t let my lack of sleep keep me from accepting her invitation.

I was honored that Kelly had taken a liking to me. I was glad to help her settle into life in Lanecreek, especially after the ordeal she had been through before her arrival. I was amazed that she could stand to be in the same room as her former Alpha after her harsh treatment.

“How did the dinner go?”I asked.

Kelly was silently staring into her tea for several minutes now and the silence was getting awkward.

“It was great,” she said with a wide grin.“I lookedfantastic. My gown was much nicer than that so-called queen’s. I finally had the chance to show the King what a mistake he made by tossing me aside in favor of that woman.”

She ra n her fingers through her hair and straightened her posture.

Kelly was beautiful, there was no denying that.However, I worried about how preoccupied she was with flaunting that beauty. Sometimes it seemed like she wanted the status of Luna more than the position.

I hoped that I was just being negative about it, though. Kelly was mistreated by the king. It was only natural that she wanted to vindicate herself.

“How are things with Alpha Graham?”I asked. Ididn’t mean to change the subject, I just didn’t want to let her get too deep into negative thoughts.

Kelly scoffe d at my question.“It’s fine,”she said boredly.“He’s crazy about me.”

“I’m sure he is,”I agreed.“And do you feel thesame?”

She took a long sip of her tea before answering. “He’s cute, isn’t he?”she said pointedly.

I frowned at her answer. Graham was a good looking man, but that was hardly the answer I expected.“And you two get along?”I prompted.

“I said he was crazy about me, didn’t I?”Shesounded irritated.“Besides, it doesn’t really matter if we get along. He needs a Luna and I need a partner that will give me a leg up.” She reached forward and grabbed a flakey pastry from the table. “It’s politics. This marriage will give me a lot ofgreat opportunities, you know?”

I hummed in acknowledgement and sipped my tea. The sweet liquid did nothing to remove the bitter taste from my mouth.

Was this really how things between an Alpha and Luna should be? It just didn’t sit right with me.

I didn’t speak much through the rest of our tea.Kelly kept talking about her plans for the wedding, but in light of what she had just said, her grand ceremony seemed hollow.

I listened politely and offered just enough input to keep the conversation going. Kelly didn’t seem to notice that I had lost interest in the conversation. When she had finished her tea, she excused herself and we went our separate ways. I was glad to be able to leave. I felt uncomfortable being near her right now.

I was distracted as I made my way towards the front door and startled when I saw Alpha Graham walking towards me. I moved the the side so that I wouldn’t be in his way as he passed.

“Good morning, Margot,”he greeted kindly.

“Good morning, Alpha,”I said softly. I expected himto walk past me, but he stopped and smiled at me.

“How was tea?” he asked.

“It was good,”I replied quietly.

It made me uncomfortable to have his attention focused solely on me. It made me feel very small. He was such an imposing figure, both physically and by reputation. He didn’t seem to notice how uneasy I was.

“I’m glad. I was worried that Kelly might be upsetafter last night. She wasn’t happy that I invited the King and Queen to wait out the storm with us.”

Worry creased his face as he spoke. I couldn’t help but feel a little bad for him. He really seemed to care about Kelly.

“Excuse me for asking,”I began.“But if having theking and queen here is so hard for Kelly, why didyou invite them?”

Graham crossed his arms and looked thoughtful for a moment before answering. I worried that I might have upset him, but he didn’t look angry.

“The king is my cousin,”he said simply.“I don’thave much family left and I don’t believe it does any of us any good to hold on to grudges and old hurts. I want what’s best for the pack and improving our relationship with the king can only benefit us.”

He seemed to mean what he was saying, but I got the feeling that wasn’t the entire story.

“It would be nice to restart travel and trade,”Ianswered. He smiled at my remark as if he were reassured by my agreement.“But Kelly and your uncle were betrayed by the king, weren’t they?”

That was the way Kelly told it, at least.

Graham’s face darkened at this.“That’s a strong word,”he noted sharply.“My cousin didn’t act without reason. They made their mistakes and had consequences to deal with.”

I shrank back from him before I could stop myself. Alpha Phill*p was a dangerous man when angered, and I feared that Graham would be the same.

He noticed my fear and took a deep breath before speaking again.

“Personal responsibility is important to me,”heexplained.“Uncle has owned up to his mistakes and wants to make amends. Kelly still has some work to do on that front, but she will get there. You’ll see,”he said with a smile.“There are good things on the horizon for Lanecreek, I’m sure of it.”

I nodded slowly.“I trust your judgment,”I stated.Graham looked pleased. “I’m glad to hear it. Enjoy the rest of your day, Margot.”

He inclined his head slightly, then walked away.

I didn’t turn to watch him go, but I wanted to. It felt unwise to let him into my blindspot. I hurried down the hall toward the front door instead.

It was a short walk from the packhouse to my own home. I kept my pace casual, even though the flutter of fear in my belly made me want to run.

I was probably being too harsh towards Alpha Graham. It wasn’t fair to judge him by his father’s reputation. He’d never given any indication that he had the same proclivity for violence.

He wouldn’t be trying so hard to bring peace to our relations with the rest of the kingdom if he were as warlike as his predecessor. I believed that with my whole heart. I did really want to see Lanecreek rejoin the rest of the world. The isolation of our pack was hard on all of us.

Graham wasn’t the only one that was separated from his family due to the border closings. Many families in Lanecreek had relatives who had moved away to live with a mate, work, or attend university in capital city. Those relatives were lost to us when we were forced to close the borders.

A lot of people resented Alpha Phill*p for the closing because of this. No one would have dared voice their hatred, though. Speaking against the alpha would have been suicidally stupid.

Graham made a lot of people happy when he announced his intentions to reopen the border. But he made a lot of people nervous, too. It seemed like he was rushing things and, frankly, it seemed naive.apter 63

I had to believe that he knew what he was doing though. Graham’s age was his biggest obstacle to winning over the pack. It was easy to look at his youth and his hopeful message and think that he was just too inexperienced to understand how the real world worked.

However, despite it all, I had faith in him.

I just hoped it wasn’t misplaced.