The Alpha's Progeny [The Alpha's #3]

MALIK VLADIMIR

Malik didn’t feel the least bit guilty about the way he had spoken to his mate’s family. That was only the least of what they deserved for speaking to him in such a way – an Alpha. And then they really had begun to dig their grave when they suggested rejection.

The only thing that he felt bad about was the sad look on his mate’s face when he walked away. But sticking around was only going to aggravate the situation more. He just hoped that she understood and they would be able to talk about it…but for now, he was forced to make do with his own thoughts and company out on the porch.

“I have to admit, I didn’t think you would be coming back here tonight,” Mars chuckled as he moved to sit down on the porch steps next to him. “I thought you and your mate would be going off somewhere for some time alone.”

“That’s kind of quick, don’t you think?” Malik snorted, sending his uncle a funny look. “And you’re one to talk. Didn’t you wait months before you told Stassie that you were mates. Oh sorry, she found out you both were mates because you were chicken and kept it to yourself.

“Don’t learn from my mistakes,” Marcellus chuckled before the sound grew serious. “I was very stupid and made a lot of mistakes when I first met your aunt. Far too many to get into right now but not a day goes past that I’m not immensely grateful that she was able to forgive me.”

“You always talk about these mistakes you made at the beginning, but you never tell me what exactly you did.”

“It’s too embarrassing to talk of,” the Alpha wolf shook his head.

“I promise I won’t laugh.” An empty promise.

“We both know you’re not going to keep that promise.”

“You won’t know until you’ve tried,” he playfully pushed his shoulder against his uncle’s, hoping this story would cheer him up a little.

“There was a bunch of stupid things I did when I first met Ana. I’m sure the list would be long enough to fill an entire notebook and even then I would be missing some,” Marcellus chucked at the reminder of his past stupidity. “You know how your aunt used to be human, right?”

Malik nodded, yes. “Her dad was half wolf, right?”

“Right,” Marcellus confirmed before continuing. “For one, I found out Ana was my mate months before she found out and even then, I wasn’t the one to tell her.”

“Who told her?”

“She figured it out for herself,” he winced at the reminder of many years past. “It was just before she gave birth to Alistair so I’m sure you can imagine just how angry she was at me. Especially when she found out I had been keeping it from her for months.”

“Oh, you’re terrible!” Malik gasped, but struggled to keep his laughter at bay. “If I was her, I would be angry at you, too.”

“And that’s not even the worst of it.”

“There’s more?”

“So much more. Like how I was planning on picking a choice mate around the same time I was…hanging out with your aunt.”

“I doubt the two of you were only hanging out,” Malik scoffed and scrunched up his nose in distaste. “I never knew you were going to go for a choice mate.”

“To be completely honest, I doubt I would have ever been able to go through with it but in the moment, it felt like I was doing the right thing. It didn’t help that I thought she was having someone else’s baby. I thought she had started a family with someone else.”

“I have so many questions,” Malik cut him off. “If Stassie used to be human, surely she must not have known that she was going to be destined a mate. And how could you not know that she was carrying Alistair for Raphael and Justas?”

“There were a lot of things going on around that time,” Marcellus sighed with a sheepish look on his face. “I was so distracted with all that other stuff and I didn’t realise that Ana was only a surrogate.”

“And when did you find out that she was?”

“After the birth,” Marcellus admitted, a far from proud look on his face.

“Wow! You really used to be stupid, didn’t you?”

“If I didn’t see you like a son, I would deck you for that one,” the older Alpha laughed. “But yes, you’re right. I did a lot of stupid stuff when I was younger. Heck, I still do so much stupid stuff today. I’m just grateful that your aunt is patient enough to put up with it all.”

“What was all the other stuff that was going on?” Malik asked curiously, enjoying the distraction that his uncle’s story was granting him. There was just something about focusing on someone else’s problems. It helped that these problems were buried in the past.

“Well, for one, there was that whole ordeal with the–” Marcellus began but was quick to cut himself off, visibly looking as if he had bit his tongue.

Malik sent him a strange look when he stopped talking abruptly. “Why’d you stop talking?” he asked, his eyebrows furrowing together in the middle, utterly confused.

“I just remembered why I came out here in the first place,” Marcellus snapped his fingers. “You looked like you were going through some stuff so I came out here to ask if everything went okay with dinner.”

At the reminder, Malik groaned and squeezed his eyes shut.

“Dinner was such a shit show,” he grinned, reaching a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration.

“I’m sure it wasn’t that bad,” Marcellus tried to make him feel better but there was no point. There was nothing anyone could say or do to change his mind about how this evening had played out. As far as he was concerned, dinner couldn’t have gone any worse.

“You’re right. It was worse.”

“Try me,” Marcellus threw his words right back at him.

“It was like they had made their mind up about me before even meeting me,” Malik huffed at the recent memory of this evening; not even an hour ago. “I showed up and her dad was already glaring at me.”

“I think it’s normal for most fathers to dislike their daughter’s mates. At least at first.”

“Her brother and mum didn’t like me either.”

“That’s strange. You normally make a great first impression,” Marcellus hummed thoughtfully. “Tell me, what were you and your mate doing when they introduced themselves?”

“Hugging.”

“How?”

“What do you mean how?” Malik’s eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. “Surely, there’s only one way to hug.”

“Was the hug PG, was what I’m asking,” Marcellus chuckled, quirking a dirty, teasing brow at his nephew.

“Of course, it was!” Malik huffed and tutted his tongue. “It was nothing more than an innocent hug and then when they turned up, they were all scowling at me already. They didn’t even introduce themselves. Trinity did that.”

“Perhaps they’re not used to the Alpha power…but surely, your title would be reason for them to like you more. Not hate you.”

“I didn’t say they hated me. I just said they didn’t like me.”

“Let’s face it. It sure sounds like they hate you,” Marcellus chuckled and reached over to give his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “But don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll have them warming up to you in no time. Now, tell me what else happened during this dinner?”

“I tried to make conversation when I was left alone with her dad and brother but neither of them would speak properly to me. They’d already made up their mind that I wasn’t worth speaking to,” Malik scoffed, unable to rid himself of the bitter taste in his mouth. “I barely had time to have a mouthful of the pasta before her dad basically declared that I wasn’t good enough for his daughter. That as far as he was concerned, his daughter would have nothing to do with me, my pack or my position. And then he suggested that Trinity could always reject me.”

“That’s a despicable thing to say!” Marcellus growled his answer, fisting his hands. “I’ll have a word with Joshua Dalm first thing in the morning.”

“I think that would make things far worse before it would make things better.”

“Are you sure? I could at least get him to shut up and keep his baseless opinions to himself.”

“I appreciate that but I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Malik sighed, shaking his head.

“I’m sorry, Malik,” his uncle sighed from beside him. “You didn’t deserve to have that happen to you, and neither did Trinity.”

“Are they always like that?”

“I have to be honest, I never knew for the Dalm’s to be that judgemental,” Marcellus rubbed a thoughtful hand along his jaw. “This seems like one of those things that time will fix. I wouldn’t worry too much about it, Malik, if I were you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely positive!” “Be patient and show them what a great person we all know you are. Prove them wrong.”

Malik sighed and nodded.

“I don’t know about you but I’m headed to bed,” Marcellus clapped him on the shoulder before rising to his feet. “If this baby is anything like her mother, she’ll be waking us up every hour of the night.”

Malik chuckled and followed, needing some rest of his own after the long day that he had had. He couldn’t help but think that Marcellus was right in staying positive and showing his mate’s family just what a great person he was. That way, he would squash each and every rumour of his until finally, they would not have a single thing about him to complain of.

It was just unfortunate that some things, most things, certainly this thing, was easier said than done.

-

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Layla Knight

14.08.2021