ALPHA’S BURDEN

Richard’s POV

The work never ends.

I sat in my study having a quick rest, having drawn the curtains. It seemed that I never had enough time in the day to complete my work, and it had led me to staying up all night dealing with paperwork, again.

I sighed, rubbing my eyes, which were sensitive at this moment. Being Alpha was definitely not for the faint of heart.

Unfortunately, it seemed that rest was evading me. Thankfully, I still had a bit more time to fit in a power nap, before I met with the council that afternoon.

My nose twitched as I recognised my Beta’s distinct scent. A second later, I heard his knock on the door, and I shut my eyes, pretending to be asleep. Hopefully, Darren would see that and walk away quietly.

I heard the creak of the door, and the stomping of boots into my study. Darren’s scent intensified, but I kept mum, trying to even out my breathing so that he would not notice my deceit.

Soon, I began to hear him grumbling, then his footsteps moved closer to me, slumped over my desk. I felt a tap, once, twice, thrice. Then he stopped, and all I heard was silence. A few minutes must have passed, before I heard a swooshing of curtains opening, and the sunlight streamed in, I flinched – my eyes betraying me. The jig was up.

“Rise and shine, Alpha!” my best friend and Beta sounded too gleeful to my ears, and I let out a groan, bringing my hand to shield my eyes as I opened them to see the now-brightened study.

“Darren,” I growled out his name, but he seemed to pay my threatening tone no mind, only moving to the second set of curtains and pulling them open as well. Now sunlight filled the room even more, and my eyes began to water.

“Had a good rest, I see,” he said, and as my eyes adjusted to the brightness of the room, I could hear the smile in his voice.

I shook my head, resting it against my arms. “I should have known you would not let me rest this morning.”

“No rest for the wicked, Richard. And you, have been very cruel to yourself again,” he approached me, stopping at my desk, by my side. I looked up at him, and saw the concern in his eyes. “Tell me you did not stay up all night working again.”

I groaned despite myself, standing up. “You know how it is,” I reasoned, “Work never ends. I had a lot to get through and thought, why not?” I grumbled the last part, hoping it would draw a laugh out of my dear friend, but he kept silent, and I felt his gaze on me, as if checking that I was alright. The thought made me growl again, and I pushed past him to the curtains, drawing them closed again. “Don’t begin with the mother-hen shit today. It’s way too fucking early for that.”

Darren huffed at my last statement, and I turned to face him, brushing a hand through my hair. It came back greasy, and the corner of my lips turned down into a frown. I’ll need to have a bath, now. I must look disgusting.

“I may be a mother hen, Richard, but can you blame me for not wanting you to work yourself into a pulp?” Darren retorted, crossing his arms. “I have told you time and time again. You need to rest. You are the leader of this Pack and your strength is our strength-”

“And my weakness is the pack’s weakness,” I finished for him. He had said that so many times to me, hoping it would get through to my workaholic brain.

The truth was, I could not help it. When we were much younger, I believed the same as Darren did; I believed that the Alpha was the heart and soul of the Pack, and without him, the pack would not exist.

That all changed when my father died, and I was made Alpha after him.

Having to lead the pack at the young age of 17, was what I had never expected – I don’t think anyone expected it. However, my father’s untimely death had taught me a valuable lesson – the Alpha was not omnipotent, nor was his purpose only to be the strongest werewolf in the Pack. The Alpha was meant to lead, to build the Pack and make it stronger, to the best of his abilities. This way, even when he was gone, his legacy would be a part of the Pack’s history.

That lesson was part and parcel of every action I took. I carried a burden no one else could understand. As Alpha, I knew my weaknesses, as well as the Pack’s weaknesses. It was my duty to strengthen the Pack, so that when I die, my legacy will be woven into the fabric of the Redding Pack’s history. That was my legacy.

I was silent for a few moments, and Darren observed me in that state before he spoke again, voice a bit more softened.

“You need to get some rest. I’ll leave in a few moments, but I had something to report,” I looked at him inquiringly, and he continued. “We had a newcomer arrive this morning. The new doctor for the Pack. Name’s Dr Grey.”

“Arielle Grey,” I replied, recalling the document I perused three days ago. “I hope you were able to give her a warm welcome.”

“Eh, I did my best. She seems nice though. Really friendly,” he remarked. I raised a brow at him, and he hurried to clarify. “Nothing flirty, alright? She knows I have a mate.”

I shook my head at him, smiling for the first time that day. “You’re impossible, you know that?”

“Well, if I’m impossible, then what are you, Mr Work-till-I-drop?” he teased, and I rolled my eyes at him, turning away and moving towards the door that led to my bedroom. He took the hint and began to leave immediately, but not before stopping at the door to say something else. “By the way, since you were not able to be part of the welcoming party, you might as well come for dinner. Dr Grey will be joining us, so it’s your chance to make a good first impression.”

I made a face at that, the gears in my mind turning. “I may have to skip that.”

“Don’t you dare! I’ll give you hell for it, I promise you!” With that, he finally left the room and shut the door behind him.

I sighed, weary and dirty, and entered my room, discarding my clothes as I went straight to the bathroom for a nice, hot shower.

If only I had remembered to lock the doors, I would not have had Elise waiting for me at the foot of my bed.

I groaned inwardly at the sight of her, shutting the bathroom door behind me. Our eyes met.