The Alpha’s Fated Choice (Alpha's Fated Encounter Trilogy #1)

Or maybe, if he truly has decided to be with me, it’s only because his people finally relented. After all, who would give up the Alpha position for me? It’s foolish. I’m not special.

I try to shake off these negative thoughts, but I can’t.

I hear a buzzing sound, and I look around. There’s a small, gray cell phone lying on the bedside table. It’s not mine; it must be Alex’s. The name on the caller ID is Saul.

Did Alex forget his phone here? Where is he?

I answer the call. “Hi Saul. It’s Sophia. Alex isn’t—”

“Oh, how’re you feeling, Sophia?” Saul asks cheerfully. “When you passed out on us last night in the woods, you scared the crap out of me.”

“I’m sorry. I think I was slipped a drug of some sort.” I feel even stupider now. “But I’m fine today.”

“A drug?” All the good humor fades from Saul’s voice. “What do you mean? Who gave it to you?”

“It was probably Mathew.” I pick up a brush and run it through my wet hair. “Anyway, Alex isn’t here. He must’ve left his phone here last night when you guys dropped me off.”

“He was still there this morning,” Saul reassures me. “He couldn’t bear to leave you by yourself.”

I pause. “Saul, are you guys…Does Alex really want to be with me?”

“What do you mean?” Saul sounds confused. “Of course he does. He’s your mate.”

“It seems more like you gave him permission…”

Saul lets out a laugh. “As if he needs permission to do anything. You’re misunderstanding things, Sophia. He loves you. Deeply.”

There’s a small sigh from the other end of the phone. “I think he just reached his breaking point. All his life, everything he’s done has been for us. And what you said the other day to Nathan was right. It was a wakeup call for us. Karina destroyed our entire pack, but Alex brought us back to our feet. He gave us purpose. He rebuilt all the businesses we had been forced to give up. He filled our empty treasury. And through all of it, he kept getting abused and humiliated by Karina.”

There’s anger in Saul’s voice—and shame. “And he had to bear it all, because if he’d said even one word to her, all of us would have suffered. We just became used to it. And, I guess, so did he. Being with you is the first thing he has ever desired for himself. You mean the world to him, but he couldn’t acknowledge that. He wanted you, but he had to do his duty for his pack. He was being torn in two. It was breaking him.”

My eyes feel wet, and I rub them, just listening as Saul breathes tiredly before continuing. “And I think, after hearing what you said, we all realized that while we were able to stand on our own feet, Alex never was. Emotionally, that is. He needs you. We didn’t give him permission for anything. We apologized to him. He did reach his breaking point. He told Patrick that he could no longer do this. After rescuing the pups, he planned to come back for you. Even if that meant walking away from the pack. And that was the second wakeup call we needed.”

He takes a long pause, as if gathering his wits. “Even if Alex is the Alpha, that doesn’t mean he’s without a heart. None of us have been fair to him. Or to you. To be honest, Sophia, it doesn’t really matter to us now whether your wolf is latent or not. You fought for Alex, and you were willing to sacrifice your happiness for our pack. We saw that. You have the qualities of a strong Alpha Female. We want you for our pack. So, no, nobody gave Alex permission. He made the decision. And I’m glad he did. We will be very lucky to have you as Alpha Female. And we’ll be honored.”

“And what about the Silver Wolf?” My voice is thick as I try to battle tears. “Nathan said you will find another way, but it’s not as simple as that, is it?”

“No, it’s not,” Saul replies steadily. “Once we locate the Silver Wolf, we’ll offer her anything she wants. But that doesn’t mean we have to sacrifice our Alpha.”

His words are uplifting. Alex really did fight for me.

The warmth blooming in my chest is strange. I rub the spot on top of my heart with the heel of my hand.

“Thanks, Saul. I’ll let Alex know you called.”

“Sure.”

I end the call and throw myself back on the bed, closing my eyes.

It’s so easy to get lost in this sea of insecurities. Maybe I should just give trusting Alex a shot. Otherwise, if I let myself sink into this negativity, there may be no coming out of it.

There’s a knock on my door, and I sit straight up, realizing I’m wearing nothing but a towel. Quickly pulling on a pair of pajamas, I call out, “I’m coming!”

My hair is still wet, and I rub it with the towel while walking toward the door. When I open it, I see Noah standing there.

“Noah.” I feel instant guilt when I see him. I need to talk to him, but this is not how I planned it out.

“Did I wake you?” he asks, his voice odd.