Chapter 144: Alpha Authority

Amelia's POV

Alexander stood leaning against his sleek black SUV, scrolling through his phone. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of him waiting for me.

"I'm so sorry to keep you waiting," I called out, feeling heat rise to my cheeks. The Head Alpha himself, standing on my driveway waiting for me—it was surreal.

James immediately stepped forward. "Let me take that for you, Ms. Throne," he said, reaching for my suitcase.

"Thank you, James," I said gratefully, releasing my grip on the handle. He smiled politely and carried it to the trunk.

"Head Alpha."

My mother's voice behind me made me jump. I turned to see her standing in the doorway, her expression a mixture of reverence and wariness as she looked at Alexander.

"I apologize for my daughter's tardiness," she said, stepping past me and approaching Alexander with careful, measured steps. "It's an honor to have you personally escort her."

Alexander pocketed his phone, his piercing eyes assessing my mother. "Mrs. Throne," he acknowledged with a slight nod.

"I know this is a business trip," my mother continued, her voice steady despite the hint of tension I could detect. "But I must ask you, as our Alpha, to keep my daughter safe while she's away from our territory."

I noticed the subtle emphasis she placed on "our Alpha," and the way her eyes searched his face—she was testing him, probing for the nature of our relationship.

"I assure you," Alexander replied, his voice carrying that natural authority that made even my mother stand straighter, "Amelia will be under my personal protection. No harm will come to her while she's with me."

The double meaning in his words wasn't lost on me. This wasn't just my boss promising my mother to look after an employee—this was a wolf promising to protect his mate.

"That's all I ask," my mother said, seemingly satisfied with his response. She turned to me, cupping my face gently. "Call me when you arrive, okay?"

"I will, Mom," I promised, hugging her quickly. "Don't worry about me."

Alexander opened the car door for me, and I slid into the backseat. As James started the engine, I rolled down my window and waved to my mother, who stood watching us from the driveway. She lifted her hand in response, her smile not quite reaching her eyes.

As we pulled away, I watched her figure grow smaller in the side mirror, wondering what she truly thought about my relationship with the most powerful werewolf in our territory.

The car smelled of expensive leather and Alexander's distinctive scent—cedar and something wild that made my wolf stir. I sat quietly beside him, suddenly aware of how alone we would be on this trip.

"Your mother seems protective," Alexander commented, his voice low enough that only I could hear it, despite James's enhanced werewolf hearing in the front seat.

"She always has been," I replied, studying his profile. "Especially since it's just been the two of us for so long."

He nodded, a slight furrow appearing between his brows. "Your mother knows we're mates, doesn't she?"

"Yes," I admitted. "She can sense the bond. But it's... complicated. She knows we're mates, but not about—" I hesitated, unsure how to define what we were becoming.

"How things have changed between us," he finished for me, his voice certain and unwavering.

The words hung in the air between us, heavy with implications neither of us fully understood yet. I turned to look out the window, wondering what the next two days would bring.

Daniel's POV

I paced my bedroom like a caged animal, my phone clutched so tightly in my hand that my knuckles had turned white. The news I'd just received burned through me like acid, fueling a rage that threatened to consume me entirely.

"Fuck!" I roared, grabbing a framed painting from the wall and hurling it across the room. Glass shattered across the hardwood floor, the sound doing nothing to satisfy the fury building inside me.

Alexander is taking Amelia out of pack territory for some fucking party. The thought repeated in my mind, each iteration stoking my anger higher. My Amelia. Mine.

My gaze fell on the wooden wolf figurine sitting on my desk—the gift Amelia had given me when she came back from Europe.

I snatched it up, the memory of the past months flooding back with painful clarity. I'd tried to reconcile with her, practically begging her to give me another chance for countless times. Her cold rejection had left me humiliated and desperate.

That night, I'd called Vanessa to my room, using her body to ease the sting of rejection. She'd been eager as always, happy to be my second choice if it meant having a piece of me.

"You know what's funny?" Vanessa had whispered afterward, her naked body still tangled with mine. "I heard from Lily—she saw a white wolf statue, running under a full moon on Alexander's desk. Gorgeous piece."

Her lips had curved into a malicious smile. "Amelia gave it to him. Everyone's talking about that slut sleeps with Alexander."

The memory made my blood boil all over again. My grip tightened around the wooden wolf until my fingers ached. "She gives me a wolf figurine, then gives him one too?"

With a guttural snarl, I hurled the wooden wolf against the wall, watching it crack and splinter. "She doesn't get to reject me and then cozy up to my brother," I growled. "She belongs to me, not him!"

I kicked over the coffee table, sending books and decorative items crashing to the floor. "He can't take what's mine," I snarled. "Even if he is Head Alpha, he can't have her. Not her!"

Downstairs, I could hear the servants whispering. I didn't care. Let them talk. Let them fear me. Maybe then they'd understand who should really be running this pack.

Minutes later, my parents stood outside my bedroom door. I heard their footsteps, their concerned whispers. I grabbed another vase, smashing it just as my father pushed the door open.

"Daniel?" he called, entering without waiting for my permission—typical.

I stood amid the wreckage of my once-pristine room, my chest heaving with rage. I could feel my wolf clawing to get out, my canines extending involuntarily.

"Son," my father stepped forward, reaching out.

"Don't touch me, Father," I growled, recoiling from his outstretched hand. "I can't guarantee my wolf won't lash out at you right now."

"What's happened?" My mother asked, surveying the destruction with dismay.

I laughed, hollow and bitter. "My brother slapped me, and then he took her out of pack territory."

My mother's shoulders relaxed visibly. "That Omega? Well, she is his assistant now. I'm sure it's just—"

"She's MINE!" I roared, making both my parents flinch. "Mine! I had her first! He can't just take what belongs to me!"

My father's expression hardened. "Control yourself and your wolf, son. This display is beneath a Westbrook."

"Beneath a Westbrook?" I sneered, kicking aside a broken vase. "Tell me, Father, what exactly is worthy of a Westbrook? Because apparently, I'm not!"

"She's just an Omega," my father said dismissively. "A nobody. You can have any female you want."

"Then why did Alexander take her from me in front of our family?" I demanded, my voice cracking with emotion. "She should have been mine!"

My mother stepped forward, her voice soothing. "Darling, there will be other girls. Better matches. Alexander and Amelia are... well, they're mates. You can't fight against that."

I jerked away from my mother's attempted embrace. "Don't patronize me!"

"Enough!" My father's voice carried the authority of the pack's second-in-command. "You're acting like a spoiled child, not the Alpha you were raised to be. Think of the family reputation."

I turned to face him, letting all my contempt show. "This is your fault," I hissed. "You claim to love me so much, but you let him have everything—the Head Alpha position, Westbrook Industries... and now her."

My voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "What exactly did you save for your precious second son, Father?"