CHAPTER 41: POUNDING IDIOT

CHAPTER 41: POUNDING IDIOT

Alpha Leonard POV

Some faces cracked into smiles. Others simply Shook their heads and rolled their eyes. I, however, felt blank. Blank to the point where nothing made sense.
Mario.
I looked toward his lackey, Steven. Steven was one of those who shook his head and rolled his eyes, his expression soon resigning to defeat. But Ferdinand, however, seemed rather pleased—pleased that this idiot of a group leader was foolish enough not to understand that there were times to exhibit such behavior and times never to try it.
I had been wrong in giving them the benefit of the doubt.
“Open the door,” I said, standing slowly.
The doors opened shortly after, and, just as I had guessed, Mario came barreling into the room.
“The doors were locked!” he yelled. “Who would have done that?”
I stopped a few feet short of him, my decision already made. I was done with his life.
“I locked the door,” I said flatly. “And even if it wasn’t me, you have little right—little authority—to speak to my Beta as such.”
His face turned pale, and he took several steps backward. “Forgive me,” he stammered. “I... I did not know. I would have never thought the Alpha himself would concern himself with a matter as small as the door.”
Slowly, I reached for his neck, and just as slowly, he lowered himself to the ground.
“Please... Alpha Leonardo Leonard ...”
Suddenly, Michaela stepped forward, her blue eyes meeting mine.
“Yes, I understand,” she said calmly. “You are as fearsome as they come, named after the lion and the god of lightning himself. But please,” she continued, her voice softening, “I beg you—killing this pathetic creature now is beneath you. He’s your elder—well, one of your elders,” she said with a slight smile.
“Please,” she added. “It would serve you better to let him live. You can kill him later, if necessary.” She averted her gaze, as though ashamed of her plea.
“Dismissed,” I said firmly. “Thorn, you and Griffin come to my private office. Gavin, lead them the way,” I added without turning around as I headed out the door.
In truth, I didn’t feel anger. What I felt was something else—calmness. A complete and utter stillness. My mind was sharp, my body relaxed.
I wasn’t angry, I told myself. For the first time in a while, I realized something: anger was only as powerful as the decisions it inspired.
Moments later, I entered my office, closing the door behind me. Before long, Gavin strode in with the two Elders in tow. Once seated, the room fell silent.
“What does your Alpha have to offer?” I asked, drumming my fingers on the table.
Both of them were silent for a moment.
“He strongly denies it,” Michaela finally said.
“Denies any involvement in the matter?” I interrupted.
“Yes,” she said. “But very recently, we’ve found something interesting. For instance, Diana—well, I don’t know if I’d call her his Luna, but they’re certainly together. Many have heard them... going at it in his office, his home, and other places. They’re not officially together, but—”
“Get to the point,” I snapped, smacking my index finger against the table.
“She has come here,” Michaela said, her voice firm. “Quite frequently, in fact. I cannot say whether or not they’re of one mind, but I do know that he cares.”
“So why,” I asked, narrowing my eyes, “does he let her come here?”
“Oh, that’s the funny thing,” Griffin interjected with a chuckle. “I don’t think he knows she comes here. I think she does this against his knowledge. More than that, she... well, I don’t know how to put it, but she’s cut from a different cloth.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Contrary to what you believe,” Griffin said, “we have enough reason to believe that Diana has a rather impressive repertoire—knowledge, spies, connections.”
“Is it safe to say she was behind the attack?”
“I shook my head. “Don’t tell me that,” I said sharply. “Don’t dismiss his actions as hers.”
“You say you didn’t believe him,” I continued, rubbing my fingers against the table. “So why are you suddenly so eager to shift the blame?”
“We’re not shifting the blame,” Michaela said nervously. “We just want to ensure there’s a little... ease.”
“Ease?” I asked, my attention sharpening. “A hostage?”
She flinched.
“You don’t want to pay tribute. You don’t want war. But you’re willing to let go of someone? Why? Does Diana not align with your goals? Do you think this is smart?”
Both of them fell silent. I turned to Gavin, who shook his head.
“Easy to throw yourself under the bus, isn’t it?” my Beta asked. “But if you liked her, you’d keep her. It’s clear you don’t. Do you, Michaela? And does the rest of your council know of this?”
Gavin leaned forward. “I’m sure if they knew, they’d have something to say. Diana is no small person. Her father is powerful in his own right. Don’t you risk losing his support? Or are you just ready to throw caution to the wind?”
“It’s not about caution,” Michaela answered through gritted teeth. “It’s about the fact that we choose this. This is the lesser evil. Diana is a loose cannon. Her comings and goings are bound to cause trouble. She might as well have been the one to plan everything. Many know she’s a cruel mastermind.”
I held up a hand.
“Wait,” I said, seconds away from laughter. “Did the two of you decide this was the story you’d spin on the way here?”
I began to laugh, my shoulders quaking as both of them flushed in embarrassment.
“No,” Michaela whispered, her gaze fixed on the table. Her pale skin turned pink with shame, while Griffin said nothing, staring blankly into the distance.
“So that’s it, then,” I said. “What does it benefit me to have your Alpha’s... toy... lying around my pack, most likely goading my wife into harm?”
“How did you—”
“I know,” I interrupted. “You seem to think I don’t know much, don’t you? But I do. In fact, in my bid to uncover the truth of what happened to Florence, I stumbled across this Diana. She’s her cousin.”
I smiled. “Doesn’t this strike you as one of those fairy tales? Long ago lived a girl and her cousin, and the cousin treated her and her mother like slaves. They get sold here, and now the cousin cannot stand that her poor relation is pregnant and married to an Alpha. So the cousin encourages the one she should have married—the one who dodged the situation to begin with. The one who would have changed her fate, but instead, played into her schemes. The wicked one.”
Michaela didn’t raise her eyes to mine.

“It’s fine,” I said, leaning against my desk. “I know it’s true. So, when will my hostage come?”