Alpha Kane

After waking her, I called Olfie, and as soon as he answered, I placed the order.

"My bathroom door is broken, fix it. Put up a Christmas tree in the living room."

"It will be done," Olfie said calmly.

After talking with Olfie, I headed to the kitchen. It was empty; breakfast hadn’t yet begun.

Opening the cabinet, I selected a pot and placed it on the stove. After adding water, vegetables, and chicken, I began making soup for her.

Asbela entered the kitchen, her eyes widening when she saw the pot boiling on the electric stove.

"Alpha, I can do that. You don’t have to bother with cooking."

"No, I’ll make soup for my mate. You just need to take it upstairs. Remember, feed her all the soup and give her the medicine Dr. Haynes left for her."

She nodded at me, concern evident in her eyes.

"Take care of your Luna. I will not tolerate any neglect in her care. Bring her whatever she needs or asks for."

I gave her a litany of instructions, and she listened calmly.

As soon as the soup was ready, Asbela handed me a bowl, and I poured the thick liquid to the brim.

Handing the bowl to Asbela, I gave her more instructions. "Not a drop should be left, Asbela."

"I’ll make sure she eats it all." She took the bowl and hurried upstairs.

I pulled out my phone and made a few calls. Today was supposed to be our last workday before the holiday week, but I decided to stay home and let Ranald handle this matter.

The idiot answered the third ring.

"Hey! I won’t be coming to the office today because Zara twisted her ankle. Should I give everyone a proper send-off and complete the remaining projects?

"Hello!" he replied sleepily. "Oh, was she hurt badly?"

"Fortunately not, but I’m not taking any chances. She’ll be in bed for a week." I said, pouring myself a cup of coffee.

"Got it! I’ll be back for Christmas. I’ll meet Clarrie." I heard him yawn on the other end of the line. He and Mom had always had a very friendly relationship.

"See you then." I ended the call, picked up my mug, and went to sit in the armchair by the fireplace and quietly sip my coffee.

The crackling orange fire was warm and purred softly. I wanted it to warm my heart, too, where it felt incredibly dark and cold. Staring at the flames, I let the bitterness of the coffee calm my nerves.

The cook soon arrived, and I tasked him with preparing all sorts of breakfast dishes. Zara needed to eat properly, and even if I had to ask Mom for help feeding her, I would do it.

Olfi arrived with the Christmas tree, and I told him to put it in the living room. The fresh scent of pine filled my senses as I saw the tree’s rich green color. The needles of the casalis. They were sturdy, indicating the tree had just been cut down.

Mom would be happy to decorate it later.

After drinking my coffee, I went upstairs to check on the ladies and let them know breakfast would be ready soon.

When I opened the door, I was greeted by giggling.

"Oh! He always frowned, as if I’d sinned by giving birth to him," Mom said playfully to Zara and Asbela, and they both giggled. Zara’s gaze slid over me, and the smile didn’t fade.

It seemed Mom was entertaining them with my childhood stories. She loved to tell everyone what a capricious child I used to be.

***

Luna entered the room, her expression worried, but she seemed genuine.

"Zara, how are you feeling?" she asked, coming over and sitting next to me.

I smiled through my pain. "It could be worse, but I can’t walk or visit my family since I was planning to leave today."

She smiled understandingly and squeezed my shoulder.

Luna said softly, "Focus on getting better, and I’m sure you’ll be able to visit them by Christmas."

Lifting the blanket slightly, she examined my bandaged leg before covering it again.

"Thank you." My heart sank, but I didn’t want to burst into tears in front of her. I still didn’t understand what she was planning. She never loved me, so why this sudden change in her attitude? I was still trying to figure it out.

Luna steered the conversation toward lighter topics, and I actually enjoyed talking to her. Time flew by, and Asbela brought a bowl of soup.

"What have you done, girl? Are you okay? I was so scared when Alpha told me." She shook her head sadly and sat at my feet with the bowl of soup. It was so full that it was impossible to add a drop. White smoke rose from the top.

My stomach rumbled with hunger, and I noticed I was experiencing these pangs for the first time in a long time.

"It’s not so bad. It will heal soon," I tried to reassure her. She filled a spoon with soup, scooped out the excess, and offered it to me.

I took a sip of the hot liquid, and it was so delicious I wanted to snatch the bowl from her and empty it in one gulp.

"What a delicious soup you made, Asbela." I greedily took another spoonful, and she giggled mischievously.

"Actually, Alpha made this for you. He was so worried."

Her words almost made my face irritated, but then I remembered his mother was sitting right next to me.

So I plastered on a fake smile and said enthusiastically, "He’s always so attentive."

Luna hummed softly next to me, "I’m not saying this because I’m his mother. I’ve always been his biggest critic, to make it easier for him to adjust to this cruel world. But my son has a very kind heart, and he’s very worried when someone is sick or suffering."

As much as I despised Alpha’s actions towards me, it was true. Every time I was sick or in pain, he was there.

When I accidentally got my period during my first meeting with his family, he did everything he could to help me. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Even now, he seemed genuinely concerned, though I wasn’t foolish enough to believe his feelings.

"He really is wonderful that way," I agreed with Luna, not just because I was pretending, but because it was true.

"Then finish your soup. He strictly ordered you to drink it all."

I won’t lie; I was hungry, so, momentarily forgetting he’d made it, I drank it all.