The Alpha's Progeny [The Alpha's #3]

MALIK VLADIMIR

First day back and already his dad had missed lunch and dinner. Malik had been annoyed about it at first but when dinner came around and went, he was starting to grow concerned. What grown man didn’t eat anything all day?

For that reason – and a few others which he didn’t quite see eye to eye with his wolf – he loaded up a plate and headed to his dad’s office. Despite the fact that his dad could sense his arrival – just as he could sense that there were numerous pack wolves in there with him – Malik raised his fist and knocked on the door. He waited patiently for a few moments but when they passed and there was no response, he frowned. Knocking again, he made sure to press harder and iterate a few extra times.

There was no way that his dad hadn’t heard his knock. There was an even smaller chance of his dad not knowing that he was stood out here.

Thankfully, he heard someone approach the door on his third attempt. However, he was surprised to hear the locks sound as they were undone. Since when were there locks on this door?

“Malik?” Orpheus asked as the door swung open. “What are you doing here?”

“You missed both meals today so I thought of bringing you dinner,” he gestured to the plate he was holding.

“I’m in the middle of a meeting right now,” Orpheus told him, not looking the least bit amused.

“I’ll just grab my laptop,” Malik begun to say but was cut off.

“Why?”

“For the meeting.”

“This is a private meeting. There’s no need for you to be a part of it.”

At his words, Malik turned his head to glance over his shoulder. When his dad had said that this was a private meeting, he expected it to be a call of some sort with some other Alpha’s and higher ups, but was surprised to see seven ordinary pack wolves sat around the room in a circle.

“What kind of meeting is this?” Malik asked, the question slipping out before he could stop it.

“Thanks for the food but you can leave now,” Orpheus replied curtly before taking the food out of his hand and slamming the door in his face.

Malik wasn’t sure what he was madder about. His dad evidently lying or slamming the door shut. Unfortunately, his poor face was suffered to suffer the brunt of both those actions.

I see your point. He is acting very strange, his wolf murmured as they made their way out of the pack house, desperately in need of a run to wind down after recent events.

What could he be hiding from us?

I don’t know but it can’t be good.

Uncaring of who was watching, Malik crouched down and transformed into his wolf, allowing the beast in him to take over.

Why were those pack members in his office? he asked his wolf as the creature bound into the forest, grinning at the satisfying sound of twigs snapping under his paws.

I don’t know but they’re a very strange bunch, Malik frowned thoughtfully. None of them hold any sort of position in the pack.

They blend in.

What?

They’re all ordinary wolves. No titles, no position, nothing. They’re background people, his wolf explained. While the word choice was a little harsh, it did shine a light on the fact that these weren’t the typical wolves that he expected his dad, a proud Alpha wolf, to spend his time with.

What do you think is going on?

I have no idea but we have to find out.

And what happened to allowing him to do Alpha stuff?

That was before I realised we’re probably the only ones he’s keeping a secret from, his wolf snorted.

With so much adrenaline and energy pumping through his body, Malik’s wolf pushed harder and ran faster, faster, faster…until his paws burned from slapping so harshly against the ground. He took that as his cue to turn around and head back to the pack, having effectively tired himself out.

Malik was sure that he would be out like a light the moment his head hit the pillow. However, that thought was quickly squashed from his mind when he got back to his room to find the man in question sitting on his bed.

“Dad? What are you doing in my room?” Malik questioned from the doorway, defensively crossing his arms over his chest. He made sure to keep enough distance between them so Orpheus wouldn’t be able to slam another door in his face.

“I wanted to speak to you before you went to bed,” Orpheus told him, not looking like he was going to get up from the bed any time soon. “Thank you for bringing me dinner.

Instead of answering, Malik merely pursed his lips and turned his head to stare out the window. “Is that all?”

“You’re so much like your mother,” he chuckled.

That caught Malik’s attention. His breath hitched in his throat as his eyes wandered over to his dad, momentarily caught off guard by the sudden statement.

“What did you say?” Malik asked after a few moments, not sure if he had been hearing things.

“I said you’re so much like your mother,” Orpheus repeated in a small voice, a somewhat wistful look in his eyes. A pregnant paused filled the room as Malik and Orpheus stared back at each other, both of them thinking of the same person for different reasons. When things started to get uncomfortable, Orpheus cleared his throat and grinned, clearly trying to make light of the situation. “She really used to get into a mood sometimes.”

“I’m not in a mood,” Malik was quick to deny, very aware that he was only further proving his dad’s point.

“You sure are moody right now.”

“Did you just come here to insult me?”

“Believe it or not, I didn’t,” Orpheus chuckled as he rose to his feet, moving to close the distance between them. Malik watched with narrowed eyes as his dad came to a stop a few inches in front of him, casually slipping his hands into his pockets. “I actually came in here to apologise.”

“Apologise?” Malik echoed in question, surprised.

“I’m sorry for my behaviour earlier. I shouldn’t have dismissed you like that,” Orpheus said earnestly but Malik wasn’t ready to give in just yet.

“You slammed the door in my face.”

“I’m sorry about that too,” his dad replied sheepishly, running a hand through his hair. “I’ve been all over the place today and without realising it, I’ve been pushing you away. I didn’t mean to do that but can see how it’s come across.”

“So, you haven’t been hiding things from me?” Malik asked, quirking a daring brow. If his dad was going to lie to his face then he wasn’t going to make it easy for him.

“No, of course not!” Orpheus denied; not for the first time. “I can’t possibly imagine why you think I would be purposely keeping things from you but again, I’m sorry that it’s come across that way.”

“If you haven’t been hiding anything from me, then what were all those wolves doing in your office?” Malik asked, determined to take advantage of the situation for his own personal gain. If his dad was adamant that he wasn’t hiding anything, then he shouldn’t be opposed to answering a few questions, right?

“I was just catching up with a few members of the pack as I’ve been away so long,” Orpheus lied smoothly and Malik probably would have missed it if he didn’t lie in the same way.

“I call bullshit on that one.”

“I’m not bullshitting you.”

“Sure feels like you are,” he snorted and stared his dad straight in the eye, daring him to deny it again. It wasn’t the smartest move on his part to stare an Alpha directly in the eye like this – even if it was his dad – especially with his tone of voice, but it was a risk he was willing to take if it meant he would be getting the truth.

“I was trying to build my reputation back up with the pack,” Orpheus sighed. “I’ve been having small gatherings with the pack members all day. I was only able to make it through half the pack today so will have to continue this tomorrow, and possibly the next day as well.”

“What?” Malik’s lips parted in surprise, thrown off by his dad’s admission. He had expected Orpheus to evade the question as he seemed to always do but the answer he had provided didn’t sound all that implausible.

“Not only have I been trying to get to know the pack better, I’ve been asking for their feedback of the way things are done around here. That’s why I’ve been busy all day. And I guess hearing all the things wrong with the pack and the things that I need to change to make the quality of life better around here started to gnaw at me. I’m sorry for being so absent today and for taking my frustrations out on you.”

“It’s fine,” Malik sighed.

“And I promise that neither am I keeping any secrets from you, but I also don’t plan to,” his lips turned up at the corners. “You and I, we’re family. And family doesn’t keep secrets from each other. To make up for it, let’s get dinner tomorrow. Just you and me.”

There was still a small part of him that felt like his dad was lying to his face, but Malik chose to ignore it. This was the first time in a fifteen years where things felt normal, like he had a family – the pack being more of an extended family.

Honestly, he hadn’t felt like this since his mum had them.

“Thanks dad. I’m looking forward to it,” Malik grinned as he stepped forward to give his old man a hug.

And just like that, all was forgiven.

-

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Layla Knight

08.08.2021