Page 30 of The CEO Alpha’s Substitute Mate

Reid nods, and I murmur, “You can leave.”

As the door closes behind me, I look out into the dark grounds. Within all seven packs in the region, I am rumored to be the most ruthless of all the alphas. It’s a title hard-earned and one that I intend to hold on to. When my father died, the only way to hold on to the alpha position was through bloodshed and ruthlessness. I cut down my enemies one by one, broke their spirits, did everything I could to strike fear in their hearts.

A human like Ariela would never understand. She’s so fragile that when she squares off against me, it’s almost amusing. She’s like a little rabbit, baring nonexistent fangs. One who sees the danger and still refuses to back down. Maybe that’s why my wolf is so obsessed with her, why it doesn’t want to hurt her no matter what she does.

I return to my desk to wait for the healer.

❦ ❦ ❦

I don’t go down for dinner. When I finally leave the study, it’s past eight. The dining room is dark. Reid tells me Miss Reyes and the young master already ate and that Healer Salar is waiting downstairs for me.

I head to the lobby, where a wiry looking man is studying a painting by the entrance.

“Salar,” I greet him.

He turns around. “Alpha. I heard you want me to become your in-house healer?”

“Yes. Have you met my son?”

He nods. “I ran into him before dinner. I’ve already done an examination.”

I gesture with my head. “Walk with me.”

I don’t want anyone overhearing my conversation with him. We walk together toward the tree line, and I ask, “Well?”

Salar looks at me with troubled dark eyes. “His wolf is not completely awake, but he’s close to waking up. The child is very sensitive and very attuned to his mother’s state. That is one of the reasons the wolf is so near the surface. It feels the threat to its family system.”

“How can you be certain?” I demand. “That’s a wild presumption.”

Salar sighs. “The reason you asked for me is because I have done the most research on dormant genesis syndrome. Am I wrong?”

I don’t respond, and he continues. “The cases that occurred, at least the ones I have been able to examine firsthand, have shown that the child’s wolf reacts to the environment. This does not happen in every child but in some children whose wolves are strong. The wolf awakens because of the desire to protect. It could be anything: the child itself, a loved one. I noticed that the wolf was very aware of his mother’s presence. It kept gravitating toward her. And it was very close to the surface.”

I put my hands in my pockets, my lips thin. After today’s incident, I’m not surprised.

“Another interesting thing I noticed was that the mother is able to soothe the wolf.”

I freeze at that. “You’re sure of this?”

Salar nods. “I witnessed it myself. He was on edge, but when she comforted him, the wolf pulled back. My assessment is that since she raised him during his core years, the boy and his wolf see her as their only family.”

His words have me looking over my shoulder at the house. “What about the disease progression? Will his symptoms present like those of the other affected children?”

Salar looks thoughtful. “I’m not quite sure. Given that he has alpha blood in him, it might be different. Right now, he seemed very active, which is a good sign. However, we should know more during the lunar interval. So far, the wolf is not interested in a shift, which is what we want to prevent at all costs.”

“So the chances of the shift occurring…?”

He shakes his head. “I can’t say anything yet. But as long as there is no reason for his wolf to feel threatened, he should be fine.”

“So a gamble then?” I murmur.

“I’m afraid so.”

He leaves after that, and I return to the mansion. It’s nearing eleven now, and I decide to check on Luca before heading to bed. The boy is not in his room, so I head to Ariela’s bedroom. Opening the door quietly, I expect to see two figures on the bed. Instead I only see one: Luca. Opening the door wider, I look around but see no sign of Ariela.

I close the door and look down the hallway. Her scent is clear as day, and I follow it all the way to the back stairs that lead to the roof. The roof door is open a crack when I reach it, with faint music coming through. I push the door another two inches and then go still. Ariela is in the middle of the roof with the moon on her, and the phone is on the ledge behind her.

My mate used to enjoy ballet, and I attended one or two of them. I never paid much attention to the dance because it served no purpose. I would just count the minutes until I could leave. However, right now, as the woman before me moves her body so gracefully, I can’t tear my eyes away. Ariela is wearing a billowing white blouse and leggings, and her blouse lifts with each movement, baring pale skin underneath. She comes up onto the ball of one foot, turns twice, then drops and covers four meters of wet concrete without a sound. There’s a strip of bare back above the waistband of her leggings, and I can’t stop looking at it.