Alpha Loren novel Chapter 54

November 11th

"What the fuck is this?" Leo asked placing one of the flyers Allison and I had made down in front me on the table.

"A flyer," I said.

"No shit," he remarked before picking it back up again.

I stared at me in disbelief as I smiled innocently. 

He then read it one more time, "As the war ends and peace returns to the Stella pack, many of us celebrate. But as we hug our loved ones and thank the Goddesses for bringing them home to us, we know not everybody has that privilege. But as Alpha Loren promised on the night of the ball, your children wrongly snatched by the junior training regime will be returned and you will get to hug them again. If your family is currently missing your sons, grandsons, nephews and brothers, please gather outside the junior institute tomorrow morning where the reuniting will be."

"Mh hm," I said taking a bite of my carrot.

"And looks like you have once again made a promise on my behalf," he said.

"Yeh I did."

"Did you not hear me when I told you this was the bottom of my priority list? Right under leaning ancient Greek?" he questioned.

"Why would you learn Ancient Greek-" I began before stopping myself. "Oh...you wouldn't."

"Precisely."

"So what? You go against your second promise to the pack?" I asked. "And soon you will be a Dad Leo. Do you not feel anything for the parents of those babies?"

"Most of them don't have parents," Leo replied. 

"But some of them do and some of them will be hopefully waiting tomorrow morning to be reuniting with their son," I said, "And it's too late. I've already distributed these all over the pack."

He rolled his eyes.

"Leo come here," I ordered.

He narrowed his eyes.

"Just come," I said.

He reluctantly obeyed me.

"Crouch down and give me your hand."

He followed the instruction and I brought his hand to my stomach.

"Do you feel that?"

"A heartbeat," Leo said quietly.

His face had softened dramatically as he stared down at his hand.

"And do you feel the bump?" I asked.

"It's small, but yes," he replied.

"That's your child," I said. "Soon to be a real-life living, breathing, crying baby. Imagine if somebody took them away from you though. It's small, but it means a lot right?"

Leo nodded.

"Those children all mean a lot to someone out there too," I told him. "You can't sentence them to a life empty of love when there's a chance that someone is still alive and would give them a life they deserve. Please, Leo. I am begging you."

He nodded again, "As if I have a choice anyway. Well played, Ells."

I smiled.

"Two-nil," I said bopping his nose.

For the next fifteen minutes, I watched over intently Leo's shoulder as he sent various emails to his men who worked at the junior.

"Done," he said after pressing send on the final email that detailed how on earth this operation was to be carried out, "Can we stop arguing about this now?"

I kissed on the cheek and embraced him in a hug from behind.

"Doesn't doing something good make you all warm and fluffy inside? Do you feel lighter?" I asked.

"The only time I feel lighter is after taking a shit," he deadpanned. "And no. I feel like I am destroying my plans for a stronger army. Those kids had potential."

"You just defeated the only pack in the world even close in strength to yours. What the fuck do you need a stronger army for?" I asked. "World take over?"

He shrugged and spun his office chair round to face me, "It's nice to have the option. And until all my enemies are crushed, I will not be satisfied."

"I have an alternative and very simple solution," I said perching my self on his lap. "A replacement for the kids if you like."

"And what's that?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.

"She-wolves," I chirped.

He tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling.

"I see where this is going," He groaned.

"The power of women is highly underappreciated by many men," I said repeating Ancesco, the coffee man's, words. "We can learn to fight too."

"The battlefield is not for women," he said. "It's dangerous."

"It's no more dangerous for women than it is men," I replied.

He sighed, "Women are weaker physically. No amount of training is going to change that."

"I bet none of your men could beat what Maria, Elena and Allison can do with a bow and arrow," I pointed out.

"But look where it got Elena," he snapped. "I will not have women in my army, Ella. We as men are hardwired by nature to want and need to protect women. The idea of putting them in as much danger of the front line of a battle, it unthinkable."

"But-"

"Even if I did allow it, Maria's mate was not happy when he found out about what they did and I don't suppose any other man would be happy about their girl fighting either."

"You think I'm happy about you fighting?" I asked. "Watching you go off to war knowing you might never come back?"

He wrapped his arms around me and guided my head to rest on his shoulder.

"Why does it only ever apply one way, Leo?" I questioned. "Men can do anything even if their mate doesn't want them to but women can only do what their mate permits?"

"Because that's the way it is Ells," he said. "Call it sexism or whatever you like, it's not gonna change."

I sighed. "So what about self-defence? What happens if the oh so powerful all-male army can't hold back the attackers and a woman ends up in a position where she is face to face with someone who wants to kill her?"

"Women are taught basic self-defence once a month at the base," Leo replied.

"Basic isn't good enough. You remember that woman that was killed infront of her kids in the war? She could still be alive if she knew how to fight them off!" I said getting off his knee. "It's the 21st century Leo! Where is equality?"