The Heartless Alpha

JASPERS POV

“Vie, I have to focus on the homes.”

We were outside, having a private picnic away from the packhouse. I’d set it up for Vie, knowing how much she hated eating the kitchen. I couldn’t blame her. It should have been one of the biggest rooms in the house, but it was actually one of the smallest. Neither of us liked the room we were in either.

“I know, but this is important Jasper. Have you seen that place? It’s disgusting! I don’t want to give birth there.” She took a bite of her sandwich. Chicken, as was her craving.

I sighed. “Even if I agreed, a whole new hospital wouldn’t be ready by the time you give birth anyways.”

“It would be, if we had available hands. I was thinking of asking Dad…”

“He’s done a lot already.”

“I know.” She rested her chin on her knees. “But this is important. Blame it on me growing up around a Doctor Mom, but this should be the priority right now. Imagine if we got attacked? That building can only hold two patients, maybe. How would we be helping the pack then? We need this hospital!”

I let my head fall back, staring at the sky. I knew she was right. There was just much else to do!

“How do we tell people we’re putting the rebuild on their homes off?”

“We just tell them. They’ll understand.” She sounded so confident in that answer.

“And you really want to work with Kettler on this?” I looked at her. “The guy who called you a b***h? The guy who yelled at you on his doorstep?”

“He’s….not a pleasent person.” She admitted. “But he was better at the end. I feel that he really cares about his job.”

“Remember you said that.” I teased. “Alright. The hospital comes first.”

Her eyes lit up. She crawled over the blanket, kissing me heartily. “You’re the best mate in the world.”

I grinned. “Remember that too, when Kettler gets on your nerves.”

She laughed.

I focused, reaching out to the pack. As an Alpha, I could now mind-link everyone at once, helpful in emergencies.

“Attention Silver Moon.” I felt tension rise within me, a reaction to everyone recieving the min-link. I thought about how to word the next part. “Something has been brought to my attention, something that concerns everyone. Today I recieved a report on the condition of the pack hospital, and have concluded that it is not suitable for safely treating patients. I hope you all understand that the health of pack members is vital. As such, we have decided to not to re-locate, but to build a new hospital. Unfortunatly, this means the rebuilding of houses will be put on temporary hold. As your Alpha and Luna, we apologize sincerely, but we must think of the most necessary improvments to make first.”

I cut off the link, hoping the news would be generally well recieved. Violet squeezed my hand.

“I’ll call Mom when we get back. She has all sorts of contacts that can help us with equipment and stuff.”

“Sounds good.”

We spent another half hour outside, enjoying each others company. Of course, I was stressed about having to put plans on hold, but I didn’t let that ruin my time with my mate. Besides, even if the population of Silver Moon was angry with me, I still had good reason to celebrate. Running my hands over Vies skin, I leaned down to k**s her stomach.

“I still can’t believe it. Twin boys!” I exclaimed.

I’d jumped like a kid when she’d told me. Like her, I didn’t really care about the genders, but now I couldn’t stop thinking about them. Would they take after me, or Violet? I kind of hoped they would take more after her, except in attitude maybe. It would have been great to have a daddys girl, but it’s not like this was our only shot. If Vie wanted to, we could always have more kids.

“Little Jaspers.” She giggled now. “I can’t wait to meet them.”

“Me too.” I smiled softly at her. “You’re going to be an amazing Mother.”

Her cheeks coloured red. “And I know you’ll be a great Dad.”

“I really hope so.” I could hear the doubt in my voice, something she picked up on. I felt her hand on my cheek, making me look at her.

“What’s wrong?” She searched my face, and I knew I couldn’t lie to her.

“Well… My Dad is great, you know? A great role model. But… he’s not my Dad. And where I came from… who I came from…” I laughed bitterly. “I’m just scared.”

“Listen to me.” She got on her knees, eye level with me. She placed her hand on my shoulders firmly. “You are not that man. You are kind, caring, sweet, considerate. You care about others, not just yourself. You’ve done more for this pack since you’ve been here than he did in his lifetime. You saved them Jasper. You are not him.”

“You really believe in me that much?” I whispered.

“Of course I do. I was wrong about you. And all the nay-sayers will see it too- You’re a wonderful person, with a big heart. You’re going to be a great Alpha, and a great Dad. You’re already a great mate.”

I pulled her in for a hug,kissing her forehead. “Thank you.”

“Anytime.”

We sat, embracing, until a noise sounded behind us. I peeked over my shoulder, seeing Tracy running towards us. Her face looked panicked.

“Alpha! Luna!” She hollered.

Violet pulled out of my arms. “Tracy? What’s wrong?”

She came to a stop a few feet away, panting hard.

“You need… to come…. the pack… man, I need to start working out.” She rasped.

I jumped to my feet. “What happened? What about the pack?” I demanded.

“They… everyone is outside the packhouse. You need to come back.”

“Everyone?” Violet stood too.

“Mostly everyone, yeah.”

Immediatly, the three of us starting jogging back. As out of breath as she was, Tracy kept pace, her face worried. I was as well; I could only come up with the conclusion that people were angry about the temporary hold on home repairs. I tried to come up with ways to calm a potentially angry mob, but I was coming up blank. My only saving grace was hoping Dimitri was there to help me, and once again, I felt like an incompetent Alpha. However, when we reached the house, I didn’t hear any protests or shouting.

“Did they say why they’re here?” I asked Tracy.

She shook her head quickly. “They only demanded to see you.”

We strode to the front lawn, but I kept the girls behind me, just in case. I looked over the crowd, peering at each face, gauging reactions. King and Ashwell stood on the bottom steps, waiting for us. Dimitri and Ben stood further back, at the doors.

“What is going on?” I asked when we reached them.

King clapped me on the shoulder. “Ask them.” He nodded to the crowd.

“Okay?” I stepped down. “How can I help you?” I called out.

A woman stepped out of the throng of people. She had to be in her thirties, with a kind face that only got softer as she smiled at me.

“Is it true? What you said about the hospital?” She asked.

“Uh, yeah. Look, I’m sorry about that, but-“

“We don’t want your apologies!” Someone shouted.

“We will get everything done, but it’s going to take time.” I tried again.

“We don’t care!” A teenage boy stepped forward beside the woman. “We just want it done.”

Violet took a place by my side, holding up her hands. “We’re very sorry about the inconvience, but a new, safer hospital takes precedence right now. The pack needs a place to treat people, and the current hospital just isn’t good for that.”

“Oh, we know dear.” The woman laughed.

Violet blinked at her. “Uh, good.”

“I don’t think we’re on the same page.” She said. “We’re not here to complain. We’re here to help.”

“Help?”

“We want to help build the hospital.”

“What?” Violet and I spoke at the same time.

“My name is Patty.” She introduced herself. “This here is my son. A year ago, he was injured by a rogue. Dr. Kettler did what he could for him, but it wasn’t enough.”

The boy lifted up his pant leg, revealing a prosthetic from the knee down. I gasped, shocked. Never had I seen a wolf that badly injured. We healed wicked fast.

“How…?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“It shouldn’t have happened.” Patty shook her head. “It was only a cut, but it got infected. Bad. We didn’t have the supplies or medicine we should have, and Nikkie had to get it amputated. He was lucky he didn’t die from the surgury.” She stroked his hair.

“I’m okay with it now though.” Her son, Nikkie said. “I’m the only wolf in the pack with three legs.” He grinned.

“And this,” Patty pointed, “Is Tara, and her daughter, Yelena. She gave birth at home a few months ago, because the hospital was full.”

“There was only one room.” The girl said. She was a slim brunette, holding her daughter on her h*p.

“We told the Alpha we needed a better hospital, but he didn’t listen!” Someone called.

“He never listened!”

“We’ve lost good men because of his ignorance!”

“We want to help!”

“Let us help!”

I looked at everyone, committing their faces to memory. Men, women, teenagers, kids, even babies. They weren’t angry. They weren’t even upset. Not for the reason I thought they’d be. Instead, they’d gathered together in a cry for help, willing to do the work themselves. At the edge of the crowd, I saw Kettler, who was looking around as well. Judging by his expression, I guessed this was overwhelming him as much as it was me. I cleared my throat, holding up a hand to get everyones attention.

“Of course I do. I was wrong about you. And all the nay-sayers will see it too- You’re a wonderful person, with a big heart. You’re going to be a great Alpha, and a great Dad. You’re already a great mate.”

“I am…awestruck. You know what I see right now?” I shouted. “I see a group of people, who choose to come together and offer to spend hours helping with something that will benefit everyone. I see selfless, amazing people, who have suffered, starved, and been neglected. You could have come here with complaints, but instead you’re here, willing to work together for the betterment of your pack. And I am so proud to be standing herer with you.”

I reached down to take Vie’s hand.

“Your Luna realized the importance of this project and came to me. She has agreed to work with Dr. Kettler to bring Silver Moon the hospital and health care it deserves.”

Cheers went up in the crowd, and Violet looked down, blushing.

“Anybody who wants to work, can. Thank you, so much, for coming out today. Let us meet, and we will inform you with our plans.”

More cheers, and excited chatter. I found Kettler again, motioning for him to join us. We headed inside, King and Ashwell right behind us.

“That went better than expected.” Dimitri commented.

“The pack has been requesting updated healthcare for years.” King said.

“We’ve lost too many and too many others have paid the price for Warricks poor choices.” Ashwell agreed.

“I treated that boy myself.” Kettler spoke up. He was staring at the floor. “He never should have lost that leg. I was close to sending him to a human hospital, or going myself for medicine, but Warrick wouldn’t allow it.”

Violet touched his shoulder. “That will never happen again. At least he’s alive.”

He nodded, but he was still visibly upset. I wondered if that was the reason for his attitude, or of it was the situation itself. Either way, we had a starting point for the pack now.

“I want you to go make a list of everything you need. Materials, equipment, everything. Call your Mom too. King, I want you with me upstairs. I want to find the best and most accessible place to build.”

“On it.”

“Ashwell, I want you to do an updated population check on the pack. I need to know how many rooms we need. I also want a list of all the expecting mothers in the pack, and people with injuries.”

“Yes, Alpha.”

“What about us?” Ben asked.

“I don’t really need you guys, unless you want to help with the construction.”

“I need to make some calls actually. A hospital isn’t cheap.”

Kettler shuffled beside us. Violet glanced at him, wary.

“How much?” Kettler asked.

“In this case….no charge.”

His head snapped up. “What?”

“I said it wasn’t cheap, not that I wouldn’t do it. I want my grandbabies born in a safe place. I also want you to have everythign you need so people get the treatment they deserve.”

Kettler gaped at him. “W-why would you do that for us? We’re not your pack.”

Dimitri walked to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Maybe not. But my daughter is your Luna, and even if she wasn’t, I would do this. Why should I stand back and let people suffer when I know I can help?”

Kettlers mouth flapped, resembling a fish. Violet giggled, nudging him. “Told you so.” She said.

“You people are all nuts.”

“Are you saying you don’t want the help?”

“Help!” He scoffed. “I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Let’s go start on that list. I really want that new computer, mine is crap. It keeps freezing, and the junk folder is crammed…” He pulled Violet away, talking animatedly. I had a feeling she was regretting asking him to help her right now.

“Thank you.” I said to her Dad.

He waved me off. “Jasper, do you have any idea how much money I have?”

I shook my head. “Never thought about it.”

“Too much. Building a hospital won’t even make a dent. The alliance we have is only for legality reasons.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I could build B***d Moon three times over, and still be well off.”

“I guess you need a new name then. Can’t say you’re heartless after all.”

“I vote for marshmallow.” Ben said. I laughed.

“Try it, I dare you.” Dimitri grumbled.ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

“We’ll see what Lily thinks about it.” Ben replied, uncaring. The Alpha g*****d.

“There is somethign else I would like to discuss.” I glanced at the door Vie had disappeared through.

“I changed my mind.” Ben said. “You’re more of a s’more. Hard on the outside, but soft in and gooey in the middle.”

“Shut up Ben.”

“Whatever S’more.”

“What Jasper?” He turned away from his Beta.

“I was wondering if you could help me find a jewellery store?”