The Alpha's Exchanged Mate
The Alpha’s Exchanged Mate – Chapter 57

Alexander’s POV…

I still felt all the adrenaline rushing through my body as I reached the top of the stage. It wasn’t easy to know that this crowd had been gathered for you, just to hear you make some sort of profound speech, and you truly know that you had nothing for them in your heart. There was no atom of false hope they were going to get from me. No glimpse of wildflowers ready for battle.

They were still adjusting the microphone to fit down to my level, where the wheelchair height stopped. If I am to be honest, there is this part of me that just wants to stand up from this wheelchair. Everyone kept glaring at me, still muttering things underneath their breaths. I had never thought the day would come when I would be this afraid to talk to my people, and not just the fear but a justifiable belief of hopelessness.

I hope I don’t die of anxiety when all is done. Caleb then whispered to me.

“You will do just fine,” he said, and that was not the exact encouragement I needed, but it was still refreshing to know that he felt that way.

I saw Edwina smiling at me; if only she knew how refreshing that smile was to me at that moment when the night howler’s anthem began to sing and everyone stood up, normally the Alpha doesn’t stand up for the anthem, but even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t, I mean… I couldn’t.

When the anthem was over and everyone was seated once again, I cleared my throat. It was as if there was a giant lump in my throat that was preventing me from speaking.

“Good day, great people of the night howlers pack, I greet you all in the name of the moon goddess,”

There was a uniform howling, and I smiled because they still revered me in that way as their Alpha.

“I appreciate you all leaving your individual homes and businesses to meet up with this special gathering,” and all of a sudden, there was a pin drop silence in the arena.

“I know it has been a while since I have addressed you as the Alpha of this pack, and it had left a lot of room for doubt and lack of faith,” I breathed out and glared for a split second at Edwina, who was still smiling. It is weird, for some reason, how I get my strength from her, and I find it hard to place my finger on it. It is not about what she says or what she doesn’t say, but it was more than that to me.

“As an Alpha, it had not been easy for me. I had lost a lot over the past few months, I had gotten to sit down in my study, memorizing the names of every soldier that had given his or her life to keep all of us safe, and I had gotten to talk to their family, each and every one of them, from the grandma who wishes she had died instead to the child who keeps asking for his father,” I could see everyone paying full attention. I had written a whole speech before, but right before I left the room, I had dropped it. These were my people. I should be able to talk to them without rehearsing some speech or being scripted. They knew me, and even if that had changed now, at some point in all their lives, they had trusted me.

“It has not been an easy process, it had been heartbreaking because I believed all these people didn’t have to die, truly I don’t believe in the saying that there is no peace without b***d, there should be b***d maybe. But not the b***d of my people,”

“As a man, I had also been suffering. From the betrayal of a mate to the deceitful nature of a right-hand man to whom I had entrusted the life of my people. That had been so eerie.” I gazed at the crowd to make sure I still had their full attention and saw that they were still all looking at me with keenness. I could continue.

“Maybe as a leader, I have done a poor job communicating all this to you people, I had always believed the Alpha is supposed to be the strongest in the pack but maybe physically I have been strong but mentally I have been in a bad place,”

I could see a lot of people nodding their heads in empathy. Maybe they understand what it means to be so strong yet so weak.

“But when Alpha Bethel came for the second time, I felt all the rage over again, the rage of going to talk to that widow to tell her I was sorry because her husband wouldn’t be coming home to her anymore. The rage of going to all the grave of all those fallen heroes to apologize on their coffins because of how I failed to protect them. I want to tell all of you, no, I want to promise all of you, never again, never would I allow such thing happen again.”

I said to them, and I didn’t know where that strength came from, but with every word I had just uttered, I believed in what I had just said.

“I will be taking questions now, let’s start with the representative from the omega pack, “I announced, and I could still feel the impending chills. My eyes went far, and I could see some women crying. I recognized one as one of the widows I had gone to visit before.

The representative from the Omega Clan walked up to the microphone on the other side of the arena. He was tall, about seven feet tall, and had brown hair. I recognized him well even though I couldn’t recall his name. Before now, it would have been Caleb walking up to that podium. I would have relaxed my mind because I trusted he wouldn’t ask me some sort of detrimental question, but for this man, I wasn’t sure what to expect from him.

“Greetings great night howlers pack and my kind regards to our great Alpha,” he said with a half smile on his face. His voice didn’t sound so terrifying as I would think for a seven feet tall man.

“Greetings to you great omega,” I replied to him.