I'm The Alpha's Mate

by Sydney Marie

  The door opens, and a pretty woman is standing before me.

  “Alpha, it’s the luna you were talking about. She’s here.” The woman calls back into the house. “Hello, I’m Gemma.”

  “Hello. Evangeline,” I introduce myself.

  Just when it is starting to feel awkward, a person, who I am assuming is Alpha Kenn, comes rushing to the door. He is handsome and in his thirties, which changes my mind about Gemma being his possible daughter.

  “Are you mates?” I ask.

  “Nope.” She smiles before Alpha Kenn shoos her out of the house.

  “Was she your friend?”

  “Uh. No,” he tells me distractedly as he shuts the front door behind my guards.

  Finally, he turns to me, and we start a proper greeting.

  “It is lovely to finally meet you. You have a lovely voice, and I knew it would only lead to a lovelier person.”

  One of my guards cough.

  “Alright then.”

  “I didn’t know that I would be staying with you.” I break the small period of silence.

  “Well, of course. The house is surely big enough, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, I didn’t mean—”

  He interrupts me without noticing.

  “How about I show you to the guest room. You get all settled in, and then we can talk about my uncle tonight?”

  I expected a more extended introduction, but right after showing us to the rooms, Alpha Kenn had to leave. The alpha position is demanding, so I cannot blame him for being busy.

  The guards each have their own room, and so do I. My guest room is in the middle of the hallway while one guard is directly across and the other is beside. It makes me feel secure, to be somewhat surrounded instead of possibly at the very end of the hall by myself. Maybe Alpha Kenn was thinking about my comfort.

  I set my small bag on the bed and sit down, then took out the phone that Sebastian gave me before leaving. I hesitate on whether I should call or not. He is probably busy anyway, out of the house and by the borders most likely. I place the phone on the bedside table and lie down. Maybe I should get some sleep.

  ***

  The night is upon me, and Alpha Kenn arrives home. He tells me to meet him down in his office, so I wander around the house until I hear his voice faintly down a hallway. Feeling very out of place, I head towards the door and knock. Instead of hearing a “Come in,” the door suddenly opens, causing my heart to jolt, and Alpha Kenn motions for me to enter. He sets me down in a chair before taking the one across from me, leaving his desk seat empty.

  “Alright, my uncle,” he says to himself. “What would you like to know?”

  Taking a minute to collect myself, I wonder how Alpha Kenn moves so quickly from one thing to the next. “Well—”

  “No. How about you tell me why you are so interested in my uncle, to begin with?”

  I nod.

  “He has a vendetta against my family. My grandmother was in love with your grandfather, but something happened, and she somehow ended up impaling him in the chest.” I fib while holding my tongue.

  He does not need to know what happened and how she actually ended up impaling him.

  “So your grandmother is the one who killed my grandfather,” he says with some type of realization. “Her name was Elizabeth, yes?”

  “Yes.”

  “I was told a few things, but I am sure you have the other side of the story, don’t you?”

  “My grandmother told your grandfather something that upset him, and he tried to kill her. She only fought back to defend herself,” I explain, abandoning my rule of only sharing as little as possible.

  “And what did she tell him?”

  I should have expected this.

  “I don’t know. She never told me.”

  Alpha Kenn’s golden eyes watch me closely. He knows that I am lying, but surprisingly, he does not push the question any further.

  “Alright, well, my uncle was the one who found him. He saw your grandmother run off into the forest. He wanted to kill her. I’m sure. My memory is a little foggy, as my mother told me all of this when I was young and curious, but the family stopped him from doing so.”

  “Why did your family stop him? Weren’t they enraged also?”

  “It deeply saddened them, but my grandfather was unstable, like my uncle is now, so they assumed it was all his fault. He often acted dramatically. He was mentally gone since a young age. My family knew your grandmother, and after his death, it caused a split in the middle of them. Half blamed her, and the other half blamed him. My father believed he was at fault, while my uncle believed she was, and it drew them apart.”

  “Drew them apart, how so? Simply because they believed in different outcomes?” I ask, incredibly intrigued.

  “My uncle and my grandfather were very close. They had a relationship that my father and he could never have had. When my uncle discovered that my father blamed my grandfather, he became outraged. He thought his brother had betrayed their father. It was like my grandfather brainwashed my uncle. He would trust anything that left his lips. So my father and my uncle had a feud. After my grandfather had died, my father was to take his place, but my uncle attacked him and killed him and took the alpha position.”

  “I’m sorry. That’s terrible.” I breathe out, taking in the fact that the alpha had killed his own brother.

  “I was only an infant when this all happened. I did not know him long enough to truly miss him, so it is alright.”

  “So what, he just became alpha like that?”

  Alpha Kenn sits back. “You don’t know much about packs, do you?”

  “I’m learning.”

  He nods and claps his hands together.

  “If the alpha is killed, the next in line takes over, even if the alpha was murdered by the successor.”

  “That’s unreal!” I cry. “That’s, that’s—”

  “Yes.” He stops me. “It’s wrong, but it is how things are.”

  “Why didn’t anyone take it from him?”

  “It is not easy to kill an alpha. I managed to take over nine years ago after he disappeared, and even before then, his presence was spotty.” He pauses for a moment. “You know, it is getting late. We will continue tomorrow.”

  I take the time generously and return to my guest room to think everything through.

  The alpha, Alpha Kenn’s uncle, had disappeared nine years ago. Nine years ago, my mother, my father, and I had already left the pack, but Alpha Kenn did say his presence was inconsistent. Could he have been watching my mother during that first year and then decide to stalk her full-time?

  It all seems to match up perfectly. The alpha is insane just as his father was. He found him dead, and he wanted to avenge him. He felt betrayed by his own brother, so he killed him. It all gives me chills.

  My grandmother told me what only my mother and she knew. Alpha Kenn told me only what his mother and his father have known, which continues to leave holes where answers need to fill, holes only the alpha can fill.

  His mind—I have to get as close to it as possible, so I will continue with Alpha Kenn tomorrow and figure out if I can uncover more. If I want to stop him, I have to know how he thinks.

  Grabbing the phone from the bedside table, I find Sebastian’s contact details and press the call button. He had to teach me how to use the phone before I left, which was interesting. The entire process made me feel like my grandmother.

  “Sebastian?” I question into the device after the ringing ends.

  “Is everything alright? Did you arrive safely? Is Alpha Kenn treating you properly?” The questions come in rapid fire before I can even answer one.

  “Yes, yes, and no. Wait, yes.” I correct myself swiftly. “Everything is fine. Is there any news on my grandmother?”

  “No.” His voice, though barring bad news, calms me. “The guards are still coming up empty-handed.”

  I fall back against the bed. “Really?”

  “Yes, really
. I’m sorry. I wish I had something positive to tell you. Alpha Kenn, did he help you at all?”

  “Actually, a lot. The history behind all of this is more intricate than I thought, and the alpha, he has somehow become more frightening.”

  “Are you okay there by yourself?”

  I roll over onto my elbows and gaze out the window with the phone against my ear.

  “Yes, I’m fine.”

  “The nightmares—”

  I cut him off, not wanting him to worry. “I’ll be okay, Sebastian. Please don’t fret over me.”

  He takes a breath, almost for the both of us. “I cannot help it. You are always on my mind.”

  “I miss you too. I knew I would,” I say softly. “They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but at least I still have your voice. Oh, now I want to come home.”

  “If you have a nightmare, please call. I will answer right away, okay?”

  Our conversation continues until we said good night to each other, and I set the phone to the side again. Laying on the bed with the lights now off, I argue with myself if I have the energy to change.

  The sky tonight does not look real. It resembles more of a painting with a bleached moon and glittering stars not defused by the brightness of the moon. It is a cloudless night, not a speckle of smoke in the distance, and I find myself staring.

  The world is a mesmerizing, beautiful place filled with hatred and ugly souls. Though I understand this, part of me, a dying part does not want to accept it. As a child, I knew nothing, and now I know only a few, yet it feels like enough. But as I look out at this hypnotic night sky, my gaze turn to the trees, tumbling from branch to branch until they reach the forest floor. It is ways away from the house, but the forest line is still visible from my window.

  It is then that I swallow and hold my breath when my eyes study the bush and the foliage. They stare back at me, yellow orbs in a sea of black. Nearing the glass, I press my hand against it, and the orbs move a tinge, now peering through the leaves of a rather large bush. I squint, all to see the shadowy blur a little clearer. The dark figure lurks into view, causing my heart to tense, and I back away. Immediately, I grip the curtain and yank it close, blocking my eyes from the bone-chilling sight.

  Finally, I see what I was waiting for.

  Chapter 16

  I walk freely along the path, into the heart of the pack with my guards following strictly behind me. With each step, I wait for something to set off, some triggering effect in my mind to suddenly release all memories of this place from when I was a child. With each step, I am pulled further away from Alpha Kenn’s house, but I continue with no plan of stopping.

  Am I supposed to feel lost here? Though I did not venture off much, a part of me is still hoping for a familiar building or area. It is when I come up to a set of homes that my fingers begin to tremble, shaking slightly with anticipation. Finally, something familiar. The air smells of something I have tasted before, something pliable so I can bend it to mean what I want.

  I continue along and study each house as we pass by, gazing up the structures from foundation to roof. My eyes act as a metal detector, waiting for an alarming beeping noise to yell that I have found something valuable, something memorable.

  My feet mold footprints in the slightly muddy dirt beneath them, as it rained last night, and I heard every bit of it. I hardly got an hour of sleep. The childish fear of a nightmare was keeping me up, and I could not selfishly call my mate, as he must have things to do while I do not.

  Alpha Kenn gave me the day to wander about while he does whatever it is he has to do before we start where we finished off with our conversation last night. Naturally, I agreed and dressed for the colder weather before heading outside. This particular temperature makes me think about snow and if it will happen. I have seen, felt, and played in snow before, and I enjoyed it, especially as a child. Something about the white, smooth blanket draped across the forest makes me feel lost yet in a good way.

  Coming up to another set of buildings, I scan them again, waiting for the beep. With an absurd amount of time to waste, I do not become disappointed when nothing triggers a familiar sensation inside of me. The guards continue to trail behind me, and my curiosity flares at the sight of people, pack members.

  Instead of shying away, I pick up speed. I am not planning on talking to them, waving, or smiling, but since I will most likely never see these people again, I want to take the opportunity to practice my public skills. How I will act among others, who are not Sebastian, Henry, my grandmother, Fiona, Marina, or Alpha Kenn. It is a made-up skill in my head, but it gives me something to do while I wait.

  I walk by, and they look at me, but I just look back at them and pass by.

  “Luna, is there something specific you would like to do?” Will, one of the guards whose name I learned this morning, asks and I shake my head.

  Then I see it, my familiar. The trigger builds, and the beep rings in my head like an alarm clock.

  It is more than I could ever have hoped to remember—my childhood home.

  With a single thought, abandoning Sebastian’s rule, I hurry towards the house like it is set on fire and people need rescuing. The white color now looks to be off-white, and there are small chips in the paint, but it is overall a bundle of memories.

  The guards ask what I am doing when I rush up the steps and walk along the tiny porch, running my hand along the railing, expecting a splinter but getting none.

  “This was my house,” I tell them.

  Turning to the door, I suddenly knock while holding my breath. No one answers. I knock again. Again, no answer. With an urge, I turn the handle, and the door slips open, revealing little of its holdings.

  “Luna, I do not know if you should go in there.”

  As if the rules do not apply to me, I peek my head in and steal a quick glance. It is empty. No one lives here. Before I know it, the walls pull me in, and I disappear from view as the house swallows me up. Ignoring the guard’s rapid footsteps, I steadily look around, examining the room. This was the living room, and off to the right is the kitchen. That is where my feet take me next.

  My fingers feel the flat, sleek countertops that are coated with a thin layer of dust when I tug them away. This place seems to be untouched. Maybe since I left. The guards watch me as I venture about, but I tell them to stay downstairs when I finally reach the steps. They obey, and I begin to climb.

  Not bothering to look into each room, I halt in front of the attic entrance. Mindlessly, I tug down the attic ladder and gaze up at the dusty space. Finally taking a much needed deep breath, I reach out and grip onto the ladder, fully committed to achieving the closure I deserve.

  With each step, my heart seems to pound harder, almost pushing me onward. My eyes peer into the open space, seeing a streak of light cast on the floor from my all too familiar window. It feels like a dream as I push myself up to stand inside, almost not knowing what to do or how to carry myself. Dust particles invade the air. The attic is empty besides the painful sight of my old stripped bed frame set in the corner.

  “You no longer belong here,” she tells me.

  I saunter to the window and press my hands against it as I look out, in the same stance I was in as a young child. The scene below is empty except for the group of people down the path. The sun seems duller through this window, through this smudged and dusty glass.

  “I know,” I murmur, still taking in the sight of it all.

  “Are you not happy with what I have given you? Are you not fulfilled by your mate?”

  Refusing to look back at her, I keep my eyes looking effortlessly out the window. “I am fulfilled. I am falling in love with him.”

  “Then why are you back here?” she asks.

  “Because here reminds me of them. They lived here. We lived here together. This is all that’s left of them that I can feel, that I can touch. There is an emptiness inside of me, where they used to be, and I thought that maybe being here would make that hole
feel filled, at least for a little while. But I was wrong. It only makes the emptiness grow.” I peer back at her. “I miss them, my parents. I miss what it feels like to have them, and I know that every day I forget a bit of that feeling.”

  “People will come and go, and you will not always get to choose who those people are. All you can do is move on and continue to live life while you can.”

  “What if he leaves me? The alpha, he is taking everyone from me. What if he takes him too?”

  “We lose the ones we lo—”

  My eyes observe her. “I cannot lose him. I will not lose him.”

  I join the guards back downstairs, and I flee the house without uttering a word. This time when we pass the people, I smile, and surprisingly, they smile back.

  Later at night, after I eat dinner, which was kindly cooked for me by Alpha Kenn’s housekeeper, I find myself walking back to Alpha Kenn’s office. This time, I am told to wait for him inside, alone, instead of him already being there. I do not mind though, as his housekeeper said that he should be back in a few minutes.

  Hesitantly, I gently enter and patiently wait in the exact spot I was in before. My eyes roam about the room when they are suddenly snatched by a familiar book with a green cover. The shelves are packed tightly, and I sneak over to get a closer look. Taking some sort of risk, I work the book out of its slot and read the cover. Lycanthrope Mythology. How pleasant. This will surely make time go by quicker. Hopefully, Alpha Kenn does not mind.

  I take the book back to my seat, and I flip to where I left off in Sebastian’s copy, specifically a page talking about silver and silver stones. Oddly, there seems to be a marker tucked in between the pages, and I open it at the particular crevice. My eyes deceive me at the memorable title written at the top of the page. Daughters of the Moon Goddess. My muscles twitch as my tongue runs dry.

  Suddenly, the door opens. “Evangeline, are yo—”

  “What is this?” I question Alpha Kenn, somewhat accusingly.

  “What is what?” He sits down across from me.

  “The marker. On this page?”