Her Alpha

by Martin, K. S.

  “Good bye little apartment.” Rae smirked and headed for her car.

  Chapter 3

  Rae put her car in park at the curb in front of a brick front white sided house with red shutters, and immaculate flower beds. She got out and locked the car. “Hello house.” Rae said softly. “Wow. This is a step up.” There were a lot more of them now than the small group from the apartment, which was very efficient. Two of the trucks were already empty and the last being unloaded. “They will have you moved in before you know it. Teamwork.” Her father put his big arm across her shoulders and grinned. “I know this is all very unsettling Rae but it is necessary.” He sobered. “Tonight you will have supper at my house.” He pointed up the hill to the much bigger house. “Up there. You will meet all potential mates at supper.” He gave her shoulders a squeeze and moved to walk away.

  “Okay Dad. That’s where I draw the line. I get that all this is possible, the were or werewolf thing, whatever you want to call it. But that business about choosing a husband and making ‘puppies’ right now, that’s not happening. I am not ready for that.” She wrapped her arms around her middle. He shook his head stepping closer to her.

  “They are pups Rae, not puppies.” He spat the offensive word. “I know it’s a lot to process and I know it’s sudden. I never planned for this to happen to you. You were supposed to be human like your mother, it’s what she wanted and what we felt was best for you.” He sighed. “There is nothing I can do to stop it and there isn’t anything that you can do about it either. Just come to supper at seven and we will see what happens, okay? You can meet them and let nature take care of the rest” He patted her shoulder in an attempt to console her and walked away. What an arrogant bastard. Rae hoped she woke up from this nightmare soon, her hips were killing her. Rae walked inside and looked around. Naomi, Brenda, Ruth and Ann were arguing about the best way to arrange the living room furniture.

  “The couch should face the window.” Ann was saying.

  “The couch should face the wall that the TV is on. You can’t watch a TV that’s over your head behind you.” Brenda was saying. Rae watched from the door. They all stopped when she was noticed.

  “TV there,” she pointed, “Couch there, and chair there.” Rae went through to the kitchen and pulled her table and two chairs against the wall out of the way, how she liked it and started unpacking the boxes. She could hear arguing in the rear of the house now. Rae followed the noise. There were four bedrooms, three of them empty. Two men that she didn’t know were having the same argument. “The dresser goes there, bed there, nightstand there, chest of drawers there.” Rae pointed. They sprang to action following her directions. Going back to the kitchen which was now full of busy women, Rae turned on her heel and went back down the hall to the bathroom to unpack the boxes there. Closing the door, she sat down on the toilet and put her head in her hands. It was only just after two in the afternoon and she’d been uprooted and moved and tonight she was to assess the locals as mates. What the hell had happened to her life? Her cell rang then and Rae answered.

  “Hi Rae, it is Mr. Peterman.” She gasped.

  “Oh God, Mr. Peterman, I am so sorry, was I supposed to work today?” Rae wailed.

  “No, no Rae, calm down. I have an auditor here and I need to know which file to look in to find the annual revenue report.” Rae’s shoulders slumped, relaxing.

  “If you open the shared drive and look under annual, you will find all of the reports sorted by month and year.” He was clicking away on his computer.

  “I have it, thank you Rae, you are helpful as always.” He was an unappreciative bastard no matter what words he used. When she had time maybe she’d look through the want ads.

  “You’re welcome sir.” He had already disconnected the call. There was a light knock on the door. Rae opened it and found Naomi.

  “I thought you might be hungry.” She offered Rae a sandwich on a plate with some chips. Rae sighed and thanked her.

  “I am starved.” Naomi smiled and nodded, then left.

  When they had all gone and she was left alone, Rae explored the house. It was larger than it looked outside. There was a full finished basement downstairs that would make a great TV room or game room, if she played games or had another TV. It had paneled walls and deep brown carpeting. She could picture a pool table with a small bar in the back half and theatre seating and a big screen plasma on the other end. On her salary, if she started saving right now it would only take about a hundred years to pay for it. The three empty bedrooms upstairs were larger than her bedroom had been at the apartment. They all had wooden floors as did the rest of the house and the walls were all painted a very boring white. It looked fresh. Her favorite room was the kitchen. It was gigantic compared to the apartment kitchen. There was a breakfast bar, granite countertops and stainless steel appliances and stone walls behind the sink and stove area. Rae was in love with the refrigerator already. The drawers were neat, the cabinets stacked full of dishes and there were enough cabinets to have a couple left empty. Opening what looked like a closet she looked into a walk in pantry. Rae smiled, this was awesome and there was no way in hell she could afford it. She struggled to make rent on a one bedroom apartment and this was a beautiful house with a lot of bedrooms. No way would she have enough money to make the rent here. Her father would have to help if he insisted that she stay here. Maybe she didn’t want to wake up just yet, but damn did her knees hurt now. Rae went back to the bedroom. There was still time for a shower. After undressing, she went and turned the water on and climbed in. “Come to me Rae.” There it was again. That voice. That sexy gravely beckoning voice called to her. “Who’s there?” She called out of the bathroom door. “I’m waiting for you Rae.” Rae bit her lip, surely she was going crazy. Rae had to deal with werewolves, hearing voices and a pack of people that showed up at the door and forced you to move, she was definitely going insane. She stood under the hot water and washed her hair and hoped the weird day away. Once she’d finished, she applied a little makeup after brushing her teeth and drying her hair. Pulling the mass of fiery copper curls into a ponytail with a hair elastic, she pulled a brush through it once more, and then dressed in her favorite jeans and a jade colored fitted sweater. Not bad, she thought. Rae locked the front door with the keys left on her kitchen table and walked up the hill to her father’s house. Her cell rang half way there and she answered.

  “Rae? It’s Mike. Uh, did you move? You’re stuff is all gone.” He sounded nervous.

  “Yes. It was a last minute thing, a family emergency. I’m still in town though, just on the other side of it.” She laughed softly. “It’s nice to be missed.” She flirted easily with him, too bad he wasn’t in the pack, she knew who to pick then. Mike was incredible. Rae heard a low growl behind her. “Mike I’m kind of in the middle of something and I have to go. We’ll get together sometime okay?” Another growl. Could he hear her conversation? Maybe it wasn’t acceptable to have male friends if you were a werewolf. She was going to ask for the rule book. It was best to forget sexy Mike. He wasn’t pack and if she was going to change into a wolf, he would not understand. Rae walked faster, it was nearly dark and she was in werewolf territory. Could they attack an Alpha? She wondered hearing the footsteps getting closer.

  “Okay Rae.” Mike answered. “See you around.” She pushed end and looked behind her. A man walked behind her but he was too far away to see his face in the waning light but she could tell that he was very large and definitely werewolf. Eligible male? She hoped not, he was giving her the heebie jeebies. Rae knocked on the front door once she climbed the five steps up to her father’s porch. The man that was behind her was gone now when she looked back over her shoulder for the third time. Could his job have been to see that she showed up for dinner? It was possible, Joshua was a control freak her mom always said. The door opened and swung open wide, Naomi motioned her in. Rae stuffed her cell phone into her back pocket and went through the door. “Hi Naomi.” Naomi smiled and stepp
ed out of the way. Rae wondered briefly why she was so quiet, so far Naomi had been the chattiest of the werewolves she’d met.

  “Rae!” Her father boomed from the head of the full table in the next room. He stood and held his arms out to her. Rae crossed through the living room and went into the dining room to him and accepted the bear hug resting her face on the black and white flannel plaid of his shirt. He smelled like fabric softener.

  “Hi Daddy.” She sat in the chair to his left that he gestured to. Joshua clapped. Trays of food were brought to the long table that Rae now noticed was filling with men except the chair directly across from her. The platters were placed along the length of the table. Rae’s heart began to pound and her blood buzzed in her brain but one voice was clear. “Come to me Rae.” She looked around the table nervously, they were all watching her, but none of them seemed to have said it. The large platters of meat and vegetables were passing by and her father loaded her plate with more food than anyone could ever eat. “Daddy, that’s enough, my goodness, I can’t eat all of this.” Rae didn’t want to insult anyone.

  “Eat what you like. No one’s feelings will be hurt if you can’t finish.” He smiled kindly at her. “I want to introduce everyone to you. I am going to start from beside you and work my way around the table. Joshua called off names and each of the men nodded or said hello. All of them looked expectant, eager and hopeful. Rae didn’t see the one her father had with him the other day, Dakota. Rae nodded to each one and smiled. There was no way she would remember half of their names. “See anyone you like?” Her father leaned close to her ear.

  “The man that was with you the other day, Dakota, where is he?” Rae asked quietly.

  “Dakota is not here. This is a pack only meeting.” Rae narrowed her eyes at him. “He is only visiting, Dakota’s pack was exterminated. He has not yet decided whether or not to stay and see if he can fit in. I encourage you to choose from the members present at the table Rae.” His voice was low and commanding, his salt and pepper hair was wilder than usual tonight. Lines etched his face that she’d never noticed before and he seemed worried. Rae looked around the table at each of the eager faces in turn and went back to her supper. Not one of them interested her in the least which was usually the case. Rae had never wanted a man before. She flirted with Mike because he was good looking and built nice. He was a nice guy but he wasn’t the one. Her mom always said that everyone has a soul mate and Rae supposed that she believed that too. Mike wasn’t her soul mate and she knew that deep down. The men at the table seemed to have a deep interest in her though. Every time Rae glanced up, she was being stared or leered at by more than one of them. She was growing more nervous by the second and pushed the food around on her plate. Occasionally, she heard a growl or two. Each one was more than anxious and edgy. They were likely to pounce across the table at her any second. Rae’s own heart beat frantically and her hands were growing damp. Too much attention had always made her nauseous. It was nerve wracking and it made her very self conscious.

  “Why do they all keep watching me Daddy? Aren’t there other ladies in your pack that they could uh…” Joshua chuckled at her naïveté.

  “All of the women in this pack that are of age are mated. It’s either you, find another from another pack, a human which is difficult at best or wait until one of the younger girls is of age. You are quite the catch Rae, you are not only of age but you are Alpha. If you choose one of them, they will be Alpha some day when I am no longer pack leader. It is an unexpected opportunity for all of them, so choose well. We all thought this was done and then Lauren died.”

  “And Dakota? What will happen to him? Is that his chair?” Rae pointed and he nodded.

  “Dakota, like I said before is not part of this pack until he is accepted. If he is who you choose, you both will have a very big challenge ahead of you. He is an outsider so he will have to win their trust. You would be much better off choosing from the men here Rae. He understands. Dakota is almost as old as I am.” She gasped. Her father chuckled again. “He has never been mated and under other circumstances, he might be my first choice. Is there anyone here that you are vaguely interested in?” He kept his voice low but Rae had a pretty good idea that every one of them could hear every word he said. Her mother had once compared them to dogs, loyal, strong, smart, and with honed senses. Why didn’t she get any of that?

  “I don’t know Daddy. I don’t want to make that big of a decision right now. I think I may be going crazy or at least getting sick.” Her back was killing her too now and she arched and stretched. She heard several growls echo around the table and looked up suddenly into the most beautiful captivating glowing blue eyes. Her breath caught and she stood. The attraction between was them palpable. “Dakota.” Rae whispered breathlessly.

  “Come to me Rae.” He stood on the other side of the table looking down into her eyes. “I’ve been waiting for you.” It was the voice that she’d been hearing in her head and even now she wasn’t sure if he’d said it out loud. Rae took her napkin from her lap and placed beside her dinner plate on the table, her eyes never left his nor did his leave hers. She walked around the table hearing growls that grew louder among the men at the table.

  “Yes.” Rae murmured. She walked around her father’s chair and reached for Dakota. He took her by the waist as her arms wove up around his neck. Rae found herself lost in an ever deepening kiss. She felt his strong hands on her behind then under it lifting her. The growls grew more insistent. Rae knew they were moving but she was lost in his kiss, in him. The smell of his skin, his lips playing on her lips, his tongue dancing over her tongue all had Rae intoxicated. He made her feel complete and utter joy. Rae’s heart pounded against her ribs, her breaths were shallow and she ached for him. She heard a door close and felt her feet touch the floor. Dakota still held her against his chest. For the first time in her life Rae knew what it felt like to desire a man.

  “Rae.” He breathed. He pulled her pony tail forcing her head back so that he could look into her face. His lips brushed over hers again in the lightest of kisses. “Open your eyes Drágám.” Rae inhaled his scent and finally looked up into the glowing blue eyes. “Are you sure Rae?” She nodded still lost from cogent thought. “Rae, I’m not of this pack and I will need your father’s permission before this goes any further. Do you understand?” Rae nodded again. Dakota caught her chin in his finger and thumb and turned her head from side to side. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid weary eyes on.”

  “Weary?” Rae breathed, still not quite alert.

  “I’ve looked for so long that my eyes are weary of looking.” He let out a long breath. “Stay here, I am going to see if the house is cleared out. Sit.” He pointed to the bed. Rae watched him out of the open door. He was so beautiful and that rear end was the most magnificent she’d ever seen. Muscles deep within her belly clenched unbidden. Rae chewed her thumbnail nervously. “Rae.” She heard her father bark and she hurried to find him.

  “She’s chosen Joshua.” Dakota was saying. Her father was still in his chair but the house was empty now, all of the men and women had gone. “Do we have your permission?” Dakota was sitting in his chair next to her father. Rae went to her chair and sat on the other side of him.

  “Rae should choose from the pack. This is going to be hard on both of you. Neither of you are part of this community, she’s only half and you are a guest Dakota. You know what this can lead to.” Her father’s big hand came down on the table.

  “She’s chosen.” Dakota’s voice was calm and respectful. “If you will give us permission, I will stay, become a member and do whatever it takes. I won’t take her away, you have my word. You know she can’t pick someone else just because you think that she should. It’s done. You know what will happen to both of us if you deny us.”

  “I know. I still wonder what would’ve happened if she hadn’t seen you…” Her father trailed off.

  “I know old friend and I’m sorry, neither of us knew that sh
e was this far along and I’m sorry but what is done is done.” Joshua nodded and clapped him on the shoulder. Both of them looked at Rae suddenly. Her brows furrowed worriedly.

  “What?” She cried.

  “Your eyes Rae, they’re glowing, it’s coming.” Her father smiled. His bloodline continue with her.

  Chapter 4

  Rae raced from the table looking for a bathroom, ‘third door on the left,’ she heard her father say. Rae switched on the light and gazed into the mirror in wonder. Her eyes were glowing like her father’s, not as brightly but still glowing. Rae leaned closer to the mirror and watched them brighten and dim then brighten again. Dakota was in the doorway then. “We have to go.” She looked up at him then. “To your house, we have to consummate the mating.” Rae looked suddenly panicked.

  “Consummate?” She asked. He nodded.

  “We have your father’s permission, if it’s not done by midnight, you are up for grabs. You don’t want that.” She shook her head and took his hand. Dakota led her out of the house and down the hill. He leaned down and kissed her cheek as they walked, she flushed. “You’ve never done this before have you?” Rae was already worrying about the small fact of her virginity and shook her head.

  “Will it hurt?” She whispered.

  “Yes, it will hurt at first, but then it won’t.” Rae pulled out her keys with a shaking hand. He took them and opened the front door. Dakota surveyed the surrounding houses and street before following her in and closing then locking the door. Rae saw him scent the breeze and wondered what he wasn’t telling her.

  “Would you like something to drink or….?” Rae’s sentence was ended by his lips crushing hers. He lifted her easily and carried her through the house to the bedroom. He dropped her on the bed and pulled his tee shirt over his head while kicking his shoes off.