Rise of the Alpha (The Rise Series Book 1)

by Helen Dhanoya

  He chuckled. “I think you smell amazing. Sweat, wood, and lavender. I don’t care what you smell like. It’s all you and I love it.”

  I rolled my eyes, hugging him before pulling away to stand. With my hands on my hips, I said, “I’m going to shower and change into my extra pair of pajamas. Care to join me? We need to make it quick. You know we have to be up early.”

  I held my hand out, which he turned over, delicately kissing each finger before I helped him up. Our hands were still entwined as I led him into the house and up the stairs to our room.

  After our quick shower, we climbed into bed, both absolutely exhausted. My body was in total relaxation mode, as I slid under- neath the covers and rolled over to face Alaric, who did the same.

  A huge smile spread on his face as his eyes studied mine. He was in deep thought as we stared at each other.

  “What?” I asked, tilting my head and scooting over a little.

  He took a deep breath, placing one arm under my head and the other over my side, while his hand rested on my ass.

  I rolled my eyes, shaking my head, as he answered my question. “Just thinking about how beautiful my mate is. How lucky I am to have you.”

  I smiled, blushing. “Whatever. I love you. Now, it’s time for bed.”

  He chuckled, pulling me closer and pressing his soft lips against mine before breaking apart. “Goodnight, my love. I love you.”

  CHAPTER 19

  DAHLIA

  THE NEXT MORNING was pure chaos. We had Omegas running around, trying to finish packing our breakfast for the trip to the airport, while we tried to organize our luggage into the back of the rental truck.

  Ryker and Ellen were here at 4:15, just as we’d finished getting ready and placed our bags at the front door. I had our duffel bag and a small travel bag that I handed to an Omega on their way out. I had said my goodbyes to Grandpa last night, telling him not to worry about being up so early in the morning. I had to use my “Alpha” tone on him and I hated doing that, but I had no choice. He needed to save his energy for helping Eric. He agreed, reluctantly, but deep down, he knew I was right. Just because he had been better lately, doesn’t mean he needed to do things that could potentially be harming to him.

  Outside, the sky was so dark, like a black hole had taken over. The stars sparkled like little lights from airplanes that passed by. The sun wouldn’t be up for another hour or two but we had to leave within minutes.

  Ellen, Rylan, Terry and Alaric waited outside for me as I shared some last-minute thoughts with Eric.

  “Yes, Alpha. I will do my best while you guys are gone. Take care of my mate; don’t let anything happen to her,” he spoke, following me out the front door.

  I smiled, turning back to him to place my hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. She’s safe with us. Everyone will look out for her.”

  He nodded, still unsure, but he didn’t say anything further.

  Everyone had already climbed into the truck. Alaric turned his head to look at me, a smile spreading across his face. I trotted down the front steps, smiling back, as he helped me climb up into the large vehicle. When I was buckled up, he closed the door behind him as two Omegas exited from the pack house and went to the garage, where they pulled out a small sedan to follow us to the airport. The second Omega would take the rental truck back to the renters, and from there, they’d head back home.

  Alaric went to the vehicle, muttering something to the girls; they nodded in agreement before he smiled at them. He stood straight, moving back to the rental truck. Once inside, he nodded to Eric and Ryker, before starting the engine and speeding off.

  The trip to the airport was boring. Since it was still dark out, I couldn’t see the sights. Just whatever the headlights showed as we passed by.

  Smiling, I turned to look in the back seat. Terry was surfing the web, while Rylan had her headphones in and stared into the dimly lit screen of her phone; she was smiling like a love-struck puppy. I knew she’d miss Eric, but there was nothing we could do. Someone had to stay with the pack; we couldn’t leave them unsupervised.

  Wyatt snored softly against the window.

  I shook my head, sitting back in my chair. Resting my elbow against the door, I placed my head in my hand before staring forward into the night sky.

  Alaric reached a hand over to rest on top of my thigh, keeping his eyes on the road. I smiled, taking his fingers in mine, sparks shooting from where our hands entwined.

  In the distance, I saw the bright lights of the airport. We were almost there.

  A COOL AND refreshing breeze whipped past us, blowing my hair in every direction.

  We showed the security guards our driver’s licenses. They checked us and our luggage for anything suspicious. When they found nothing, they let us go through.

  We had parked the rental outside of the airstrip, so the Omegas could make the long trip back as fast as possible.

  Alaric had grabbed Rylan and Ellen’s luggage, along with our bag, before either of them could protest. He just chuckled and held his arm out for me to take while we walked to the plane. Wyatt had his luggage and the box of evidence we were told to bring along.

  The guards led us to a large plane that was stationed at the far end of the long and spacious airstrip. It was white, with a red stripe across the middle. It was shiny and looked new. The High Were Council did travel in style, I’d give them that.

  The door to the plane was down; it held a staircase that went up into the plane. Alaric let me go up the stairs first, before following closely behind. As soon as my feet hit the fluffy carpeting, the stewardess and the pilots greeted us. “Good morning, Alpha Dahlia, Alpha Alaric. It is a pleasure to be in your presence.” They smiled at us, bowing.

  The stewardess wore a short, black, professionally tight dress with white sleeves and golden buttons. Her collar was straightened and her name tag read: Amanda. She smiled, waving a hand for me to walk further into the plane so the others could join us. Her blonde hair was neatly pulled back into a bun that sat on top of her head.

  Her blue eyes gleamed as she greeted the other members of our group.

  Alaric shook hands with the pilots, who wore black suits with golden buttons and cuffs, which were fastened shut. They were in their sixties at best, but only looked to be about forty. They nodded at me before heading back to the front of the plane, closing the door to the cockpit and leaving us alone.

  Amanda helped Alaric and the boys put the luggage away, while Rylan, Ellen and I got comfortable. The cabin of the plane had lights installed in the ceiling and the walls, while the seats were expensive leather.

  I sat beside Rylan, who had pulled a book from her purse as she got comfortable.

  As Amanda led the boys back into the plane, the intercom buzzed above us. “Good morning, everyone. It’s time to get seated and buckled in. We’re about to take off. And please, shut off any electronic devices.”

  Wyatt took the seat across from us, beside Ellen, while Alaric took the seat beside me. We all took our phones out and shut them off. Returning Alaric’s and my phone into my purse, I settled in as he rested his arm across the back of my seat. He sighed, shifting in his seat to get comfortable.

  It was only a three-hour flight to New York, but this wasn’t a good trip. The first day in New York, we planned to go sightseeing and to have lunch at a nice restaurant. I was excited to see New York; it’d been my first time since before my parents died.

  As the plane started to ascend, Alaric noticed my mood change, so he took his free hand to run it along my cheek and through my hair. His touch calmed me.

  “You okay?” he asked, tilting his head while placing his fingers under my chin to move my face, so I could look into his soothing eyes.

  His face softened as silent tears formed in my eyes.

  Once we were in the air, Alaric unbuckled his seatbelt, getting up to go talk to the stewardess. Moments later, he came back, unbuckled my seatbelt and grabbed my hand before leading me from the cabi
n of the plane to a door in the back.

  Amanda’s station was up by the pilots’ cab, but what was behind the door that the stewardess opened for us blew me away. It was a large bedroom with a California king mattress set up against the wall. The spread on the bed was a cream color, as were the pillowcases, which matched the walls of the place.

  Amanda closed the door behind us, leaving us alone.

  Alaric let go of my hand, making his way to the bed. He sat down on the edge, before grabbing my hands and pulling me into a warm and comforting embrace. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he whispered in my ear, “Talk to me, love. Don’t hold it inside; that’ll only hurt you. Tell me what’s on your mind.”

  I let him go, taking a deep breath to calm myself.

  Balancing myself, so that I could straddle him, I placed my hands on his shoulders. Looking into his raging calm eyes, I shivered when his hands found my hips. My mind was racing a hundred miles an hour, trying to figure out where to start.

  When I didn’t speak, he sighed, taking a hand to caress my cheek again. “Baby, I can’t help you if you don’t say something. Is this about your parents? What can I do to comfort you?”

  As soon as the word “parents'' left his mouth, I burst into tears. I had kept these emotions locked away for so long, but everything I built crumbled when I was with him. I knew he was just looking out for my well being, but it still hurt thinking about my parents.

  I cuddled closer, wrapping my whole body around him. He sighed again, hugging me back while whispering sweet nothings into my ear.

  “I’m sorry I’m so emotional,” I began, pulling away from him so I could look at him and touch his face while I was speaking to him. His eyes never left mine. I had his full attention. “It’s just… I haven’t been to New York since my parents died, and ever since they did, I’ve kept my emotions locked up and hidden deep inside. Ever since I met you, you’ve brought down those walls and everything’s spilling out.”

  He was silent, thinking over what I’d just told him. His eyes searched mine before he spoke, “I know. I can feel what you do. Just open up to me when you feel the time is right; you don’t have to do it all now. Thank you for telling me. I know you miss them dearly. So, don’t worry about me. I’ll wait as long as I have to, for you to open up. We’ve got eternity, after all.”

  I laughed, wrapping my arms around his neck again. “Thank you, baby. I love you.”

  The tears just continued to fall as he wrapped his arms around me, telling me that he loved me and that he’d always be here.

  After our little talk, I went to the bathroom, washed my face and calmed down.

  Alaric waited for me, still sitting on the mattress and tilting his head with a smile on his face. “Beautiful, would you like to join the others? Or do you want to nap for a little while? We’ve still got a few hours.”

  I stood in front of him, taking his hands in mine. “I think I need a nap.”

  He chuckled, embracing me in another warm hug before releasing me. “Okay, love. I’ll come wake you when it’s time to descend. I love you.”

  He kissed the top of my forehead, then my nose, making me chuckle before he turned and left the room. Once the door quietly closed shut, I stared at the bed before crawling onto it.

  Getting under the covers, I sighed as sleep overcame me and I forgot all my worries.

  MY SLEEP WAS interrupted by a silky voice and an arm gently shaking me awake. “Dahlia, baby, we’re getting ready to descend. Come on, it’s time to buckle up again.”

  I sighed, shaking my head to dislodge the sleep from my mind. “Okay, let me wash my face. I’ll be right there.”

  Alaric helped me get up, before he left the room.

  In the exquisite bathroom, I washed my face and dried it before quickly fixing my hair. Huffing a breath of air, I left the bathroom, and then the room before going back to my seat between Alaric and Rylan.

  As we buckled up, the intercom squeaked above. “All right, every- one, buckle up. We’re now descending into the airport. Thank you for flying with us.”

  The descent was jumpier then take off, but it wasn’t terrible. As we landed, I shifted in my seat to get a better look out the window behind me.

  Everyone was busy. There were people driving around in little carts, while others were instructing while others were instructing the aircrafts where to taxi and where to park. There were over ten other airplanes and jets parked throughout the airstrip. The building in front of us was massive with hundreds of windows, making it easy to peek inside. People from all over looked out, watching the planes or talking on their phones.

  When the plane came to a complete stop, Amanda got up from her seat and opened the door, extending the staircase before letting us unbuckle and leave the plane. Grabbing my purse from underneath my seat, I followed the boys out. With Ellen and Rylan at the rear, we exited the plane while the pilots and the stewardess waited at the door.

  The men grabbed our luggage as a large black SUV pulled up beside the plane. Two large burly men got out, making their way to us. Alaric, Terry and Wyatt growled—it was a deep rumble that shook the area around us—before they stood in front of me and the girls, shielding us from potential danger.

  The first man, who was bald, held his hands up. He wore a black suit and sunglasses over his eyes. He was six-foot-two, so Alaric easily had him by three inches. “We aren’t here to harm either you or your females. We’re here to escort you. We were sent by the High Were Council.”

  The boys relaxed a little, but didn’t move.

  The other man slowly walked forward, hands up. “Let’s get those bags, and the box, into the back and we’ll take you to the hotel you’ll be staying at tonight.”

  Neither Alaric’s eyes nor my Gamma’s left the men as they helped load our luggage into the back. Next, they waved us over before opening the back doors for us.

  I hesitantly looked up at Alaric, who didn’t look back at me, but held a hand behind him for me to take. As we were led to the SUV, I heard the pilots call after us, “We’ll be waiting to take you home in a few days, so don’t worry about how you’ll get back!”

  I smiled at them, screaming a “thank you” before climbing into the back with Ellen and Rylan. It was a little cramped but if it kept Alaric content, then I’d happily do it.

  After we were all in, the bald man in the driver’s seat spoke first, as he drove away from the airport. “I know it’s a little cramped, but with the short notice, this is all we had. My name is Gregory, and this is my partner, Nick.” Nick just nodded, staying silent.

  Gregory continued, “We’ll drop you off at your hotel, and then you’re free to do whatever, until we come pick you up at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow morning.”

  Alaric’s growl filled the cab of the car and I reached over, gently smacking him on the shoulder. “Quit! We aren’t in any kind of trouble, so please, relax.” I placed my hand on his shoulder to calm him.

  He huffed in response but didn’t do anything more.

  Thank you, babe. I mind-linked him, feeling his stress levels easy down a bit.

  I am not happy about doing it, but since you asked, I will, he replied, shifting in his seat.

  The rest of the trip, through heavy traffic and bathroom stops, was silent. I stared out the window most of the time, watching trees or buildings go by. Sometimes there would be children playing in the park or people doing workouts. It was nice to look at, but I got bored easily.

  We reached the city; it took two hours from the airport, thanks to the traffic. We took back roads and reached the towering building at the end of a long, busy street. Across from us were busy restaurants and hustling people trying to get to places. The buildings were different shades of white, red and yellow. It was beautiful. I didn’t remember visiting this part of New York with my parents, but maybe that was because this was the expensive side of town.

  Our escorts climbed out, going to the back to grab our bags, while an usher from the hotel tugged a luggage c
art alongside him; they began to stack our bags plus the box onto.

  Alaric, Wyatt and Terry climbed out before lowering the seats to help us exit, making us get out on the right side before stepping onto the sidewalk, away from the busy street.

  As the usher showed us to the front door, Nick and Gregory slightly bowed, climbed back into the SUV and drove off.

  I looked up, staring at the tall building. I was impressed. Every window glistened against the afternoon sun, with a large red sign at the very top of the building. The tower was painted white with hints of gray.

  Alaric grabbed my hand, gently pulling me toward the front door and making me rip my gaze from the looming tower. The front was beautiful and the frame of the automatic doors was a shiny gold, while the glass was so clear, you’d walk right into it without even noticing.

  Alaric was silent as we walked into the air-conditioned lobby. There were tons of people gathered together with guides and books of all sorts around us, while the front desk was long and held five receptionists, all of whom wore smiles and greeted everyone who came in.

  Rylan, Terry, Wyatt and Ellen waited beside a thin, lanky man who wore a black tailored suit with a worn smile on his face.

  He bowed his head slightly, trying not to draw attention from the large crowd in the lobby. He held out a hand for Alaric to take. “Alpha, I am the owner of this magnificent hotel, Marquis Grey. I will personally escort you to your own private floor for the night, courtesy of the High Were Council.” Marquis held his hand out for me to take. As I placed my hand in his, he raised it to his lips and gently kissed the top of it, before releasing it and motioning for us to follow him. “If you will, please follow me.”

  He led us through the carpeted lobby to a large golden elevator that dinged open upon our arrival. We stepped inside; a soft jingle played as everyone quietly filed in. Once everyone was inside, with the cart behind us, Marquis pressed a button to the top floor.