Unexpected Alpha (Gay M-Preg)

by Chris McHart

  “I–I just never expected this from you. You dropped me like a hot potato, and–“ Josh fell silent, and Anthony pulled him against his body. He didn’t look at him yet, though, and Anthony wanted nothing more than to really hold him in his arms, but first he needed Josh’s forgiveness.

  “I’m so sorry. I acted like an asshole, and there’s no excuse for that.”

  “You did.” Josh laughed quietly and sadly. “And the worst part is, you’re the one I least expected from.”

  Anthony took a deep breath and then turned Josh around very carefully. He moved willingly and put his head on Anthony’s shoulder. Immediately Anthony closed his arms around him and pulled him closer. Josh was still stiff and didn’t seem to relax, but it was already better worlds than before, when he’d looked like he wanted to murder Anthony. “I really didn’t mean to talk to you like that this morning. It’s just too much, and I have no idea how to deal with it all. Please, I’m sorry.”

  Josh nodded at his shoulder and muttered, “It’s all right. I think I understand why you reacted like that.” Slowly he wrapped his arms around Anthony’s waist.

  “Did I do anything else wrong?” He better ask now before it exploded again.

  “I thought we’d at least sleep in one room… But I can understand that you don’t want that.” Josh hesitated briefly, then he said, “That just disappointed me, nothing else. That’s why I was angry, and then it just got too much.”

  Anthony held him closer and muttered into his hair, “I was just too tired yesterday, and I thought you’d want your own room anyway. If you’d like to sleep in a bed with me, anytime. I know what you sacrificed to stay here with me, and I didn’t want to assume that you’d always share a bed with me. I didn’t want you to feel obligated to do anything.”

  Josh pulled him tighter and muttered, “I’m sorry, too. I understood you didn’t want me after we got it over with.”

  “No way. I think we’ve known each other long enough so you didn’t have to assume that. But it doesn’t matter. Again, just for the record: you’re always welcome in my bed. If you don’t want to sleep alone, come to me. If you have other needs, come to me.”

  Josh giggled quietly at his chest and then raised his head. There were still tears in his eyes. Anthony had really fucked up.

  His mate was the most important thing for him, and he’d managed to make him cry on the first day. But it’d happened, and he’d do his best to make it up to him.

  “Do you forgive me? I’ll try to do better.”

  Josh nodded against his chest. “And I’m going to try to see all sides, not just assume anything, okay?”

  Anthony closed his eyes and pressed a kiss on Josh’s hair. “Thank you.”

  Josh was silent. After a few minutes, he stepped back and looked at Anthony. “Okay, so it’s even worse than we suspected?”

  Well, apparently, they were done discussing their relationship. Back to work. “Yes, it is, unfortunately.”

  “So what are we going to do now?”

  Anthony shrugged. “I’m afraid there’s not much we can do. I’ve changed the laws. We have to fix the guest house to accommodate those who don’t want to stay at home, and then we’ll see. The entire council of elders has left the pack and is about to be brought to the village borders.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I haven’t managed much more today.”

  “Somehow I have the feeling you couldn’t have done much more, either. Sounds like you’ve had some real trouble with them.”

  “Oh, yes. They didn’t think anything should be changed at all.”

  “I figured something like that, according to your words.”

  Anthony sighed deeply. “I’ll get the pack to meet in the hall and we’ll inform them about the law changes. Then those who don’t want to stay will leave, and then we’ll see how many rooms we’ll actually need in the guest house. Since I don’t assume all of the pack members will accept these changes without complaint, I believe our pack will become smaller. And after all that’s happened, I think we’ve done enough for today.”

  Josh nodded. “I’d say the same thing. Well, first of all, guest house. Can you come with me and help me? You have to tell the owners you agree to the changes.”

  Anthony smiled at him, regret in his eyes. “I’ve been there already because I assumed you’d be there and have everything ready.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yes, but I’d like to go with you again, then we’ll sort it out, and then I’d be happy if you’d join us for the meeting. I think it’d be important if the pack saw you.”

  Josh nodded and a light smile appeared on his lips. “Let me get this stuff put away and then we can go.”

  Anthony stepped forward and looked at the full counter. “Just tell me what to do and together we’ll be done in a moment.”

  Chapter 16

  Josh

  * * *

  The kitchen was cleaned up within minutes, even though Josh still didn’t know what they’d eat the next few days since he hadn’t finished. But he’d manage, and they wouldn’t starve to death that fast.

  They walked in silence until Josh brought up what he’d noticed before. “Isn’t it strange that you don’t see anyone out here?”

  Anthony nodded. “Yeah, it’s strange. I thought it was maybe because I’m the alpha, but since you noticed, too…”

  “I was out here for a long time, and I really didn’t see anyone. It seems like this village is a ghost town. But I know how many people live here, and I also know that they move behind the windows. I saw that. But why doesn’t anyone go outside?”

  “I think they’re scared. But I’m hoping they’ll learn they can move freely.” Anthony didn’t sound confident at all, but time would tell.

  Josh had decided he wouldn’t stay here if the village continued to be such a ghost town. He’d never feel comfortable, and he’d never settle here either, unless a lot of things changed.

  “This is one of the less urgent things, I think.” Anthony interrupted his thoughts.

  Josh shrugged. It was important to him, but he didn’t want to tell Anthony that yet. He had enough on his plate. And he had to agree with Anthony that changing the laws and sorting out those who didn’t support the changes were more important in any case.

  “Here we are. Are you ready?”

  “Ready for what?” What did Anthony mean? It was a guest house where some people would stay. Nothing more, nothing less.

  Anthony opened the door for him, and Josh stumbled into complete chaos.

  There were several people waiting in the entrance area. Theresa ran around, completely in a panic, and next to them stood suitcases in the middle of the hallway. What happened here?

  “What’s going on here?” Josh asked as he looked at Anthony.

  “I suppose they’re the ones who don’t want to stay with their mates. Either word got around faster than I thought, or they’re all mates of the herd elders. Though there are a little too many for that.”

  A quick count told Josh there were at least 15 adults and a whole bunch of children. Damn it. Where were they supposed to put them all?

  He hadn’t even figured out how many rooms the guest house had. Not to mention nothing was prepared and there was no extra food…

  He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. One thing after the other. Theresa was no help here because she seemed to be completely overwhelmed with the situation. That wasn’t a surprise. The guest house had hardly been used during the last years.

  Josh took a deep breath then shouted out loud, “Listen up, everybody, please!” Everyone turned to look at him. “I’m Josh, the mate of our new alpha. I’m going to run this house and make sure everything goes smoothly. As you can see, the alpha is next to me, which means I have his approval. I can’t go to him and get his consent for every little decision, so now he’ll tell you that I have full authority to give instructions.” His voice sounded powerful and clear through the room, even though he trembled inside. He hated need
ing Anthony at all to confirm his actions were legal, but currently, it was the best solution.

  “Josh is right. He’s my mate and, as such, my right hand.”

  The crowd gasped. It looked like they weren’t used to that. Too bad. They’d have to learn.

  “Josh will make all the decisions here, and what he says is law. Nobody needs to turn to me again with a decision he’s made, because he’s the one who’ll be responsible here. I’m asking you all to accept that, even if you’re used to something different. Many things will change in this pack, and this is one of the first. I’ll help organize everything here now, but please bring questions about this guest house mainly to Josh, as he has more overview.”

  Josh could see the confusion on their faces. Yeah, he could imagine it upset them. But that’s how it’d be here. He waved at Theresa, who stared at him with big eyes.

  “Have you organized anything yet?”

  “No, because–“ She shook her head.

  “It’s all right. I’ll do it now. We have enough rooms?”

  She nodded. “35. Do you think there will–“

  Josh nodded before she could say it. “We’ll definitely get all of the rooms ready. I have no idea how many we’ll need, but it’s better if they’re finished and empty than if we have to start all over again every time someone gets here. Now, let’s get these people settled first.” He turned to the first person standing near him. “Hello. You’re alone?”

  The young woman nodded.

  “Then welcome to this house. You get a room first, and then we’ll see what else to do. Please just stay there for a while. I’ll come to you as soon as I have settled everyone. Then we’ll discuss what needs to be done.”

  She averted her eyes and nodded again. Josh wanted to ask her what her name was and a few other things, but it had to wait. First, he had to get some of the chaos handled.

  Behind him, the door opened, and more people came in. Great. This was going to be an interesting afternoon.

  Anthony was waiting for Josh to give instructions who’d get which room.

  Together with Theresa, who knew how big which rooms were, they got the people in them.

  True to his word, Anthony carried suitcases into the rooms, helped calm down two hysterical children who sobbed loudly and comforted two completely disturbed young women.

  The mates were completely taken aback that the alpha not only helped, but also took instructions from Josh, but they tried to hide their surprise. After all, they were given shelter here and the certainty that their mates couldn’t reach them. It wouldn’t be smart to doubt the alpha’s motives. Josh was glad about that. Protests were the last thing he needed.

  By the time everyone was in their rooms, it was early evening, and they still hadn’t called in a meeting. Josh was dead tired. He hadn’t slept well the night before, and it was incredibly exhausting to get everything sorted. He stood in the little kitchen and rubbed his hand over his face.

  Jesus, he just wanted to sleep. But now he had to find food, then he had to go to the meeting with Anthony, and then, only then, could he maybe go to bed.

  “I rang at the neighbors’ bells and asked them to bring food. I’m not quite sure it’s going to work, but three have agreed. They seem to have enough at home to bring dinner for everyone. Tomorrow morning should be fine too, and then we’ll take care of everything else. How’s that sound?” Anthony’s voice interrupted the silence.

  Josh turned to Anthony, who was standing in the doorway. Without answering, he walked up to him and put his head on his shoulder. He closed his eyes and just let himself be held for a moment. “Thank you.”

  “So I did that right?”

  Josh grinned slightly. Anthony sounded so insecure, like he was afraid that Josh would blow up again. As if. As long as Anthony didn’t do another stupid thing like this morning, everything was fine between them.

  “That’s wonderful. I was just thinking about how we’re gonna do this. You took a lot of work off my hands.”

  Anthony’s tense face became softer and he looked at Josh with something like affection in his eyes. “That’s good. The meeting is scheduled for tomorrow morning, which hopefully will give you a little more time to prepare everything. I’ll try to help as much as I can, but I also have to take care of the other problems here. And I wanted to try to find someone who could help you.”

  “Why did you postpone the meeting until tomorrow?”

  Anthony pressed a kiss on Josh’s head, just like he used to do all the time. “Because I think it was really enough for today. There are already a bunch of pack members who need shelter, and I think you’ll need time until tomorrow to prepare all the other rooms. This announcement will not go over without major problems, and I want us to be as well prepared as possible. It’s useless if we rush things now and you’re working until deep in the night to accommodate everyone, only to notice tomorrow that something went wrong and we have to start all over again.”

  “I didn’t expect that, but you’re absolutely right. Thank you so much.” Josh meant it.

  Anthony had actually taken a lot of pressure off his shoulders and it was true. One more night would really help him get it all done.

  “As soon as things are organized, I can help you with the other affairs of the pack. That’s what I did for Gerome, too.”

  “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d be happy. I think you could be a big help since you probably have more idea how to run this kind of thing.”

  Josh laughed quietly. “Maybe, even though Gerome did a lot of things himself. It’s not like I led the circle on my own. I mainly did the lower work.”

  “Yeah, but that’s what keeps things going. If nobody does that, it won’t last long.”

  “You’re right. But we can decide that when the time comes. For now, we’ll take care of something else.”

  It was already dark when they went back to their house. Anthony had left earlier for an hour to take care of other things, then he’d come back and helped Josh until everyone was in their rooms and settled for the night.

  Josh had just taken a short break to call Ash and let him know he’d solved the problems with Anthony and that he didn’t need any rescue for the time being. Ash was incredibly relieved to hear that and made Josh promise to get in touch immediately should he need someone to talk to.

  He missed Ash so much, it was like a hole in his stomach. They’d been side by side for years, had done everything together – no, that wasn’t true. Not since Ash was with D. Since then it had changed, and… maybe it was just time to accept that their lives were moving in different directions? They’d always be best friends, but they’d each go their own way.

  After that realization and the phone call he felt better, and after Anthony had visited every one of the mates with him, he was tired, but satisfied.

  They’d ensured they had everything they needed for the night, then said goodbye with the promise to return the next day.

  Josh could barely keep his eyes open. He stumbled as he walked beside Anthony and would’ve fallen on his face if a strong arm hadn’t caught him. “Slow down. You’re half-asleep already.”

  Josh nodded, even though he enjoyed the way Anthony’s arm wrapped around him.

  “Just a few more steps, then we’ll be there, and you can rest. Do you want something to eat?”

  Josh shook his head. He wasn’t hungry at all.

  “All right. Then we’ll just put you to bed.”

  Anthony wrapped an arm around Josh’s waist and helped him the last steps to the house. He led him straight to the bedrooms, but didn’t turn into Josh’s, but his own. Josh noticed that even in his half-sleeping state.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Wrong?”

  “Huh?”

  “Do you want to sleep with me in here, or do you want to go to your own room? After our conversation this morning, I assumed you wanted to sleep with me, but I may have been wrong. Then I’ll take you to your own bed.” Anthony’s voic
e was careful, like he wasn’t sure if he’d made the right decision.

  “Here’s good.” Josh wanted to say more, but right now his head refused to do that. He undressed, dropped his clothes where they landed, and faceplanted on the mattress. He was just aware of Anthony pulling a blanket over him, while he enjoyed how good the bed smelled.

  “Sleep tight, Josh,” Anthony whispered and kissed him on the cheek. His beard tickled slightly, and Josh turned his head a little. With a sigh, he wrapped one arm around Anthony’s neck and pulled him down. This time his lips met Josh’s. After a short kiss, he let him go again.

  Now he could sleep. “G’night, Anthony.”

  Chapter 17

  Anthony

  * * *

  Anthony stared at Josh for a long time. He’d fallen asleep immediately. The dark shadows below his eyes told of his exhaustion. From what he’d gathered, Josh had slept poorly the night before, and that was probably Anthony’s fault. He’d seen this afternoon how much his pack members had had to obey their former alpha, and how difficult it’d be for Josh to get his place in the pack.

  But today had been a good start, and hopefully tomorrow would be even better.

  Finally, he turned around and left the bedroom. He needed something to eat and a shower, then he’d join Josh in bed. Tonight he’d give him what he’d apparently wanted the night before. If it were up to Anthony, Josh would get that every night.

  In the kitchen, he met Lindsay and Jeremy warming up some food. They both looked up as soon as he stepped through the door.

  “How’d it go?” Anthony asked when he sat down on one of the chairs.

  “The pack members who openly disagreed with the new law left. Tomorrow we’ll see who else follows. I guess your pack will be much smaller when we’re done, but I don’t think that’s a bad thing.”