Chosen Alpha

by Rae Hendricks

  Her father finally met her at the bottom of the steps, and she helped him take his slow ascent by letting him hang onto her shoulder. It felt strange, standing in front of that door, and she thought about knocking. But in truth, she hadn't ever knocked before. Anywhere the Youngs were felt like home, even if two guards and a hybrid would be sharing the home with them for an indefinite amount of time.

  Her father nodded, urging her to go inside. It was only minutes before the ceremony would begin, and she didn't need to be caught standing outside her own home like that.

  She walked in to find all four of her roommates, so to speak, sitting on the couch, squashed together and eating popcorn. They were laughing at a scene in a movie when she came in. It was like everything suddenly froze. She noticed two things immediately. The first was that the whole place had been redecorated. It was elegant and much more modern. She would have to thank Isaiah for that. She doubted she could have lived in it very long with the condition it was in before.

  The second thing was that Annalise was wearing baggy clothes that she was certain belonged to Isaiah. It gave off an air of comfort that she hadn't expected. It wasn’t about jealousy per say. It was more about the fact that Annalise looked like she was comfortable and at home there. She seemed like a fixture in Isaiah's life that wouldn't simply go away. One she did not know how to handle or change. It was standard to live in the same house with their guards, but could she handle living with a witch werewolf hybrid who had turned the whole pack upside down? Tamara was not sure about that one, especially considering she hardly liked the girl to begin with. It was one of the few things she and Orson could agree on these days.

  Her father was behind her, surveying the same thing but said nothing as Isaiah stood up respectfully to embrace them both and help her lug the bags to the master bedroom. It had also thankfully been redone; a different bed and all. It would be their space, holding few memories of the man that used it before them. “This is beautiful. I hope you didn’t just do this for me,” Tamara commented, trying to calm her nerves about what was about to happen but failing. She had spent a good portion of her life with Isaiah, and yet the idea of actually living with him was so strange; especially as his mate. What would be expected of her that night? Would they be meant to producing an heir right away? She did not know if she would be ready for that on night one.

  Tamara was annoyed with her inner dialogue. She was supposed to be this strong werewolf, able to take on anything. Yet, she was afraid of sharing a bed with a man she had known her whole life. It was ridiculous.

  “Well, I can’t say that it didn't need a change either way. This place was getting a little stuffy and ancient for my tastes, and Annalise mentioned that it was kind of creepy. It was actually her that did all of this. I am clueless, but she was certain you would like it. I take it that means you do?” Isaiah tucked his hands in his back pockets awkwardly, feeling a strange shyness around her all of a sudden. Others would surely notice when they saw each other if he didn't pull himself together.

  “Oh,” Tamara said, surprised that Annalise had done something nice for her. Tamara would have to give the girl more credit. “I do like it, actually. Tell her I said thanks.”

  “You can do that yourself after the ceremony, but I think we need to get out there. Everyone will be waiting for us,” Isaiah said, nodding to her. He could feel his heart beating in his chest like a drum. It was really happening. He was going to take Tamara as his mate, and there was no reversing it.

  Tamara turned to her father and embraced him, feeling a tear threatening to come out from her eyes, knowing she didn’t dare let it. She was about to be the alpha's mate, and Isaiah needed her to show a strength that he didn't necessarily present all the time. She was going to be a part of holding the Olympia pack together. “I love you, and I’ll see you soon,” she told her father with a kiss on his cheek before pulling away. He walked out the door carefully, and Tamara worried that he wouldn’t be able to get down the stairs. Annalise kindly stepped up and walked him out, holding his hand the whole time.

  The house had gone quiet, and it seemed both their guards had already gone outside to wait for them. They looked at each other strangely before breaking out in a nervous laughter. “Are you ready?” Isaiah asked, reaching out his hand for her to hold. There was no way he was doing this any other way. Even if they were not in love, this was his best friend. They would present a united front and support each other in every way tonight.

  “I am as ready as I am going to be,” Tamara admitted, taking his hand and then letting out a deep breath. “So, who is doing the ceremony? Is it Roman?” she asked as they approached the door.

  Isaiah looked over at her, biting his lip guiltily. That meant it was the other brother. Tamara could read him well. “Roman has been having a hard time with everything,” Isaiah told her, not wishing to elaborate. He did not want to hurt their relationship by revealing that he told Isaiah they had discussed. “So, I asked Orson if he would do it. He has been really helpful lately.”

  Tamara shook her body out, letting it go. She didn't need to worry about Orson anymore. If he wanted to help her out and give her a good sendoff to be with his brother, then fine. “Alright, let’s do this,” she told him, setting her gaze forward as they pushed through the doors. Tamara wondered, as she looked out onto the crowd from where they stood, elevated on the deck that wrapped around the cabin. Was being in front of an audience something people ever got used to? She would have to ask Isaiah about it at another time.

  Tamara watched as Orson broke through the crowd and climbed up the stairs to be level with them. He would be giving her the oath to take as the alpha’s mate. It was basically a reciting of her promise to do her job and protect the pack. Knowing Orson was overseeing the ceremony didn't make her any less nervous. She did not know how the pack would feel about her being the chosen mate. Isaiah and his brothers had kept it a secret until this very moment, and the whole pack was seeing her as the choice for the first time.

  Tamara looked out over the crowd to see the reactions of the pack, but instead she caught her father's eye. He was just in front, off to the side, accompanied by Annalise. Tamara knew that she should have more of a soft spot for the girl, but it just didn't feel right. It made her feel more like she was sharing everything in her life with this witch intruder now. She was determined this moment was to be hers and hers alone.

  “Welcome everyone!” Orson called out, silencing the crowd. A wide smile spread across his face. He couldn't believe his brother had asked him to perform the mating ceremony for him and Tamara, but it was an honor. It was the best task he had ever been given as part of the pack, and he was not about to take it for granted. Maybe Isaiah was not such a bad choice for alpha after all. He had at least chosen the right woman. “As you know, we are here today to celebrate the joining of our new alpha to a mate. Isaiah Young has chosen Tamara Locklear to be his mate. Who approves this woman as such?”

  Orson looked down to the crowd where Bryant Locklear raised his hand. The old man looked like it was the happiest moment of his life, and it might just have been. He probably thought his daughter would never find a mate, but Orson was certain she had already found one in one of them. He had just been unsure of which brother it would be.

  “Alright, brother, you’re going to have to let me borrow that beautiful woman you’re holding onto for a minute. I promise, you’ll have her all back for a long time after this.” Orson winked and some of the pack members laughed. It was always great when someone put humor into these things. Otherwise, it was just monotonous.

  Orson opened up the journal that held many of the ceremony scripts in it for the pack, written by some of the very first alphas of the Olympia pack. It was precious but felt so light in his arms. He was holding a lot of power there, and it felt amazing for a change.

  Tamara stepped up in front of Orson, leaving Isaiah behind her. She felt vulnerable, being out there by herself. It was as if she was floating out into spa
ce without a safety line to pull her back to the spaceship.

  “Tamara, as you must know, becoming the mate of the alpha is much more of a job than becoming just anyone’s mate. There are obligations you must fulfill as the alpha's mate. The pack will put all of their faith and protection behind you if you will do these things for all of us.” Tamara nodded slowly to the words Orson was saying out of respect for the ceremony. She had to admit that he was actually doing his job well. He was taking it seriously. In fact, there was a light in his eyes she had not seen for a long time.

  “Tamara Locklear, do you promise to uphold the laws of the pack as well as the laws both public and private of your mate; the alpha? Do you swear to keep the secrets of the pack sacred and protect each and every member with your life? And do you give yourself over to the alpha, to be his mate, for the length of time that he wills, to provide the Olympia pack with an heir to become alpha upon his death?” It was a serious oath. She knew this as she listened intensely to every word Orson read from the book of rites. She had no choice but to fulfill those promises as she would become the mate to an alpha. She knew it would ruin Isaiah if she backed out now.

  “I do swear it on my life’s blood and on the wolf inside of me,” Tamara said before Orson gave her the nod that let her know she could fall back to the spot where she had been standing, next to Isaiah. His hand instinctively wrapped around hers again as they stepped in front of Orson, to face the crowd. They put their hands in the air and smiled until they couldn't feel their faces, while the pack cheered and clapped for them.

  Tamara felt like she could finally breathe. That part was over. Now, the whole assembled pack would just linger for an informal celebration. Then, she would go to bed like always, except that she would be sharing her bed with her new mate, Isaiah.

  Isaiah stepped down into the crowd, but Tamara lingered as Orson patted her on the back. It was strange, being touched by him after so long. “Hey, I’m happy for you. You chose well,” Orson told her, nodding towards Isaiah who was being congratulated by some of the other pack members. “Congratulations,” he added before walking down to join everyone else, pulling out one of his cigarettes and a light as always. It was his worst habit, and he probably had a few others that were almost as unsavory.

  Tamara decided that it was time that she joined the rest of the celebrants. She went down to find Isaiah, her father, and Annalise huddled in their own little group. She was behind Isaiah so that he couldn't see her, but she could hear what they were saying.

  “You’re welcome to stay out here and join the festivities,” Isaiah said to Annalise as Tamara's father still stood next to her happily. Shouldn’t he be appalled to be standing next to a witch, werewolf hybrid?

  “No, that's okay,” Annalise answered politely, not quite meeting Isaiah's eyes. Tamara noted that at least she knew her place. “I think I’ll go back inside and rest. I stayed up pretty late last night.” She bowed out and glanced at Tamara with a smile before going back inside the cabin. Tamara didn’t know why she felt the need to be so bitter to someone who was being kind to her, her friends, and her family. Something just felt off about the witch to her.

  “And there's my beautiful daughter, all grown up,” her father commented, noticing she was there. Her cheeks went red as she came forward, pulled along by Isaiah’s arm that went around her. From an outward standpoint, they probably did look like a prim and proper couple, however she wondered if the inside would ever match that.

  “Father,” she scolded playfully with a smile on her face. His happiness was catching. She had no choice but to feel good about the arrangement when her father was thrilled like that.

  “I am allowed to give my precious daughter a compliment, even if she is the alpha's mate. Treat her well,” he said before walking away, grabbing one of the other pack members to walk him home. Tamara knew he was too old and tired to stay for a party. Honestly, if it wasn't in her honor, she would have left as well. Instead, she headed for the beer someone had brought and cracked one open. Depending on how the rest for the night went, she just might need a little liquid courage.

  “What would you like me to make for dinner tonight?” Tamara asked in a meek voice that didn't sound like her at all. Though, that was the tone she seemed to be taking with Isaiah as his mate. That word was a bit of a joke at the moment.

  She had been living in the cabin for a week now, and nothing much had happened between them. There had certainly been no actual mating, and the first two nights, Isaiah had not even slept in the bed with her. He had said it was to give her respect and space since they had never been together before. Tamara had thought it was sweet at the time. But as time went on, she was feeling a pressure that she might not have otherwise felt, to set a spark ablaze. She was having a hard time finding that spark.

  Isaiah opened and closed both the fridge and the freezer, surveying the contents before giving his answer. While waiting, she glanced over her shoulder at the fixture that was Annalise, on the couch and taking over the television yet again. It wasn't that Tamara even wanted to watch television, as it wasn’t her thing. She blamed Annalise for their lack of connection. It was rather the lack of privacy to even try and form one. She was always there. And sure, Hector and Lacy were there too, but they were used to staying out of the way. It was why they were the guards. Annalise seemed to be in the middle of everything even as she had promised not to be. Maybe it was just easy to blame her since Tamara was so upset over the lack of any romantic connection. It made her feel better that, in her mind, it wasn't all her fault.

  “We could have some red beans and rice or something. It’s pretty easy to make. Otherwise, we could just have some BLTs and salad. I think we have some French dressing in there and some cabbage and carrots.” The décor may have changed in the cabin, but the food selection was horrible. Isaiah clearly didn't know how to shop for groceries, and that shouldn't have surprised her so much. When she had visited the house the brothers shared, they never had anything decent to eat on hand. She distinctly remembered a three-day period where they lived off of soda and Cheetos. It was like they were all in a college fraternity or something. She could not eat that way now.

  “Let me see what I can whip up from what I find,” she said confidently, throwing her hair behind her head. She hoped both the gesture and what she could do with some cooking utensils would spice things up between the two of them. She then remembered she would have to feed all the others too. Or would she? Maybe she could talk Hector into ordering pizza from the little pizza place in the village that wasn't too far away. He could go and pick it up for the three of them and leave the meal she cooked to the soon to be happy couple. “I’ll have to go into town and get some things tomorrow before I see my father, though. I am determined to get some good food in this house.”

  Tamara wasn't sure what it was that had her in such a hurry to make things good between the two of them. Maybe it was that she wanted to be able to report great progress to her father when she went to see him the next day, or maybe it was all the unspoken pressure from the pack to produce an heir quickly. It was making her lose sleep. She was sure it wasn’t a good look on her.

  Isaiah could tell that Tamara was stressed. She had been that way for a few days now. The worst part was he didn't know how to help her. He had been as much of a gentleman as he could imagine being in this situation. He had not forced her to be intimate with him. In fact, he had only given her a couple of pecks on the cheek when it felt natural. He didn't want to force anything too soon. And yet it still seemed like Tamara was uncomfortable. He had thought a few times about asking Annalise for some advice, but he felt this unspoken tension between the two of them. One that he couldn’t find a reason for. Maybe the cabin was just too crowded. They needed to get out of there, just the two of them. “Maybe I should come with you,” he offered, hoping it was the right thing and she wasn't trying to get some time alone. “I probably need to learn to buy groceries properly now that I have a cabin full of people.”<
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  “Really?” Tamara asked, her voice sounding so unsure. What was wrong with her? This wasn’t her at all. She was always so confident and strong.

  “Yeah, it’ll be great. Our first trip to the store as a couple.” He rocked back on his heels nervously, a goofy grin spreading across his face that he just couldn’t seem to get rid of.

  “Okay, it’s a date then,” Tamara said with a smile, spotting a glimmer of hope.

  Annalise shrunk down into the couch, trying to make herself seem small. She had heard the entire conversation. In fact, she had been privy to several such conversations over the course of the last week, and it was painful for two reasons.

  The first reason was obvious. She was still attracted to Isaiah. There was nothing she could do about that but give it time. She knew she would get over it eventually. It wasn't something she could just snap her fingers and miraculously wish away.

  The second reason was because she had so much pity for the both of them. They were very awkward together, and she could tell that they still hadn't touched each other in any intimate way. Even the peck on the cheek she caught Isaiah in the middle of seemed strange and out of place. They were trying too hard to make something happen that just wasn't going to come to them so easily. She wished she could come out and say that, let them know to take it slow and just get to know each other in this new situation. She did, however, get this feeling that Tamara did not like her much. Annalise did not want to make anything worse for them. It was already too sad to watch a man she could have seen herself with struggle in a relationship that he had to have rather than wanted.