My Alpha, My Home

A New Chapter

“I’m working late tonight, I have a double shift so I won’t be able to watch the slasher movies with you later.  You know I always get extra tips on Valentine’s Day,” Stacy winked at Amber.

               Stacy worked as a waitress at a local upscale restaurant.  She made killer tips on a regular shift between her attentiveness, perfect smile, bubbly personality, and DD-cup boobs.  On Valentine’s Day though, she could take home an easy $700 as well as a few phone numbers if she wanted them.

               Unlike Stacy, Amber didn’t have to work tonight.  Or, any night.  Her deceased mom’s life insurance made sure that Amber was comfortable and didn’t have to work.  Which was perfect since Amber was taking more classes than Stacy who was also accepted to the same college.  She was striving to finish her Bachelor’s degree at the end of the semester and get her life moving.  Amber thought back over the last three years, her mind taking a stroll down memory lane.  Leaving the pack was the best thing she could have done for herself.  Amber knew who she was now.  She knew she was a gorgeous, smart, badass woman and didn’t take s**t from anyone trying to tell her anything less than how amazing she was.  She knew what she wanted in life and no one was going to keep her from being happy or stop her from loving herself.

               Amber realized that she got lost in her thoughts and that Stacy was still waiting on her to respond.

“Ok, sounds good.  I think I’m going to skip the slasher fills this year.  I think it’s been long enough to watch bloody murder movies on Valentine’s Day.  I’m over everything.  I’m a new Amber and this year instead, I’m going to watch comedies.”

               Stacy laughed before she walked out the door.  The relieve she felt that her best friend was in a healthy place was overwhelming.  After so many years of watching Amber slowly break and curl into herself, it was amazing watching her finally bloom again.  She used to be a sarcastic and cheerful little girl before her mother’s death and her step-mother began crushing her.

               With Stacy gone, the house she and Amber shared was quiet.  Amber opened the fridge and without a glance, grabbed a beer and popped the cap with the bottle opener magnet on the fridge door.  She may have just turned 21 but she already had a high tolerance and could keep up with the frat boys on campus.

        Walking into the family room, Amber plopped on the couch and pulled out her phone to order Chinese takeout before finding a comedy to watch.  She knew she wasn’t going to be able to focus on the movie though.  She had been thinking a lot about her pack and her i***t mate lately.  It all began after Amber’s dad had called her the week before.  He called about once a month to talk and make sure Amber was ok and to tell her that he missed her.  The year before he started the divorce proceedings against Briana and it had been finalized the day he called her.  He had sounded hopeful, as if that news might finally bring Amber home for a visit but his request was shot down as always.

        Amber never asked her dad about Kade but he always made sure to mention his name during their calls.  It seemed that Tyler had told her dad about Kade being his daughter’s mate, though Amber never addressed it.  This time when her dad called her, he made sure to tell Amber how withdrawn that the alpha’s son had seemed at the pack’s last full moon gathering.  Her father’s words echoed through Amber’s mind for the tenth time that night, “The poor boy looked so lost, as if his best friend died and he had nothing to guide him through his pain.”

        Amber had felt the pain too.  Full moons were a special thing for mates.  It was the night that their wolves were closest to the surface; it was a special bonding time for the mates’ wolves.  When mates aren’t with each other on the full moon, their wolves cry in sorrow for the loss of their bonding and love.  Their human half felt that pain as well, both with human emotions and with the ferocity that the animal counterparts experienced as well, leading for an emotionally painful experience.  But, Amber’s dad knew that since he once had a fated mate as well.  He only made sure to describe Kade as he did in an attempt to tell Amber that Kade cared about her to at least some extent.

        Amber pushed the thoughts from her mind.  She didn’t need to dwell on this.  The full moon was over and she was fine.  Which meant that Kade was fine as well and didn’t have to feel anything for her once again; he could right back to sleeping with floozies and whatever else he did.  Amber wasn’t worried about the full moons for when she inevitably had to go back to the pack after graduation.  While the full moons would be even harder with her mate so much closer to her, she knew that once she was back, Kade would just formally reject her and the pain would lessen.  Then, Amber could get on with her life working for the pack in one of their financial companies and find love elsewhere.  She would be happy dammit, she would be.  She just had to keep telling herself that.  She was starting a new chapter of her life and she wasn’t going to be that sad, broken little girl anymore.  Forcing her attention to the TV, Amber settled on a movie determined to have a stress-free night.

--

        “Hey!” Amber heard Stacy yell from halfway across the campus’ South quad.

        “How did your presentation go?” Stacy asked once she reached Amber.

        “It was good, I’m pretty happy with how it went.  I want to grab some lunch at that pizza place across the street from the campus office.  Are you cool with that?” Amber responded, already walking in the direction of the pizzeria. Alfredo’s was Stacy’s favorite pizza place so Amber knew she would be down to grab lunch there.

        With a nod in agreement and ten minutes later, the street in front of the campus came into view, along with Alfredo’s, and a familiar looking truck.

        Amber stopped dead in her tracks. Questions were running through her mind. How did he know where I would be?  What does he want?

        Stacy noticed her friend stopped, her eyes following the direction Amber was looking. 

        “Why is Tyler here?” Stacy voiced.

        “I don’t know but I’m going to find out,” Amber said, walking toward the street where Tyler had parked his truck.  Amber didn’t even know what Tyler was to her anymore.  Their parents divorced so was he an ex-step-brother, was he still considered a step-brother, was he here as the future beta?

        Amber stopped on the sidewalk next to the truck.  Tyler had stepped out and was standing by the hood of his truck when she reached him.

        “Hey,” Amber said.

        “Hi, sis,” Tyler responded blankly, no sarcasm in sight.

        They just looked at each other for a minute, neither of them knowing how to break the ice first.

        “Um,” Amber muttered, finally breaking the silence.  “We’re going to get lunch at that pizza place behind you if you want to join us for lunch.”

        Tyler nodded his head, looking somber as he hit his key fob to lock his truck and turned to walk across the street with Amber who was waving Stacy over to let her know everything was ok, for now.