My Alpha, My Home

The Pack's Future

        Taking a seat across from Amber at the small table, a small plastic buffet plate in front of him, he didn’t know how to start the conversation he drove up to her college to have.  He decided to just eat, the words would come to him in a minute.  Maybe some small talk would make things easier, he thought.

        “So, how is school going?” Tyler asked.

        “It’s good.  I’m going to graduate at the end of this semester, a year ahead of schedule.”  Amber didn’t know what to say either.

          “My dad said that he divorced your mom.  How is that going?”  As soon as she asked, Amber almost wanted to take it back at seeing Tyler’s cringe.

          Tyler scrunched up his nose and sighed.

         “To be honest, it’s great,” he said, looking at Amber for the first time with relief on his face.  “Mom took the twins back to our original pack and is there to stay from what I’ve been told.  Your dad was amazing and is letting me still live at his house.  He’s been more of a dad to me than my own ever was and I’m just really thankful that I can have a father-son relationship with him.  I’ve never seen your dad so happy before.  He’s always laughing now and – I just can’t wait for you to see how much better he looks without all of the stress and s**t he took from my mom.”

      “You know I’m going back until after I finish my degree in the next couple months, right?”  Amber said around a mouthful of pizza.

      Tyler’s look of relief vanished and became blank once more.

       “That’s actually why I’m here,” he said.  “The alpha is dead.”

        Silence. 

        A teary “excuse me” came from Stacy as she got up from the table to walk to the women’s room with her head down.

     “The alpha is dead,” Amber repeated, her heart racing so fast that she couldn’t breathe.  Her head was spinning, her vision blurring.  Tyler grabbed her forearm, bring Amber back from her thoughts.

      “Amber,” he said gently.  “You have to come home with me.  That’s why I’m here.  The funeral for Alpha Gunner is the day after tomorrow and everyone has to be there.” 

        Tyler paused before he spoke again, “You have to be there.  With his father dead, Kade is now going to be –”

        “How did Alpha Gunner die?” Amber cut Tyler off.  She didn’t want to hear what she knew Tyler was going to say next. 

        “It was really stupid actually.  Unfortunate, but stupid,” Tyler spoke.  “Gunner got drunk with some of the guys and went on a spontaneous boar hunt.  From what I heard, he tripped and a tusk sliced his underbelly.  It was so bad that he died before he got to the pack doctor.”

        Not getting a response from Amber, Tyler continued, “Like I was saying, Kade is taking over as Alpha now that his father passed.  You have to come home and take your place as Luna.”

        Still no response.  Tyler noticed that Amber was clenching her fists so hard that her knuckles were turning white.

        Tyler began to ramble, trying to say everything he felt he needed to before Amber decided to interrupt him again.  “I know you don’t want to hear it, but you have to come home.  We can figure something out about you finishing your schooling if you’re worried about it.  And, I know you don’t think he cares, but something in Kade broke the night that you left.  He didn’t come after you or try to make you come home because he thought it was best to give you some space; he wanted you to decide to come home on your own.”

        “I’m sure he’s been just fine without me these last three and a half years.  He’s always had enough fans to keep him entertained,” Amber whispered.

        A deep sigh brought her head up from where she was staring at her food.  She looked at Tyler with a question in her eyes.

        “He hasn’t been with anyone.  Not since the day he found his mate. And, trust me,” Tyler said, “I know all too well that he hasn’t touched anyone because he’s always trying to take out his s****l frustration sparring and, as his future beta and best friend, I’m his sparring partner.”

        He paused to look for a reaction from Amber.  Finding none, he continued, “He’s a miserable mess since you left.  He looks like hell and his temper is just as bad.  He needs you to center him, to make him whole again.”

        Amber finally looked up at Tyler, a mixture of pain and aggression filling her gaze, “He didn’t need me before.  What’s so different now?”

        “You’re not a child anymore,” he said matter-of-factly.  “You’re 21 now, not a kid anymore.  That’s why he didn’t want to be around you before.  He felt an undeniable pull towards a kid and couldn’t handle it.  It made him feel disgusting to want a child and that’s why he stayed away.  When he acted like an asshole, that was because he was mad at himself.”

        Tyler paused knowing he said too much, “But you didn’t hear any of that from me, you got it?”

        Feeling a little more hopeful, Amber asked the one question that had been on her mind since she left. 

        “So, he’s not going to reject me then?”

        “No,” Tyler replied.  “He’s not going to reject you but I can’t guarantee that he’ll be in the best mood at first to see you either.  You left him for three and a half years without a single word.  That kind of blue balls can put any man in a bad mood, let alone an alpha.”

        “Well, he’s going to have another thing coming if he thinks he can be an asshole once I come back.  He’s not the only one that suffered blue balls and I don’t let anyone get away with s**t anymore,” Amber said as Stacy joined them back at the table.

        Tyler nodded his head, “That’s good.”

        They finished their lunch in silence before parting ways with Stacy who was going to drive her own car back to the pack for the funeral. 

        Climbing into Tyler’s big truck, Amber looked through the passenger window at her college campus.  She had a feeling this might be the last time she looked at it.  Taking a deep breath and nodding to herself in acceptance of this, Amber lost herself of thought of what was to come.  This was going to be a long drive.