Discovering the Hidden Alpha

Chapter 6

The first sense that came back to Dani was smell. The lingering layer of cinnamon and coffee that hung on the air settled the innate anxiety that suffocated her thoughts. She was home. The deafening ringing in her ears eased as the tension left her skull. Her eyelids still felt like lead as she tried to open them.

The shuffling of heavy footsteps once again set her heart a flutter in her chest. Forcing her heavy eyes to open, she could see the outline of Feran in her kitchen. The fog cleared from her eyes after a few weary blinks. There in her kitchen, doing the dishes, was a member of the Royal Pack. Bubbles ran up his exposed muscular forearms as he scrubbed at the bundt pan she’d used for their coffee cake.

What a strange turn of events. One day she’s out treasure hunting in an architectural marvel and the next she’s passed out and warped to another dimension where Royalty does housework.

It was a bit of a struggle to sit up as the feeling started to return to her extremities. Moving her head forward, it took her a moment to realize there was a damp cloth across her forehead. She realized that she was lying on her couch instead of ungraciously heaped on the floor. A flush of embarrassment crept into her cheeks. So not only was he doing dishes, but he’d picked her up and took care of her too? This was not how she had pictured this evening going.

She couldn’t help the little grunt that escaped her when she moved her stiff muscles. Feran turned quickly after hearing the noise. Hastily wiping down his sudsy hands, he crossed over to kneel in front of her couch.

“Easy there. It might take a second to get acclimated.” He said, waiting patiently to see if she needed any assistance.

Giving a rather unlady-like groan, Dani rolled her eyes.

“I was trying so hard to not be a nervous wreck.” She sighed, running her hand through her hair.

“I would say you held it together pretty well considering all the news I dropped on you. I honestly thought you’d have more answers, not that I’d be breaking so much to you.” The Prince said with a gentle smile on his face.

A flush ran over her and her vision got fuzzy again briefly. Kaya felt closer than she’d been in months and it was quite overwhelming along with all the other sensations. Her thumb ring grew uncomfortably hot and the compulsion to take it off struck her again. Now wasn’t the time though. There was no way she could guarantee that Kaya would be amicable once they were connected again. The chance always stood that she had gone somewhat feral, left without an outlet to her humanity.

He followed her glance down to the silver on her thumb. The slight furrow of his brow said the question his lips didn’t ask.

“I can’t just yet. She’s an Alpha wolf. I need to make sure I won’t be anywhere I can hurt someone.”

Feran didn’t say anything, merely nodding in understanding. Sometimes, if the relationship between the human and wolf was strained, it could lead to some unexpected aggression post shift. He looked to be lost in some thought before clearing his throat and meeting her gaze once again.

“I had zero intention of causing you this much distress tonight, Danika. King Tobias has decided to keep you secret for now. There are still too many unknowns. However, he has agreed to let your sister know if you’d like to come to the Summer Manor for a short stay.” He said, carefully trying to gauge her reaction.

This wasn’t what she had expected at all. Stay at the Summer Manor? She didn’t think she’d get to keep her life now, but staying with the Royal Pack hadn’t been in the list of possibilities. Not in her mind at least. While it wasn't the worst case scenario, Dani couldn’t help but feel her stomach clench thinking of Astra.

She wasn’t sure that she could look her sister in the face again. Not after she abandoned her. The fate of her baby sister was one that left her heart aching. While she was glad she now had her Mate, meeting as they did made her sick. Thinking about the fact that Trevyn had done so only made her feel worse. He’d always been so easy going. How did it come to this? Could she actually look Astra in the face after all this time?

Her internal struggle must’ve been evident because Feran took her hands once again, commanding her attention.

“Dani, I know that there is a lot going through your head right now. But Astra has talked about you very fondly since I’ve known her. I genuinely think she would love to see you.”

Searching his gaze for fake sincerity, she found none. In that moment her heart gave her just a glimmer of hope. Maybe she could make her amends and be a better sister. Even if her long term plans were a bit tentative.

“If I end up going, can I leave if things are uncomfortable? Or is the invitation a formality?” She asked him, gently testing out their boundaries.

All of this seemed like it was entirely too easy. After disappearing from their world for a decade there surely had to be a catch. The Royals were indeed fair and just, but they didn’t pull favors for anyone. She had broken laws and left chaos behind her. Surely there were to be repercussions.

Again, the Prince seemed to read her mind as he answered her question reassuringly. “If the goal was punishment, there would be no smoke and mirrors about it. A Royal Warrior would be here to get you, not me. You were put into a difficult position due to antiquated rules. My brother isn’t without empathy. Your punishment for leaving your pack would have been banishment as it is. Is that not what you’ve been doing for a decade already?”

Of course she hadn’t thought of it that way. A Prince surely had much more important things to do than deliver judgment sentences. There must be some concern in this situation that she wasn’t seeing yet. Her adult sense of duty was stronger than her previous need to exist trouble free. It was time that she went back into their world and picked up the pieces of the mess she made.

“Okay-” She began, holding his gaze. “But I want to be able to help with the issues at my old Pack.”

Feran’s warm smile widened, making the corner of his golden amber eyes wrinkle slightly.

“I think that can be arranged, Princess. Why don’t you go ahead and pack some things. We’re not too far from the Manor, so in the worst case scenario, we can always come back out to get things you need.” He told her, offering his hand to help her off the couch.

She wrinkled her nose at the title, but accepted his help regardless. Dani took a glance around her cottage. She was a rather sentimental person, so the idea of leaving her self made home made her stomach tighten uncomfortably.

Using his hand to gently guide her toward her room, Feran reassured her once again.

“There is nothing stopping you from coming back. If you need to come back home, I promise I’ll drive you myself.” He told her.

She wasn’t sure how exactly she was garnering so much favor from the Prince, but she was appreciative of the kindness. It made the process of collecting her belongings a little less nerve-wracking. She was mentally making a list of the things she needed to take. For the most part, it wouldn’t be anything crazy. Living a fairly simple life was a necessity she had adapted to.

Grabbing her camping pack, she filled it with some versatile clothing options, her toiletries, all the basic tech gear she had, and a couple pairs of shoes. She was purposely leaving some long-term essentials here, just to make sure the Prince would deliver on his promise. Though she had no reason to believe he wouldn’t. If anything, he had been more forthcoming than she had ever anticipated. It was still a bit sudden to just up and leave her life to dive head first back into the world she had been avoiding for a decade. At least someone was making that transition just a bit smoother.

Walking back into her living area, she saw that Feran had cleaned up all the food and coffee that had been out during their discussion. She felt her cheeks flare again thinking about her fainting spell. It was like a scene from a novel gone awry, except her life was nowhere near a fairytale.

Gathering the last of her items and making a mental note to have someone come clean out her fridge, she walked toward her front door. The Prince was already waiting on her porch, giving her space to collect herself. Pulling the door closed and placing the key in the lock felt so final. It made her stomach sink hearing the deadbolt thud in place. A warm hand was placed slightly on her shoulder.

“I will bring you back. You have my word, Dani.” He said reassuringly.

For once, she didn’t even question him. She knew he’d keep his word. The knot in her stomach lessened considerably. This was going to be fine. She had someone looking out for her. Even though it was still a bit unsettling, seeing how she’d mostly kept only acquaintances through the years. One or two exceptions maybe, but even then, not what you’d call a close friend’. Granted, she could also be reading the situation wrong. Maybe he was just doing his duty as the family diplomat. If this was how he handled all his diplomatic encounters, she could easily see how he accomplished his job.

Walking to his sedan, Feran opened up the passenger door and motioned for Dani to sit. He grabbed her bag before she could protest and placed it in the back seat. As she adjusted herself on the supple leather seat, her door was closed for her. It felt weird to have someone else around like this.

As he climbed into the driver's seat, she was acutely aware of how much larger he was than she had originally realized. The car had ample cabin room and the Prince filled it. He had to be at least half a foot taller than she was. He wasn’t super broad, but more lean and muscled like a swimmer. If she had to guess, she’d imagine he was ridiculously fast.

She, too, had been built more lithe than towering. It had been a whole set of specialized training skills to keep her faster and more nimble. What she hadn’t had in size she made up for in speed, precision, and flexibility. Werewolves by nature were supernaturally strong, but even amongst the Packs, variations made for the best Warriors. It took little effort to imagine the Prince being similar to her in the way they fought.

Feran broke the silence first.

“Thank you for agreeing to come tonight. I’ll take you to your room tonight and you can decide when you’d like to meet your sister. The King is going to want to speak with you tomorrow, but it won’t be a formal meeting. So please don’t worry about that.” He told her, stealing quick glances to gauge her reactions.

“That’s fine. I had a feeling I’d meet King Tobias sooner rather than later. I’m not sure when I’ll be ready to see Astra.” She paused, thinking for a moment. “Hell, I’m not sure I’ll ever be ready for that conversation. But I’m obviously past being able to live comfortably, so I’ll have that talk with her after the meeting with the King.”

Having a plan seemed to lift a bit of the tension that she had unknowingly been carrying with her. She settled into the seat a bit more, the relief making her very drowsy.

“Feel free to nap on the way. It’ll be a couple hours. I can imagine today has been exhausting for you. Relax if you can. I’ll wake you when we get there.” He told her, his voice a bit lower than it had been earlier.

Weariness was definitely soaking into her body at this point. Her eyelids were getting heavy and her limbs felt lead laced. As she let her eyes close, she settled into the feeling in the car. It had been years since she had been around another Shifter like this, especially another wolf. It was feeding the desire for community that was so prevalent in Wolf Packs. Kaya knew she was safe with a companion this strong around, even if she wasn’t cohabitating with Dani.

Sleeping started to sneak into her vision, making her head lean into the seat further. Dani gave a sigh and noticed the smell that filled the small space: woody, deep, and slightly spicy. Of course it had to be Feran. It had been so long that she couldn’t quite remember what living in a Pack was like though. As sleep overtook her, she couldn’t help but wonder ‘Did my Pack smell this…..pleasant?’.