The Lost Alpha

Clubs and Mates

The driver stopped right in front of the club. Grant slid out smoothly from the front passenger seat and I expected him to be the one that opened my door. I was not expecting the scent of woods and pine to fill my senses. Nor for Faolan to suddenly start dancing around my head excitedly.

Slowly, I turned my head, keeping my eyes downcast. The first thing I saw were a pair of long legs clad in black denim and black work boots. As my eyes travelled upwards, I took in the slim waist, an untucked white button down, muscular chest and shoulders, a strong set jaw and defined features. And finally, the bluest eyes I have ever seen. His light brown hair was shaggy, falling sexily into his eyes. And those blue, blue eyes were fixated on me. It was the guy I had seen in the kitchen just days before.

He offered his hand to help me slide out of the SUV. Just the simple touch shot electricity through my body, making goosebumps ripple across my skin. Even with my feet solidly on the ground, he didn't let go of my hand. He was taller than me, but just enough that my head would fit perfectly under his chin.

"Hello, Andy." His voice was deep, but gentle. "I'm Michael."

Faolan was beside herself with excitement. So much so that I wouldn't have been able to pull my hand away even if I wanted to.

"It's him! It's him!" Faolan yelled. "It's our mate!"

"You think?"

I swallowed slowly and took a deep breath.

"Hello, Michael. It's nice to finally meet you." I replied calmly with a smile.

"Hey, come on you two!" Carson yelled from the doorway, jolting us both back to reality. Michael neatly tucked my hand into the crook of his elbow and escorted me inside the club. It was dimly lit inside, but with Faolan’s help, my eyes adjusted surprisingly quickly. The DJ was set up in a back corner, blasting music. The bar was up front and packed, as was the dance floor between the two.

Michael led us over to a table against the side wall, a half-circled booth with a low table for drinks. He held my hand as I slid into the booth next to Mia, with him sliding smoothly in behind me.

He didn't seem to want to let go of my hand either. In my mind, Faolan was absolutely swooning. She couldn't even come up with a coherent sentence. I needed to just ignore her if I was going to be able to participate in any part of the night.

"You look beautiful." Michael leaned close to speak in my ear to be heard above the music. The feeling of his warm breath on my skin sent shivers down my spine.

"Thank you." I smiled. "Grant tells me you're the future Beta."

"I am. Right hand and closest confidante to the future Alpha, whoever that may be." Michael said, giving me a look.

"So, you know." Michael nodded in confirmation.

"I know."

"Please don't tell anyone." I glanced at the girls. “There’s a lot going on, and I’m not sure what I’m going to do about it.”

"I know that, too." Michael squeezed my hand. "Your secret is safe with me." He looked down at me and gave me a gentle smile.

My heart skipped a beat seeing him smile, hearing him speak. Being in close proximity to him was making it hard to think of anything but him.

"First round of shots!" Grant cheered, coming over with six shot glasses of blue liquid.

"What is that?" I asked, examining the glass.

"No idea." Grant shrugged. "It's the night special."

"Well, nobody can say I wasn't adventurous." I laughed, clinking glasses with my new friends and throwing back the shot. It started out sour but ended fruity. I liked it. I wasn't a big drinker, but I liked it.

"Come on, Andy." Mandy and Mia slid out the other side of the booth. "Let's dance!"

Michael stood and reluctantly released my hand as Mandy pulled me along with them to the dance floor, handing me another shot in the process.

MICHAEL

I had just gotten back from classes and was starving. I hated the school food, but with everything else I had to do, I never had time to pack a lunch before leaving for class. I entered the pack house and went straight for the kitchen. I was leaning against the counter waiting for pizza to heat up when I smelled it. I could smell it over the pizza in the toaster oven. I could smell it over all the other smells in the pack house. Lavender.

But it was too early for lavender to be blooming. And it wasn’t the artificial, weird lavender. This was fresh lavender.

I heard footsteps in the hall and lifted my head to see who it was. It didn’t sound like anyone I knew. And the scent was getting stronger.

Suddenly, I saw her. She was striding angrily down the hallway but stopped short in front of the kitchen doorway. Grant was behind her, and nearly tripped over her.

“What the hell, Andy?” He shouted, regaining his balance.

Her head turned to look at me, and I was absolutely captivated. I had only seen those gray eyes on one other person – the Alpha. Xavier, my normally docile wolf, had perked up when I first smelled the lavender. Now, he was lounging against the front of my mind, trying to get to her. I opened my mouth to speak, but she beat me to it.

“No.” She didn’t even pause. She pulled her gaze away from mine and strode away. I gave Grant a confused look, but he just shook his head and followed her out.

As soon as the car pulled up, I could smell her. I could smell the lavender. It was quickly becoming my favorite smell. The car stopped and I pulled open the back door. My wolf, Xavier, was at alert in my head, making me well aware of his presence.

There she was, sitting right there. She slowly turned to look at me, taking in every inch of my body until she met my eyes.

"Hello, Andy. I'm Michael."

She slid gracefully from the SUV, her hand placed securely in mine. She was so small, so delicate. But Grant had told me about her and what happened in training. She was fierce. And she was beautiful.

And now I sat in the booth watching her out on the dance floor with Mandy and Mia. She was laughing and having so much fun, her dark hair falling around her pale shoulders and into her gorgeous face. I could watch her forever.

"Looks like someone finally caught your attention." Grant commented, seeing where my gaze was.

"She's gorgeous." I responded. "I've never seen anyone like her."

"She could be our future Alpha."

"I know."

"Or she could leave, and you could never see her again." Grant added.

"I know."

"One could say it’s really complicated."

"I know." I growled at him. I already knew everything he was telling me and more. I didn't need the external commentary. Grant was my best friend. We had grown up together. We had the same relationship as Beta and Gamma that the Alpha and Beta were supposed to have. I didn't have to tell him anything for him to know what was going on. He knew the truth about what was going on. I had found my mate.

"So, what are you going to do?" Grant asked.

"Wait and see."

The girls came back to the table giggling. Apparently, they had gotten more than a few more rounds of shots while they were on the dance floor. And while a werewolf could handle a substantial amount of alcohol, they did seem a little buzzed.

Andy stopped in front of me, flashing me a flirtatious smile and holding out her hand.

"Dance with me." She gave a buzzed little giggle. "Please?"