The Alpha's hidden daughter

Chapter 8

* Evan P.O.V. *

Today was the day! Ashley turned eighteen and would get her wolf. Of course I had urged my mother to bake her favorite cookies last night so we could hang with her a little before the clock would strike twelve. That was a great time and I couldn’t wait for the moment I would hear she was awake.

As always I was awake very early and had already done my morning workout for that morning. I took a shower and washed myself. ‘’Okay.. Can you tell me why you are so happy? I mean.. I understand Ashley means a lot to you.. or us.. Because she is also important for me.. But she isn’t our mate.. Just our next Alpha..’’ Timber, my wolf said to me and I chuckled. ‘’I know she isn’t our mate but I am just glad she became eighteen today and I am in for a party.. Also today it is full moon so I can actually be a wolf too when she changes.. I mean, I know I can shift whenever I want but it is different on a full moon’’ I responded to him and he shook his head.

Timber was very obsessed by finding our mate. I could understand him, he wanted his mate especially since Dylan had found his too. I didn’t mind being single for a little longer, I really looked forward to finding our mate but she wasn’t in our pack for sure. It was 07:00 am when I heard my mother in the kitchen, she had the radio on and was singing along. We had stopped a while ago with teasing her because she would only start singing even louder which sounded really bad. When she sang on a normal volume it wasn’t that bad.

I was roaming around my room a little and had been working on a drawing for Ashley to hang in her room. It was something I had discovered about myself a few years ago that I could and was even a little good at. I had drawn our family as wolves and since I knew everybody’s colors I had done those already. Ashley’s wolf wasn’t colored yet because I had no idea what she would look like, the only thing I had colored were her green eyes because I knew she would have those. You see, I knew all my life that Ashley was a alpha and through the years you could see that she had a certain advantage over the other members her age but she had always thought she was just good.

As kid my parents had given me a parent-command that could only be broken if they would die, to not tell Ashley who she truly was. Sometimes it had been hard but I could always feel that my voice had disappeared the moment I even thought about telling her. It was a weird thing to go through but I always manage to get it over before she would notice.

Around 7:36 am I heard Ashley walk past my door and jump down the stairs. I quickly put on my shoes and walked downstairs. She just sat down and got her plate with breakfast when I walked in. I gave her a hug before she could dig in. ‘’Happy birthday Ash’’ I said and sat down next to her. She smiled and dug into her plate. I really was curious if she had met her wolf already. Timber had stayed quiet for a while before talking to me on my birthday. Would her wolf do that too? I was about to ask when I heard my father walk into the kitchen. Ashley’s attention was drawn to him so I just started eating when she suddenly said the words: ‘’Yeah, I am.. And my wolf is too’’. I looked up from my food and quickly swallowed it. ‘’O.m.g you met her? I asked and she chuckled. Probably because of my enthusiasm. ‘’Yes I did.. She actually woke me up’’ She said and I smiled big. I wanted to ask her so many questions!

We were half way our breakfast when I was about too ask a question when my older brother walked down stairs, followed by his mate. This had been the first night that Jack had stayed over at our place and I was sure the attention would be all theirs because even though my parents and I knew about my brothers surprising mate, Ashley didn’t know yet. I also knew Dylan hadn’t kept it a secret on purpose, it just was something he didn’t care about to especially tell her. Dylan and Ashley had a bond and were close but not as close as she and I were. I followed the conversation half because I was thinking about the planning for that day when I suddenly heard Ashley say: ‘’All though.. I must admit I had expected Evan to have a male mate earlier than you’’.

‘’Eeww.. No..’’ I said in response but quickly looked at Dylan. ‘’Not that I think you are eeww.. But just the idea.. you know what I mean right?’’ I asked and Jack chuckled. ‘’We understand, it is alright’’ he said and gave Dylan a kiss on his cheek. I was relieved they didn’t think I was anti-gay or anything because I wasn’t at all. I even really liked the idea of my big brother to be gay. He never showed much interest in girls but they always hung around him. I could remember how we sometimes hided together to get away from the girls. He because he just need a little down time and often he just dragged me with him because I was his brother. I heard my father say that Ashley was supposed to be with Regina, the daughter of our Alpha, ten minutes ago and she quickly got up. She wanted to grab her plate when I shook my head. ‘’Go ahead, I’ll clean up for you’’ I said and she nodded. After I was done I got up and cleaned up both her and my plate and glass. I put them in the dishwasher and looked at the clock. Today Dylan had training duty so I would be stuck at the office. I hated that especially because since Dylan had his mate now, I was the new prey almost every girl hunted for. I sighed and tried to think of a reason for me to not go today but just when I was about to say something I heard my father clear his throat. I looked up and saw the serious look in his eyes. ‘’You are not going to skip today mister’’ he said and I sighed. ‘’I hate it that you can see on my face that I want to skip..’’ I said but then went to grab my jacket. ‘’Alright.. I’ll go.. Maybe I can switch places with someone from border control’’ I said out loud and got a warning growl from my father. ‘’Just kidding dad..  See you all at dinner!’’ I said and then walked outside.

My father used to be a Beta in rang and he treated us just as stern. Even though he was now a Gamma, he had never changed his upbringing to the new rank but I knew why. He hoped for both of us to be Beta’s and wanted us to know what it meant to be a Beta. Plus of course the fact that my mother was the sister of the Alpha, so we also had alpha blood running through our veins you could say but that was never something to be showing of in our skills or rang. I walked towards the pack house and greeted the people I saw on my way there.

‘’Oohhh Evan’’ I heard a voice behind me sing and I sighed. ‘’Why oh why.. I so do not feel like this today’’ I thought and I could hear Timber chuckle. I turned around and smiled as I looked at the brown haired girl walk towards me. ‘’Yes Lindsey?’’ I asked. ‘’I was wondering.. Do you think you will find your mate anytime soon?’’ She asked. She played with her hair while waiting for my answer and I looked at her. ‘’Lindsey.. You and I both know that we are not mates.. I would have know already even if you are still seventeen.. I am sure you will find yourself a great mate, just not me.. Okay?’’ I said and looked at her with a serious look in my eyes. ‘’But, I still think you and I are perfect together.. Why don’t you just choose me as your mate?’’ She asked. She sure had nerves! ‘’Because I want my true mate.. Not a chosen one’’ I said and then walked away, leaving Lindsey behind on the grass field. I didn’t want to handle with this today. Today was a good day, today my new Alpha had found her wolf and she would shift tonight.

I arrived at the pack house a little later and walked straight towards the office of the Beta. ‘’You are late Evan, what is your reason?’’ Arnold, the Beta of my uncle said. ‘’Well.. Lindsey was bothering me’’ I said honest and saw him sigh. ‘’I’ll talk to her later.. I am sorry’’ He said. Had I already said Lindsey is the daughter of Arnold? Well, now you know.. I sat down at my desk and looked at the pile of papers. This would be a long day. ‘’You can go home at 5:30 pm, tonight it is a full moon so you need to eat good before so you have enough energy’’ Arnold said and I smiled. That made my day a lot better! ‘’Your cousin turned eighteen today right?’’ He asked and I nodded. ‘’Yes she did.. I can’t wait to see what she looks like as wolf’’ I said and he chuckled. ‘’I know her story a little.. She will be in for quite a treat.. I hope she won’t snap’’ he said and I had actually never thought about that. What if she snapped? I was, for as far we knew, the only one that was part of her pack.. Even though she didn’t even know she had one. I decided to focus on my work instead of on the worries Arnold just put into my head.

*5:15 pm*

I was finishing the last of the the papers and looked at the clock. The day had been quite easy and I wasn’t bothered much by girls trying to show how great they were. Lindsey had even come by to say sorry for her behavior. I had smiled at her and thanked her for the apology. I even had talked a little with her and said that she would get a amazing mate, one that would be chosen for her by our moon goddess. She had left after an hour.

After writing down the last of the report I had to make, I put the reports on a neat pile and cleaned my desk. I liked a clean and well maintained desk unlike the desk I saw on the other side of the office. It was Dylans and it was a mess. How could he find the things he needed I often wondered. But if you asked him, he knew it exactly. It was weird to think he could but after I had once cleaned his desk and got in a fight with him over it, I decided I would never do that again.

I grabbed my jacket and went home for dinner. It was only several hours before the moon would actually be full. I could already feel the urge to change slowly growing in me. I jogged home and walked inside the house. After kicking out my shoes I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a glass water. Dylan came home shortly after me and also grabbed a glass but filled it with soda. I sat down at the table and looked at Dylan who grabbed a pack of cards and threw it at my head. I quickly grabbed it and smiled.

I started to shuffle the cards and then handed the cards to both of us. We played a game of card while waiting for o mother to come back. Once we tried to be good sons and start making the preparation for dinner but that was not received well, especially because we grabbed the wrong ingredients. Around 6:15 pm the front door opened and my mom, Ashley and Jack walked in together. Mom and Ashley started right away on the dinner and Jack sat down next to Dylan. After we finished our game, I handed cards to both Dylan and Jack and we played a game while we watched how dinner was being made. Around the time they were finished and we had set the table, my dad also came in. ‘’Welcome home dad’’ I said and he smiled. ‘’Thanks son.. How is our newest wolf?’’ he asked and looked at Ashley. ‘’Hungry and a bit nervous.. But I’ll be alright’’ she said and he laughed. ‘’Then we shall hurry and sit down so you don’t have too wait long’’ he said. I sat down on my spot and received my plate with gratitude. ‘’Thank you Ash.. Smells amazing’’ I said and dug in after she sat down.

We ate our dinner and after the daily chores of cleaning up the table and dishes were done, we all kinda went our own way to relax for the last few hours before the moon was full. I went to my room and started to draw a little, the last few weeks I kept drawing myself with a she-wolf, I could never give her color because I didn’t know who it would be but I couldn’t stop thinking about it. ‘’You are feeling that the time to meet your mate is going to come soon’’ Timber said while I was drawing again. This time the drawing was a full moon on the background and two wolves cuddle together on a rock. ‘’Well I must say that even though I don’t really mind being single, I do feel the urge of finding her inside me.. Or is that just you being annoying?’’ I asked in a teasing way. Timber chuckled. ‘’Maybe I am a little bit part in that urge yes, but it is also normal for the age you are in..’’ He answered and I nodded. I looked at the time and saw it was time to prepare for the shifting since it was only fifteen minutes away.

*Start of the full moon*

I walked outside in my boxer short, it had been such a strange thing to do when I changed the first few times under the full moon. Now I was used to it I didn’t mind it that much. I saw my mother stand in a bathrobe, I knew she never wore anything and waited with setting in her change the moment we all were shifting already so we wouldn’t see her. Why I didn’t know but I thought because she didn't want us to see her body. ‘’Do you really want to find that out? I can always ask Ruby’’ Timber suddenly asked and I shivered. ‘’Eew no.. Thank you’’ I responded right away and shook my head a little.

I saw Ashley walk outside and smiled a little, I could see she was busy getting herself ready for it all and I wasn’t gonna bother her. The moment she fell down from the first snaps, I wanted to go to her but knew she had to do this on her own. I let her go and when I felt my own shift start, I closed my eyes and let it come over me. It wasn’t painful anymore and I shifted into my wolf when the urge of changing was very big. As I got back up from the ground after changing, I looked around and saw my brother, mother and father already stand up again. I walked towards them and saw Jack also come closer. I looked around, searching for Ashley when my brother nodded towards her a little away. She had walked out of the garden and was still working on her shift. Dylan sat down and I walked a bit around the big garden. ‘’She is quite fast.. And did you see how her spine snapped so short after the first snap?’’ I heard Dylan say and I nodded. ‘’I just hope she will get through it fast, the first time hurts very badly..’’ I said and I looked at my mother. She was red, just like me and very calm unlike me. ‘’Calm down Evan.. She can feel your nerves too remember?’’ She suddenly said and I looked down.

It took Ashley forty-five minutes to change, this was quite fast for a first change and we were ready to welcome her. Everyone stood a little away from her but I couldn’t help it but to stay close. When she got up, she growled at us first but then her eyes probably got less blurry because she stopped growling and looked at all of us. ‘’Jack?’’ Ashley asked and he nodded. ‘’You are pretty..’’ She said. ‘’Thank you very much’’ He responded and she then looked to the wolf closest to her. Me. Something that looked like a smile came to her and I gave her one back. We were waiting for her first steps, these are important but often also a funny sight.

While she did her first steps, I could feel Dylan's excitement growing. Of course he hoped she would do the same as he and I had both done. Get enthusiastic, start running and land face first into the dirt. But Ashley didn’t, she stepped slowly and when she was feeling more confident, she started to trot a little. We followed her and automatically I took a place on her right side. We kept walking until Ashley suddenly stopped. I felt Dylan bump into me and looked behind me, he shook his head and I then looked back at Ashley. Our Alpha and Luna came walking around the corner. They welcomed and complimented Ashley on her wolf and suddenly Ashley started to look at herself. I chuckled slightly but not very noticeable because she was indeed a pretty color but also because of the fact she had not even taken the time to look at herself was funny to me. I remember most she-wolves to run towards the lake to see their fur and color because it was so important to them. But not Ashley, then again she never was one to follow the crowd of girls and just make her own path.

‘’Let’s take a run.. Do you think you can do that?’’ Dylan asked and Ashley nodded. He clearly had enough of the slow walking and I kinda could understand. Normally he always ran twice a full circle around the pack territory on a night like this. ‘’I think I won’t fall.. But it still feels weird to be on four paws..’’ She said back and he chuckled. ‘’I understand.. Let’s go!’’ He said and started to run, followed closely by Jack. I looked at Ashley for a split second and then started to run too. When I looked back quickly I saw Ashley look at my parents and they surely said something to each other because shortly after Ashley also started to run. She was a bit behind but I knew she would scold me if I would slow down so I kept running and saw her green eyes change slightly from normal to determined and playful at the same time. I heard Ashley growl and let out a slight growl myself, I started to run faster to challenge her and she bit hard in my bait because I could hear her speed up. I had not expected that she would come next to me in only one and a half minute and looked a bit surprised. She let out something that sounded like a chuckle and I smiled. Sort of.

We got at the lake and Dylan was being the teasing him as he said he would throw Ashley in the lake. I just listened to them a bit and went for a drink. ‘’That happened to me too’’ I said when they were talking about throwing each other in the lake. On my first full moon shift, I had still been quite new and I had actually fallen into the lake because I had not slowed down when my mother had told me too do. We all laugh and then Ashley notices that some wolves are talking about her as if she can’t hear them. Before I could answer her, Dylan did and I just sat down and looked at them.

‘’What do you think Timber? Will she see her eyes before mom and dad can tell her or?’’ I asked my own wolf. ‘’I think they should have told her before she changed... I am a little scared she will get very upset’’ Timber answered and I had not thought about it. I saw Ashley walk towards the lake and clearly she didn’t notice but she truly walked like a Alpha. So much even that some pack members gave her some extra space. I sensed her confusion about this but then she lowered her head to get a drink from the lake.

She then suddenly froze midway and was staring at her reflection. Even though I had pledged loyalty to her when I was three, I could only feel parts of what she felt because she hadn’t truly accepted me into her pack yet. Which is obvious because silly three year old me pledges loyalty to a new born baby. I got up and walked closer to her, together with Dylan. ‘’Ashley? Are you okay?’’ I asked, worried because she stayed frozen for quite a while. ‘’Did you two know?’’ She asked and a new feeling came over me, or should I say over her? I could feel a sudden anger and betrayal inside me but it were not my feelings. They were Ashley’s. She was waiting for a answer and then something happened that I had not expected. ‘’DID.. YOU... KNOW?!’’ She suddenly roared and turned around, she had a low stance and growled a little.This very hostile reaction was something we had not expected and in a quick reaction we both lowered our head. ‘’Yes.. We did..’’ Dylan said, the first from us two who got the courage to talk again. ‘’Why didn’t you tell me? I am your cousin! Or.. No I am not.. But... We grew up together! You are like a brother to me.. Both of you!’’ Ashley said and I could not stand this hostile feeling she now had towards us. It made me really sad and I knew it was clearly showing in my eyes. ‘’We didn’t because... because..’’ I started to say but suddenly was interrupted by someone else.

My parents had arrived and they discussed with Ashley why they had not told her yet. I did listen but I could still feel the anger in Ashley. I wanted to say something but could not get between them talk. The moment they had stopped talking, Ashley suddenly ran away and gave a clear command not to follow her. That was pretty much the end of the fun night for me. I laid down at the lake and felt horrible, I should have told her. I should have! ´´You tried.. Several times remember? But you always lost your voice because of the parent command’’ Timber told me and I sighed. I looked up when I heard someone approach. ‘’I’m sorry we did it this way son’’ My father said and I nodded. ‘’No one could have imagined she would react like this.. All though I totally understand her’’ I said back and he nodded this time. ‘’Lets go back.. I have the feeling I will change back soon.. How about you all?’’ My mother then said and I nodded.

We all went back and when we arrived at the backyard, I could see Ashley being changed back sitting on the ground. She was covered by one of the blankets. I walked to her right away and changed back quickly. ‘’She is cold.. I am sure her muscles are killing her’’ My mother said, worry in her voice. ‘’We will bring her inside and put her on her bed.. Can you make a hot-water bottle for her?’’ My father then said. I squatted down and looked at my parents. ‘’I’ll bring her upstairs..’’ I said and I then wrapped my arms around her. I stood straight again with her in my arms. Had I already said I of course did put on my boxers and a cut off jeans?

 ‘’I’ll keep the doors open for you’’ Dylan said. I nodded and then he opened the first door for me and walked ahead to open the next door. I followed him and brought Ashley to her room. A few minutes after we started walking, I laid her in her bed and put the blanket from outside a bit better over her. I then put on her normal blanket too and tucked her in as if she was a little kid that would toss too much. I saw how she snuggled into her pillow and smiled a bit. ‘’Thank you’’ she mumbled and smiled a bit too. ‘’You’re welcome..’’ I said and then softly added: ‘’My Alpha’’. I wasn’t sure if she had heard me but I would know tomorrow after she woke up if she had or not. I then went straight to my own room and laid down on the bed. I took of the pants and buried myself under my blanket. Even though shifting is easy for me, it still made my human body a little sore. I closed my eyes and fell asleep, thinking about how Ashley would react tomorrow on the story of her past.