The Alphas Little Baker

Chapter 1

Brooklynne’s POV

Beep. Beep. Beep.

I knew that sound instantly. I hurry and dust the tops of my crescent rolls with flour and slide the industrial size pan into the oven, before running to open the delivery door. Fridays are the last day’s to get deliveries around here, and I really need what’s on this truck for the homecoming banquet that the Alpha and Luna are hosting. The big ‘shebang’ is happening Monday, and although I know they wouldn’t blame me for a little inconvenience like a missed delivery, I still didn’t want to let them down.

I weave through the long hallway, past my office and out to the giant steel door, turning the handle and giving it a big push. The sunlight hits me immediately and I cover my face with my hand as I watch the driver climb from the truck.

“It’s a big order today huh, Miss Brooklynne?” Ben said as he got closer to me. Ben is pretty tall, even for a wolf, coming in at about 6’7”. Short brown hair and pale skin complete with his kept in shape body and it made him one of our best warriors. But when every thing was calm and peaceful, he got to just be ‘Ben’, and me and him had always liked it more that way.

Ben passed me the clip board with the invoice for me to sign. I quickly jotted my name and handed it back before unlatching the back lock to the truck and sliding the door up. I let out a long and slow whistle as I seen the entirety of the truck.

“It sure is! Going to need it for the big Banquet! I couldn’t possibly spare any of the goods, you know that!” I laughed back at him. Ben and I were always goofing with each other. Him and his wife, Michelle, were like family. And I treated them as such.

“Speaking of the Banquet, Michelle said to ask you if you wanted to borrow a dress? Something about how you never dress up? As your friend, she said it’s her duty to make sure you don’t go looking like Cinderella, before the fairy godmother. ” Ben mumbled, his cheeks heated up to a bright red and I could tell he didn’t want to be having this conversation right now. I giggled at the awkwardness coming from him and patted him on the shoulder.

“Well you tell Michelle, Cinderella isn’t attending the ball, just making a delivery! No fancy dress needed. I’m sure I have something in my closet that will work. But thank her for me anyways! I know she means well.” He shook his head at me and waved his goodbyes while I carried everything inside. I’m sure I will be hearing from Michelle before the night is over.

I rushed back in and shut the door. There was still so much to be done, and not enough time. I didn’t have any help running the bakery. It was passed down to me from my mother. We used to run the packs bakery together, up until my father got taken by a rival pack last spring. My mother hasn’t been the same since. Alpha Camden promised my mother and I that we would get him back when the time was right, but as time passed, I became more and more doubtful. I know the sacrifices it would take for our pack, and I know my dad would be livid if we risked that many lives just for him. I always hated that about my dad, how selfless he was. But that’s what I loved about him too.

After all the heartbreak my mother suffered, she was very eager to pass the responsibility down to me after my 21st birthday back in April. As a wolf, our 21st birthdays were a big deal. That’s when we can find our mates. It’s also the age that we are finally seen as an adult to our pack, and no longer treated as a pup. It meant something different to everyone though, depending on their place in society. As an Alpha, 21 was the age you got sent off for 5 years of training. To learn things like politics, running a pack, and being a strong leader. As a Beta, you also get sent off for 5 years of training, the same school as the Alphas actually. It makes sense too, considering how much time the two will spend together.

Luckily for me, I wasn’t an Alpha, or a Beta. Instead, I’m the daughter of a Gamma. As a Gamma, our part is always with the pack. We don’t have get shipped off anywhere, or anything crazy like that. We start training as soon as we can walk. Our ties are more aligned with the pack and its people. We work relationships with the people here, not the politics of it. We also train the warriors, keep up border control, and fill in all of the cracks from the Alpha and Beta.

My brother Martin was to be the next Gamma. He is six years older than me. And at the age of 27, he has already became a well valued member of the pack. He takes his job very seriously, especially since my dad has been gone. Since dad has been gone, Martin has stepped up and taken over the roll of Gamma. He has to wait until the Alpha heir comes back and we have the ceremony before he can take over completely, but even still, everyone knows he is the rightful Gamma.

Finally the timer goes off, letting me know that the crescent rolls are ready to come out of the oven. I remove the baking sheet and set them on the rack to rest, before finishing up some last minute touches on some cupcakes and putting them out in the display shelf. On a normal day, I would be taking my lunch about now, but baking the cake and all the breads for the banquet has me so far behind. Sometimes my best friend Mia comes to help, but considering she’s the Alphas daughter, I’m sure she’s too busy to be able to help this time. I guess I’ll have to manage on my own.

I continue on about my day, hours pass and finally everything’s finished. Im walking to the back to start on the dishes when I hear the bells on the door chime, signaling that someone is here. I grab the hand towel and dry my hands as I walk back to the display room.

“Did I startle you dear? I was just coming to check on you. You haven’t been home all day.” My mother said. Looking at her now compared to her this same time last year, you can tell she’s a shell of a woman. Her once well defined cheek bones are now hollowed , and her bright green eyes that we share don’t shine like they used to. Now they tote dark blue bags underneath. It’s heart breaking to see her so fragile and vulnerable. But that’s what happens when you are separated from your mate for so long. I haven’t found my mate yet, but when I do, I hope it’s a love like my parents. They were the ideal couple up until the very day my father was taken.

“I’m fine mother, just trying to finish everything up before Monday. How are you? Have you seen Martin today? Strangely enough, he never came and stole any breakfast this morning.” Martin, even though he was very reliable, he was still very lazy. If he didn’t have to go cook his own breakfast, he wasn’t going to. And why would he when his little sister makes it every morning. Most of my days since taking over the bakery have started with Martin in here stealing some kind of muffins or pies before taking off yelling that he ‘owes me one’. Well I’ll tell you right now, he owes me a lot more than one with how many times he has dined and dashed. But I’m happy to do it, gives me Something to pick with him about at the dinner table every night. What are little sisters for after all?

“Why didn’t you call me if you needed help honey? You know I would have came..” she trailed off. And that was true. I knew I could call on her any time, and she would always come. But I try and keep that option as a last resort. I hate to bother her.

“I know mom, but all I have left tonight is the dishes, then I’m headed home. Want to keep me company?” I asked. Mom smiled and nodded, and with that we headed back to the kitchen to finish clean up. Once everything was washed and put away, we cleaned up the counter tops and turned the lights off. Locking up all the doors and setting the alarms, we shut the shop and headed out together.

The air had a cool bite to it. That was common this time of year, with only a few short months until Christmas. But even with the weather on the colder side, we still traveled most places by foot. The pack land was huge, but all of the shops were built close to the pack house for convenience and safety for the pack. And considering I was a young unmarked and unmated Gamma female I stayed in the pack house. My mom stayed in a smaller cabin behind the pack house, but still close enough to walk.

We walked quietly in comfortable silence until we got to her cabin. Most mated couple moved out of the pack house to start their own families, and once their children were old enough, the kids moved back into the pack house. They said it was good for the youth to be around others their age, find their footing in the pack without the influence of their parents. My mom never liked the idea of that, especially me being on my own as a girl, but she trusted me. I can tell it got harder on her after my father left though, being by her self so much. That’s why me and Martin eat dinner at home most nights, so that she’s not alone.

When we got to the door of her cabin, Mom stopped and dug her keys out of her purse. She unlocked the door and our jaws almost hit the floor. There was Martin on the couch, shirtless and on top of my friend Mia.