Safe

SIX

    "MATE! MINE!" Alpha Russell growled with such ferocity, the whole room fell silent. 

    Elise walked towards him, examining the beautiful man that was claiming her, and was hers to claim. He was tall, so tall, with corded muscles that threatened to rip out of his black dress shirt. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to reveal veiny forearms that had a single tattoo on the left arm, of what Elise assumed was his pack's insignia. She brought her eyes back up to his face and admired the time the Moon Goddess had taken to make him. Beautiful hazel colored almond eyes, high cheekbones, and full lips on a gorgeously tanned face. His nose was slender but strong, adding to his beauty without taking away from his authority. Silky jet black hair fell away from his face and down past his shoulders, ending in the middle of his back. 

    Oh yeah, this is a face we could get used to looking at. Kyra cooed in Elise's mind. I wonder what his wolf looks like, I bet he's absolutely stunning. 

    Realizing she was staring, Elise turned to her father, who was just standing there with his mouth open. Poor dad, Elise thought, Both his kids found their mates tonight. And he's just here without mom. 

    Elise had finally closed the distance between her and Alpha Russell, stopping right in front of him. He was so much taller than her "5'2" frame, she had to look up to look into his eyes. 

    "Hi" she whispered at him, smiling. All of the nerves and the apprehension that she had been feeling not even five minutes ago were gone, instead replaced by the butterflies that were currently fluttering in her stomach. Or was that the oysters she had eaten before going to meet him. 

    "Hi" he whispered back, flashing her a smirk that made her core tighten. The music had finally started up again, and the chatter around the party had resumed, if even at a much quieter tone. 

    "Would you like to come back to my table and eat with me? I have someone watching my food and I need to relieve her of her duties soon", Elise asked, half joking when she got to the part about Sophie's duties. 

    "Share a meal with you? I would love to" Russell said. He quickly turned to Elise's father and excused himself, apologizing for the interruption in their conversation. He then turned to Elise and reached out, grabbing her hand to lead her away. 

    Elise gasped at the contact, she had instantly felt sparks the moment he touched her. She pulled her hand away, shocked by the sensation. 

    "I'm sorry, I should have asked first" Russell said quickly, a look of hurt and concern flashing on his face. 

    "No, you don't need to apologize. I was just surprised by the sparks" Elise quickly replied. She then held her hand back out to him, bracing herself for the sparks that she now knew to expect. Russell hesitantly took her hand, smiling at her when he had it firmly in his grasp. He started to lead her away from her father and through the crowd, towards the buffet table. When they got there he stopped and took in all the food that had been laid out. 

    "Do you already have food?" He asked her, getting ready to make her a plate.

    "Yes, I do. Don't worry about me, and please enjoy. They prepared all of my favorite dishes for tonight" Elise smiled at him, noting how considerate he already was to her. While he grabbed two plates and loaded them with all of the same items Elise had done 20 minutes prior, she mindlinked Sophie to prepare her for the news. 

    Sophie, don't freak out. I'm coming back to the table, and I'm bringing my mate with me. PLEASE, stay cool, she said to her friend through the link. There was no response, meaning Sophie was processing and trying to decide what "staying cool" meant. 

    Feeling Russell's presence next to her again, she looked up at him, still smiling. 

    "Ready?" she asked, feeling herself get excited just by him standing next to her. 

    "Lead the way" he replied, his deep voice shaking Elise's core yet again. The effect that he had on her without even touching her scared her, but in the best way. 

    She lead the way through the crowd, back to her empty table separated from the rest of the party. He looked at her questioningly, obviously wondering why she would want to be so isolated during a party dedicated to her. As they approached, Sophie looked up at them, smirking. Elise silently groaned and rolled her eyes, knowing that she was going to be pestered with a million questions at the end of the night. 

    "Sophie, this is Alpha Russell from Fire Sun Pack, he's my mate. Alpha Russell, this is Sophie, my best friend" Elise said, quickly introducing the two. Sophie's eyes widened at the mention of Russell's rank and pack, but she quickly replaced it with happiness for her best friend. 

    "Pleasure to meet you, Alpha." Sophie replied, holding her hand out to him to shake it. 

    "It's a pleasure to meet you too, Sophie. I'm sure we're going to get to know each other very well" Russell responding, shaking her hand. 

    "Well, if it's alright with you two, I'm gonna go back to prowling through the crowd" Sophie said with a devious smile. She winked at Elise and quickly walked off, giving the two of them some much needed privacy. 

    "Elise, please, call me Russell, or Russ. We're mates, you don't need to address me formally" Russell said to her, giving her a soft smile as they sat down. Thankful that he had said something to break the silence so early, Elise nodded and smiled back, hopeful that it wouldn't be too awkward between the two of them. Russell looked down at her two plates, loaded with food, and snorted, trying to hold back his laughter. Elise blushed as she glared at him, trying to hold back laughter of her own. She started to dig in, not holding back in front of her mate. 

    "What's so funny? Never seen a she wolf eat so much?" she said sarcastically, glad that they could tease each other so easily already. Russell shrugged, laughing again. 

    "You're just so small, I'm wondering where you put it all" he joked back as he dug into his own plates. Kyra purred in contentment, thankful that their mate was so sweet and comfortable with them already. 

    "So tell me about yourself. And your wolf. Kyra, my wolf wants to know what he looks like" Elise said jokingly, hoping to learn more about the man she was destined to spend her life with. Russell quirked his eyebrow at her mention of his wolf, surprised that she had brought him up so early in their relationship.

    "My wolf's name is Leo, he's black and he's absolutely huge according to Kyle. As for myself,  I've been Alpha of the Fire Sun Pack for three years, I love to eat, and I hate big parties like this. No offense, I know this party is for you and your birthday." He said, giving her the short and sweet answer. 

    "No worries, I hate big parties too. I think I would have passed on this event if it wasn't mandatory. Becoming an Alpha is a big deal you know" Elise replied in a mock serious tone. She was glad that they agreed on large crowds, it was uncommon for Alphas to not like huge gatherings and she often felt like the odd one out. But with him being her Goddess given mate, Elise had a suspicion this wasn't going to be the only thing they agreed on. 

    The chatted aimlessly while they ate their food, both of them grateful that no one from the party had come up and pestered them. The conversation felt so easy to Elise, and she had began to wonder if it was maybe too good to be true. There was no way that they could connect so deeply right off the bat, or could they since they were mates? The thought quickly started to give Elise anxiety again as she began worrying that maybe this was just the honeymoon phase, and that they wouldn't be able to live happily together later on. 

    Just as the worry started to overtake her, Elise's dad walked up to the table, smiling ear to ear at the sight of her with her mate. Elise noticed and waved at him, excited to tell her father about Russell, her questions about their connection burning in the back of her mind. Mom would be the better one to ask, but I guess Dad's just as good too, Elise thought to herself.    

    "Ready Hawk? It's time to become Alpha" her dad asked, still sporting the biggest smile Elise had ever seen. 

    "Ready Eagle. It's now or never" She said, swallowing her nerves. She shot Russell a quick wink, noting his confusion at her and her father's nicknames for each other. She made a mental note to explain it to him later on, wiped her hands on her napkin, and walked toward the center of the room, where her life was about to change forever.