The Alpha Enforcer and His Dancing Warrior

First Step to Healing Pt. 3

            I heard several snarls and a, “Oh s**t! You done messed up now traitorous Red Run wolf….who has harmed Beta T….I find I do not like you….not one bit. Come on paralyzer, get him!” So it was Dylan talking. I saw red. I snarled and Robert was taken aback. I snorted, “You should know I have my wolf. I know you saw me come home with Xander.” Robert growled, “His name is Alexander.” I snarled, “YOU WILL CALL HIM ALPHA!” I attacked him. I screamed at Robert he’d hurt my brother. He was sick. Everything he did to me came barreling back. He kept me away from my family. Away from Xander because of his father’s sick agenda. Someone tried to stop me. I didn't let them. Robert had hurt my family. He’d been hurting Xander and his family. I saw his phone had fallen out of his pocket. I quickly put it in my own pocket. No one would tell Alpha Ezra Red Run had caught the traitor. The resistance could use that. I just kept asking Robert why. He didn’t answer before I’d knocked him unconscious. I’d stopped anyone from stopping me from hitting him repeatedly. I was over Robert and his treacherousness. 

            I heard my dad tell me to stop. When did he get here? I felt the tingles in my arm stronger than they ever had been. I struggled against him before leaning into the tingles and crying. Robert had stolen years from us. Because of him…..we’d been separated. I’d spiraled. I did save a lot of people though. AH! Conversations were happening around me. I was just trying to breathe in Xander’s sugar cookie scent. Julian walked over and granted me the peace of the earth. I responded in fealish. I could practically taste Xander’s surprise shooting up my foot to my tongue. Dylan asked for me to speak Latin so I did. Xander’s surprise turned to lust so fast I was hoping no one could smell my arousal. He popped us away quickly thank god. I looked around. I didn’t recognize this place. He told me we were in the Hackura realm. He began to claim me. I couldn’t deny his lips. Freya linked me, “Say something else in Latin.” I linked, “Why?” She chuckled, “So innocent. Just say something….any words will do.” 

                I was trying to think but Xander’s lips were making it hard. His lips left mine to nibble on my neck. I whimpered. Freya linked, “Come on Melanie…..Latin. Hit me.” I whispered, “Quod Xander bonum sentit. Quaeso nolite prohibere (That feels so good Xander. Please don't stop.)” Freya laughed, “Better than nothing. We will work on that.” Xander growled and snapped our pants off. He bit down hard on my neck and entered me in one swift move. Freya linked, “Oden’s out...my turn.” She pushed forward and stroked his face, “Hello, my Alpha. My Oden.” He smiled, “My Freya.” After we came she pushed me forward and Xander and I rolled around the sheets. He snapped his fingers and my hands were tied above my head. His head disappeared under my hoodie. He placed a light kiss on the place where I had a scar from being shot. Before he pinched my n****e. I jerked my hips up. He chuckled. I could feel his hot breath against my skin. Freya linked, “More Latin….” I sighed, “Do you know how hard it is to think in another language right now?” Freya answered, “You’re a genius. I believe in you.” UGH! I just said what I wanted to for so long but had been a little afraid. I whispered, “Ego tibi tam diu doluere. Numquam putavi nos una hic esse. Ego te perdidi tanquam nummum meipsum deesse. Te amo Xander. (I have ached for you for so long. I never thought we'd be here together. I have missed you as if a piece of myself was missing. I love you Xander).” 

                Xander came out from under my hoodie in a flash. He smashed his lips on mine. When he pulled away he whispered seductively in my ear, “Nescis quantum tibi desideravi. Quot noctes te vellem esse mecum. Exspectavi te. desideravi te. Tu mundus meus es, Melanie McAlister. Mox satis eris Melanie Connerus. Signum meum feres, et nemo te a me auferet. Vel deus eorum animas adiuvat. Tantum te amo perdant nimis (You have no idea how much I longed for you. How many nights I wished for you to be at my side. I waited for you. I yearned for you. You are my world, Melanie McAlister. Soon enough you'll be Melanie Conners. You'll bear my mark and NO ONE will take you from me. Or god help their souls. I love you so damn much).” His lips were back on mine before I could reply. He possessively nipped at my neck for hours. I knew I had an assortment of hickeys, but I didn’t care. We had just fallen apart when someone knocked on his door. Xander snapped clothes on us and said, “It’s safe to come in Uncle Bjourn and Uncle Marcus.” I raised an eyebrow. The room was all back to normal. As if we hadn’t destroyed it. 

                Both of his uncle’s entered smirking. I blushed. Xander kissed me and whispered, “God, I love that blush.” Bjourn Laughed, “Trust me….We know. Since you’re here…..would you bring your mate outside to help with the collective group of wolves we have acquired.” I jumped up, “Cayden hit the hunters groups?” Oh god. Was Nate here? Is that why he hadn’t reached out? Marcus raised an eyebrow, “He did, yes. All but the Nashville groups. They are hiding.” Ok…..Nate was probably ok then. I nodded, “Vicky! Is she here?” Bjourn nodded, “Yes, Cassie refuses to let her out of her sight.” I smiled. I grabbed Xander’s hand, “Let’s go!” He laughed. His uncles put a hand on his shoulder and he popped us away. Cassie must have conjured a pack house type home for everyone to feel comfortable. Vicky squealed, “ASHLEY!” She ran and jumped into my arms. I smiled, “Hi Vicky.” Several people surrounded us. I quickly scanned faces. Bjourn had been right. No one from my Nashville groups were here. Caine would’ve pulled out Black Path’s people, but I had more cultivated than that. I wanted to groan when I heard, “Well, look what the cat dragged in! The curvaceous and FINE savior of us all. How’s it going, sweet cheeks. Are you ready to come ride Vance mountain?” I winced. 

                Xander roared, “MINE!” He stepped in front of me and took a fighting stance. I touched his back, “He’s just a flirt. A harmless….somewhat obnoxious flirt.” Vicky snorted, “Cayden already punched him. He’s funny.” I raised an eyebrow, “You think Cayden is funny?” She nodded, “Yeah. Cassie’s so cool! Just like you said she’d be.” I nodded, “Yup.” Vicky asked, “Did you find my extended family?” I nodded, “I did. I haven’t talked to them yet, but I will. Promise.” She squealed, “YAY! You said they are in Cassie’s pack right? I really like her.” I nodded, “They are.” I looked up. All eyes were on us. Cassie spoke, “Vicky, why don’t you come with me to the kitchen?” She happily ran to Cassie, “Ok!” Xander slammed his lips on mine. It was definitely a move that screamed “she’s mine.” A throat cleared. I knew it wasn’t going to be a Hackura. That kiss wouldn’t have fazed them at all. I looked over and saw Cayden, Micah, and Max standing in the corner trying not to laugh. I shot them a look. I turned towards whoever had cleared their throat. It was Marty. He smiled at Xander, “We got it. She’s yours.” Vance….had a death wish because he snorted, “She ain’t marked Marty. It’s not over until there’s a name and wolf on that neck.” Xander growled. Cayden pushed away from the wall. I heard a pop beside us, and I assumed it was Max.

             I ran in front of Xander. I put my butt against him and glared at Vance. I told him, “Xander is my mate. He is an Alpha, and you WILL respect that. We have A LOT of crap going on for us right now. The start of which is my name is actually Melanie McAlister, not Ashley Griffen.” Everyone went silent. I could practically feel Xander’s need to punch Vance. I added, “My wolf was suppressed by magic, and when I met Xander he unlocked her. His family is researching to see if he can mark me before I shift. It’s all a giant hot mess. Please stop trying to get him to pulverize you because he could….easily. You are in a place where people do not do disrespect and he is their Duke. Now, I wanted to see how everyone was….so no more inappropriate things will be said…..Got that? Because the next person that disrespects my mate or our relationship deals with me before him. Are we clear?” Vance sighed, “Hey...we gotta be protective of our girl. No hard feelings, Alpha man.” Xander snarled, “There are absolutely hard feelings. You want what’s mine.” I reached back and squeezed his hand. Vance smirked, “Then you’re going to have hard feelings against a large group of people. She’s something.” I rolled my eyes, “He’s just joking Xander.” Vance laughed, “She doesn’t even get it man. Good luck.” I hissed “No...I get that the vast majority of men want to have s*x with me. They say it...not infrequently and definitely not elegantly. I’ve literally kicked everyone in here’s ass. None of you could handle me and you don’t want to. I know that, and you know that. Wanting to have s*x me and be with me are not the same. I understand the concept of both things.” 

            Cayden said, “Alexander…..let’s step outside.” Xander snarled, “Like f*****g hell.” Vance paled, “Alexander….but Ashley….you called him Xander…..are you saying this is Alpha Alexander Conners?!” I sighed, “I have told you guys….you HAVE GOT to pay more attention….yes that’s who he is.” Vance shut his mouth and several people backed away from him. Xander wrapped his arms around me tightly. People slowly came up to us. The women first. All were congratulatory on finding my mate and hopeful to see my wolf. The guys didn’t offer one single lewd comment after finding out who Xander was. They all stared at the floor. I smiled at them, “I’ll work with Xander and his brothers to get you guys into the right places.” Everyone waved and I dragged Xander outside. I told Cayden, “I have an idea for places where I think most would fit.” Micah asked, “Before you get popped away…..for...umm...god don’t break her Alexander with your sexy fun times…..who is Vicky’s extended family?” I smiled, “The Henderson’s. I was going to talk with Liam’s parents to see if they wanted to take her in. She’s a third cousin on their mom, Lenore’s, side.” Everyone gaped. Xander wrapped his arms around me and popped me back to his room and Black Mountain. 

            His lips were on me again. He backed me into the wall. His tongue slid into my mouth. Without warning he threw me onto the bed. His hand came and smacked my butt. I gasped in shock. He flipped me and snapped my pants off. He buried his head between my thighs. I actually had tears coming out of my eyes from pleasure overload. He flipped me onto my stomach and entered me slowly. He threaded out fingers together once he was fully inside me. I whimpered. He whispered in my ear, “You are mine. You are MY MATE. You will be my wife...and my Luna. MINE!” I shivered, “I’m yours. I’ve always been yours. Tu es anima mea ab initio. Ego semper tibi notum fuit. (you have been in my soul from the beginning. I've always known it was you).” Xander nibbled my ear before he thrusted in and out of me. He told me, “Numquam te. Mea es tu, et mea defendo (They can never have you. You are mine, and I protect what is mine).” I smirked. I tilted my head and kissed him then pulled back, “Fibula buddy sursum. Eodem modo sentio, et tu meus es (Buckle up buddy. I feel the same way, and you are mine).” Xander growled in my ear. GOD. That was so hot. Freya linked me, “I’m so proud of all this Latin right now! I’ll turn you into a seductress you just wait.” 

            We didn’t stop until well into the morning. We both barely made it to sleep. When I woke up it was later than I normally slept. I looked at Xander. I got up and grabbed the workout gear he’d snapped for me the other night. I was sitting up on the bed waiting for him to wake up. He instantly reached for my side of the bed. I couldn’t help but smile. He bolted up then tilted his head when he saw me. I smiled, “Can I join your run?” He smirked, “Of course you can.” I told him, “Addison, Sierra, Avery, Paige, and myself are going wedding dress shopping today. Maybe Valentina….I’m not sure if she can make it though. Her, Virgil, and Crush are going to move up here. That’s ok right? Because they are my friends and…” he kissed me, “Your friends are welcome here. All of them.” I smiled, “Good she texted me she applied for a lease at one of the apartments EJ owns.” He raised an eyebrow, “How do you know what places EJ owns?” I smiled, “Uh google.” He snorted, “Come on. I’ll send Fowler and Chason with you guys shopping today.” I shrugged, “Ok, but we are fine on our own.” Xander smiled, “All the same, I’m sending them.” I rolled my eyes, “You’re going all possessive Alpha Male.” Xander smirked, “It’s in my nature, Lovebug.” I laughed and he popped us outside. 

            Everyone smiled at me and shifted. I linked Xander, “What’s the route?” He somehow projected it to me. I smiled, “Eat my dust boys!” I took off running. I heard several snorts. I could literally feel Xander on my heels. I looked behind me to see it was him and his dad that were the closest to me. I winked at Xander and started sprinting. He wasn’t too far behind me when I made it home. Freya purred, “Mate is so attractive. I can’t wait to run with him.” I linked, “You’ll have to slow down then.” Freya chuckled, “He is pretty fast to be this close to us.” I linked, “Are we as fast as we are going to get?” Freya laughed, “No.” Dang. Xander shifted back with his dad. He quickly snapped them both clothes and crossed to me and kissed me. I heard EJ say, “Ok...what the damn hell? How is she SO fast? Xander...what the hell kind of cardio plans are you putting out there?!” I felt a little guilty. Xander pulled back and stared at me. I wondered if he could feel it shooting up his foot like I could. We stared at each other for a while. Eventually EJ said, “Xander….we have a meeting, and I need to brief you on….yesterday.” Xander asked me, “How did you know it was Robert? That he was the traitor?” I sighed, “Karina and I talked. She’s not part of this. She’s just a pawn. I have Paige looking into what he did to her. She told me he brought her special cookies. I think he was doing something to push her wolf down. She got a headache when she talked about being his chosen mate and his answers to her questions. It’s not common for she wolves to not want to go look for their mate. Or at least look wistful when thinking of them.” Xander eyed me as if he knew there was more. He was right. There was so much more. 

            He kissed me and ran inside. Eric said, “What else tipped you off?” I turned, “Why would there be something else?” Eric raised an eyebrow, “Because there is.” I nodded, “True.” Eric sighed and started to walk inside. I frowned, “Why do you do that?” He turned, “Do what?” I shrugged, “Let things go. That’s not what I’ve heard about you. Any of you actually, but all of you are doing it when it comes to me. You just let things go. You let obvious questions pass by which I find odd.” Eric raised an eyebrow, “I’m sure you know the answer.” I sighed, “You feel guilty. You all feel guilty so you don’t treat me the way you treat everyone else.” Eric thought about it, “In part, yes. I feel extreme guilt when it comes to you. I ignored my instincts over a damn cookie.” I muttered, “A magically spelled cookie.” Eric threw his hands in the air, “I don’t even like peanut butter cookies that much. Just those cookies I always had to have them. On a separate note, my wife went through a lot of s**t before we met. She opened up to me and my family probably before she was ready in a desire to fit in. I think without realizing it or meaning to….I might have even pressured her to do so. I just wasn’t equipped to deal with the s**t she's gone through. I just knew how I was raised. You share with family, but it’s not always that black and white. Haley coming into my life opened my eyes to that. You have to let people do things at their pace sometimes. I’m not quite at my wife’s level of patience for that, but I am better than I was before her. She makes me a better man. You have information we need. I know that and so do you. Do I need it right this second? No. Can I afford to give you the time you need? Yes. Will I ever treat a mate of my child as I would someone I want information from? No, and not just because my Angel would be pissed at me. Because my son loves you which means….you are my daughter and I love you too. You went through hell. Now...does that mean...I’m not watching closely. No, it does not. I am. If I think you need my help with something….you’ll find I’m around.” 

                I smiled, “You might find that I’m hard to be around sometimes.” Eric smiled, “I have been around my in-laws a long time. I do enjoy a challenge, Melanie McAlister.” I smiled. Xander came out with my friends. I frowned, “I thought you had a meeting.” He kissed my cheek, “I wanted to say bye, and I had something delivered this morning. I wanted to show you.” I laughed, “What?” He grabbed my hand and led me around the garage. When a red convertible Volkswagen beetle came into view I squealed, “WHAT?!” Xander laughed, “I’ve had it for a while now.” I jumped on him, “How did you know?” He whispered, “I know quite a bit about you. Jase said it was your dream car.” Tears filled my eyes. It was. He handed me the keys, “It’s a bit of a tight fit, but the back seat does allow for three. Addison yelled, “Shotgun!” I laughed and kissed Xander hard as they ran for the car. He linked me, “If you want to go shopping…..you need to stop that.” I put my forehead on his, “It’s not just the cookies….about Robert….how I knew.” Xander said, “I know.” I closed my eyes and trusted him, “He was there. He’s who hit my mom and me the night of EJ and Elise’s ceremony. He left us there. I cried for help for what felt like hours. He kept us from each other Xander. If I’d have met you none of this would’ve happened. He hurt my mom. He hurt me. He was there the night they came for me. He just let them take me. He laughed as I cried in the illusion.” Xander wiped the tears I didn’t know were falling from my face. I whispered, “There’s more but I just…” Xander kissed my forehead, “That’s plenty for now, and Robert should be VERY glad he’s not awake yet. I might have to bring him around.” 

                He pulled back, “Have fun and be safe. Fowler and Chason will be in the SUV behind you.” I nodded, “Ok.” I forced myself to walk towards the car. I got in. It smelled new. I smiled and turned the key in the ignition. I laughed and drove to the store. Addison connected my phone to the Bluetooth in the car and played our playlist. We all laughed and sang as I drove the coordinates programmed into the car. We pulled up outside the store. Addison smiled, “I have SUCH a good feeling.” We walked in and it was clear they knew who we were. They had drinks waiting. They were from the pack. All of them introduced themselves to me. Cassie owned this store with Elise apparently. They had dresses in a variety of sizes because they knew the nature of mating ceremonies. Addison had tried on several, but none were what she wanted. She looked beautiful in all of them. Paige was back with her looking at others in the back. I got up. Alpha Theo had texted that we would talk when he came to visit Thursday to deal with Claire before Allison Daniels party. Joy. I focused back on the dress. I sighed. I knew the problem. Addison’s mom’s dress. That’s what she wanted. I knew what her mother’s dress looked like before the fire incident. I looked through the stacks of dresses then gasped. It was perfect. It had a sweetheart neckline, but that was the only difference from her mom's dress….I grabbed it and ran back to the room with Paige and Addison. 

                Addison glanced over then gasped, “You found it.” I smiled, “It’s a bit more modern but….” She had tears in her eyes, “But...it’s the dress.” The attendant ushered us out politely to help Addison into her dress. It was a ballgown. It was fitted until her waist and had off the shoulder sheer sleeves and a full skirt. Addison walked out smiling brightly. We all teared up. She squealed, “This is THE dress.” The attendant smiled, “I’ll get it ready for you.” Addison frowned, “But I don’t know the price.” I could buy it for her. The attendant laughed, “Oh Lead Warrior Jason called us yesterday. He said not to show any of you the prices. He wanted his mate to have whatever she wanted. He’s buying the dress. Well, he agreed to split it with your brother, Alpha Caine.” I smiled. That was like my brother. Addison smiled, “Caine is going to help?” She knew he could. I’d been helping Caine cultivate his own money. He had businesses in Nashville. A bar in the strip, and he had some shares in the mall. He was going to grow his portfolio. The attendant nodded, “Yes, both men were adamant.” Addison smiled, “I can’t believe they did that.” Paige snorted, “I can. Dalton already told me whatever I want….I can have. I think he just wants to see if that means I can pull the wedding together faster. He’s not wrong….money does appear to talk to people.” We all laughed.