Mythical Mate for an Alpha

Chapter 17

A few days had passed since the very uncomfortable dinner that ended with me almost destroying the dining room and running out the front door. Since then, I hadn’t been able to catch Eli alone. However, it didn’t seem to matter much as the cause for it all had also been absent. Kitty.

Everyone slipped back to their normal routine. Trish, Ella, Eli, and Andre were all in school. Owen and I were allowed to finish early over the previous summer. The principal is a member of a neighboring pack. He understands how the hierarchy works and the need for Owen and I to graduate before the rest. 

For me, it was like the summer vacation I never got. Instead of sitting in on meetings, Nash and I were out roaming. Normally, I wouldn’t shift outside the perimeter of our pack. Today, I was feeling a bit reckless. 

I had gone into town purely to get away from the house. As wolves of the same pack, we all had the ability to contact one another telepathically. With training, you can shut off that connection to the pack and others, like your family. I had become a master of shutting that off. Away from the house and that part of my wolf sense dulled, I could truly feel free. 

Nash was itching to explore. It had been quite a long time since we had come to town, and even longer since we had hunted in open territory. The sun was bright, the afternoon early, and most people were working.

I left my car parked on Main and walked down to the park. There were walking paths and bike paths that started on one side of the park, wound through the wooded area surrounding the heart of town, and back to the other side of the park.

I started out on one of the walking paths. It was completely deserted. I stood for a moment, listening to the sounds of the woods. When I was satisfied that no one else was around, I moved behind a tree a ways off the path and stripped. With my clothes in a pile, I shifted to Nash and took off through the woodlands. 

These were the days I loved the most. This truly felt free. Back home, I had explored every inch of our pack lands. They weren’t small by any means, but I was tired of them nonetheless. I knew every tree, every broken log, every blade of grass. It felt as dull as my existence. 

Here, everything was new. We ran at a comfortable gate, but slow enough to take it all in. The scents here were different. The vegetation was thicker in areas than others. After a while, we even stumbled upon a stream. 

Nash lapped from the stream greedily before rolling in the thick grass along the embankment. This was true freedom. I wished this rush would never end. 

We caught sight of a wild hare and decided to give chase. I wasn’t much for hunting to kill, but the chase was still exciting. Before we knew it, we were further into the forest and the hare long gone. 

Nash stretched from the chase and rubbed himself against the bark of a nearby tree. As we rounded the tree, we caught sight of a clearing. Edging closer, we noticed in the middle was a small cabin. Nash dropped to the ground, instantly on alert. What was this cabin doing so far out in the middle of nowhere?

A good amount of time had passed and nothing moved in or around the cabin. We crept closer to get a better look.

We came up on the back of the house. Rabbit skins were hung over the makeshift rack outside the back door. A small garden was set far off to the left side. It was lush with vegetables and what looked like herbs. 

From the woods, Nash and I crept along the edge of the clearing until we had completely circled the cabin. There was still no one to be seen and nothing I could smell that was any sign of danger.

I shifted to my human form and grabbed a towel that hung from a clothesline running off the front corner of the house. I wrapped it around my waist and tried the front door. As I expected, it wasn’t locked. 

I walked inside and was pleasantly surprised. It was tidy enough despite the small size. There was a small bedroom, kitchen, and sitting area. It felt bright and warm. I headed toward the bedroom to see what I could dig up on its owner. 

A small closet was in the corner and a trunk at the foot of the bed. I opened the trunk to find a stack of magazines, makeup, accessories, and other girly odds and ends. The closet was filled with womens clothing in a rather petite size. 

I sniffed through the clothes and the rest of the room. The scent was something I couldn’t place. It almost smelled like there were two different scents here. How could that be when it looks like only one woman lives here? 

I sniffed around some more, moving over to the bed. It was just as mixed here as it was on the rest of the clothing. Whatever the scents were, one of the two I found oddly comforting. 

I sat down on the bed and ran my hands across the pillows. I noticed I had picked up some hairs in my fingernails. As I looked at them, I felt like I was suddenly hit with a  ton of bricks. The hair I was holding was fiery red.

I moved back to the closet and pushed through the clothes again. There in the back was the same familiar dress I saw on the night of the dinner debacle. I knew who this house belonged to. It was Kitty’s.

I made my way back to the kitchen. Off to one side was a small bookshelf. There were a few different cook books, some history books, and what looked like high school textbooks. I pulled one from the shelf and recognized it as one from Grammercy High. There was no question. This was definitely Kitty’s house. 

I saw down at the kitchen table, still in my towel, and took in the cabin. I vaguely recalled Kitty saying at dinner that she lived here with her grandmother. I was beyond certain that this was a lie. There weren’t two beds. There were no clothes for an older woman. Everything pointed to Kitty living here alone. 

I glanced toward the back door. To the left was an old wood stove. A shelf to the left held a basket with vegetables, a few cooking utensils, a pot, and a pan. Was this really how Kitty was living? Alone and with no electric or plumbing?

I couldn’t say I was the biggest Kitty fan, but this certainly made me think about her a little differently. She was too young to be living here alone. By the looks of her garden, that was where she got her food. Was that all she ate? It was becoming clear why my house held such appeal to her. 

I wanted to be annoyed with her. I wanted to be angry that she was using Eli and his affections to get her out of this place. Instead, I couldn't bring myself to be angry. Something about this cabin was so soothing. 

Nash yawned in my head and my own form followed suit. The weather was cooler, but the sunlight coming through the windows made it comfortable and warm in the cabin. 

I stripped the towel and shifted back to Nash. A quick nap would be just the thing. I didn’t even realize that we had climbed into Kitty’s bed and made ourselves at home. Before I knew, we were fast asleep.

I awoke in human form, naked and sprawled across Kitty’s bed. The sun was much lower than before. s**t! How long had we been asleep? I brought down my mental barriers, yet no voices were trying to get through. 

My parents were slowly coming to realize I was not suited to become the next Alpha. Since coming back from the Summit, neither had spoken a word to me about it or taking over. Before we left for Europe, it was all they wanted to talk about. 

I got out of bed and took the towel back to the line. I didn’t want Kitty to realize someone had been in her house. I didn’t want her to be scared. That would just be one more reason for her to be at my house. Come to think of it, today was Friday. Kitty would most certainly be at my house tonight. 

I groaned internally. Andre had mentioned that Kitty tends to spend the weekends at our house. My mom even gave her a room of her own across from my sisters. Though, I’m told, some nights she still ends up in Trish’s bed curled in a ball. Part of me believed Kitty didn’t really like being alone. 

Nash and I ran a steady pace back toward the park. The nap had done wonders for our energy. I hadn’t felt this good in a long time. A good exploration could do that to a wolf, I reasoned. 

We made it back and changed with no curious eyes to watch. Once back to my car, I checked the time. It was nearly dinner. The drive to the house was a bit long. I didn’t think I could handle another meal with Kitty and Eli. 

I pulled my phone from the glove box. No messages. I pulled up Trishs text string and sent her a message. I told her I was caught up in town and would eat here. I may be a d**k when it came to being Alpha, but I never disrespected my parents in any other area. It wasn’t right to make them worry.

I drove through town and ended up at the local diner. I was lost in my thoughts as I ate my dinner. I felt bad for Kitty, but I had to protect my brother. Kitty seemed innocent, but I still felt something in me ripple at the thought of her. It was starting to grow stronger.

I decided it would be best to talk to my dad. Once I layed out my thoughts, I was sure he would agree with me. He had to have seen how Eli behaved with her, how un-Eli that behavior was. I couldn’t let Kitty have that kind of power. Not over Eli. Not over any of my family.