Mythical Mate for an Alpha

Chapter 14

I was so excited to finally meet the Alpha, Syrus, and Owen. I had heard so much about them and wondered what they would be like in person. 

The Alpha was everything I had pictured. I recalled his expression at seeing his mate as soon as he stepped out of the car. I recognized that look. After watching other packs from a far, I became accustomed to what that look was. Love.

The Alpha had nothing but pure love in his eyes as he looked toward his mate. Love and longing. Mary had explained to me in our meetings that being away from your mate was almost the same as missing a crucial part of yourself. 

Their Moon Goddess connected their souls in such a way that a wolf would only know a feeling of completeness once they met their mate. It would only be then that they understood that a piece of them had been missing all this time. You didn’t know what you were missing until you found it, basically.

I stood at the stove stirring the pot of beef bourguignon that was simmering. Trish and Ella had left to see if they could get some time with their Dad before dinner. They were giving their parents time alone since they knew the bond would draw them to each other, but they were eager to see their Dad. It had been a few years since he had been gone this long, and it had affected them more than they thought it would. 

I marveled to myself at the bonds between wolves. I never had a family that I could recall. Would I miss them like this if they had been gone? I’m sure I would.

Even though their bond seems painful at times, they are so lucky that their Moon Goddess gave it to them. To have such a strong connection to each other, and to a mate. I thank my Creator for giving me the chance to be a part of their world, even if it is only for a little while. I have learned so much already.

Mary and I had talked this morning. She was going to speak to the Alpha tonight about me. She wants me to stay here with them, with the pack, from now on. I have lived alone for so many years that I am a bit nervous that I might get in the way, or overstay my welcome. I know that Mary likes me quite a bit, but I do not want any of the others to feel awkward.

I moved away from the stove to set the table. My stew was almost finished and I knew it wouldn’t be long before Andre came sniffing. I chuckled to myself as I set out the forks. I have never met another being, wolf or human, who ate as much as Andre. When he found his mate, I hoped she enjoyed cooking as much as he enjoyed eating. 

I heard the sound of voices and footfall coming down the stairs. I dished out the bourguignon into a tureen, put the mashed potatoes in another, and wrapped the rolls into a basket. 

“Something sure smells amazing in here Kitty.”

I turned to see Andre lurking in the doorway. I giggled again. Right on schedule. Andre’s stomach is right on time, every time. 

“Andre, could you please help me take these out to the dining room? I want everyone to be able to eat while it’s still hot.”

Andre moved forward and took the bread basket first. He started to unwrap the rolls when I pulled the basket away. “You have to wait your turn Sir. I’ll take these. You can start with the tureens.” I motioned toward the round white bowl on the counter. 

Andre let out a groan, but did as I asked. Walking into the dining room, I saw that almost everyone was there. The only one’s missing were Eli and Syrus. 

Oh Kitty! This looks marvelous. I can’t thank you enough for this.” Mary beamed. She looked to her husband and then back to me. 

“It’s no trouble at all. I enjoy it.” I smiled back at her. “I only hope it is as good as your cooking.” 

“Kitty.” It was now the Alpha who spoke. His tone was instantly commanding and firm. His face was neutral as he watched me. 

I’m sure he would have scared anyone else. All I could feel was excitement. Someone with this much authority even took a second to look in my direction. I shifted excitedly from foot to foot, the smile still plastered to my face. 

His eyes continued to roam over me from head to toe. I’m not sure if he and Mary had the talk yet about what I was. He was probably trying to figure me out, if they hadn’t. What would it be like if they really did let me stay here? Would they introduce me to the pack?

I was starting to get lost in my musings when the Alpha spoke again. “Thank you for putting together this meal. It gave me some much needed time with my wife. It is very much appreciated.” A small smile formed at the corner of his mouth. He seemed genuinely pleased.

I couldn’t help but be excited. I had made him happy. I had made Mary happy. It was all I could do to stop myself from bouncing over to give him a hug. The portion of my lower back started to tingle again and I heard Mary clear her throat loudly.

I looked at her, worried. With the smallest motion, she pointed to the vase of flowers on the table. My joy was causing the flowers to bloom and grow rapidly. Mary had warned me about controlling my emotions. If I wasn’t careful, I would give myself away.

I heard the Alpha stifle a chuckle. Mary must have told him. Thankfully, Ella, Trish, Andre, Owen and Orla hadn’t been paying attention to the exchange. They were busy dishing out the food, passing it amongst themselves, and catching up from their time apart. 

It was then that Eli and Syrus entered the dining room. Eli came behind me and mused up my hair again before taking his seat. I moved to my own seat and began buttering my roll.

“Syrus.” Mary spoke. “Are you going to come eat with us?” Syrus was still standing in the doorway. He was staring at me. 

So far, Andre, Owen, and the Alpha all seemed to like me. It was very clear that Syrus did not feel the same as the others. I must have done something wrong. Male wolves could be unpredictable. One wrong move and their anger could erupt out of nowhere. 

“Syrus.” It was Owen who spoke. “You better be careful. If you don’t eat, Andre is going to do it for you.” He said, shooting a grin in Andre’s direction. Andre, in turn, smiled with his cheeks full.

Owen could tell there was something wrong. He was looking between Syrus and I. I tried to focus back on my roll. The Alpha and Mary seemed to notice his odd behavior too. 

“Syrus. Don’t be rude.” The Alpha’s tone was stern. I could feel his aura come out in a wave, clearly meant to shake Syrus. 

Slowly, Syrus made his way to the table. Without speaking, he sat and began to eat. However, he never took his eyes from me. His friends tried to start up a conversation with him, but it was like he didn’t even hear them. 

There was no way this was going to work. As exciting of an idea as it was, staying here was not possible. This was Syrus’ home. If he did not like me, then I had no right to make him uneasy in his own space. 

It was fine though. I had been given plenty of opportunity to spend time with them. I could probably even come visit, while Syrus was out. It didn’t mean I could not be friends. I am sure Mary would still teach me as well. After all, she and the Alpha were the only ones who knew about me.

“So Kitty,” Owen started, “Andre told us a little bit about you on the ride home. How old are you? What do you like to do? How long have you lived here? I have never seen you before.”

“Oh!” I was so excited that they talked about me. I always liked Andre. I hope I can keep him as a friend too. “I’m 18. I moved here right before the start of school to be closer to my grandmother. She needs some help these days, so I figured I would stay here with her, finish my last year, and take care of her.”

Owen seemed to genuinely be interested, even though I knew it was a lie. I felt a little bit bad for lying, but it was the only way I knew to keep my secret safe. 

“I love to garden. Mary and I have a gardening competition going.” I giggled, looking at Mary. She smiled back and I could feel the affection she has for me.  

“She's giving my herbs a run for their money.” Mary laughed.

“She’s also pretty good at board games. She smokes Eli every time they play.” Ella jumped in, poking Eli in the arm.

Eli poked his sister back, but sent a grin in my direction. I beamed back at him. I really do like this family. 

It was then that I could suddenly feel the anger taking over the table. I looked to Syrus and his eyes were black. There was sweat starting to form at the edge of his hairline. This was not good. 

The others suddenly felt it too. The anger was rolling in thick and heavy. I watched Syrus. His breathing was labored. He was gripping the edge of the table and I thought it would break under him. 

Another breath passed. His gaze never wavering. He stood up and came toward me. I looked up at him as he towered over me. His eyes were still completely black. The muscles of his arms were flexing of their own accord. It looked like he wanted to shift, but was trying to contain it. 

Suddenly, he grabbed my upper arm and forcefully pulled me from my seat. He was staring into my eyes, his grip tightening with each breath. I should be petrified, but I wasn’t. I was so intrigued. I had never been this close to an angry wolf. Logically, I should probably be afraid, but there was something about Syrus. I had an odd desire to hug him. 

“Syrus!” The Alpha was now on his feet, shouting to his son. It seemed to have no effect. Syrus' grip stayed firm, and it was beginning to hurt.

“Syrus! Let her go right now!” The Luna screamed. I had never heard Mary yell like that. I could hear the fear in her voice. Why was she worried?

Syrus seemed to be in a world of his own. He didn’t hear his parents’ shouts. I could see Owen and Andre get up from their chairs. They looked like they were preparing to shift. Syrus actions were clearly out of the ordinary if his family was reacting like this. 

Eli stood now and walked toward us. His face was completely blank. Everyone else seemed angry and afraid, but Eli was nothing but neutral. I looked to him as he approached and tried to show that I wasn’t afraid. 

“You need to let her go Sy.” Eli put his hand over Syrus’s wrist. The one that was holding onto my arm. He never took his eyes off Syrus and his expression remained the same. 

Eli moved to come between Syrus and I. With that, Syrus let out deathly growl. It was so strong it shook the room. I could sense the fear in the room. 

Owen looked to his mate. “Orla, take the girls and go to the study.” He turned to Andre. A silent exchange seemed to pass between the two. 

Andre helped gather the women from their seats and slowly back them from the room. Owen must have asked him to keep them safe. Given the events so far, it made sense. 

I turned my focus back to Syrus’s black eyes. I could almost see a thousand emotions flash through them. Maybe it was my cooking? No one else seemed to mind it. And why wasn’t I afraid of Syrus? Even his own family was petrified.

The Alpha took a step around the table coming closer. “Syrus! I order you to release the girl. Now!” 

Owen bowed his head. I felt a strong urge to roll onto my back and expose my belly to the Alpha. This must be what it’s like when the Alpha uses his ‘Alpha Command’. No other supernatural could disregard an Alpha Command, unless they themselves were another Alpha or Luna, or powerful in their own species. 

To my surprise this only served to make Syrus angrier. I could see the vein in his neck begin to pulse. Another window shattering growl erupted from him. His breathing was coming in short pants. His grip on my arm had now turned incredibly painful. He was so strong.

“Syrus,” I called to him softly. His gaze faltered ever so slightly. “Syrus,” I called to him again. Another flicker across the black eyes passed, as it had just done. “Syrus, you are hurting me. Could you please lighten your hold?”

Slowly, Syrus’s grip began to ease. I kept my focus solely on him. Eli stood off to the side watching, ready to jump in. 

“Syrus.” I called his name again, my own voice slightly above a whisper. There was something about him, about his name. It gave me a small shiver whenever I spoke it. Maybe his dominance was getting to me. 

“Syrus, if the food was so bad, you could have just said so. I would have made you something else.” I looked at him with a frown.

He suddenly pulled his hand away. His eyes slipping between black and the green that matched Trish’s. He looked confused.

Somewhere inside of me, I knew that Syrus would never hurt me. I wasn’t sure what just happened, but I could feel that there was something more going on. Emotions were coming off of him that I could not place. It seemed jumbled and erratic. 

His breathing was slowly going back to normal, but his eyes never stopped shifting in color. He still seemed on edge. Maybe I really was that bad of a cook. I had never had someone react that way before. The others didn’t seem to mind, but maybe they were being polite. 

I think dessert was in order. I doubt the others had much of an appetite given how scared they all seemed. Dessert always made me feel better when I had a rough day. The Alpha meeting was likely more intense than anyone imagined. No wonder he was so aggressive. 

“How about I get you some pie to make it up to you? I am a much better baker than a cook. Just promise that you won’t get mad if you don’t like it. I can always find you something else.”

Syrus stood staring at me, head c****d to the side. He seemed confused, and incredibly conflicted. After a beat or two, he slowly nodded his head.

Whew! I get another chance. “Great! It’s rhubarb. Do you like rhubarb? I will bring ice cream too, in case you don’t like the pie. Oh, and I will make some coffee too. You like coffee right? I will make tea just in case. I prefer the tea myself anyway.”

I grabbed up some dishes off the table, and bounced off to the kitchen. I could clear the table while the coffee brewed. I really hope Syrus likes the pie better than the stew. I couldn’t imagine what he would do if he didn’t.