The Replacement Aplha

Our Song

I tried to organize my panicked thoughts so that I could think logically.

There was nothing that I could say or do to influence who Thomas mated with. It was out of my control and in the hands of the Moon Goddess herself. She alone was the decider.

And besides, Thomas had the right to find a mate tonight. Why should I be the one to stand in his way?

It appeared that the DJ had finished his speech as the music picked up again.

“Are you okay?” Quinn shot me a worried look.

“I’m fine, just thinking selfish thoughts,” I said.

Quinn’s brow furrowed in confusion.

“There’s my two amigos!” a voice said from behind.

Quinn and I both whipped our heads around. Davey was stumbling across the sand. His eyes were glassy, and the sleeves of his white shirt were absent, as if someone had ripped them clean off.

“Davey,” Quinn gasped and pointed towards him, “what happened to your…”

Davey laughed and shook his head. “You don’t want to know. All I can say is that the shots turned out to be tequila.”

“Oh, you are definitely inebriated,” Quinn giggled at Davey’s goofy, drunken smile.

“Yes I am. Your inebriee… inebriated mate would like to ask if his sweetheart would join him for a dance.”

He bowed dramatically, holding his hand out towards Quinn. Quinn took it.

“I apologize, m’lady,” Davey said to me, “for stealing Quinn away. I promise I will bring her right back.”

“You two have fun, don’t worry about me,” I chuckled.

 I watched Quinn and Davey walk hand-in-hand towards the dance floor. A couple of times, Davey looked as if he was about to trip but Quinn steadied him. I was impressed with Quinn’s strength as Davey, although thin, was much taller than her.

Now that I was alone, I could feel the chilly air seeping into my bones. With a shudder, I decided to head back towards the party and towards the warmth of the heaters.

As I treaded carefully back, attempting to avoid getting too much sand in my shoes, I was approached by two males that looked to be in their mid-twenties.

The first male was massive; towering over his companion by at least a foot. His bare chest exposed strong, rippled muscles and his biceps looked thicker than my thighs.

His platinum blonde hair was unmistakable; it was Lead Warrior Justin.

“I heard a rumour that you returned to the Rocky Mountain Pack,” he said, “so I had to see it for myself.”

“Hi Justin,” I said, “it’s been a while.”

“Yes, is has.” He turned to the other male and said, “See, isn’t she just as beautiful as I described?”

“Even better,” the second male answered as he eyed me up and down.

Gross.

I crossed my arms, trying to cover up as much as my body as possible.

“You don’t have to be so awkward around me, Scarlett,” Justin said.

“What do you mean?” I questioned.

“I can tell you’re tense. Ben was my Alpha, but he isn’t anymore. He was an excellent fighter, I’ll give him that, but the boy had a temper that he couldn’t control.”

I could tell Justin was genuinely trying to make me feel better, but I couldn’t help but notice the sickening smell of arousal that was radiating from both of them. Wolves, especially unmated wolves, had an extremely difficult time controlling their hormones.

“Right, well, I’ll keep that in mind, thanks,” I said uncomfortably.

Justin took another step forward and gripped my arm. It wasn’t forceful, but anyone his size exuded strength, even when it wasn’t conscious.

“Hold up, Scarlett. How about a dance?”

I considered the offer for a second. Justin was very attractive, in a rugged, goliath sort of way.

Also, the idea that I would save myself for my mate was very unrealistic at this point. It was quite rare for a wolf to have a second mate, and I was probably not in the Moon Goddess’s good books after rejecting the Alpha. 

Before I could give Justin my answer, Thomas interrupted.

“Justin, Alex,” Thomas greeted the two males.

“Thomas,” Justin said with a slight tone of annoyance in his voice.

“What’s wrong, Justin, did I spoil your attempt of seducing Scarlett?”

“I was just asking her to dance,” he growled.

“Oh, that’s unfortunate timing,” Thomas remarked confidently, “because I have a surprise for Scar.”

Thomas looked at me excitedly.  

“What do you mean…” I began.

But then I heard the soft melody of an oh-so-familiar song.

Our song.

Some day, when I’m awfully low

When the world is cold

I will feel a glow just thinking of you

And the way you look tonight

The old Frank Sinatra song stuck out like a rose among thorn bushes of modern rap, pop, and R&B songs that had been playing throughout the night.

“Shall we?” Thomas asked.

“Absolutely,” I smiled at him. He bent his arm in my direction. I slipped my arm under his.

Justin, big as he was, looked like a hurt puppy.

“Sorry Justin,” Thomas smirked, “but I am the birthday boy, and your future Alpha.”

We dashed towards the platform and Thomas shook his head and said, “Justin is not going to let me forget this at Monday’s practice.”

When we arrived, the dancing couples shuffled over, creating a circle in the middle of the dance floor for just the two of us. 

Thomas grasped my one of my hands and put his other hand firmly on the small of my back. He pulled me in closer and I was surrounded by his delicious, earthy scent.

The difference in our height had never been more apparent to me then in that moment. Thomas had to tilt his chin down to meet my gaze. How, after only two years, had he grown so much?

With each word your tenderness grows

Tearin’ my fear apart

And that laugh wrinkles your nose

Touches my foolish heart

Thomas gracefully twirled me away from his body, and for a brief second, I saw Emily’s poisonous glare amongst the crowd. Her jealous eyes were shooting daggers at me.

Then Thomas pulled me back in again and completely forgot she existed.

“Fancy moves, Thom,” I laughed. “Where did you learn to dance like that?”

“Mom forced me into dance lessons when I became next in line to be the Alpha.”

“Let me guess… so you can impress everyone with how cultured you are?”

Thomas dipped me so low I had a brief moment of terror that I would come crashing down on the wooden floor planks. But Thomas had a firm grip on me, and I felt the contraction of his thick arm muscles as he pulled me up with ease.

His eyes met mine and my heart skipped a beat.

“Oh, I’m very cultured,” he said in a stone-cold voice. Then he broke out in a grin.

I laughed, partly at him and partly at myself for having an unexpected fluttering feeling when I looked into his eyes.

It shouldn’t have happened.

Thomas was my best friend.

His brother had been my mate.

It was wrong of me, even for a split second, to imagine anything else.

“So, do you think your mate is here tonight?” I asked him as we swayed in unison to the music. 

“I’m not sure,” he shrugged, “but I hope so.”

“You hope so?” I repeated, “Thom, is there a particular female at this party that you have in mind?”

Thomas’s cheeks reddened.

“We’ll find out soon enough,” he said, glancing over towards countdown clock perched on the DJ’s table, “if she is here tonight, I’ll know in 30 seconds.”