The Alpha’s Silver Mate

Wishful Thinking

Ruelle’s POV

“If only the Iron Alpha had been here to get a Luna…”. Thessa mused, pouting as though it saddened her. “I was almost sure he was going to ask me to leave with him. We had a moment, you see?”

I rose my head from the book I was reading on werewolves superiority over vampires. I hadn’t gotten past the second page before my sisters waltzed into the room and since then, I have been staring at just one line, reading it over and over while I tried to listen in on their conversation. Of course I generally don’t care what my sisters are yapping about. It was either about a man or a new gown and it was usually only Thessa speaking. Valka and Seren cared very little for those type of things.

My sisters were trained Protectors of the Keep, but they had their lives outside of it. For Thessa, it was obsessing over a new gown, or some fine wolf she made eye contact with that may be her mate. For Valka, it was obsessing over what the Chefs would cook next. She always straight-faced it whenever it was mentioned, like she straight-faced every other thing, but it was no news she loved to eat. For Seren, it was reading. Her nose was always stuck in a book on the rare occasions that you did see her around. She was always somewhere, doing something, but nobody ever knew.

For me, it was going to the forest. Not like I was a Protector of the keep, but that is what I loved to do. I just believed that I was one with the forest and was most comfortable there. There was food, there was water, and there were trees to hide away in.

It had been two full moons since Thorne left the North, but he managed to be spoken of every single day. Thessa won’t shut up about him. Not that I needed her to. I, myself thought about those green eyes every single day since then. I didn’t go to the forest since that day, I wanted to at least take his advice and stay away from there. But it has been torture trying to find something else to do instead. I picked up reading, hence the book in my lap, but to say I couldn’t read it would be downplaying the frustration I actually got from trying to read.

I shake my head and try to drown out my sister’s voice, clearing my throat and dragging the book up so I can focus on it.

“Papa’s hosting the Howl Gathering this year.” Thessa chirped and my eyes shot up. Now that caught my attention immediately. “All his allies are coming. Including the Iron Alpha, I hope.” She says it in a sing-song voice, tilting her head from side to side like a child.

I’m going to see Thorne again. I lower the heavy book to my lap, picking at the loose binding thread with my fingers and chewing on my bottom lip.

“Why put all your eggs in one basket?” Valka speaks up for the first time, her fingers raking through the part of her hair that cascades down her shoulders. “All of Papa’s allies are going to be there but you’re expecting the Iron Alpha alone? There will be better options certainly.”

“Hmmm…”. Thessa mused, I imagine her forefinger poking her cheek in a thinking motion. So animated. Typical Thessa. “Till then. The Iron Alpha captured my eye for now”

“If the Iron Alpha isn’t your mate then you are just wasting your time.” Seren deadpans in a matter of fact tone, not bothering to lift her head from her book. “It’s not like you can force him to take you with him”. She adds in a mumble, seemingly disappointed.

“Who said he wasn’t my mate?” Thessa says, her head tilted proudly. My head snaps to her,

“Who said he was?” I ask, trying not to stumble over my words. My sudden question earns me weird looks from all my sisters, including Seren who lowers her book slowly with furrowed brows.

“You’ll see..”. She says proudly, one of her brows raised, probably at the fact that I even bothered to ask.

My sisters are oblivious to my encounter with Thorne in the woods. As a matter of fact, they have no idea that I already met him and I know better than to break it to them. I doubt they would even care, not positively anyway, especially considering the fact that one of them won’t shut up about him.

Thessa is known for running her mouth. We take even as little as a compliment from her with a pinch of salt, hence my dismissal of her earlier claim to have had a moment with Thorne. But right now, she seems rather sure of it, calling him her mate and all.

“Papa even promised to help me speak to him”. Thessa says something that other ladies would be ashamed to say so unabashedly. I push to my feet and head for the stairs, my composure feigning indifference meanwhile my ears are absorbent.

There is a mocking tilt to Valka’s voice when she says, “You need Papa to speak to a man for him to want you? Give yourself some credit Thess”. She snorts while Thessa shrugs.

“I don’t mind. This is my version of putting in the work to get what you want.” She flings the comb in her hand across the table and walks out. Her brazenness a dark cloud behind her.

That is who I’m up against?

I shake off the shiver in my spine as I march up the stairs. Morra meets me halfway.

“My Lady!” She has a big smile on her face as soon as she sees me, her hands folded in front of her. “I looked everywhere for you”

“I was downstairs with the girls”. I told her, a smile curling on my lips as well. “What is it?” I continue my journey to my room with her following closely behind. Morra had just come back from an errand and wanted to share with me that the flower I had revived the other day in the forest had grown so well and there were other little flowers surrounding it. I wouldn’t know because I haven’t been to that forest since my last meeting with Thorne two months ago.

“Wouldn’t you like to come see it?” She tries, her voice unsure. Morra has been trying to get me to go back to the forest. She knows how much I like it there and sometimes I wonder if she can deduce my reasons for not going there anymore just by looking at me. She watches me try to pick up other hobbies like reading and knitting, only for me to huff and puff in frustration till I can’t take it anymore.

Everything else is such a chore for me, the only thing I do around the house that is remotely close to what I love doing is tending to the flowers in our yard but even that is assigned to the handmaidens, so there is the frustration of me doing something on the garden today and coming tomorrow to see that it has been tampered with. One time I broke down in tears because a flower I had personally cultivated and revived had been uprooted unknowingly. It was torture.

But I still never went back.

I didn’t want to, but at the same time it had began to feel like I couldn’t. I know it was probably overdramatic but I just didn’t feel myself. It really did feel like I had been experiencing a breakup before having a relationship. If that even makes sense.

I closed my eyes every night to find a certain pair of sparkling green eyes waiting for me in my passionate dreams and on some nights I slept with a smile on my face while on others like last night, I tossed and turned because I couldn’t get him off my mind.

But Now…

The Howl Gathering was coming.

If what Thessa said is true, then I will get to see Thorne again soon. I turned to Morra immediately I walked into my room,

“What day is the Howl Gathering held again?” I turned to Morra as soon as we stepped into my room, my eyes squinted inquisitively. Morra’s jaw was slack, her eyes wide. A moment of silence made the realization dawn on me that she had been speaking to me before I randomly and quite rudely, cut her off with my question. I blinked and offered her an apologetic smile. A certain someone consumed my thoughts and left no room for anything else, not even her passionate conversations. “Oh I’m sorry..”. My hands rose to my chest but she waved it off, a giggle in her voice.

“No no it’s fine. The Howl Gathering— um… that would be the 26th”. She mused.

I paced my room with my fingers intertwining in front of me. “Hmmm that gives me just a few days to prepare.” I mumbled to myself.

“You would be attending?” Morra’s brows rose up to her hairline.

Did I forget to add that this is the very first event held by my Papa that I would be attending? The Howl Gathering is usually held by several great Alphas all over the Coast. But asides that, Papa is well known for hosting many other lively events. Events that I always made up an excuse not to attend so I could hide away in the woods. So in essence, I can definitely understand Morra’s surprise.

I gave her a wide smile that was all the confirmation she needed, pressing my cheek to my shoulder. She waved her hands happily above her head, a shriek escaping her as she skipped elatedly to my closet.

“That leaves us with just three days to get ready! This is going to be huge!” She rambled, her head down and hands expressing dramatically beside her head. I pressed my lips together to hide my laughter. There goes Morra with her sense of responsibility. “Everyone is going to be there! Including the Alpha that has been giving you sleepless ni—”. She catches herself, her hand flies up to her mouth and her eyes widen like a deer caught in headlights.

She knew?

“Oh I’m sorry… that came out wrong…”. She looked down shyly. Why am I surprised? Morra Morra ever so observant. I would be fooling myself trying to get something past her. I smiled.

“Yes, Morra. Including the Iron Alpha”. I assured her. Her smile slowly rose back up to her face until she was grinning from ear to ear.

“Well we better get to work, my lady”. She pulled my closet doors open dramatically and turned to look at me…

“We have heads to turn”.