Secrets of an Alpha

Chapter Two

Natalia’s POV 

“Alpha Eric… isn’t he the one that lost his mate a couple of years ago?” Olly asks me curiously as I continue to punch the cushioned pads on his outstretched hands. 

“Yep… that’s the guy. He’s coming tonight so I’m pretty much keeping out of my mom’s way in the meantime.” 

Olly chuckles and lets his arms drop by his sides for a moment as I bend over to catch my breath. 

“Has she been on your ass again?” he asks in amusement. 

“Oh Goddess you have no idea… ‘I’ve heard Alpha Eric likes when women wear their hair down… I’ve heard his former mate was always presented so beautifully… I’ve heard he likes a woman who can cook…’ it’s been f*****g non-stop all week!” I moan in annoyance, standing up to place my hands on my hips. 

“Well maybe he might prefer Rosalie or Pen, then the pressure is off of you” he shrugs. 

“Pfft I guess… Pen would jump at the chance but I think he’s perhaps too old for her. Surely.” 

“I’ve seen him before, at a conference I was guarding a couple of years ago. He’s f*****g hot you know Nat… you could do a lot worse!”

“Excuse me who is f*****g hot?” Miles cuts in as he appears behind Olly, looking at him suspiciously. 

“You… we were talking about you!” Olly laughs jokingly, leaning in to give his mate a kiss. 

I smile and take a drink of my water as my breathing begins to return to normal. 

“See I want what you guys have… and I don’t mind waiting for it. Im in no rush for a mate. I’m happy right now on my own. My mother can try and pair us up all she likes but if I don’t like the man, I won’t play ball!” I explain stubbornly. 

“Hear! Hear! Atta girl!” Miles chants playfully as I roll my eyes at him. 

“s**t… dinosaur Gamma incoming…” Olly mutters under his breath as Gamma Richard strides towards us. 

As I watch him approach, my eyes flick upwards to the pack house where I see my mom standing peering out of the bedroom room window. I know then exactly his reasons for coming over to us. 

“Natalia… your mother needs you. You were not supposed to be on the training rota today.” he says sternly before he narrows his eyes at Olly and Miles. 

“Sorry Gamma. We convinced her to join us. She’s kicking ass though.” Olly answers in support. 

“Gamma if you’d let me join the warriors, I swear I’ll work even harder. You won’t regret it.” I plead as my eyes wander back to my rather pissed off looking mom. 

“Absolutely not! You are the Alpha’s daughter, it wouldn’t be proper to have you here… mixing with unranked wolves everyday. Your mother wouldn’t allow it, that, I am certain of.” he answers in a fluster, clearly impacted by my mom’s whining in his ear. “You’ll continue to join us for basic training once a week.” 

I look back at Miles and Olly who nod at me apologetically. 

“Okay fine I’m leaving… bye guys.” I sigh in defeat. 

I may have lost the fight tonight but I won’t be dropping the issue altogether. 

“Let me know how the dinner goes! Give the guy a chance!” Olly calls out after me. 

I smile to myself as I walk back towards the pack house. Despite having a lot of friends that are of high rank, I definitely feel most comfortable and at ease when I am with my normal friends. Olly and Miles are pack warriors and have been my friends for years. Normally they smuggle me away for private training sessions but as I’ve gotten older, I rarely hide them from my parents anymore. I am a grown woman after all. 

I trudge upstairs towards my bedroom and find my mom standing outside the door with a disapproving look on her face. 

“Goddess above Natalia! We are hosting one of the most eligible Alphas in the country in a couple of hours and look at the state of you!” she complains as she takes in my sweaty appearance. 

“Well I wasn’t planning on meeting him like this you know.” I mutter sarcastically as I reach for the door handle and enter the room. 

She follows on after me and closes it behind her. 

“Mom I know what you are trying to do but honestly I won’t be bullied into jumping through hoops for someone I have never met… besides he might not even like me and if that’s the case this whole conversation is a waste of time!” I explain clearly as I sit down on the sofa to remove my shoes. 

She lets out a small sigh before walking over to sit next to me. 

“No one is forcing you into anything love, I just want you to find someone and I’ve heard great things about this man. Now just stop being so stubborn and get in that shower now. I’ve laid out some clothes for you on the bed.” she says gently before she stands up and leaves the room. 

After showering I blow out my long brown hair and curl the ends softly with my curling iron. I apply my usual modest amount of make up before wandering over to the bed to see the outfit my mom has put out for me. I eye the floral dress with distain and prod at it with my finger. 

“Step-Ford wife bullshit…” I mutter to myself angrily, walking over to my closet to examine it for better options. 

No matter how hard my mom tries to control my every move, I won’t roll over like a good little wolf. That floral dress can get so far to f**k. 

I finally settle on a pair of black skinny jeans and a red off the shoulder top which I pair with simple black heels. After dressing, I head off downstairs towards the dinning room. With the buzz, hustle and bustle around the pack house I can tell that Alpha Eric is most probably already here and in a meeting with my father. 

“Hey!!! Why the f**k do you get to dress all hot and we look like rejects from one of Grandma’s tea parties?!” Penelope whines as I enter the dining room. 

I flick my hair behind my shoulder and grin at them both sneakily. 

“Because I’m the oldest.” 

“Well I don’t think it’s fair-“ 

“She’s winding you up Pen… you really think mom didn’t choose a ridiculous outfit for her too? Mom is going to be so pissed when she sees you.” Rosalie warns as she approaches with a glass of wine. 

I pluck the glass out of her hands quickly and make my way to the kitchen doors. 

“Well by the time she sees me it will be too late. I’m off to hide.” I wink before turning and pushing the door open. 

As I make my way down the long hallway to the pack house kitchens, I hear the clanging of the pots and pans. 

“Have you put those potatoes on to boil yet? Come on, come on. Dinner is due to begin any minute now.” Lucille, the head cook, calls out to her frantic staff. 

I pop my head in the door and offer her a wide smile. 

“Hey Lucille!” 

Her eyes dart up towards me in shock and a grin spreads across her face. 

“What are you doing here troublemaker? You know that your mom will kill us all dead if she knows you are down here on an evening like this.” 

I shake my head vigorously and walk over to land a kiss on her cheek. 

“Absolutely not Lucille! I wouldn’t let her!” I laugh before taking a seat at the table she is working at. 

I look around the room and see a few curious eyes looking at me. 

“Quit making my staff more nervous… they are already shitting themselves.” Lucille jokes before patting a nervous looking boy on the back. 

“Sorry I really don’t want to disturb you all but I just want to hide out for a bit and also I haven’t seen you all week practically!” 

“Well I appreciate the visit my dear, even if it is poorly timed.” she chuckles. “Hey I’m pretty sure that isn’t the outfit your mom had pressed for you by the housekeeper today.” Lucille says as she raises her eyebrows at me knowingly. 

I don’t answer her and instead poke my finger into the bowl of icing that is sitting on the table in front of her. 

“Get your hands off!! Goddess above! These Alpha kids nowadays have no respect!” she scolds playfully. 

Suddenly I hear my sister Rosalie’s voice calling me from the end of the corridor. 

I look back at Lucille and let out a slow breath. 

“Show time my dear.” she winks at me as I stand up to move towards the door. 

“Lucille if he’s a complete ass you have my permission to poison his food.” I joke as a few of the young cooks look back at me with worried expressions. 

“I’m kidding guys! Good luck!” I smile at them before making my way back to the dining room. 

“And this, Alpha Eric, is my eldest daughter Natalia.” my mom says calmly as I enter the room. 

I examine her face quickly and soon realise that despite her calm demeanour her eyes are screaming anger and fury. I don’t know what she will be more pissed about, the fact that I ditched the granny dress or the fact that I just came from the pack house kitchen where the ‘lowly omegas’ work. 

“It’s nice to meet you… Natalia.” Alpha Eric says smoothly as he strides over to stand in front of me. 

I eye him up and down quickly and find that the rumours about his looks seem to be well founded. He’s tall and well built like most Alphas. His facial features are sharp and his auburn hair is neatly styled. His whole appearance is well groomed and proper. A picture perfect Alpha in every way. 

I plaster a smile on my face and stick out my hand towards him. He takes it tentatively and glances down before his eyes flick back to mine. 

“Can’t say I’m not disappointed.” he chuckles. 

“It’s nice to meet you Alpha Eric.” I respond with a grin. 

He continues to shake my hand before he drops it gently. 

“I thought for a second there could be a mate connection there, but perhaps it was just your beauty that caught me off guard.” he explains confidently as I try my best to keep my expression neutral and polite. 

Damn this guy is not shy. Nor is he afraid of dropping cringe compliments in front of a room full of people. 

“Unfortunately not Alpha… but that’s really sweet of you to say. Thank you.” I answer whilst flicking my eyes to my mom who is looking like the Cheshire Cat right about now. 

“Please Natalia, call me Eric.” 

I nod my head in agreement before we all make our way back to the table to begin eating. I pull out a chair next to my father and my mom almost has a silent fit pointing covertly at the empty seat next to Alpha Eric at the head of the table. I ignore her signals and am about to sit my ass down when Eric’s voice rings out over the room. 

“Natalia… I’d be honoured if you’d sit by me tonight, if you don’t mind.” 

“Of course she doesn’t!” my mom answers for me hurriedly before I can open my mouth. 

The fact that he is telling me where to sit irks me to say the least but I play along for my father’s sake. He does need allies after all and it’s the whole families job to make sure that happens, for the good of the pack. 

I take my place next to Eric and he winks at me playfully. As the dinner party begins we start off making polite conversation about both of our respective packs. From the sounds of his explanations, Black Dawn sounds just as traditional as Silver Moon and I can’t deny that it bothers me a little. If I ever where to take a mate, I would hope that his pack would be more relaxed in nature. Eventually the conversation begins to grow deeper and he leans in closer to me. 

“So your mother tells me you are unmated… are you seeing anyone?” he asks curiously, taking a drink of his wine. 

I lift my own glass and shake my head. 

“No I’m not at the moment. Are you?” I ask in return. 

A slow grin spreads across his face before he answers. 

“No I’m not either. You know I am glad that you are single… I wasn’t joking earlier when I said that I hoped there would be a connection. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.” 

I try to enjoy the compliment for what it is but the cringyness of the moment threatens to spoil its sentiments. 

“Thanks you’re not so bad yourself. I heard you’ve had a mate before.” I say in a clumsy effort to redirect the conversation. 

The smile fades from his face and he clears his throat awkwardly. 

“Yes I have… tell me do you plan on waiting for your fated mate?” he questions in return. 

“I don’t think so. Who even finds their real mate nowadays anyway. Only a handful of my friends have had such luck.” 

He nods in agreement and continues to cut his steak in front of him. 

“You’re right… why wait… especially when the right person could be right under your nose.”