Born An Alpha

Chapter 3

*Celeste’s P.O.V*

After rushing home, I find all the maids have gone home. I quickly run upstairs and throw my shopping bags on the floor. First, I couldn’t understand why Cynthia had flirted with Michael. She not only had a boyfriend but Michael was also one of Noah's best friends. I lay on my bed pondering this question when my phone rings. It’s my dad.

  “Hey dad” I say as I answer the phone.

  “Dragonfly, how are you? Have you eaten?” My dad asks. I can hear multiple people in the room with him.

  “Yeah dad” I tell him. It sounds like his meeting isn’t going to well as I now hear shouting.

  “That’s good” He says. He pauses before asking, “You’re staying home tonight, right?”

  “Yes dad. I am” I lied. 

When I turned sixteen my parents had begun to leave me home alone during their monthly meetings. It was during this time that Derek began hosting his wild monthly parties. When my dad found out about the parties, he forbade me in going. I agreed but had been secretly sneaking out to party. Only Arnold would cover for me if I make it home before 3 am, which I always do. He only forbids me in going to these particular parties because he doesn’t like the Ridley’s and their pack. He says Alpha Damon Ridley runs the Silver Moon pack unjustly. Which is partly true but I don’t know the full story like my parents do.

  “That’s good dragonfly. You know I left you the credit card to order dinner if you want.”

  “Saw it on the counter, thanks dad”

  “Just checking, well I got to go. Stay safe” He says before he hangs up.

I look at the screen and its 6:49pm. I have time to take a nap and shower before Alex shows up to pick me up. I lay in bed and drift off into a relaxing sleep.

I wake up just in time to get ready. I shower and dry my hair. I put on a black fitted blouse with lace sleeves and dark jeans. I curl my hair into beach waves and apply light makeup; going for the effortless look. I get a text from Alex saying he’ll pick me up in five minutes. Slipping into some wedges, I make my way out of my house. I notice all the lights are out in Noah’s house which means he’s already at the party. As I walk to the entrance, I notice two different guards. Arnold isn’t there like he usually is. They give me a questioning look as I reach the front. One holds his hand out indicating for me to stop.

  “No-one is allowed out at the moment” He states. The other stands in the front of the gates as to show his dominance.

  “Oh” I say innocently, “Why?”

  “Alpha’s orders” He states back emotionless.

  “Since when?”

  “Alpha’s orders” He repeats himself.

Annoyed, I walk back home. As soon as I see that I’m out their sight, I call Alex to meet me towards the back of the pack grounds. My older brother Max had shown us this secret exit route when we were younger. It’s a ten minute walk through the forest and slip past the alarms near the exit.

Not only is it difficult to walk in wedges but it’s also too dark to follow the path. I turn on my phone’s flashlight and find the alarms in place. Carefully placing on foot over a ground alarm, I slip under the barbwires and see Alex’s Jeep Wrangler. He flashes his headlights and I jog to his car.

  “Did they put you guys under curfew again?” Alex asks laughing. I roll my eyes at this.

  “Apparently” I say as I climb into the back seat. “Hey Mel”.

Melinda flashes me a grin and Alex begins to drive away. Alpha Hans must have just placed the curfew if Noah was able to leave. Usually members are able to leave pack grounds, not just ranked members but omegas too. We’re only under curfew if there was a threat of a rebellion-rogue attack or if one of the three Alphas were nearby. It must be the latter since we haven’t had a rebellion threat in over a year. All three Alphas made sure we all knew and saw that the rebellion was put out before it started.

The drive to the Ridley pack grounds is a forty minute drive. Hidden in plain sight it holds over four hundred members. This comes as no surprise as Alpha Sean and Alpha Damon Ridley are close friends. As we pull up to the driveway, we hear the loud music and bright lights peering out. The human guards let us in and we walk into a full-on party.

Hundreds of partygoers all around the grounds. Red Solo cups everywhere, music blasting making the floor shake and lots of people dancing.

Melinda turns to grin at me and we make our way to the drinks table. Dozens of drinks are lined up, anywhere from beer to soda to flavored seltzer. I decline to get a drink while Alex and Melinda each get their own drink.

We start to look around and notice Lucas and a couple other guys playing pool. I dart my eyes across and see Noah staring at us. He’s sitting by the pool with Cynthia. She has him by the arm as her head lies on his chest. He looks away and waves at Alex to come over.

“Are you guys coming?” Alex says as he starts to walk over. Melinda shrugs and follows him.

“Umm” I hesitate. “I actually have to use the bathroom. I’ll meet up with you guys in a few” I say and watch them leave. I notice that Noah’s eyes are on me now and I turn to leave. The hurt in my chest is overwhelming me as I feel his eyes watching me leave.

The Ridley grounds are incredibly beautiful. It’s not only spacious but carefully designed. I greet classmates as I make my way inside the mansion. Some of them are from school and some of them are from Dole’s class. The lights are dim and chatter is surrounding me. Walking further into the mansion, I notice Derek Ridley coming towards me. His arm around someone. He eyes me up and down and a smirk forms across his face. A cold shiver runs down my spine. The girl throws me a nasty look before crossing her arms. I realize that she is Amirah Faez. As the daughter of an alpha, she believes that she’s above everyone and anyone.

“Came to have fun Celeste?” The smirk on his face only grows bigger. I shift uncomfortably as he continues to eye me.

“Just looking for the bathroom” I say.

I try to leave but he comes closer to me. He grabs me by the waist, tightening his grip on me. Amirah sucks her teeth while he grips me harder. I feel uncomfortable having him grab me this way, feeling his disgusting fingers bruising my skin. Before I say anything, Amirah comes up next to him.

“Let’s leave Derek” she says grabbing his arm. She leans in, whispering into his ear. “I’ll show you real fun”

This distraction allows me to release myself from his grip. I sprint away and hear him chuckle behind him. As I turn a corner I bump into someone making them spill their drink. A group of people start laughing.

“I’m so so sorry” I say before I realize who it is.

He turns around and his almond brown eyes meet mine. His cheekbones rise up and a beaming smile forms across his face.

“You made it” He says

“Just got here” I smile back at him.

The people behind him start to snicker and he turns around to face them. Almost immediately they leave or quickly lose interest in us.

“I guess that’s one way of getting rid of people” I joke and he turns around to give another smile.

“Can we talk somewhere private?” He asks.

I nod as he grabs my hand and leads me into another hallway. This one leads us into the garage and rows of luxurious cars are in front of us. He closes the door behind us as I step further in to admire the rows of vehicles.

“Crazy right?” Scott says as he walks up next to me.

“I didn’t think they had this amount of money” I say before I realize what I’ve said.

To question another pack’s wealth was like questioning Alpha Sean’s authority. Which is a punishable offense. I let out a small gasp before I hear Scott laughing.

“It’s okay I won’t tell” he says laughing. “It is crazy though. Alpha Damon has a serious obsession with sports cars”

I chuckle nervously as I realize how close Scott is with the Ridleys.

He smiles as he wanders in between the cars.

“Cars aren’t really my thing you know” he tells me as he admires a Rolls Royce.

“Here I thought all boys were into cars” I tease.

“They’re nice and all but they’re just to show off” He says as he continues to walk by the cars. I’m still standing in the very same spot I am too nervous to follow him.

We’ve talked almost every day since that game but we hadn’t hung out in person. It’s as if he read my mind he walks back to where I am. He takes my hand into his. His hands are incredibly smooth, the veins in his hands run through his arm indicating how strong he is. He stares at me with a gleam of delight and a small smile. I blush at how he’s looking at me and how we’re holding hands.

“So, we’re here now.” He tells me.

“Yeah” I laugh nervously. “But I’m not supposed to be here. You know how my dad is”

“Beta Daniel is the protective dad, huh” he jokes.

“Yeah, just don’t rat me out” I playfully hit his arm and smile at him.

“I won’t tell” He leans in closer and my cheeks are burning now. “I’m glad you’re here” He whispers into my ear. His hands move to hold me by the waist and my hands move to hold him by the arms. As I look up to him, I feel his lips brush mine. Tingles run throughout my body as I move my hand to face. His left hand moves to my head and his fingers entwined in my hair. I feel his tongue move inside my mouth as I move mine into his. I feel a smile forming across his face as I do this. His body radiates immense heat as I feel how close he is. It’s not until someone loudly barges in that we suddenly stop. I pull away and hide behind Scott as I hear Michael coming in. He stops as he notices us and how awkward we must look.

“Did I interrupt something?” He says laughing. My body tenses as I hear Scott growl softly. Michael stops before he smiles.

“Relax, I’m just kidding” he says to us. “I’m looking for the keys to the gates. So you two can carry on”

Scott relaxes as he runs his fingers through his hair.

“Why? What about the entrance guards?” Scott asks

Michael shrugs his shoulders and looks into a key box by the door. “Change in shifts and the other guys haven’t shown up” he says as he rummages through the stacks of keys. Scott and I turn to give each other puzzling looks.

That’s really unheard of. Even if it’s for a minute, guards must find someone to fill in for them. Guards don’t leave their posts unattended and definitely not this late at night. Something doesn’t feel right.

“Mike, we need -“ Scott’s interrupted by loud sirens. We freeze in place as we realize these are the sirens to indicate rebel attacks. We run out of the garage and into the pack grounds. Chairs and cups are thrown all around. People are fleeing in all directions as loud growls are heard from afar. Some have begun to shift into their wolves and are now fleeing away from the growls.

“COME ON” Scott says as he grabs my hand. I grab his hand and he gives it a reassuring squeeze. Along with Michael, we run to the entrance to activate the emergency protocol. We notice that the front entrance is wide open and all the human guards were laying on the ground unconscious. Michael nods to Scott and he shifts into his wolf. A big grey and white wolf emerges in front of us and lets out massive howls. Dozens of guards come in their wolf form as Michael mind-links them. He nods at us before they all take off running to the border.

“We have to go” Scott says loudly as he pulls my hand. Before we have a chance to run, a massive wolf stands in front of us. He stares at me before he shifts his gaze to our hand holding. He lets out a massive growl and moves towards us. I instantly step back and the wolf lowers his head. I see Alex running behind.

“CELESTE! THAT’S NOAH!” He screams. The wolf in front of us nods his head. I see Melinda and Cynthia running behind. Multiple growls and whimpers are now being heard. They’re at the border now. The rebels must have gotten through the two rings of security.

“GO WITH THEM CELESTE” Scott says as he hugs me. The wolf puffs in his direction. Scott ignores this as he shifts into his wolf. He nods at me before he takes off running in the same direction as Michael. Noah huffs at me now and I follow them to the drive way. We are amongst the last to leave now.

“YOU GUYS GO AND WE’LL DRIVE BACK WITH CYNTHIA” Alex tells Noah before he climbs into his Jeep Wrangler.

Cynthia and Melinda race to get into the backseat. Alex tosses out a pair of shorts and a very naked Noah picks them up. He slides them on before pulling me into his car. He stops and sniffs around me. He lets out a low growl in my direction. He starts the car and begins to speed to our pack grounds. I hold onto my seat as Noah dodges multiple rebels now in wolf form. His eyes are black and his fingers turn red from gripping onto the steering wheel.

We pass Alex’s car as they nearly avoid another wolf. I turn my head to make sure they are okay.

“Their fine” Noah husks. He doesn’t look at me but I can see his eyes are still black. I don’t respond as I keep my eyes on the road now. As we leave the chaotic scene behind, Noah begins to slow down. I let out a sigh of relief and he turns to look at me. His eyes glaring at me, his lips tighten forming a line, and I sense that he’s mad at me.

“You know that Uncle Hans has ordered a curfew right?” I turn to stare out the window so I wouldn’t have to face him. “You’ll have to use the back entrance near my house”

“Why do you smell like Scott Washington?” He asks almost immediately.

I turn to look at him in disbelief. Seriously? We were in the middle of a rebel attack and that’s what he asks?

“What’s it to you?” I snap back.

I cross my arms in an angry manner. He has some nerve to ask me that when he has been ignoring me for the past three months. I turn around to avoid his eyes. I want to cry at how he’s been treating me but I don’t want him to see me.

He doesn’t say anything until we get to the back entrance. He pulls his car into the field before turning it off. As he takes out the key, I climb out and begin to hurriedly walk into woods. Careful not to activate the sensor, I see my house now. I can hear the twigs snapping behind me before he pulls into his arms. I turn around and we come face to face. I immediately notice the hurt flashing in his eyes.

“Celeste...” He pauses as he leans into me. I instinctively lean into him. “I’m sorry” he whispers into my ear. He holds me in his arms and I hold him back. Burying my face into his chest, I inhale his scent. He growls softly and pulls me in closer. It feels warm and comfortable to embrace like it. The usual butterflies that flutter inside my stomach are now resting and I don’t feel my legs shake.

Wait, what am I doing? I’m standing like this, holding one of my best friends boyfriend. Embraced in his arms, laying my head on his chest and taking it all in.

I pull away, taking Noah by surprise. He looks at me with immense sadness at what I had just done.

“Noah, just stop” telling him as I start to walk back home

“What? What happened?” He catches up to me, walking right next to me now. He tugs on my arm and I shrug him off.

“That back that there is what happened”

“Celeste”

“Don’t Noah” as I sprint home. He catches me before I go inside.

“We need to talk” He holds me by the shoulders and I’m forced to look at him. I can’t meet his eyes but I feel his eyes piercing my face.

“You’ve made it perfectly clear that you don’t want to talk to me” I spit out

“That’s not true” he tells me softly.

“Since January, your whole demeanor towards me has changed! You don’t think that hurt! You stopped talking to me! You’ve ignored me since! Now I’m supposed to pretend like everything is fine” I yell at him. Hot tears are streaming down my face as I realized how angry I am right now. I open the door to the house and he follows me inside.

“Celeste...”

“So what is it that you want? Huh?” I yell at him as he stands there by the entrance door.

“I-“

“Just leave...” I sigh as I wipe my tears. “Leave me alone. I’m okay now. You-“

“NO” he growls. He comes over to where I am. “I won’t ever leave you alone! Not anymore! Not now or ever! I didn’t realize how much I’ve been hurting you! I’m sorry Celeste! I’m really sorry” he takes my hand into his and brings my hand to his face.

“I-“

“I really am sorry for everything” he takes my hand and give it a small kiss. I take my hand away slowly.

“Cynthia-“

“You’re my mate” he blurts out.