Alpha Loves Alpha

Chapter 11:

Alpha:

“Sorry I’m late. I had a few things to attend to,” I said, expecting Xavier to chew me out, but he just nodded and took a seat in the car.

“I’ll take your bags, Luna Alpha,” a man said, reaching for my suitcase.

“Thank you. You can just call me Alpha.” I heard Xavier clearing his throat. I did promise to be his Placeholder Luna while I was in his territory. “For now, but when we arrive to The Fire Pack Land, you can call me Luna Alpha,” I added.

“Yes, Alpha. I am Riley, Xavier’s head guard on this journey. If you need anything feel free to let me know.”

I nodded. “Thank you, Riley.”

“Looks like we’re seat buddies. Do you want to sit in the middle or by the window,” Strauss asked.

I tried to look at Xavier’s face to see his expression, but he wasn’t facing me. His muscles appeared strained. “I’ll sit in the middle.” My words seemed to relax him.

“After you.” Strauss gestured to the van.

I climbed in the vehicle and noticed a guard in the passenger seat. There was another one in the row behind us, along with Edgar and a young boy who appeared to be in his mid teens.

“Who’s the kid,” I asked Xavier through the mind-link.

“He’s my informant.” I thought he was joking, but he didn’t bat an eye.

I was surprised. I had expected a different source. He was practically a child. How much information could he know?

“Is everyone settled,” Riley asked before taking his seat behind the wheel. Strauss followed suit and sat next to me before closing the door.

The ride was mostly silent. Xavier seemed to be doing paperwork of some kind, while to my right Strauss was watching videos on his phone. I didn’t think to bring headphones to listen to music.

I leaned towards Xavier. “How long is the trip going to be?”

“Six hours,” he answered without looking up.

My mouth gaped. Six hours? I see why he wanted to leave as soon as possible. I sighed. I guess I’ll just plan out the celebration I planned to have for winning top pack. I wanted everyone in my pack to be a part of it. I debated introducing Xavier as my mate, but decided against it. There is no point in introducing him if I end up rejecting him later.

“Hey, Alpha.” I glanced over at Strauss. “Want to watch funny videos with me?” He held up his right earbud towards me.

“Yes, please.” I grabbed it and placed it in my ear. “I didn’t think the journey would take that long. It’s only four hours to my territory.”

“Is there anything you’d like to watch?”

“Anything is fine with me.”

“Have you seen this one?”

I looked at the title; Funny Cats #12. I glanced up at Strauss and snickered.

His eyes widened with confusion. “The video hasn’t started yet. Why are you laughing?”

“You’re watching videos of cats. As a wolf, isn’t that ironic?”

He gave me a slight pout. “No. They’re so cute and look how fluffy they are.” He gestured to the screen.

“Aw, Strauss. You’re so cute!” I ruffled his dreads. “We can watch fluffy cat videos.”

“You’re going to love this one! There’s a cucumber and the cat-,” he chuckled, “Just watch.”

Strauss just pressed play when I heard Xavier in my head. “I don’t think a Luna should be so close to my Beta.”

I snorted. “As your second in command, shouldn’t we be friends?” This man hadn’t even marked me yet, and he was already jealous by the smallest things.

“Friends, yes. But you look too intimate hunched over his phone together. Some might think you would prefer him over me.”

Strauss let out a loud laugh. “Did you see that? He jumped at least five feet in the air,” he exclaimed as his eyes stayed glued to the screen.

“Maybe I do.” I glanced over to see the scowl on his face. I loved teasing him. He was always so stoic, unless he was making fun of me. It was nice to see real emotions on his face. I let out a small giggle. “Calm down. I want to get along with your pack members. If I become your Luna, then I will be working closely with them.”

He nodded, acknowledging my statement, then continued sifting through paperwork.

“Excuse me, Alpha Alpha.” I turned around to spot the boy sitting next to Edgar. “Aren’t you mates with Alpha Xavier?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Then shouldn’t you be cuddling with him? Or are you and Strauss having an affair?”

I bit my lip trying not to laugh at the obviously, naive young wolf. My efforts failed and a chuckle escaped between my lips.

Strauss turned towards us. “I’m not your type Alpha? That hurts me deeply.” He held his chest where his heart was, and rubbed the area like he was trying to heal it. His actions caused my laughter to continue.

The young wolf gasped. “Alpha Xavier, Aren’t you concerned?”

Xavier sighed and turned to us with a slightly annoyed expression. “Zarik, the mate bond is hard to break. Unless officially rejected, there will always be a pull between mates.”

“Then Alpha Alpha will be your Luna no matter what?”

“Only if we accept each other.”

“Don’t you know about the mate bond,” I asked. It was something all wolves learned at a young age.

I was raised being taught that once you found your mate, you would feel a pull to them. They would always be on your mind and you would want to be near them always.

I didn’t realize that that was what I was feeling for Xavier at the time. His annoying comments and mocking made me want to distance from him. I was so focused on my relationship with Tallia, that it never occurred to me that I could feel something for someone else. I never thought I would find my mate, considering I never actively looked for one.

I could feel myself warming up to Xavier, but a part of me felt him withdraw. Yes, he was jealous as usual, but he didn’t seem like he was trying to engage with me. Maybe he didn’t want to try bonding with me at all.

The idea of him pulling away made me sad, but I couldn’t blame him. His ego was still bruised from losing our duel, and me threatening to reject him twice probably didn’t help.

As an Alpha it was part of my duty to find a mate. My father had told me this countless times. It was difficult for my parents to create an heir to continue our bloodline. I knew they had the same concern for me. I had to give Xavier a chance. I didn’t want to admit it, but I needed him.

“No one ever told me about the mate bond,” Zarik said.

I gave him a puzzled look. “I thought all packs taught their pups about that. It’s part of our nature to mate.”

Zarik looked down. “I’m not from a pack...” This young teenager, wasn’t part of a pack? He reminded me of Zara. He was probably alone, just like she was.

Then the realization hit me. Rogues probably didn’t teach their pups about the mate bond, because then they would go looking for them. They thought it would make them weaker to rely on another wolf, because in the Rouge Lands, you can’t trust anyone.

“I’m sorry, Zarik. I didn’t know. If you’d like to learn more about pack life feel free to ask at anytime. I just let a young she-wolf join my pack. I have room if you’re interested.”

“Trying to take my new pack member, Alpha Alpha,” Xavier asked.

“New pack member?” I was surprised the Xavier was willing to take a rogue in. He didn’t seem like the type to trust outsiders. Maybe he had a soft side I didn’t know about.

“Yes. So unless you’d like me to do the same with your rogue, leave him alone.” I could see how serious Xavier was. Maybe it had to do with the information Zarik possessed.

The rest of the ride consisted of Strauss and me watching cat video. I had to admit, they were adorable.

Xavier continued his work in silence. I could see how intense he studied his notes. I wanted to ask him what he was looking at, but didn’t want to break his focus.

Two hours in Riley announced that we were stopping to stretch our legs. I glanced around. The forest seemed empty. I couldn’t even hear small creatures scurrying around.

“Why is it so quiet? Are there no animals in this area,” I asked. I found it odd that a place with lush greenery was so empty.

“We’re on the edge of Rough Land. Many animals tend to stay away from the wolves out here. It’s more common for the animals to be hunted for food,” Riley answered. After a small silence he added, “We’ll be traveling in the Rough Lands the rest of the journey. I suggest keeping your instincts alert.”

When we all climbed back into the vehicle I kept my ears aware of my surroundings and glanced around every few minutes. An hour in and everything stayed uneventful.

We were surrounded by trees with a small path for the vehicle to travel through, but I noticed the path getting wider till a small clearing opened.

Again I could hear nothing but silence. The grassy meadow held no creatures. I expected to hear something roaming about. I didn’t hear anything until the clearing ended and we entered the woods once again. The sound of a heartbeat pounded through the air, but no sounds could be heard to suggest what type of animal it belonged to.

We continued traveling through the forest as the sound got louder. I could feel the tension in the air. Everyone was aware of the sound and looking for any indication that trouble was ahead.

Then a man appeared in the center of the path. He looked a little ragged. His long hair was tied back in a messy ponytail and he had a slight stubble covering his face. His long black trench coat looked faded. It had a patch stitched to the shoulder that I couldn’t read from my angle.

 The man had an intense look in his eyes like he was thinking of something sinister. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up straight. Whatever he was planning was not going to be pleasant for us.