The Alpha's Order

Chapter 1 Mya P.O.V “You are going to be the most beautiful girl at the party tonight” Clara says, as she puts the finishing touches in my hair for tonight. I don’t believe her, I've been told otherwise too many times, but it’s nice of her to say.  We have been holed up in my room most of the day preparing for the ball tonight. It's the night of the mating ball, where all the werewolves who are over 18 and not mated gather with their guardians, to try to find their mate. I just turned 18 this year and this will be my first mating ball. At midnight tonight the moon goddess will give her blessing to any werewolf who turned 18 in the last year and then they will be able to sense their mate.  I’m excited to go even though I don't want to find my mate, the moon goddess would never be cruel enough to give anyone decent, a mate like me. At that thought  my wolf Nina whines in my head, she doesn't agree with my view, “we need a mate, he could help make us happy too” she says, but I’m hoping that I don’t find a mate, I’m sure he would be cruel to me just like everyone else. Soon I intend to leave this pack and set off on my own, to travel a little and find somewhere I can be happy. I have never been happy here, I have a small group of people who are nice to me and who care for me, but most of the wolves here are cruel to me and won't accept me as a pack member. “Are you two ready to go yet?” we hear my father snarl from the bottom of the stairs. He hasn't had as much to drink tonight as he normally does, but he is still in a bad mood. He has hated the mating ball or anything that has to do with mates, ever since he lost my mother when I was a child. We both scurry out of the room, not wanting to agitate him any more than he already is. We get in the car and start the short drive to the pack house, where the party is being held, we pass the alpha’s house on our way there. The alpha and his family keep a separate residence from the pack house nearby for privacy, but they spend most of their time at the pack house working. They have their own separate quarters in the pack house with separate bedrooms for everyone and offices. The house rarely gets used.  After a couple minutes we arrive at the pack house, it’s a very large country style house in the middle of our territory, a lot of the wolves in our pack stay here, and there is plenty of room for entertaining. We all get out of the car, and now I am really excited, because my best friend Cassidy is inside and I love spending time with her, but we don’t get to see each other very often because my dad doesn't like Clara and I to be very far from him so I’m not aloud to go out much. Ever since we graduated in June I haven't got to see much of her, but we keep in constant contact on our cell phones of course. Cassidy is the most kind hearted, fun, and pretty girl I know she is pretty much my only friend. We walk in the front door and I texted Cas that I was here, so she is waiting right inside for me. I give her a big hug and she squeezes me back, it feels so good to see her. Clara and dad tell us that they are going to go help the alpha with preparation, and leave us. We are here early since my dad is the beta and he helps pull the event together every year.  There is almost no one else here so we decide to head into the party room and find someplace to sit and talk for a while, but as soon as we enter the room we run right into Victoria. Victoria is the alpha’s daughter, and she is one of my biggest tormentors. She sneers at me, but then she turns and says “hi” to Cas.  Everybody gets along with Cas she is just one of those people that can have a good conversation with anybody. She wasn’t part of any of the groups in the pack, probably because she hangs out with me, but she was liked by everybody, she is just so pretty, kind, and easy to talk to that no one could be mean to her. Another perk of being her best friend is that whenever I’m around her no one taunts me, because they don’t want to upset her. Victoria and Cas small talk for a minute, then Victoria leaves, intentionally bumping into me on her way out. The only other people in the room are the alpha, my dad and the omegas that are setting everything up, so we go and sit at a nearby table. We talk about everything that has been going on since graduation and catch each other up on what we missed.  She is hoping that she meets her mate tonight. She has a crush on several of the boys in the pack, so she would be happy with any of them but I think it is going to be Steven, the next beta. He has always been sweet on her and she deserves a high position in the pack. I think she would make a wonderful Luna but she doesn’t like the alpha’s son for reasons she won’t explain to me.  I don’t understand it, Xander, the alpha’s son is the hottest guy I have ever seen. We used to be really good friends in junior high but his father sent him away to a fighting school when he was 15 so he could become stronger. We kept in contact by texting and a couple phone calls, he was one of the few people that were kind to me. He came back the day before the mating ball, after he turned 18, and he came to see me the morning of… *Flashback* *My alarm went off and I woke up and jumped out of bed to get ready, I was excited this morning and I wanted to look my best. Xander had texted me the night before that he was back from his alpha training, and he wanted to see me this morning before I went to school. I hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen, startling Clara who was getting breakfast ready for my dad. “Whoa, what are you doing out of bed, and looking all bright eyed and bushy tailed, are you wearing eyeliner, honey?” I blushed and looked away from her. “ I have a friend coming over” I tell her as I reach in the fridge for a yogurt cup.  Clara makes really good food, but I don’t like eating much for breakfast, so she just cooks breakfast for dad and her since she knows I won’t eat it. She gives me a measuring look, then her face lights up as she realizes “I heard Xander was back” she says with a smile. I just look away and grab a spoon from the drawer, so she won’t see me blush. But when I look back up she has a serious look on her face and she tells me “Mya, you be careful with him” I look at her confused, I thought she liked Xander. Then she looks around and tells me in a low voice “he’s a nice enough boy, but his family is cruel”. I look at her shocked, then quickly look around, it’s against pack rules to talk bad about the alpha, and if anyone heard her she would be punished. I panic a little as I hear dad walking down the hall, we both would be punished later if dad heard. But he looks normal as he walks into the kitchen, hungover and grumpy, I tell him good morning and Clara gets him coffee, then sits down to eat with him.  My phone goes off and I rush to the window, to see Xander’s car parked out front. I look to my dad and ask him if Xander can drive me to school today, dad always drives me to school and picks me up after, so I expect his answer when he says no.  Xander comes to the door and when I open it, I get my first look at him in 3 years. My wolf purrs in my head and my mouth goes dry and I know I must look like a fool standing there gawking at him, but I’m shocked. My wolf is going crazy, we’ve had a little crush on him ever since I was old enough to like boys, he was the only boy that was ever nice to me, and talked to me, plus he has always been handsome. I know we will never be together, but the Xander standing in my doorway is making me melt into a puddle. He looks the same but everything about him is bigger and sharper. He is now a good 1 foot taller than me, my chin comes to his chest, he was a bit scrawny when he left but now he has bulging muscles, and his baby face is gone, he looks older than 18 and just so hot!  He waits a minute then says, “what no hello for your old friend” he pulls me into a hug and I can feel my face getting hot, when he pulls away and looks at me, I know I am bright red. I stammer out a “hi” and he chuckles then looks into the kitchen and says hi to my dad, and Clara comes to give him a big hug saying “look at you all grown up”.  He smiles, and tells them that we’ll just be in the backyard. He tugs me through the door and I feel a little more normal, but I just know I’m going to embarrass myself talking to him. We sit in the swing set that my dad put up for me when I was a kid. He starts talking to me excitedly telling me how good it is to be back, he talks about his time in the fighting school, Xander always loved school, but he doesn’t sound like he enjoyed his time there very much. Soon he pauses and looks at me strangely and I realize I haven’t said much, too absorbed in my thoughts about how much he has changed.  I ask him about the mating ball tonight, because of course who he will be mated to is the first thing that pops into my head. Nina growls in my head thinking about his mate, but I block her out, there is no reason for us to be jealous, he can’t be ours. Xander frowns and says “I’m not really looking forward to the party, all the she-wolfs are going to be trying to flirt with me, but they are only interested in becoming luna, it’s annoying.” He changes the subject and asks me about my life for the last three years.  Pretty soon Clara opens the patio door and hollers to me that it’s time to go. We head inside and as soon as Xander sees my dad he says “I can take Mya to school, Mr. Miller, then you can head straight to the pack house.” My dad gives him a grudging look but he can’t think of a good reason to say no so he says “Ok, but straight to school, I don’t want her to be late” Xander smiles and nods and we head to his car. We get into his car and the smell is intoxicating, he smelled good in the house but here in a small space that he spends a lot of time in it’s so much more potent, my wolf is going crazy again, and I try to calm her down. He gets in and looks over at me, then he reaches over me and grabs, then buckles my seatbelt, his touch makes my heart beat fast, “safety first” he mumbles looking a little flustered himself. We are quiet for the next couple of minutes as I try to control my wolf, and he looks deep in thought. As the school comes into view he says “I wish you could be there tonight”. I won’t turn 18 till the summer, he is almost 8 months older than I am, and no one under 18 is allowed at the party, because they can't sense their mate yet. I don't know what to say so I just give him a sad smile. Ugh I’m so awkward!  We pull up to the school and I can see Cas waiting for me out front. Her eyes widen when she sees who drove me and she comes up to the car and pulls my door open. I’m frozen, trying to think of something to say to fix my awkwardness with him all morning. Cas snaps me out of it by saying “hey guys”, then she frowns at Xander and looks at me asking “ where’s your dad, I can’t believe he let you out of his sight?” When I make no move to get out of the vehicle Cas gets tired of waiting and grabs me and starts to pull, she says something about getting to class, but I’m distracted by Xander grabbing my hand and looking at me like he doesn’t want me to go. I’m surprised and I let my guard down, I feel vulnerable but the look in his eyes makes me feel good, my wolf is purring very contentedly in my head, we have a moment of just staring at each other, then Cas tugs at me again and Xander looks like he is deciding whether or not to say something but then he just says “have a nice day at school” he lets go of my hand, and I finally turn and go with Cas, my heart beating fast, I turn to look back at him and hopefully say something normal, but he smiles at me then drives off.* I come out of my memory to Cas snapping in front of my face “hello? Are you even listening to me” I give a guilty face “sorry, I spaced out for a moment what were you saying?” She gives me an annoyed look and starts in on telling me about the time she spent with Greg, one of her many admirers, over the summer. As she speaks the doors behind her open and Steven, the next beta wonders in, he heads straight for our table.  Cas’s back is to him but I see him frown when he realizes who she is talking about. They have been friends for as long as I can remember, and he has always adored her, but she has him in the friend zone. I've asked her about him a couple of times and she just tells me she doesn’t see him that way, he is just a friend to her. Steven covers his hurt with a smile as he sits down next to her, he beams at her then asks “how are my two favorite girls today? Ready to find your mates?” his question surprises me.  Up until a year ago he barely talked to me and some of his closest friends are the wolves that are cruel to me, he rarely joined in, but I never would have described him as a friend. I still often get the feeling that he doesn’t like me and is just pretending for Cas’s sake, but for the last year he has been hanging around a lot, whenever I’m not trapped in my house. I don’t answer because Cas is talking his ear off about how excited she is for tonight. The door opens again and Xander walks in, he gives me a brief glance, then he calls Steven to come with him and they walk over towards the alpha and my parents.  Everyone is starting to show up, so Cas and I decide to head to the restroom to check our makeup. As I stand up, I can’t help it and I glance over at Xander, I catch him and Steven staring my way. Xander has a strange look on his face, but he quickly looks away. I walk behind Cas, my head spinning thinking about tonight, hoping it won’t change anything and tomorrow I will be able to continue with my plan, to leave this place. Xander P.O.V Moon Goddess she looks amazing tonight, I just want to touch her, hold her, and look into her beautiful face. With his back turned I glare at my father, I could do all that if it wasn’t for him. Steven looks over and nudges me “focus, man.” I nod, tonight is important, we’ve been planning this all year and if I screw up, the most important thing in my life is at stake.  Stephanie, one of the she-wolves in the pack, struts up to me. She hasn’t found her mate yet, even though she is of age. She flirts with me whenever she can get me cornered, I have refused her several times, but she keeps trying. She puts her hand on my arm, and leans in close, to talk to me. I would normally push her away, but my dad is nearby and I know me paying her some attention will make him happy. Stephanie is the strongest she-wolf of my age in the pack and my dad values strength, he is hoping that I will mate with her, so we can have a strong Luna, but I will do everything to stop that from happening.  The girls walk back in, and I look over at Steven to make sure he notices. He does, he walks over to them and leads them back to their table, he will keep an eye on them tonight, while I am surrounded by she-wolves and my dad is watching me. Steven asks Cas to dance and they head towards the dance floor, I really hope Cas is his mate, they would be great together. I watch Mya while, pretending to listen to Stephanie whispering in my ear. Mya is going to be so broken tonight, but I hope she can find it in herself to forgive me one day. This is what’s best for both of us. It’s 11:30 at night now and everyone is here now, almost time. Cas has been dancing all night every time she sits down another boy comes to ask her to the floor. I feel so sad for Mya, she has been all alone all night, except for the couple of times Steven has danced with her. Her step mom Clara sat with her for a while but her husband wanted her by his side and he stays in the front of the room with my dad, who Mya smartly avoids as much as she can. I've been busy too, it’s expected of me as an unmated wolf to dance with some girls, but it’s almost time now so I refuse the next one and head towards the other side of the room.  It’s getting closer to midnight and I can feel the energy in the room changing, soon it will be chaos in here. Everyone will be trying to control their wolves, who are getting excited about meeting their mates. I can feel my wolf Trevor stirring in my head, he hasn’t spoken to me much in the last year, but he can’t help his excitement for our mate. Steven comes over to check on me “you sure about this?” he asks. “It's the only way” I say, “okay” he heads over to Mya and waits for Cas to finish dancing. He is supposed to get the girls outside, so no one will see what I’m about to do.  It’s getting really close now and I’m very nervous, my wolf isn’t helping he is so excited and I try to calm him down but it isn’t working, “Trevor, you need to stay calm, if we mess up she is going to get hurt” I try to tell him but he won’t listen. Cas comes back to the table and the girls get up looking troubled but they trust Steven and they follow him. Before they reach the door however, David, Mya’s dad, stops them and after they talk for a moment, Mya follows him towards the front of the room, where my dad is. I’m freaking out a little but Steven comes over and I hope he has a plan, but he looks panicked and tells me “I’m sorry man her father wants her with him at midnight he said he wants to be the first to know who her mate is.” I hurry and try to think I have to get her far enough away from my father, or the plan is ruined. It’s one minute till midnight and everyone starts to count down. Trevor is going crazy. I can’t think I’m frozen.