The Alphas Mate

3.

Layla'h

I drive us to the training gym, we spend the 30 minute drive talking and laughing like we normally would. Teasing each other and catching up on our days yesterday. Chris asks me about finding my mate and as awkward as the conversation was I let him know that I did as he asked and kept an open mind and looked for my mate at school but didn't find them. He told me to keep looking and that training might help, these people at pack training that aren't at school. I'm still not sure that I even want to find my mate but I'm not going to tell Chris that so I agree with him on the condition that he needs to start looking for his mate too. I know over the last two years that he really hasn't tried to find them. So if he's making me do it then I think it's only fair that he does too. 

Much to Chris's approval I get us to the training gym on time. Parking in the lot, I climb out of the car just before being bowled over by Lexi. I hear the guys laugh as I hit the ground breaking Lexi's fall. She's over the top this morning even by her normal standards. 

"Morning Babes. You really for me to finally kick your ass?" She asks me while she's still laying on top of me. 

"My god, what did you do to her?" I ask Luke groaning as he comes over and pulls Lexi off me. 

"Don't worry Layla'h, she's only had 3 cups of coffee already this morning." he answers back as I climb back to my feet. straightening myself out and quickly look myself over and notice I have a graze on the side of my leg. Geez haven't even started training yet and I'm already banged up. By the time I look up I only have a second to notice Rhys charging towards me, dropping his shoulder into my stomach while he wraps his arms around my legs, picking me up over his shoulder.

"Come on short stuff, it's time for training and for once this month you are actually on time. I wonder how that happened." he laughs as we both hear an angry growl, he just carries me towards the gym ignoring it. 

"Rhys put me down!" I yell while trying to wiggle out of his hold. He just wraps his arms tighter around my legs and keeps going. 

"Alright people, trainings started partner up. Sorry ladies I already have my partner for the day." Rhys yells out to everyone as we walk into the gym, embarrassing the f**k out of me but at least he's finally put me down. I see Chris is right behind us and decide I need to get away from both of them and over to my actual partner Tony. 

"Sorry Rhys but you are going to have to partner with Chris, you both hit like girls so there should be no problems there."  I say laughing at Rhys as I duck around him and run off. I hear Chris's low warning growl behind me before he speaks.

"Tiny, get your ass back here. I'm not having you covered in bruises again."

"No can do Alpha, I've had the same training partner all year. Can't let him down now." I yell back not stopping. 

I head over to our usual spot and find Tony there waiting for me, chuckling to himself as he just watched it all play out like he normally does. I find Tony at the end of last year, before that one of the guys were always my training partner but I started to notice that they were pulling their punches so that I didn't hurt me. That's when I decided I needed to find a new partner. I found Tony he right from the start he has never pulled his punches so I get hurt a lot but that's what I like so much about it. I've improved heaps over the last 9 months. Morning training as become my favorite part of the day. It's something that I'm actually really good at. Being such a little person means I have a really little wolf too. Don't get me wrong I love Mazie to death but we have to work harder then everybody else because we are so small and that's were Tony comes in. He works me hard pretty much beating the crap out of me every time but I'm starting to get more than a few good hits in on him now too. He's the only one out of everybody close to me the noticed I needed to make up for being so little. The rest of the guys think they are always going to be around to protect me and I know that's just not possible. 

"Hey Layla'h, you weren't at training yesterday everything alright?" Tony asks me when I stop in front of him. 

"Yeah, had somethings I needed to sort out. Everything's fine though." I reply as I pull my t-shirt off and get into position. 

Tony drops it like I knew he would and we spend the next hour training. He's just knocked me to the ground again by kicking my legs out, sucking the air from my lungs when a shadow falls over me. I open my eyes trying to get my breathing under control and stare up at Chris. He has an angry look on his face and he stares down at me. 

"Tiny, you still have 30 minutes of training left and you're already covered in bruises." he grounds out between his teeth. 

"It's not really your problem anymore though is it." 

"Layla'h!" he growls at me. 

Getting to my feet I growl straight back at him. 

"Alpha!"

He moves to reach out for me but I quickly pull away, I can see some of the other's around us have stopped training and are watching us. 

"Do you really want to do this right here in the middle of training?" I ask him. I know that will get him to back off specially now that we know we're not mates. It wasn't so bad before because there was the possibility but now there's not. He does exactly that. He lets out a growl before turning and walking off. 

"You wanted to talk about that Layla'h?" Tony speaks up from behind me. I shake my head and get back into position thinking he will drop it like normal. Only this time he doesn't.

"I know you turned 18 on Sunday." he sends me though mind link as he starts to circle me. 

"I've heard the gossip around the pack and I've seen you two with my own eyes" he continues just as he lunges for me. I manage to dodge him and send an elbow to his stomach for his troubles. Not that it has much effect on him.

"I see neither of you have a mark today" circles some more "So I'm picking you're not mates" he says just as he comes at me with a left jab that I dodge around but he swipes my feet and hits me with a right jab to the solar plex. Knocking the wind out of me again as my back hits the ground.

I throw an arm over my eyes as I start to tear up not wanting anyone to see. I'm not crying because the hit hurt I'm crying because it hurts that Chris isn't my mate and Tony voiced the problem out loud even if it was only in our heads.

"No Tony, we're not" I finally say back to him without looking at him or moving from my spot on the ground. "I really wish he was though" I whisper to Tony through the mind link, admitting everything out loud for the first time since it happened. 

"It's alright pup, everything happens for a reason. The moon goddess has a plan for all of us and there is nothing wrong with being chosen mates." Tony continues as he sits down next to me and starts stretching. 

"He doesn't want to be chosen mates though. He wants me to go off and find my fated mate." 

"As he should. He's the Alpha of this pack. He understands how important your fated mate is. Doesn't mean he doesn't still love you and it doesn't mean that you can't decided together to be chosen mates. He might just be giving you the time to find your mate."

"I don't know that I want to." I let him know. 

"I'm on boarder patrol today if you want to talk more. Luck good Layla'h" he says and I hear him get up and walk away. Training must be finish, I can hear all the voice around me move away towards the door but I don't move from my position on the floor, I just let my tears slow dip down the sides of my face. 

I hear someone walk towards me and I know it's Chris before he even says anything to me. I can tell by his scent that envelops me. 

"Baby, what's going on?" he asks out loud as he lays down beside me. 

I don't answer him. I don't want him to know that I'm crying again and I know he will be able to tell the second I open my mouth, so I continue to just lie there with my arm over my eyes.

"Tiny come on, talk to me please. Are you alright? I saw that last hit you took and you haven't gotten up since" he tries again before pulling my arm away from my face. I don't open my eyes as my tears continue to roll down my face, I don't want to see the sadness in his as he looks down at me. 

"Baby why are you crying?" Chris says into my hair as he scoops me up off the floor and into his arms. All I can do is press my face into his naked chest as I wait for my tears to stop. 

Chris

I watched as Layla'h takes a massive hit to the solar plex before hitting the ground. It looked like her and Tony were talking through mind link while they are sparing. I wanted to kill Tony for hitting her that hard but I kept myself in check because as much as I hate it she's not my mate and I know she loves sparring with him. But I get more and more frustrated as she continues to lay on the ground without moving. Tony's sitting next to her now and it still looks like he's talking to her so I know she's at least hasn't been knocked out. She has an arm thrown over her face and she's breathing heavily. I keep myself where I am waiting as Luke calls an end to training and everyone starts to leave. Tony looks over to me before getting off the ground and making his way to the door. He nods once to me before he leaves. Still I wait a couple more minutes to see if she's going to get up but as the last person leaves the gym she's still lying on the ground. I try getting her to talk to me and when that doesn't work I pull her arm away from her face so I can look at her. The second is see the tears rolling down her face I know exactly what her and Tony were talking about. I scoop her up and we sit on the floor in the gym in silence as she cries waiting for her tears to run out. She eventually falls asleep and I know she's not going to school today. 

I climb to my feet still holding Layla'h and make my way across the gym to pick up my phone. I call Lexi.

"Hey Lex, she won't be a school today."

"What happened now? she was fine at training."

"I found her laying on the floor of the gym crying, I think she was talking to Tony about it."

"Damn! I thought she was going to be okay today." 

"I know Lex, I know. Can you send Luke or Rhys back to drive us back to her place. She's passed out again."

"Do you want me to come and stay with her?"

"Nah Lexi, I'll do it. You need to go to school"

"Do you think that's a good idea? maybe you being so close is half the problem?"

Sighing because I know Lexi's right. I probably am half the problem but I just can't bring myself to leave her like this. 

"I can't leave her Lex, you know I can't."

"I know but you might need to make up your mind Chris. You either leave her or you pick her as your chosen mate. I'm worried you're going to break her if you guys keep going the way you have and I don't know that we will be able to fix her if you do break her. Look Rhys is on his way back. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'm worried that no matter which option I choose I'm going to break her anyway. I just can't do it today Lex. It's only been two days and she spent the first passed out after crying herself to sleep, then the next she went to school but went straight home and turned her phone off and ignored everybody to the point I got worried about her and went to check on her last night and now this. I just can't, not today."

Hanging up I walk outside to wait for Rhys. I know Lexi's right, after everything else Layla'h has been through this could possible break her and if it does I can't be there to comfort her and put her back together. I would take her as my chosen mate in a heart beat but I'm trying to give her time to find her actual mate first. I don't want her to miss out on that bond ever if it's not with me. 

Rhys pulls up just as I spot Xavier heading towards me. I give him a head nod before getting in the car. I keep Layla'h in my arms as Rhys pulls out of the lot heading to Layla'hs house. We don't say a word the whole way there. Rhys pulls into Layla'hs driveway and I climb out without saying anything to him. I head straight to Layla'hs room, laying her down in bed before climbing in behind her. I've just gotten settled and start to close my eyes when my phone rings, I answer without checking the caller ID

"Hello?"

"Chris it's Xavier, I know you have your hand full, was just seeing if you were gonna be around today?"

"Hey man, nah I'm not sorry. Luke can help you with anything you need"

"Same problem as the other day?"

"Yeah, I think it's going to be a long week."

"I feel ya. Look we're head out about lunch time. I might stop in on our way home and see how you're going but you know where to find me if you need anything"

"Thanks man. Good luck with finding the pup."

Hanging up, I put my phone on the nightstand before pulling Layla'h in closer to me. I lay there brushing my hands through her hair for a while think about what I can do to make this better for her. Eventually I close my eyes and try to get some more sleep I don't know how long she's going to be asleep for.

Layla'h

I wake slowly I can hear Chris's heart beat and the feel of his rock hard chest beneath my cheek. His arms are wrapped around my back and his steady breaths fan across the top of my head, so I know he's asleep. I'm not sure what the time is but I need to pee. I slowly and quietly peel Chris's arms from around me and climb off the bed. I head to the bathroom closing the door quietly behind me. I take care of business before looking in the mirror. My god. I look like a mess. I wash my face and retie my hair than walk back into my room. Chris is still fast asleep. I decide to leave him there, digging through my drawers I find an over sized hoodie which I think belonged to Chris and pull it on and pick up my phone as I leave the room. I make myself a coffee before walking out my backdoor to sit on the porch and look out to the forest behind my house. It was one of my favorite parts of the house. I love being close to the forest even though I don't shift. I haven't shifted for at least 6 months. Last time I did, it hurt so much. Mazie said we wouldn't shift again until we're strong enough. I'm not sure why we have so much trouble with it were everybody else does it with ease. But Mazie picked this house because of the forest and she makes us sit in it from time to time for hours on end. I think it's her way of being close to her form without being in her form. 

Mazie's been with me since I was 10 even though we didn't shift for the first time until I was 15, she's always been there. She talks to me about random crap most of the times but every now and than she helps me make discussions about our life and what we should be doing. I decide it's probably about time I ask Mazie what she thinks. It's been almost 3 days since my birthday and I love Chris but it's not getting any easier being here, I keep crying and that's not who I want to be. I don't want to go back to the way I was when my parents died. 

"Mazie. What do you think we should do?" I watch as her head pops up from her paws and she c***s her head to one side like she's thinking. 

"I don't think our mate is here Layla'h"

"That's not really that helpful Maz. What are we going to do about the rest of our life?"

"I don't know."

Man even she's not helpful today as she sticks her head back between her paws and closes her eyes. Leaving me to think by myself. Maybe I should go to Collage. Mazie said she doesn't think our mate is here and Chris wants me to spend at least a couple of years trying to find my mate before he will consider being chosen mates so maybe it is time to leave here. I'm lost in thought when Chris walks out. 

"Hey Baby, you okay?" 

He asks scooping me up in his arms before he sits down in the chair I was just in. 

"mmmh" I reply as I snuggle into his chest. He's still shirtless wearing only a pair of grey sweat pants. So all of his muscles are on display. I lightly run the tips of my fingers down his chest and across each bump and dip of his abs. I can feel the muscles contracting beneath my hands before Chris grabs my fingers bringing them to his mouth and placing a kiss to the tips. 

"You want to tell me what happened this morning?"

He asks pulling me out of my thoughts. Do I want to admit that it hurts he's not my mate, that it's going to hurt even more when everyone finds out. That I think I like the idea of being chosen mates rather than finding my actual mate. That I'm not sure if I can live without him. Nope I don't think I want to tell him all that. So instead of answering I just shake my head and go back to staring at the trees. We both sit in silence lost in our own thoughts before I finally break it. 

"Mazie thinks our mate isn't here."

"Well it's always a long shot to find your mate in the pack. I haven't found mine here either and it's been two years"

We laps into silence again. Chris sort of confirmed what Mazie said which leads me back to thinking about going to collage after graduation. Maybe if I live on campus I will have more chance of finding my mate because I would be meeting and seeing more people. 

"How are you thinking about finding your mate?" Chris asks while he plays with a piece of my hair.

"I was just thinking maybe I should go to collage after graduation and live on campus." I feel Chris tense up beneath me and feel the rumble in his chest, like he's not happy about my answer. I'm not sure why, he's the one that said I need to go find my mate. 

"6 months" I think I hear him whisper against my head.

"What do you think about dating?" he suddenly says out of nowhere.

"Dating who?" I ask confused about where he's going with this, I thought we were talking about finding our mates, not dating people. Maybe he's going to try dating and what's my opinion on it, not that I have one. I've never dated anybody be for. 

"Me"

I turn to face him searching is eyes for what he's meaning. c*****g my head to the side I ask.

"What do you mean?"

"Tiny, I love you and I know you love me too and we both think our mates aren't here in the pack and Collage is 6 months away for you, so why don't we date, in public as a real couple. Being chosen mates is always an option for us. We are currently friends but not friends at the same time and I think that hurting both of us more then if we stopped being friends or with we actually got together as a real couple and I don't think I could stop being your friend."

I mull over what he's said. He's right I'm not sure I could live without Chris being in my life and I do love him I have for the last couple of years. I don't see the problem with being chosen mates which is why the last couple of days have been so hard with Chris pushing me to find my fated mate. 

"How would it work, what happens if one of us finds our mate?"

"We can still choose Layla'h whether we want to be with our mate or each other. You could still go to collage but this way if you don't find your mate we're already together and we already know if we work well together for we come chosen mates. Remember not everyone finds their mates, less than a quarter of us find our mates. So it's not like we would be doing anything that nobody else has done." 

"Can I think about it for a little while?"

"Of course you can Baby" he places a soft kiss to my forehead and cuddles me tighter to his chest. 

We spend the rest of the night together in mostly comfortable silence. Chris does a couple of work things on his phone while I catch up on my homework. He goes out for a couple of hours to let Max go for a run and I take the time that he's away to talk to Mazie about Chris's idea. 

"What do you think Mazie?"

"Well he's not wrong Layla'h. It is hard to find our mate and like I said earlier I don't think they are here. Max is pretty cute so that doesn't hurt."

"So you agree with the idea then?"

"I'm not against it."

"Mazie! how hard is a yes or no answer."

"Girl I'm just telling you what I think"

Why do I even bother I think to myself. 

"You know we share the same brain I can hear your thoughts." Mazie smirks at me. 

Damn her. I have a shower, washing my hair while I think over everything. The more I think about it, the less problems I see. It means we get what we both wanted while still technically looking for our fated mates and if in a couple years time we haven't found them, then we know for sure that we work well together and we can choose to be together. I get to keep Chris in my life the way I want to. I dry myself off, blow drying my hair before I get dressed in one of Chris's t-shirts and a pair of underwear then crawl into bed. I've just curled up ready to go to sleep when Chris walks in, because of my werewolf height senses I can see him perfectly even though its dark in the room. I follow him with my eyes as he comes over to the bed, bends down and kisses my forehead. 

"I'm just going to have a quick shower."

He lets me know before he turns and heads to the bathroom. Mmmh I could get use to this. Chris isn't normally here when I go to bed. When he does sleep with me normally he shows up in the middle of the night while I'm already a sleep so this is different. I've already made up my mind but I'm not going to tell him until tomorrow. I close my eyes as I listen to the shower running. I hear it turn off and a couple of minutes go by before I hear Chris's soft foot steps padding across the bedroom floor before I feel the bed dip beside me. Chris's arms curl around me pulling me into his chest as he buries his nose into my neck. 

"Night Baby" he whispers sweetly while dropping soft kisses along my neck.

I wake before Chris the next morning so it gives me a chance to study him. I lightly trace my finger tip over his eyelids, down the bridge of his straight nose and across the 5 o'clock shadow along his jaw to his full bottom lip. His teeth close around my finger pulling it into his mouth catching it as I traced over his lips. I didn't even realize he was awake. His tongue plays with my finger for a few seconds while his eyes are closed before he lets it go. Opening his eyes to look at me. 

"Morning Tiny" he says while rubbing his nose against mine. I close my eyes and enjoy the feel of him. This isn't the first time he's done this but it's the first time I've really let myself enjoy it. I've made up my mind I just have to let Chris.

"Yes" I whisper to him. 

"Mmmh?"

"Yes, I will be your girlfriend."

He pulls away from me enough to look in my eyes. 

"Really?" I nod my head in answer to his question. 

"Baby, you have just made me the happiest man in the world." he declares with a wide smile on his face before gripping the back of my neck in one hand and pulling my face to his to kiss me full on the mouth. His lips gently push against mine before his tongue comes out and runs along my bottom lip seeking access so I part my lips to let him in. We kiss passionately, our tongues fighting for dominance. Chris rolls us until I'm tucked under him, his body fully covering mine and he lets his hands roam down my sides. He moves his mouth from mine trailing kisses down my jaw and neck. That's when I remember we've got training to get to. I've already missed a day this week, I don't need to be missing another. 

"This doesn't mean I'm going to train with you though Alpha." I say with a smirk to be a smartass. 

He nips the side of my neck making me squeal before his licks the same spot gently to ease the pain. 

"Mmmh, but it does mean I can kiss you in the middle of training and you can't complain" He shoots back, going straight back to what he was doing. His hands have found the bottom of my t-shirt and are now pushing it up my body. 

"It means I can stare at you all I want while you're naked too." he continues as he pulls back enough to push my t-shirt off over my head.

"It means I can hold your hand whenever I want" his hand run up my arms pushing the t-shirt along until he gets to my hands holding them above my head in both of his as he moves his mouth down my neck and across my chest, nipping at the swell of my t**s. He pushes a knee between my legs to part them and let him settle between them, my legs automatically wrapping around his waist. 

"It means I can have your legs wrapped around me whenever I won't" he says as he move further down my body down the valley between my t**s before rubbing the side of his face against the soft skin of my belly. 

"And it means I can rub myself all over you to my hearts content" little kisses, nips and licks trail from one hip to the other. 

"And it means I can finally make you c*m and listen to you moan beneath me" he breath against my cover p***y before rubbing his nose along me and nipping me c**t through my panties.