His to Have

Chapter 4

I woke up, angsty, tired and not ready for the day ahead.  Something felt off.  I had barely slept, waking up at around midnight, in a cold sweat, a feeling of complete dread filling me.  

Brushing my hair, I wondered if I’d see him again.  I wondered what he was doing right then.

“No!”  I said out loud, trying to erase the picture of Adam Vance that felt like it was burned into my brain.  He was a sight to behold.  While his eyes looked like they barely had a care in the world, his shoulders looked like it bore the weight of it.  So did his temperament.  The guy acted as if he was waiting for us all to catch up to him.

The thought of him sent a shiver down my spine, the good kind that settled in your tummy and spread a grin across your face.

I quickly got ready for the day with him in mind.  A stupid grin on my face, I slipped on a lower than usual cut top, adjusting my boobs so they looked like identical twins.  I covered my face with my hands, feeling stupid, “Come on.  Adam Vance, Madeline!  No!” and shook  my head.  Yet, there I was, applying lip gloss and mascara with more blush than usual.

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“In and out.  Just check if she’s there, OK and then come right back.”  Adam’s instructions played over in my head.  I sat in the car, waiting for the damn place to open.  I was tired as f**k.  Thank the Gods I had no mate or responsibilities besides Beta duties to worry about while I did the bidding of my future Alpha.

I didn’t resent my position in the pack.  I didn’t love it either.  I always felt that there was more out there, but this was where I was supposed to be.  My Dad, the current Beta made it clear.  We were part of a bigger picture and the Vance Alphas needed us.  We were there to serve.  While I didn’t resent Adam, his family or his rank, I felt restless.

Deep in thought, I barely noticed the wave of auburn hair flash by me and into the bar. “s**t!”  I hissed.  Grabbing my wallet and phone, I managed to exit the truck without falling over my feet. The scent she left behind was intoxicating.  Home.  It felt right.  She was definitely destined to be a part of the pack.  Adam fought it at first, but he knew it and so did the rest of us when she walked into the bar.  It was as if you’d come home after ages away and the comfort of being where you belonged hit you right in the heart.

I walked into the bar, my eyes scanning the floor.  Aha!  There she was, filling salt and pepper shakers, looking bored as f**k.  I stifled the laugh that threatened to come out and instead took a deep breath.  It was vanilla and cranberry.  She smelled like Christmas if I couldn’t break it down any further.

“You alone?”  there she was, in front of me.  She looked less than impressed.

“Uh, yeah.”  She would make a great Luna.  Her authority was already evident in the fragile human form she was confined to.  I imagined if she were a wolf, she would be magnificent and probably brightly coloured.  Her green eyes stared me down, as if waiting for something.

“I’ll just seat myself then.”  Clearly she was not down for bullshit this morning.  Maybe she was irritated it was me and not Adam.  The bond was building for sure.  I didn’t like the idea of Alpha Vance trying to sever the tie.  It wasn’t natural to do that.  This was our future Luna, no matter what anyone said.

“Good.” she said, handing me a menu.

“Great.”  I said back, knowing that that type of response would never fly in the pack.  Enjoy it while you can, I thought to myself.

Sitting in the far corner of the bar, I could still smell Adam’s scent from the day before.  I eyed the menu, nothing appealing to me.  f**k, I had to order something otherwise this would start looking suspicious.  Everyone knew the food was sub-par and frankly, I was tired as hell from the patrol.

We never encountered anyone like many of the young warriors had hoped, their thirst for a fight evident as they strolled the border.  Adam had ventured slightly out of pack lines and chosen to mark the territory.  He also needed the solitude.  Everyone had been grating him the wrong way this morning. At some point he nearly tore into one of the warriors for being still for too long.  I thanked the gods when he chose to leave us to our duties.  He was jonesing for her.  We all knew it, me more than the others.  I was born to know what my Alpha needed before the pack and I was going to help him get it.

“Ready?”  she had a smile plastered on her face.  I knew she wasn’t inclined to be very welcoming with our group, but something was off.

“Uh, yeah.  Coffee.  Black. Also, the egg-white omelette with steamed spinach please.”

She nodded and grabbed my menu off the table, her pony tail whipping behind her.  It waved her scent all over the damn place.  I tried to imagine what it smelled like to Adam.  It must have driven him insane.  I knew it gave me a sense of calm.  A sense of content.

She was back within minutes with my coffee.  She looked at me oddly, as if wanting to say something.  Gods, I hoped she would make this easy.  My job was to spend some time here.  Make sure she was OK and head home to feedback to Adam, once his ass was awake.  I knew he was exhausted.  The pressure on him was insane.  His Dad had no sympathy left for him.  He was born to lead and that was it.  His duty was to the pack.  Done.  Alpha had let him to go to college.  Mainly, it was to ensure no suspicions were raised.  Our Luna had always tried to get us to integrate into town life.  More so to allow us human experiences than just the pretence.

“Thanks.”  I tried smiling.  Her cheeks flushed.  I barely remembered her from school.  I wish now, that I knew her a bit better.  It would have helped this situation more.

“Breakfast won’t be long.”  she smiled slightly, her cheeks still red.

“Thanks.”  I said again.  Smooth.  I thought.  Just as I began to dwell on what a dolt this woman turned us all into, my phone rang.  Adam.

“Adam.”  I said, trying to sound as alert and subservient as possible.

“She there?”  he sounded like s**t.

“Yeah.  She is.”

“Good.  She alone?”

“Barista and day manager is here.”

“Good. You can come back now.”

“I just ordered.”

“So?”

“It looks weird when we keep ordering and walking out.”  This was true.  This woman must have thought we’re the weirdest bunch of guys.

“Fine.  Eat. Leave.”  He seemed pissed.

“Yes, Alpha.”  I said.

“Don’t forget to tip her.”  I tried not to smile.  Adam was a good guy.  He was just highly strung and bound by duty.  I worried for him more than anything.  He would lay his life down for the pack in spite of his own needs.

“Yes, Alpha.”  s**t.  She stood in front of me, my breakfast in one hand and a confused look on her face.

“Sorry.”  I said hanging up. “That for me?”

“Uh, yeah.”  she placed the food down in front of me and then did something completely out of her character that I'd come to know the last few weeks.  She sat down at the table.

I said nothing.  She said nothing, but she did stare at me, as if trying to figure something out and then there it was, “Alpha?”  she asked.

I swallowed hard.  What the f**k, Liam?

“Who on earth were you speaking to that wants to be called Alpha?”

I managed a small smile, “Adam.  Its an inside joke.”

She rolled her eyes, “Sure.  What’s his deal anyway?”

“Adam?”

“Yes, Alpha Adam.” She said with another eye roll.  Oh, honey, if only you knew, I thought.  She’d one day willingly call him that when she became a part of the pack.

I tried not to laugh, but smiled, my eyes slightly downcast, remembering who she would be to me soon, “He’s just, well, he’s Adam.”

“Is he playing at something with me?”

“No.”

“You guys don’t have some weird bet going on do you?”  She seemed genuinely concerned.  The mate bond was definitely getting stronger.  She wanted him, for sure.

“Why would we?”

“Make fun of the locals perhaps?”

I felt slightly offended.  Clearly we didn’t integrate as well as our Luna wanted, “We’re local too.”

“Hmmm.  You guys are a good few miles out of town.”  People knew we were far out, but not exactly where.  The pack house was directly behind the Alpha’s, but miles out and so were the remaining houses.  It was a reservation of sorts.  We’d be better off.  We had our own laws and those laws protected the humans more than they knew.

“Yeah, but we’re townies, regardless.”

“What does he want from me ?”

“I don’t know.  He’s a good guy though.”  He was.  I’d never seen him with a human female though.  He acknowledged them for sure, but he knew they weren’t a part of our world.  She would need someone to guide her through this.  The were women would most likely not take to her.  Adam was a catch and the fact that he didn’t meet his mate in the pack would piss them off.  They would never dare voice it, but they’d show it.

“ Uh-huh.  Why doesn’t he just say what it is he wants from me?”

I didn’t know what to say, “He’s shy?”  It came out like a question instead of the statement I intended it to be.

Her green eyes bore into me.  I didn’t know how much more of this I could take.  I started eating; hopefully she’d stop talking.

She pushed herself up from the table, her arms pushing her breasts together. f**k!  Adam would have one of my f*****g eyes for that.

There was no denying she had a good body.  She looked a bit different today.  It was small things though.  The low cut T-shirt.  Some lipgloss.  She was expecting him.  This was good.

I ate the mediocre breakfast as quickly as I could, wanting to get back to the pack house and to tell Adam some of the deductions I’d made.

Somehow I had a feeling these two weren’t going to just fall into the roles they had to with one another.  I needed to give them the nudge they deserved.

After barely managing the bland breakfast, I got the cheque and bid my future Luna farewell, but when I got to my truck and saw the flyer on the windscreen, I knew I had to go back in.

“What?  Come back for these ridiculous tips you guys seem to leave?”  She smirked.  The tips were ridiculous.  I left her more than triple the cheque.

“Uh, no.  This.”  I said, putting the flyer down in front of her on the bar counter.

She examined it and looked up at me, “Twin Pines Pond bonfire. Classes ‘13 through ‘16 welcome.”

“Wanna go?”

“With you?”

Shit.  No.  “Uh, no.  Of course not.  With us.”

“Weird.  No thanks.”  She really didn’t trust us.  I couldn’t blame her.

“OK.  Meet you there?  It’s this Friday.  Be there.”

She rolled her eyes again.  I didn’t give her time to respond and headed back out.  Adam could thank me later.  I had just set the wheels in motion.

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I was sitting on the packhouse porch steps.  My hands entangled in my hair, patiently waiting for Liam to return.  I hated that he got to see her.  I should have gone, but I had to make sure the guys got rest, were fed and keep their spirits up.  I had come back from a run to try and shake the feelings of complete frustration consuming me.  I trusted Liam, but I still didn’t like him alone with Madeline.

He pulled up to the packhouse, her smell faintly surrounding him.  I stood up on the step as he approached, a good head taller than him.

“You’re seeing her on Friday night.”

“What?”  I didn’t need him setting me up on dates.

“The high school alums are having a get together at Twin Pines Pond.  I told her we’d be there.”  He looked proud of himself.  I tried not to smile.

“OK.  Are we picking her up?”

“Uh, no.  I told her to meet us there.”

“OK.”  I tried to hide the excitement in my response.

I could see Liam calling bullshit.  “Hopefully we won’t be there too long.  We might have patrol.”

“Nah, my Dad and his guys are on for Friday.”

I wondered how it would go.  I needed to let Dad know what I was thinking.

“Done.  Tell the guys who graduated about the party and get the Omegas to get a couple of kegs.”

I hated human high school; it was full of hormonal boys in a pissing contest.  I steered away from most of the social things that I could avoid, especially the girls.  Sure, I looked at them, but knew it couldn’t go anywhere, so what was the point?

“Yes, Alpha.”  Adam said moving past me, into the house.

“Liam.”  I said, my back still to him, “Thanks.”

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I knocked on my Dad’s office door in the main house.  He bellowed his usual “Come in!” .

“Dad, uh, I mean, Alpha.”

He was sitting behind his desk, a map of the territory open in front of him.  Delta Jude was opposite him, seated in one of the guest chairs.

“I’d like to talk to you about what we spoke of the other day.”

Delta Jude took this as a hint to make himself scarce.  I nodded at him in thanks as he passed me.

“Have a seat.”  my Dad said, still not looking up.

“Thanks.”

When he heard the door close, he sat up straight, looking at me with his gaze searing through me.  He seemed annoyed.  Not stressed like yesterday.  Good.

“I’m seeing my mate on Friday night.”

“You’re going to tell her?”

“I’m going to try, Sir.”

“Adam.  We don’t have time for you to woo this girl.  Get it done.”

“Dad, I will.  I just want to be sure she’ll be able to handle the truth.”

“Fine.  You’ve got until month end.  That leaves you with two months to complete all rituals and take your places as Alpha and Luna by year end.”  He was always so final.

“Yes, Alpha.”

He said nothing else and I knew it was my cue to leave.

My mother was in the hallway when I came out.  She smiled at me, almost sympathetically.

“Hey Mom.”

“How are things?  I feel like I only see you when you’re here for pack business.”  she wrapped me in her arms, well as much of me as she could.  Mom was petite, but she had an air of authority about her that stood out.  She came from a long line of Luna’s and it was evident.  She was graceful, but ruthless when it came to protecting her pack.  I wondered how Madeline would take to the role.

“Dad says you found your mate.  Wanna talk?”

I couldn’t help, but smile.  I nodded and we made our way to the kitchen.  “Come on, I’ll make you something other than box cereal.”

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“Yeah, so there you have it.  She’s a human, right here in town.”  I sighed and stuffed the last bit of bacon into my mouth.

“OK and how do you feel about it all?  You’ve given me the cold, hard facts like your Dad would, but you haven’t told me how you feel about it.”

I smiled slightly, picturing Madeline.  “She’s beautiful.”  It's the first time I've said it aloud.  “She’s got this auburn hair that she keeps tied back.  She calls it like she sees it.  Not that she’s right.” I laughed a bit, thinking about our banter.

“She sounds great.  Sounds like a Luna.”

“Yeah, I think she could be great, but I don’t know how I’m going to get everything to happen as fast as Dad is expecting me to.”

My Mom stroked my arm gently, “Honey.  He’s the Alpha.  Of course he is going to give you, especially you, the toughest treatment and he also just wants stability in the pack.”

“I know.  I just hate disappointing him.”

“Don’t you worry about him.  Let me handle him.”  she winked at me.  We all knew my Mom and how she ruled the relationship while he was the iron first of the pack.

I sat with her a bit longer and then headed back to the packhouse for some actual rest, but I knew my dreams would be made up of all things Madeline.  

I knew that as the days grew, so would the bond and soon, she would be feeling it too.  I closed my eyes and let sleep take me, my thoughts drifting into a dream of my mate.