The Luna Alpha

CHAPTER THREE - FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES

We all looked at each other as if we had just had a fever dream . I was still holding my plate of cake. Mrs. Williams cleared her throat and broke the silence.

“Well shouldn’t you be getting home? You’ve probably got homework to do?” She raised an eyebrow then looked at my bag and took a deep breath. “Well, wrap that cake up and get going. I want you here at 4:45 sharp tomorrow!”

“Yes ma’am,” I finally said as that was something I could wrap my brain around. She turned on her heel and made way to the omegas quarters.

“Here, I'll do it. You seem a little distracted.”

Dimitri grinned at me, I couldn’t help but still be in shock. Axel had talked to me! Axel Anderson! Well not directly. He had spoken to Mrs. Williams about me in front of me. It wasn’t quite the same thing. He had given me stew. And cake. And hadn’t stared at me like I was the worst person alive. He’d defended me and given me free reign to raid the kitchen. No, I wouldn’t do that. I knew better. Mrs. Williams would have me strung up.

“I said you’re all set,” Dimitri rolled his eyes at me.

“What?” I had been daydreaming again. He had wrapped my cake for me and cleared the dishes.

“Now I know what you’re always daydreaming about. Those alphas.” He started to snicker.

“Me? No way. They're cruel and arrogant. I would…I would never …” I looked up the stairs where Axel had gone.

“Yeah right. He didn’t seem so cruel tonight. Anyways my dad’s gonna be missing me so I gotta go –

“The kids! I gotta get this back to the kids!” I had finally broken out of my haze and had a moment of clarity. I had food for the orphans! “Gotta go!” I rushed off into the night and nearly hurt myself trying to get back before 9pm when most of the younger kids were ready for bed. Even the older kids went to bed quite early. We had a TV but we let the younger kids watch what they wanted and we had no cellphones so we couldn’t stay up on them. Plus it was better to sleep instead of staying up feeling hungry.

I made it to the door leaning on the inside for the second time today. Mrs. Tuey was cleaning out the pot that usually held a lot of beans. No scoop for me tonight then. “Mrs. Tuey ….I have something….” I leaned the bag out to her.

She took the bag, curiously peering inside. “Sorry Parker, I had to give the beans to some of the others. I know you didn’t save anything for yourself. Tomorrow I’ll find a way to give you an extra scoop-" I knew she could smell the deliciousness of the stew when I saw her eyes brighten.

“How did you get this?” she whispered. “Did you steal it?”

I shook my head. I was finally catching my breath. “Alpha. He gave it to me. Alpha Axel.”

“Mmph. The one that picks on you in school?” She frowned. How did she know?

“Uh …well, he’s not that bad. He gave us this. Look!” I wanted to change the subject quickly and get the kids fed. I could see some of them yawning while watching Paw Patrol. Some of them began to look back in wonder. And then the kids began to walk up to me.

“Parker! I made A’s on 2 tests today!”

“I made basketball again this year!”

“Did you bring something?”

“I saved this for you.”

I looked down at little Natalie. She was a red-haired bright eyed 7 year old and sweet as chocolate cake. She held up her bowl which had about 3 spoonfuls of beans in it. I wanted to squeeze those little cheeks.

“Sweetheart, I told you to eat your dinner before now.”

“But you didn’t get any portions yourself.” She held up the bowl.

“That’s ok, I want you to finish that cause I brought something else too. And I already got to have some.” She looked relieved and ate it in 3 seconds flat. By then the kids around had caught the whiff of something tasty and the crowd began to gather.

“Now hold on everyone. We all know the rules. Everyone shares and no pouting afterwards. We got a little extra dinner tonight.” I grinned. Who was I kidding? Those bowls were tall and big like a takeout from a restaurant. We would get full tonight.

“Alright now everyone grab their bowls and have a seat at the table or on your beds.” Everyone rushed the kitchen for their bowls. Even Cisely was up and running. The house mothers and I distributed at least 5 spoonfuls to each person. It was a lot. Even the house mothers got some. Even the toddlers got some broth and vegetables.

This was the best surprise I’d ever given them. It wasn’t much but it was better than just beans for dinner. But we tried not to complain. When we got older there would be more food than at the orphanage. That was the promise. And I had seen it. Older kids who aged out got their rations and weren’t so thin anymore so that kept us going.

With satisfied faces me and the house mothers and older kids got everyone else ready for bed. Mrs. Tuey pulled me aside before I laid down.

“I found this in the bag.” She handed me a tin foiled wrapped piece of cake. “How in the world did you get the alpha to give you all of this?” she whispered.

“I don’t know. I guess he was just feeling generous.” I smiled. I’d probably regret getting it all tomorrow. They would probably tease me about it. I laid down thinking about the alphas as I often did and wondering what my day would be like tomorrow.

I woke up with a start. I had to get the kids ready and fed and make sure Cisely was ready to go back. To my surprise she was already dressed. I guess I underestimated her eagerness to get back.

I was more tired than usual. Yesterday had been a long one. More twists and turns than I like and my tiredness was more likely stress about today. I had dreamed all night. First about cake floating in the air. Then about seeing all three alphas faces staring at me. I remembered Aaron’s hand on my arm yesterday. He liked to drag me along by hand whenever he wanted to bully me. The others kept their distance. Even though Axel stared he never came near me like last night. And Andrew avoided me like the plague.

My two classes with them was math and science. We were all in honors classes. For all their playing about the alphas were straight A students and extremely smart. Like me, they studied hard and didn’t play about their grades. They also had to train as alphas, study on managing affairs in the pack, and take over the construction company when they became alphas. Why they wasted their time with me I don’t know.

Oh crap! Class! Time! Grades! I had forgotten my homework last night! I scrambled around for my books. Everyone was waking up and standing in line for showers then food. Should I eat? I may not get much else today. Yes. Food first. I grabbed a bowl for cereal and waited for my portion of toast and juice. It was a good breakfast this morning.

I was finishing a barely readable paragraph for English when Cisely walked up to me visibly bouncing on her heels.

“I’m ready!” she exclaimed.

I smiled at her. “Someone’s really in the mood for learning.”

“I just wanna be out of this place. It’s depressing being stuck in here all alone for 2 weeks.”

“I wish you went to school with me. But after you graduate 9th grade, next year I might see you more in school!” 9th grade was high school but it was still in the middle school building.

“And you’ll be a senior and won’t pay attention to me,” she pouted.

“Never.” I got up and hugged her then frowned. “Although you’ll probably wanna steer clear of me. The alphas will uh …tease you too if they knew you were my friend.”

They took my Amanda away from me. I wouldn’t let them do it again. I isolated myself in school for that very reason. I even stayed away from the kids in the orphanage. I didn’t want them getting in trouble with me.

I was 14 in 9th grade and sitting in the lunchroom at school. Amanda, my sole friend I had made when we were in 7th grade was practically jumping up and down when she came to sit by me with her tray.

“I made it! I made the cheerleading squad!”

I was just as excited for her. It’s all she talked about in 8th grade. She was small, blonde and had a fierce but sweet attitude. She was the daughter of a warrior and a teacher. Her parents had always been kind to me.

“That’s awesome! You gotta tell me how the audition went.” I leaned over and hugged her.

“Omg it went perfect! I did the regular ra ra one ya know. Then I did a triple flip and somersault into a turn. Then I –

“Amanda!”

Oh Goddess. It was Misty. The only downside to Amanda being in the squad.

“What are you doing over here? You can sit with the cheerleaders at the alpha table. I’m sure Lucian won’t mind.” She grinned at Amanda without a second look at me. Misty thought of herself as favored by the alphas. She was head cheerleader and always at all the special events. Luna Palonia, the alpha’s mate, was her mother’s best friend. Kind of. Or so she said.

“This is where I sit at lunch. With my best friend, Parker.”

Misty rolled her eyes. “Ugh, that guy? I thought you’d grow out of him.” She looked at me indifferently. “He’s beneath us,” she whispered. I heard.

Some people had prejudices against omegas and orphans. Misty looked down on poor people. Always had since her parents were the wealthy ones in the pack.

“You take that back. He’s not beneath me. Especially not you!” There was no love lost between the two. They were never friends but they weren’t enemies. They never had a reason to fight but Amanda would defend me to the death as I would for her.

“Excuse me? You know, I could have you thrown off the squad for talking me like that. Don’t forget they ask for my opinion. And the alphas think highly of me!” Amanda paled. Some of that was true. As far as we knew the alphas paid her no attention but she did sit at the alphas table.

“You wouldn’t do that…just because I’m sitting with someone…” she looked back at me.

“What’s going on…. You ok Amanda?” It was Lucian. He had walked up with a smile on his face which quickly turned to a frown once he looked at all of us. “Hey, Parker.” The gamma was addressing me! But then he had always been nice. And Amanda had a huge crush on him.

“Misty are you being a total jackass again?” asked Lucian. He didn’t pull any punches.

“What? No! And the alphas would have your head if they heard you talking to me like that!”

“Ha! I doubt it!” He snickered and Misty scowled even more.

“I was just inviting our new squad member to the alpha table. Of course I’ll get permission and all but I’m sure it would be ok. She’s just being difficult.”

“This is my seat.” She looked down at me, torn. I looked up at with a soft smile.

“Actually I was gonna ask you the same thing.” Lucian looked at her with a sheepish smile and the shock was evident on her face. “I mean it is a long table. Just a lot of jocks and cheerleaders sit there. You could sit by me.”

Amanda was speechless. Her crush, Lucian was being utterly sweet. She couldn’t turn this down.

“I …sorry, I sit with Parker sooo….

“Oh, he can come too.”

“No the hell he cannot.” Misty raised her voice again.

“What are you crying about now, Misty?” All three alphas had strode up with their trays. Axel gave me his usual stare, Andrew avoided my gaze and Aaron put an arm around Lucian while he smiled. “This seawench bothering you Amanda?” Andrew held in a laugh at that.

Misty scowled. “Aaron, stop! Amanda will think badly of me. I was just trying to get her join us at the table and Lucian invited this loser. What is it? Patrick?” All the alphas seemed to stiffen at the same time. Aaron’s smile fell quickly.

“It’s Parker, Misty and you know it. And I think Lucian had a good idea. Come on Parker.” Amanda grinned at me and I was shocked. I couldn’t join the alphas’ table. Sitting with the beta? Unheard of. Besides Aaron had begun to tease me and prank me at the beginning of the year. Just small stuff…like pulling on my hair or shirt, or scaring me in the hallways or making weird funny faces like he used to do …

He’d left Amanda alone but I figured he’d get to her eventually. Or was it just me he didn’t like anymore? Amanda had tried to defend me a couple times but I couldn’t let her go against the alphas so I made her stop.

“Come on Parker. You can sit by Amanda,” Lucian smiled at me.

“No.”

Everyone looked back at the face of stone that was Axel. We all fell silent. That was the nail in the coffin. “He can’t sit with us.” Axel said nothing more and walked over to his seat and sat down, starting to eat by stabbing his meatloaf with his fork.

“Well that settles it, he can’t sit with us,” said Misty smugly. “Come on Amanda. Let’s go.”

“No, if he can’t come, I’ll stay here too.” Her voice was shaking with rage.

“Oh Amanda,” Aaron said. “You don’t wanna sit here. You’re a cheerleader now. You sit with him and we’ll have to treat you just like we treat him. Do you wanna be pantsed? You like a little wedgie every now and then?” Aaron had never done those things to me. Would he?

“Aaron …” said Lucian.

“Nope, you can’t stay,” said Aaron like an army captain. “The alphas deem it so. Come on unless you wanna end up like him and off the squad.”

“Aaron, stop being such and asshole,” said Lucian. “It’s fine Amanda. You can stay.”

“No she can’t,” whined Misty.

“It’s ok, go,” I whispered.

“I’m not gonna leave you,” she pleaded.

“Please, go. I’ll be ok. Promise.” I pleaded back.

“You sure? I can make them let you sit there,” said Lucian.

“We’re in charge here. What we say goes,” grinned Aaron.

“Jackass.”

“You’re our gamma but you can’t say anything you want to us,” Andrew narrowed his eyes.

“f**k you, Andrew,” Lucian said seething. He softened his tone quickly when he turned to me. “Sorry, Parker.”

Andrew walked off saying nothing else. Aaron started walking off with Misty.

I pleaded with Amanda. “It’s ok, I'll be fine. Amanda go. This is your chance. Don’t go against them. I can handle it. Friends forever right?”

“Yeah, forever, boo,” she said sadly.

“Get over here Amanda,” Aaron called.

“Ugh. Come on.” Misty walked back and pulled her arm and Lucian gave her a sympathetic look. He looked at Aaron with disgust while Aaron and Andrew snickered at the table. Axel looked up and stared at me.

Why they took my best friend from me, I didn’t know. Now I was truly alone.

“Parker, you’re daydreaming again. Don’t tell me you’re thinking of those alphas again.”

“I wasn’t!” I frowned. “Ok fine I was. But it was all bad.” I blushed. Sometimes I thought I was crazy. How could I find those idiots attractive? How could I have a crush on any of them, especially Andrew? But was it a crush? Or was I just fixated on them because they bullied me? It didn’t matter. After next year I wouldn’t have to interact with them anymore.

“Yeah right,” Cisely rolled her eyes. “Come on, let’s go.”

I was such an i***t. Thinking the alphas could be like they used to be. As if they could be my friends again. They hated me and I needed to get that hope out of my head.

I got my bag and downed my juice. My cake was still in my bag under my pillow. Maybe I could take it to school and just have it for me. It was from Axel. Maybe just for once I could have something just for me and not have to share. Maybe just once.

I grabbed the other bag and put it in my bookbag.