The Alpha’s Prophesied Mate

Chapter 6: The Wood Pack

“Okay… We gave you time to think. We’ve already had dinner, Margaret left, and Ethan and I still have a rematch waiting for us online… Are you finally going to talk to us, or are you planning to keep us hanging?”

“Eleonor…”

“No. You’ve spent the entire day keeping me at bay, and all I want to know is what my older brother, my Alpha, is going to do.”

Sighing, Alexander turned to face his siblings and leaned against the windowsill, inadvertently giving them quite a sight as the moon shone through the window behind him, seeming to crown him in its light.

“I’m not your Alpha. We’re not a pack,” he said firmly, his gaze sweeping across the room.

“And I’m not a werewolf. I just like walking around on all fours,” Sebastian replied sarcastically. “Alexander… you’re the only one refusing to accept what you are and what we are.”

“If you’re talking about the pro—”

“I don’t need some f*****g prophecy to understand what’s right in front of me. What I feel…” Sebastian cut him off angrily, getting to his feet and heading toward the minibar. “We’re not a large, established pack, I’ll give you that. But your inner council is gathered in this room,” he added, grabbing a beer from the refrigerator and gesturing toward his siblings with it. “Look at Eleonor and Dominic and tell me they’re not your Betas. Ask them… Ethan? Do you doubt he’s your Delta, or do you think I’m something other than your Gamma?”

“We decided…”

“We didn’t decide anything.” This time, Ethan was the one to interrupt him. “We agreed that we needed to get used to our new reality, see how we would react to being free, and acclimate to this new place before deciding our future. We’ve already done all that, and none of us, at least as far as I know, has developed any instinct that made us consider anything other than the positions we’ve always held. I’m not an Alpha, and I have no interest in being a Beta. Dominic, despite being younger than Sebastian, took that position alongside our sister. And you can’t deny that the two of us have the temperament and predisposition to violence necessary to protect and confront threats while the three of you think about how to move everything forward.”

For a moment, Alexander remained silent, absorbing his younger brother’s words. Finally, he turned his gaze toward those who had yet to speak.

“You two think the same?”

“I hadn’t stopped to think about it until now,” Eleonor said, “but I think they’re right.”

Dominic looked at him in silence for a few seconds before sighing.

“We’ve all simply kept the same positions we’ve always had, Alexander. We never needed to formally establish ourselves as a pack because that’s what we’ve been from the beginning. We agreed to keep the block on our mental link because you were right: we needed to get to know ourselves without interference. But that didn’t change the structure we already had.”

“You’re our older brother, but you’re also our Alpha, the head of the Wood pack, whether you like it or not,” Sebastian said. “You’ve always said we’re free to do whatever we want with our lives or join other packs, but none of us can imagine being anywhere other than here, with you.”

“Besides,” Ethan continued, “now more than ever, it’s important that we define, or rather, that you accept what you are. You just found your mate, and she’s human. Unlike us, she has no way to defend herself and needs everyone’s protection.”

“Just like the rest of the mates who will be joining us,” Dominic added, drawing everyone’s attention. “If we’re going to believe in Fate, we can’t question the arrival of our mates.”

“Alexander. Have you decided, then? Are you going to claim your Luna?” Eleonor, who had remained silent until then, asked, her voice filled with concern. “You always said you wouldn’t.”

“I don’t know how you could ever have doubted that he would,” Sebastian cut in, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “Didn’t you see how he behaved at the café? Just being in her presence threw him off, and it was the first time he’d ever seen her. Do you really think he can stay away from her indefinitely?”

Eleonor ignored Sebastian’s words and kept her eyes on Alexander.

“It’s not what I thought it would be,” Alexander said, staring at his sister. “It’s stronger than I imagined.”

“What? You fell in love with her the moment you saw her?” Eleonor asked incredulously.

“I’ve never been in love, Eleonor, but I’m pretty sure that’s not what this is,” he said calmly. He had thought about little else over the past few hours. “What I experienced… what I feel, is that I found what I was missing.” He took a deep breath before moving away from the window and sitting in the armchair closest to his sister. “When I walked into the café and sensed her presence, it was as if everything else faded and she stood out, shining and drawing all my senses toward her… and in the few moments I was beside her, I felt more at peace than I ever have in my life. It’s as if she anchors me. I have no other way to explain it.”

“f**k me. Peace?” Sebastian exclaimed. “Is it just me, or are the rest of you a little jealous too? A little Zen energy would do wonders for my life.”

“Relax…” Ethan got up with a smile and headed toward the minibar where his brother was standing. “…once Alexander claims his mate, the clock will start ticking for all of us. Let’s hope it happens chronologically. I don’t mind a little more chaos.”

Define a little… Sighing, Alexander leaned back in the armchair and crossed his arms, his gaze moving around the room and settling on each of their faces.

“Then, from now on, we’ll officially be a pack… Are we all in agreement?” Alexander asked, fixing his gaze on Eleonor, the only one who still didn’t look convinced.

“Yes.”

“Oh yeah.”

“Fuckin’ right!”

“Knowing our neighboring packs, we’ll probably have problems as soon as they sense or find out,” Eleonor said, her gaze fixed on the moon. “I wanted more time… But you’re right. It’s for the best,” she added, meeting Alexander’s eyes. “Let’s do it. It’s what’s best for us and your Luna.”

Is it? The question echoed through Alexander’s mind for a few moments, although the answer didn’t matter. A part of him had known this would happen from the moment he sensed his mate. Just as there had been no going back after that encounter, he couldn’t stop the changes it had set in motion for all of them. The time had come to stop protecting his siblings and start taking their wishes into account instead… and those wishes were clear.

“Then it’s decided…” he finally said, getting to his feet and returning to the window. From there, he faced them. “As you’ve said yourselves, we’ve always behaved like a pack. Now we’re simply making it official. So let’s skip the ceremonies. You know me better than anyone, and I know you just as well. Everyone’s commitment and loyalty are unshakable.” He stepped away from the window and walked toward the center of the room under the watchful eyes of his siblings. “From this moment on, the Wood pack is reestablished, its current members direct descendants of the original founders… One of us is all of us, and all of us are one.”

As if the words had cast a spell, the moment he finished speaking, he felt a spark travel through his body before settling in his chest, in what he knew would be its home from that moment on. The pack had been established, at least formally, but the most important part was still missing. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, relaxed, and for the first time in years, released the block on their mental link. He felt his siblings’ surprise as their minds joined his one by one. Joy, fear, euphoria… acceptance. Experiencing his siblings’ emotions and thoughts intertwined with his own for the first time in his adult life reminded him of the past, when the only thing they had was their connection. Giving that up back then had been difficult, but necessary to save them. One of the many prices they had paid for the life they enjoyed now.

“I knew you were strong, but seeing your power is a pleasant surprise.”

Margaret’s statement drew everyone’s attention toward the door, where she stood watching them proudly.

“You did the right thing, Alexander,” she added as she entered the room, her clear, serene voice contrasting with the sober black dress she wore.

Mennonite Chic.

He heard Eleonor’s thought in his mind, making both him and Margaret smile. His sister really needed to learn how to control her thoughts.

“I wanted to come and pay my respects to my Alpha,” Margaret explained, stopping in front of Alexander. “I know I could have done it tomorrow, but I’m old-fashioned,” she added, dropping to one knee before Alexander could stop her.

“Margaret, you don’t ha—”

“I swear my fidelity…” the old woman continued, ignoring Alexander’s attempt to interrupt her. “…my loyalty… and although I’m too old and far too stubborn to offer complete obedience, I promise that my decisions will never be made with the intention of harming you. My commitment is to serve you with the same devotion I did when I was part of your father’s pack, while also placing my experience and my recent gifts at your service.”

“Your offer is valued and accepted. From now on, you are under the protection of the Wood pack,” he declared, giving the customary response of an Alpha, aware that saying anything else would be disrespectful to her. Even so, that didn’t stop him from helping her to her feet and leading her to the nearby chair.

“We swear our fidelity…”

The chorus of voices brought them both to a halt, and they turned to look at his siblings. They had taken Margaret’s place and, standing side by side with their heads bowed in respect, repeated the vows in unison.

“…loyalty and obedience. Our commitment is to serve you and the pack, protect your Luna, and defend our territory and home from any danger, threat, or revenge.”

“Your offer is valued and accepted…” Alexander said, repeating the words from moments before. “…I vow, as Alpha, to lead, protect, and defend this pack…” He gestured for them to rise. “…and as your brother, I promise that each of your mates will have the same importance in our family. A new future begins today, and we will fight to make it the one we want.”

“Ready to win your mate over, then?” Margaret asked with a smile.

“Yes. I shouldn’t have doubted it,” Alexander said, looking at her before turning his eyes back to his siblings. “And you… are you ready for what comes next?”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

“Oh yeah.”

“Fuckin’ right!”