The Adopted Alpha

Spy Mates

"So,... Here's the plan?" A sandy blonde guy from Snow Coast pack and the partner to Gabby's roommate said.

"Uhm... Excuse me, who appointed you team leader?" Some other buff looking guy challenged him immediately.

Clare rolled her eyes. Male Alphas....

"Two years trés dynamis tournament championship in a row." The blonde deadpanned to Mr tough guy, but he was not done. "Now... I've got a plan to help us win and if you don't have none, shut up and listen to me."

"Go on, Calvin." 'Emo girl' called out to the blonde.

Calvin cleared his throat to bring everyone's attention back to himself before proceeding. "The other team has been tasked with the responsibility of safeguarding a, –quote on quote... –pack land. Now, to successfully infiltrate a pack land, we have to think like an opposing pack rather than rogues."

"Uhmm... Okay, and this is somehow different?"

"Yes! Rogues attacking are disorganized, everyone for themselves. But an attacking pack uses a strategy."

"I thought he was already discussing the strategy?" Clare whispered to Neil who gave her a shrug in response.

"There are several ways to infiltrate the enemies' camp and knowing their strategy would determine ours."

"How do we know their strategy? It's not as if we can send someone as a peace offering to them that would actually be a double agent or anything. They would know immediately." A ginger head girl said getting impatient.

"Sure, we have lost the element of surprise which is a very important element but... " He paused looking at them all. "We would have to get the information we need in other ways, —like spying on them."

"If we are spying on them, I just want to say that I happen to have a powerful binoculars on me...." Clare volunteered.

"You just happen to be carrying that with you in the competition?" Buff guy from earlier asked.

"My friend picked it up for me on the Cart Race yesterday." Clare said with a bored look. Buff was just being unnecessarily salty as far as the group project was concerned.

A collective sigh of relief went through the gathering at that.

"Well, I think that the mission is a go. All that's left are the actual spies. Now I suggest we draw sticks... you know, like drawing straws but if we have some willing volunteers, that would be great too."

Neil raised up his hand immediately. "I volunteer myself and Rick." He said, making Rick to turning sharply in his direction in utmost surprise.

He looked ready to protest but Calvin who was more than relieved to have his job as the group leader halved was quick to jump in. " Thanks for volunteering dude, and whoever Rick is... Your mission would be to spy on the other group and return to report to the group at most, ten minutes before the game."

He continued talking "In the meanwhile, I would be going over the various strategies with the rest of the group so that I can have one ready when you are here and everyone would know where they should be and when."

Everyone else groaned realizing they were going to have to seat through at least an hour of lectures.

It also made Rick shut up about un-volunteering himself.

Neil was the ultimate winner of this round though.

*-*-*-*

"God, this is so far out." Neil complained as he took another long swing of water. Why had the other team been allowed to pick their own site by themselves?

Rick glanced at his mate without saying a word. Neil had been forever talking his ear off with exclamation filled with about half a dozen words sentences in a one sided conversation every two minutes.

"Why volunteer yourself when you know you are only going to whine the whole way here?" Neil asked himself mimicking what Rick was mentally asking himself, then he answered the question. "Because I need to resort to such means apparently to have even a minute with my moon chosen mate."

Rick continued walking choosing to ignore the other male. He probably should have stayed back for the lecture, partly because he needed the knowledge of the former champion to beat them this time and partly just to spite Neil.

But he also was curious about his mate to be candid. He wanted to know just the kind of person he was.

Would he remain loud and exuberant even when they were alone by themselves, or would he show Rick a different side to him in private?

Seemed like they were going with loud Neil this time.

Neil! He had called the name the night before while he got himself off in the privacy of the showers. He loved the way it sounded on his lips.

It was a cute name. And it suited his mate well. Rick glanced at the other who was trudging after him with pursed lips. His mate was incredibly cute.

Not that he was going to admit it!

Apart from the fact that his father must never know that he was still attracted to boys.

When his father had suspected that he did, his father had ordered him to stop his romantic habit of painting and immediately start training to be a man.

That was the start but definitely not the end. But it all combined to make him who he was now, Hardened, Strong and Cold.

Hell, he could never bring his mate into the drama that was his life. The little fragile boy could not survive it. Which was the reason it was best he kept ignoring the younger boy no matter how his body begged to give him all his attention.

"Rick!" Neil whined, completely oblivious to the other's thought thinking he was just being silent as usual. "Come on, say something to me. You can't ignore me forever."

Who says I can't?

"This is not fair." Neil whined

It's for the best, Neil.

"No one is here," He was stomping his feet by now like a petulant kid "at least show me some attention now that we are al---"

Neil's feet got caught by a stone and sent his body forward and down to the ground.

Rick heard his mate let out a squeal and turned to him. He caught him by his ridiculous bright yellow anime knapsack and righted him before releasing him just as fast as he had grabbed him

"Would you watch where you're going at least?" Rick let out with a scowl.

If Neil had fallen there, he would have been badly injured due to the rough rocky texture of the ground.

Neil did not react to the scolding, too busy staring at his knight in shining armor with heart eyes, completely dumbstruck that the other had talked to him at last.

"If you hold me, I would be safer." Neil said with a pout when the statement finally registered in his conscious mind.

"Opportunist!" Rick scoffed at his mate's shamelessness but went ahead to grab the other's hand in his.

They walked silently together to the area the other group had made camp on and found a tree that was the perfect spy spot which they climbed into together.

Getting right into the mission, Neil grabbed the binoculars to monitor the other team while Rick used a piece of paper to map out an easy route to the little pack ground.

Then he also made a very detailed sketch of the surroundings for possible ambush spots, shortcuts and the like. Neil got distracted by what Rick was doing and stared in awe.

Rick is such a good artist –was his first thought. Oh la-la.

Followed by how Rick would make such a great strategist. Seeing the map and the side jots, Neil knew that they had a high chance of winning the game.

And there was nothing he liked more than a man that knew what he was doing.... A capable man.

"Take a picture, it would last longer." Rick said gruffly without looking up.

"You're right, I should. Why didn't I think of that?" Neil teased back. He was not in the least bit ashamed or embarrassed. He had a right to stare at his mate forever if he wanted.

Rick looked up from his nearly completed work at Neil. "You should be watching the other group."

"I want to watch you instead."

Rick rolled his eyes at Neil. "You can't be serious!"

Neil huffed and put the binoculars to his eyes to continue watching the makeshift pack land.

Rick finished up with his notes and picked up his phone to check the time. They were due to return in twenty minutes but he already had all he needed.

In the distance, the other teams seemed to be coming up with defense traps and offense weapons, all of which he had drawn out so they knew what to prepare for.

They were done basically and had time to spare. Time that he could spend listening to the rest of the Snow Coast guy's ramblings or... time he could spend with his mate.

Rick did not realize that he was staring at him until Neil dropped the binoculars and his chocolate brown eyes met his.

Rick's breath hitched.