Alpha's

Sugar shift

Jerome glanced back at his room and went over his checklist once again, he had everything he needed. Except something from Gaby. He'd even packed the shirts that he'd asked her to help him fold.

He asked her to put them on too so that her scent covered them a bit more. She'd wondered if he was punishing her for trying on his shirt but he'd been careful to watch her from afar. His canines had elongated and he hadn't been able to hide it from her.

In the end, she'd asked him if he was trying to get over his anger at seeing her in his shirts by making her do it over and over again. He'd simply told her he was trying to learn to control his True Nature. He hadn't been lying.

It took everything he had not to cross the room and do things that he'd regret but enjoy.  It had been tough. At one point he'd broken out into a sweat. 

The crazy part was that he knew she was too young. Way too young. There was a part of him that didn't care and that frightened him more than anything.

His father had arrived as she folded the shirt after taking it off. Jerome was frozen staring at her. Jerome had been panting from the exertion of staying where he was instead of marking his mate, properly.

Jacob had run into the room ready to avert disaster only to see his son bent over as if in pain. His curiosity had sent Gaby away on a chore so that he could ask his son what had happened. His amusement had been overridden by Jerome's discomfort.

Jerome smiled. His father was someone he'd always looked up to and hoped to be as great as. They didn't have the usual Alpha tug of war and for that, Jerome was grateful. Just as he turned to go he heard a wistful howl.

It was Gaby, she was sad. The desire to run to her gripped him faster than he could control himself. It was broad daylight and he was ready to tear apart whoever was hurting her.

He tore past the houses and trees faster than ever before. People (all pack members) were blurs. Moments later he found himself in her mother's back yard before he could think of the consequences.

He jumped over the fence as it wasn't five feet tall and landed in a crouch facing the fence. He was afraid of what he might see because she wasn't hurt physically and the pull was primal. He took a deep breath.

Mate, what are you doing here? The sweet voice asked. He turned to face it.

The wolf in front of him made his mouth water. Jerome froze, his canines elongated again. He groaned.

Not again, he thought to himself. I just heard you howl and my feet brought me before I could stop myself. He was glad he sounded calmer than he felt.

She looked gorgeous. Pride in her majestic wolf filled him. He sat on the ground and held open his arms. She slowly walked up to him and nuzzled his face. His eyes closed and she licked his face.

His arms closed around her body as his fingers sunk into her fur. A rumble sounded and it took him a moment to realize he was making the sound. The contentment he felt was unparalleled.

After what felt like seconds, she wiggled out of his grasp and circled him rubbing her body against his. At first, he was bewildered at why she was pushing against him. As their scents mingled he became calmer and calmer.

It is time for you to go, Alpha.

Jerome sighed and stood. "You can sleep in my room whenever you like. You can wear anything of mine that you like, at any time. You can shift in my rooms. Take care of yourself for me. When you need me, call me."

Alpha, I cannot accept that privilege. She whined and it tore at his heart.

"It is the only thing I ask you for." Goddess knew that he wanted so much more.

Very well, Alpha. We will do as you ask.

"Thank you, Luna."

It is not yet our title.

"A few more years Little One. Come greet me when I return. Duty calls, I am not certain when I will return."

Farewell Alpha. She turned and sat on the ground. She covered her head with a paw.

He walked over to her and knelt beside her and kissed the top of her head. She whined and he caressed her fur once more before heading home the same direction he'd come from.

This time his mother waited for him in wolf form as he sailed over the fence. She didn't speak. He hugged her and she sniffed about.

Am I too late?

He shook his head. He grinned when he realized exactly what happened. His mate had rubbed her scent all over him.

She was as possessive as he was. That made him glad. His mother's laughter rang through his mind when she figured it out.

Well, then, Alpha, I am sure you know what to do. Now that you've improved her fighting skills don't make her use them to defend what is hers.

Jerome smirked. My intention is to be as True as possible, Luna. He hadn't had to defend her yet but he would at the drop of a hat.

It would take a lot to make him lose his chill. He had a lot at stake. His heart still thundered at the risk he'd taken and how much he had succumbed to his whim.

He'd wanted so badly to do more than just hold her. He'd wanted to- he sighed. There was no point in thinking about it.

One day he'd have the right to be completely in True Nature and relish every moment. For now, he had to do what was right for her and their people.

It's pretty hard, isn't it? His mother asked softly.

He didn't have to ask what she meant. It was very true. He had every right and yet it wasn't the right thing to do.

It's way harder than I thought. He ran his hand over his hair. He looked up into the sky which was beginning to change colour as the sun set.

Minutes later he was in a car headed to the special assignment. Normally he would have been going to camp. This time, he was helping the Council of Councils.

Jerome wasn't sure why exactly he had been chosen but he knew it was an honour and that his help was needed. He schooled his mind to be wary of acting like an Alpha. This was bigger than having rank in his own pack.

As the scenery flew by he prayed to God that his girl would be okay. A warm feeling went over him. He realized that was the first time he had admitted to himself that she was his and his alone.

"Whoa, dude! You are in love!" Pieter blurted out.

The other guys from their pack looked at their alpha in interest. No one had ever heard of the nerd being involved with anyone. The Beta's sister had already claimed the Alpha as hers.

Jerome stared at Pieter and frowned. "She's my mate. How am I not supposed to be in love?"

Pieter grinned. At least everyone in this group now knew the Alpha was taken. It would make it easier to prise lusty girls off of Jerome if everyone knew where their Alpha stood.

"What's her name?" A curious enforcer asked.

"No f*****g way am I putting a target on her head while I'm away. She's mine. That's all anyone needs to know right now."

"Oh, you haven't marked her yet?"

"Oh, I've marked her. Anyone who dares hurt her will regret it. Anyone who tries to defile her will learn that it isn't to be done." Jerome smiled in a way that gave everyone chills.

"Who are you and what have you done to our nerdy Alpha?" One of the guys who'd been training with him asked.

Jerome's eyes stared through him. "Ya don' wantta know how far I'll go to protect what's mine." His voice was the only indicator of how close to True Nature he was.

The guy smiled. He was starting to realize that a lot of the rumours about the future Alpha being weak were straight up horse manure. "Sir, whatever help you need from me, I am there."

"Of course, we all are. You're our Alpha." Pieter seconded. He knew better than to touch Jerome right now. He held out something even better.

Jerome smiled. It was one of Gaby's hair ties. He searched Pieter's memory.

He found the right memory as it was right at the forefront of Pieter's thoughts. Gaby had approached Pieter shyly and asked him to take care of Jerome and had given him a shoe box of things to give to Jerome. Jerome grinned as the scent of her hair calmed him down.

Pieter smiled. "Take it easy big guy. You have your future to come back to. Your pack and your Luna. She's going to be amazing."

"She knew." Jerome mused. She couldn't hide it when he returned. She now knew that he knew she knew.

It would make his possessive tendency easier to deal with. He could hold her when he needed. He could shower her with affection.

Jerome felt such relief at the thoughts. Coming back home was now a greater pleasure to consider. He knew he'd trained her well. She'd be here when he got back.

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"Ugh, just look at her. She walks around like she owns the world." The betas daughter remarked with disdain.

Gaby walked seemingly oblivious to the chatter behind her back. She greeted some class mates before dropping her nose in a book. She skillfully dodged a foot placed in front of her path and continued to class.

Jerome and the others had been gone for almost two years now. No one knew when their mission would end. She knew he was okay.

He texted her at least once a day which she was grateful for. She was starting to develop a total crush on him and she wasn't sure what to do about it. She looked forward to his text every night.

Sometimes she didn't wait for him to text. She would tell him about her day and ask him if he was eating well and sleeping well. She didn't dare tell him that sometimes she knew when he was injured though she'd often text Pieter to make sure he got taken care of properly.

Pieter was very nice and always assured her that Jerome would text or call. Sometimes, it was really hard to go to sleep and if he wasn't on patrol he'd call her until she fell asleep. Once she'd woken up and discovered that she'd forgotten to hang up and he'd not hung up.

It was so embarrassing to think he'd listened to her snores. She'd sworn out loud and called his name. He'd answered straight away.

His voice had sent shivers down her spine in the most delicious way. It had been a little more rough than usual and with a hint of Island. She thought he sounded super hot when he spoke with an Island accent.

It was a sign of strong emotion among their kind. The Alpha and his wife were Island people. Alpha Jacob had dreadlocks and Gaby admired his hair.

Jerome's older brothers all had dreadlocks. Word in the pack was that only their mates touched their hair. Gaby longed to touch Jerome's hair but he got angry when she offered in lieu of his training her.

It had hurt when he told her that only his mate could touch his hair. She'd nearly cried. He sat her down and took a brush and began brushing her hair.

To her embarrassment she'd melted into to him and had fallen asleep. It had felt so good having his fingers on her scalp. She had relaxed instantly.

When she woke up her hair had been braided into six neat rows until the base of her neck where her hair was secured at the base of each braid and let to hang loose. She'd woken up in Jerome's room and to a curious Alpha. She'd bolted up mortified.

"I'm so sorry Alpha! I don't know what came over me! Mama must be livid." She looked everywhere except at her amused Alpha who had walked in on his son with the sleeping girl between his legs. Her mother had stormed in ready to kill his son but had stopped when she found the girl asleep but fully dressed.

Gaby's panic increased when the Alpha had kept quiet. He cleared his throat. "Chil', Jerome's nearly full grown. An' you're a growin' gal. Alpha males have very strong hormonal urges. Ya mama won't be pleased."

Gaby paled. This was worse than she thought. He was right. Alpha Jacob had been so nice and she'd disrespectfully slept in his son's bed.

She felt so ashamed. How could she have been so careless? Normally one of the boys walked her home. Where was Jerome?

Jerome had been on perimeter patrol, she recalled. Normally Pieter showed up to take her home. Why was last night different?

As if on cue Jerome came into his room looking like a thunderstorm. She dropped her eyes. Two upset Alpha males was dangerous. She took as submissive a position as possible.

Jerome felt a surge of power. He frowned. His father smirked and nodded towards the girl. Jerome's eyes took her in and he felt calmer.

"I'm very sorry Alpha."

"It's alright child. Jerome tells me that he instructed you to sleep here on nights when he's on patrol. I understand that he cleared it with your mother. He must have forgotten to let me know." Alpha Jacob spoke soothingly before embracing her.

"Sorry Uncle Jake." She mumbled. "I'll go home and shower since Jerome's back early." She hugged him back.

"Your school stuff is already here. Go ahead and shower. I'll go across the hall in Pieter's Room." Jerome instructed all but ushering his father out of his room.

Gaby still couldn't believe that her mom had gotten an assignment almost the same time Jerome had been deployed and so since then she'd been staying in Jerome's room. She missed them both very much. She spoke to her mom everyday.

Her birthday was coming up soon. Last year Jerome was given a week of leave the day of her birthday and he'd helped her with one of her school projects. She doubted she'd be so lucky this year.

She was in her first year of high school and she was quite excited to experience prom and other high school rituals. She was curious if she'd get a boyfriend even despite her growing crush on the future Alpha. It, the crush, just like the weather, was just starting to really cool down.

The leaves were changing colour and her training was still continuing. Jerome had given the top enforcer an earful when he came home last year and she was apparently not where she should have been in her training. Since then the top enforcer had been personally training with her twice a week.

The other two times she trained with their top warriors in turns. There had been a rumour at the beginning of the year that she was sleeping with one of the warriors. It had been so embarrassing.

The only thing she liked about training with the enforcers and warriors was that no one openly picked on her anymore. Her body though big was quite defined and she liked it. She'd grown even taller so having Seniors and Juniors her height and above as friends helped her feel less awkward.

"Hey Foxy!" A tall stranger called out to her.

Gaby blushed, no one except Runty called her that and even he wasn't so little anymore.  She shook her head and kept walking. She was almost at the door when the stranger blocked her entry.

"Hey Sugar, I meant you."

"I have a name."

He licked his lips. "Hit me with it. I bet is as sweet as sugar."

"Gabriella, is he bothering you?"

Gaby smiled, trust Ryan to come to her rescue. It was almost as if Jerome had made him her personal guard. She rolled her eyes.

"He's hitting on me."

A low growl of warning from Ryan had Gaby laughing and pulling him to class just in time for the second bell. She was amused. Runty was upset.

Ryan took a deep breath, Alpha Jerome wasn't going to like this. He watched the new senior carefully. In the absence of the Beta and Alpha, he was responsible for her safety. And, on account that he was the only one who had a schedule like Gaby's, they spent time together at school too.

Ryan didn't like the new guy. He was too cocky and not scared. He seemed to have some power but not immediately off an Alpha line which suited Ryan just fine.

Though Ryan wasn't from an Alpha line, being assigned as the future Luna's body guard was pretty important. As such he only took orders from the existing Alpha, Luna and Betas. People wondered why he would have such power as a tiny runt but he knew better than to spill the beans.

After all, it was an immense honour. He knew the only reason Jerome let him guard her was because she had chosen Ryan. Jerome had even told him that he knew Ryan had a crush on Gaby.

That had been an epically embarrassing moment. Jerome had sort of given him permission to date Gaby if she wanted to have a boyfriend but Ryan had been warned not to forget his place. Jerome had been very level headed despite going against True Nature.

Ryan's admiration for his alpha had increased tremendously. It was intimidating knowing your alpha really knew you yet trusted you with his heart.