The Alpha's Girl

Nine

AURORA'S POV

I took a look in the mirror, admiring myself. I was dressed in a polka dot halter neck crop top and matching Capri set. On my feet were a cute pair of open toed heels.

I wondered whether to wear my hair up or down. The door opened and Chris walked in. I had to refrain from rolling my eyes.

When I started college, I anticipated bonding with my roommates and being besties with them. Chris, however, made that very difficult. She always had boys in the room either smoking or having s*x or sometimes she had all kinds of sketchy people over.

As someone who grew up in orphanages and group homes, I had my fair share of sketchy people and I wasn't trying to go back.

“You look nice," she said, “you've got a date?"

“Thank you," I responded, “and no. I'm meeting a friend."

Chris nodded and landed on her bed, face first. I went back to looking at myself and finally decided to put my hair in a messy bun, leaving strands out to frame my face.

It took a few days but Rebecca and I finally made plans to hang out and I was excited. I had never had a close girlfriend before. Finn was great but he wasn't a girl. And I had a good feeling about Rebecca.

My phone dinged and I checked it. It was a text from Rebecca telling me she was outside. I grabbed a jacket in case it got cold and my purse.

I hoped whatever we had planned wouldn't be expensive. I was currently living on an allowance from my scholarship and I was reminded that I would need a job soon.

I pushed aside the worry, said a polite goodbye to Chris and hurried out.

I scanned the entrance trying to find her when a car horn drew my attention. I saw Rebecca in the front seat of a red jeep, waving at me.

I smiled and hurried to her. She unlocked the door and I got in.

“I didn't know you had a car," I said.

“Technically, I don't. It's my brother's but you know what they say, what's his is mine and what's mine is also mine."

I giggled at that. “Nice to see you Becks."

Then I got closer so we could exchange hugs.

“Nice to see you too Rory. You look great," she said.

“So do you," I replied. She was dressed in a brown off the shoulder crop top and a brown leather mini skirt. She had on strappy heels and her fingers were again, adorned with rings.

She wore her short hair in a half up, half down style. She looked great.

“So where are we going?" I asked because she had insisted on not telling me prior.

“Well I couldn't decide between three things so I figured, why not all three?"

My eyes widened at that. I wasn't sure I'd be able to afford that.

She must have seen the look on my face because she quickly held up a credit card.

“Relax. Bills on my brother," she said.

I chuckled. “Your brother sounds really generous. He just handed you his card?"

“Let's just say. He didn't really have a choice," She said coyly as we began driving.

“Does he go to school here?" I asked.

“Yeah. Third year," she replied, “anyway, so I figured, first, we'd go to a spa, get pampered, that sorta thing and then we could go shopping and finally, we can go see a movie."

“That is a full itinerary," I commented.

“Go big or go home, that's what I always say."

We chatted for a while until we arrived at the spa. The place looked expensive. I know she said she would cover it but I was still nervous.

She must have noticed because she grabbed my hand.

“Relax Rory. You're fine. We're fine," she said.

I nodded, smiling thinking to myself how I should never pick up playing poker because I clearly didn't have the gift.

She spoke to the receptionist and soon we were in bath robes, sitting in a sauna.

I couldn't stop myself from sighing in content. I had ever been in a spa. My idea of relaxing was sleeping or occasionally going to swim in the community pool.

“So do you have any siblings?" Rebecca asked.

“Um no, it's just me. Do you have more siblings?"

“No. Just my brother and I. How's it like being an only child?"

Somehow, I didn't know how to answer that. Yes, I was an only child but I didn't exactly grow up like that. I looked at Rebecca who was waiting on my reply and I don't know why but something told me I could trust her.

“I grew up in an orphanage. So I had a lot of brothers and sisters in a way. None I was related to but we basically grew up like siblings," I said.

“Oh no. I'm so sorry. If you don't mind me asking, what happened to your parents?" She asked sounding concerned.

I shrugged. “Beats me. They left me on the orphanage's doorstep when I was a baby. All I have of them is a locket."

“No name, nothing?" She asked.

“Just a blurry picture. I might show it to you sometime," I said.

“I lost my parents too. They died a few years ago," Rebecca said after a few moments of silence.

I looked at her and I could see the pain etched on her face as she recalled the memory.

“How did they die?" I asked.

She sighed. “They were killed. It's complicated really but they died fighting for what they believed in."

That was a very sketchy answer but I assumed she didn't want to dive into the story of her parents' murder.

“It's just been my brother and I ever since. He's been there for me. I mean, we had other family but none like him."

I nodded in understanding, grabbing her hand and squeezing. She smiled at me and I smiled back.

“I get it. It's just been me and Finn for as long as I can remember."

“Finn?"

“Oh um. He's a friend. My best friend really. He joined the orphanage when we were ten and well the rest is history."

“Somehow I don't think that's the end of the story," Becky said.

I put my hand on my cheeks hoping to cover the blush that I knew was coming. I'm not sure if it helped because she gasped dramatically, putting a hand on her heart.

“Are you two together?" she asked.

“No no," I answered way too quickly to play it cool. Damn.

“But you want to be," she said matter of fact.

I sighed. “You can't tell anyone."

“Who would I tell?"

I narrowed my eyes at her. She rolled her eyes but raised a hand up.

“Scout's honour," she said.

“I've had a crush on him for as long as I can remember."

She gasped dramatically but her eyes told a different story. I found that confusing but decided against commenting on it.

“How does he feel?"

“He sees me as a sister. For so long, all I wanted was for him to finally see me. This me, not the version of me he grew up protecting from bullies in the home."

“And now?" she asked, looking at me like she knew I wasn't saying something.

“Now... now I'm not so sure what I feel."

“What changed?"

“I... might have met someone."

“Girl!!, it's only been a week since school started," she said laughing dramatically.

I couldn't help but join in.

“I know and I know it sounds crazy but this guy, there's definitely something about him. I don't know how to describe it really but all I know is, I'm suddenly not so sure if Finn is the one for me."

“Wow. That is deep. You're like the main character of a rom com. You would have to choose between new guy who you're weirdly attracted to and old love who you've known all your life."

“Stop," I said laughing.

We kept talking and it just felt nice. I had never had a girl to just sit and talk about boys with. She told me she herself was single but wasn't interested in dating until she found her soulmate.

After the sauna, we both had full body massages. Then we went shopping. I didn't want to pick a lot of stuff because I didn't feel comfortable letting her brother pay but she insisted.

One thing I've learned about Becky, she could be very persistent. When both our hands were filled with bags, she flirted with two guys in the mall to help us take our bags to the car. I was in awe of her.

Then we sat down to have food before our movie started. We chatted about everything. If you didn't know us, you'd think we'd known each other our whole lives and not just a week.

I almost wanted to bring up the topic of the voice in my head, who by the way, I hadn't heard all day, but I felt our friendship was too early for that.

After our food, we got in the car and drove to the cinema. Unfortunately, they didn't have parking so we had to park some distance away and we had to walk.

We saw a musical that had just come out. It was great to learn that Rebecca was also a fan of musicals. Finn wasn't and he would never agree to watch one with me but now I had someone who loved them just as much as me.

We had a good time. We laughed, we sang along and we cried at the end. It was glorious.

By the end of the movie, it was already getting dark and we had to walk back to the car. I wasn't bothered though.

Rebecca and I held hands as we laughed and talked about the film. We had gotten to a somewhat secluded area, not too far from where the car was when two men approached us.

Immediately, the hair on my neck, stood on end. They looked like bad news and the looks on their faces practically confirmed it.

I noticed that Rebecca subtly positioned us so I would be behind her. That wasn't okay with me so I moved back beside her.

“Well well well. Look what we have here. Don't you girls know it's not safe to walk alone at night without protectors?" one of the said.

The creepy smile on his face disgusted me.

“You really don't want to mess with us. And we don't want to mess with you. Just leave us alone and we'll be on our way," Rebecca said as she grabbed my hand and made to leave.

We didn't get very far before they got in our way again.

“You really don't want to do this. We're literally the worst people you could be messing with," she said.

I hadn't found the courage to say anything. I observed, ready to jump in if needed, not that I was a good fighter but you couldn't grow up how I grew up without some experience.

“Ooh, we're so scared," the other said as they got closer.

We instinctively moved back and Rebecca...growled?

I was so confused. How on earth did she make that sound. And what's worse, it didn't seem to phase them.

“What are you? Deltas, omegas? You're too stupid to realise that you're hazing the Alpha's people. It's bad enough you're trespassing in territory that isn't yours and now you're hazing the Alpha's sister. If you want to stay alive, you better run. Now."

I looked at Rebecca in shock. What the hell was going on? I thought I was going crazy when I noticed her eyes begin to glow as she glared at the men.

I was dumbfounded as I looked at her. She looked otherworldly in that moment.

“Leave. Now. We belong to the alpha of NorthVale and goddess help you if you harm a hair on our heads," she said to them in a voice that scared me a little.

I noticed one of them kept sending a glance at me and I instinctively moved closer to Rebecca.

The men and Rebecca were locked in a fierce stare down but they eventually left. I turned to look at my friend.

“What the hell just happened?" I asked her.

"Not now. We should get going before they come back."

“But—"

“Later. Let's just leave here," she said as she grabbed my hand.

I let her pull me away, wondering what the hell I had walked into.