Alpha Mate at the Gas Station

Chapter 49: Strategies

After the elder wolf submitted and I felt the pack finally understand where the lines stood, I linked my mother to return.

It didn’t take long before they all came back.

The second Thumper was near me again, her hand slid into my bruised one. She leaned closer, breathing in my scent, searching for my wolf’s presence—his protection. I welcomed it without hesitation, turning my body slightly to shield her.

I kissed the top of her head and asked softly, keeping my voice low for her alone.

“Are you feeling a bit safer?”

Her shoulders relaxed as she nodded.

“There will be no more fighting tonight,” I continued calmly. “But we do need to plan—just in case they try to send more of their men. I won’t lose you again, Bunny. Never.”

She smiled, small but real, and spoke just as quietly.

“I’m alive. I need to learn more about this world. I know it’s a lot… but I’m not alone anymore. That’s what really matters, right?”

Her words sparked something warm and fierce in my chest.

Around us, members of the pack clapped and shouted their agreement. Thumper glanced their way, offering a polite, almost shy smile that made several wolves soften instantly.

That was my cue.

I straightened, keeping her close at my side, and raised my voice so the entire room could hear.

“This moment is long overdue,” I said firmly. “Members of the Northstar Pack, I present to you your new Luna—Thumper Parker.”

The room stilled.

“She has not yet been initiated, but she has already been marked. And there is one more matter I must address tonight—one that is difficult to speak of, but it is the true reason for this gathering.”

Every eye was on us now.

On her.

On me.

Thumper’s fingers tightened slightly in my hand. She knew what was coming. She had spoken of it first—to me—before I had the strength to speak it aloud.

I drew a breath and continued.

“During the time I began introducing our Luna to our world, I failed to protect her. She was taken—kidnapped by the Vampire King, Mario Ariott.”

A low growl rippled through the room.

“At the time, none of us knew—not even I—that she was carrying the future of this pack. But he knew.”

The growls deepened, turning feral.

“He acted deliberately. Methodically. And he succeeded in killing the pup before it was born.”

The room erupted in anger—snarls, fists clenched, bodies tense with barely restrained violence.

It hurt to say it.

But before I could continue, Thumper lifted her head and spoke.

“May I say this part?”

I turned to her, pressed a kiss to her temple, and answered with nothing but love.

“You may.”

She stepped half a pace forward, one hand resting instinctively over her abdomen. My chest tightened as I watched her gather herself.

“Thank you,” she began, her voice steady despite everything, “for being there for me when I didn’t even know you. When I didn’t know that the world I thought only existed in stories was real—in a very different way.”

The room quieted.

“I’m grateful to know that many of you were with me, even during the time I was captive, without me ever knowing.”

A few voices murmured approval. Some bowed their heads.

She continued.

“I’m still learning what these titles mean. But from what my mate has explained, I didn’t even know I was pregnant while I was taken.”

Her voice softened, but it did not break.

“I lost my baby—my pup—while in captivity.”

Silence fell.

“I’m sorry for the loss we all share. But I want to learn how to honor what was taken… and how to help build something better for the future.”

When she finished, the room stayed quiet for a heartbeat.

Then something shifted.

Respect.

Pride.

Belonging.

I realized my chest hurt—and that I was smiling, eyes burning, because I had never been prouder in my life.

She wasn’t just standing beside me.

She was already Luna.

“I don’t believe Mario is a good person,” Thumper said clearly. “I know things work differently here, but if we work together, I believe we can achieve the victory we all deserve. All I ask is that you help me understand how to stand beside you—how to help when I’m needed.”

For a heartbeat, the room was silent.

Then the pack erupted.

Cheers echoed through the space, fists hit chests, voices rose in approval. Wolves howled their support—not in dominance, but in acceptance. Pride swelled in my chest at the way she carried herself, at how she chose her words so carefully yet spoke with such conviction.

She wasn’t commanding them.

She was earning them.

It took time for everyone to calm down, and when they finally did, I began asking for reports—border activity, movements from allied packs, signs of vampire interference. Thumper remained close to my mother, my father, and Anna, listening quietly as others filled her in on what she’d missed.

Rory stood beside me, helping organize what we’d learned from our allies, marking territories, discussing strategy. Even from across the room, I could sense Thumper’s attention—how she absorbed every word, every explanation, determined not to be left behind.

Then a female warrior stepped forward and addressed me directly.

“Alpha, will Luna Thumper be initiated into the pack before or after the war? I believe it would be best for her to join us before hostilities begin.”

Before I could respond, Thumper spoke.

“I would be honored to be a part of Dominic’s family.”

The room went still again—but this time, the silence was heavy with meaning.

My breath caught.

My wolf surged so hard it nearly stole my control, heat pooling low in my body, my c**k pressing hard against my pants as instinct roared approval. This wasn’t lust alone—it was claim, pride, bond.

She wasn’t being asked.

She was choosing.

I turned away before my reaction became visible, walking toward my father as I forced myself to breathe, to ground my wolf before he did something reckless. In all my years of longing for my mate, of dreaming of the moment she would truly see me and choose me, I never imagined it would come like this.

Not quiet.

Not private.

But in front of my entire pack.

Claiming me just as fiercely as I had claimed her.

Reaching my dad, he linked me with a knowing smirk that made my jaw tighten.

‘Having trouble staying calm after that little bomb she dropped, son?’ his voice teased, proud and sharp. ‘I say we initiate her tomorrow. She needs to look the part. She’s ready to belong to a real family—and I want my daughter-in-law standing beside us.’

The certainty in his words hit me straight in the chest.

Not if.

Not one day.

When.

My wolf surged again, restless and possessive, and I had to steady myself, forcing my breathing slow as the weight of what that meant settled into my bones.

Then I heard her.

“Did I say something wrong?” Thumper asked, worry threading her voice despite how strong she’d just been.

Before I could respond, Rory laughed, a deep, amused cackle that echoed a little too loudly.

“Oh no,” he said easily. “That’s just natural payback from months ago. He’ll survive. You basically made his wolf lose all sense of reason. Happens when someone speaks like that from the heart.”

I turned toward her then.

The blush blooming across her cheeks was soft, genuine—but there was no shame in it. No regret. Just awareness. Curiosity. A quiet confidence that hadn’t been there before.

And that—that—was my breaking point.

Not because she embarrassed me.

But because she didn’t shrink.

She didn’t apologize for existing.

For choosing.

For wanting to belong.

She stood there, flushed and brave, learning who she was becoming in front of everyone—and my wolf recognized her fully in that moment.

Mine.

Not owned.

Not taken.

Chosen.