Fated Mates: The Alpha

Madison: Chapter Five

Madison

I flinched as Dad threw a couch cushion across the room, clipping Holden in the shoulder and sending him to the ground. I laughed as Holden began running again, holding the pillow to protect himself from Dad.

Mom looked up from her book, annoyed as Dad threw another one, hitting the lamp beside her and sending it shattering on the ground.

"Goddess, Matt, enough! I told you if you want to play rough, go outside!"

Holden crawls over the couch and lays his head on Mom's lap, pushing her book away and snuggling up to her. As her youngest, Holden was a giant mommy's boy and hated when mom got pissed.

Farrah came out of her room, probably to inspect the noise, and rolled her eyes as Dad ruffled her hair and ran to the kitchen to get the broom to pick up the mess he made.

"What the hell happened?"

Mom, who was busy stroking Holden's auburn hair looks up at her and raises her eyebrows. "Don't talk like that. And your dad and Holden were playing and broke the lamp."

Farrah rolls her eyes again and takes a seat next to me on the couch.

"Is dad over his little hissy fit yet?" Farrah takes a chip from my bag in my lap and I growl at her. She smiles at me, her mouth full of braces as she begins chomping the stolen chip in my face.

"I'm not throwing a hissy fit! Something is wrong!"

Dad looks up from the mess he made and glares at Farrah. She grins at him and his face softens and he shakes his head.

"What I want to know since you're complaining so much, is what you're feeling that makes you feel like something is wrong." I raise my eyebrows at him and pull my long, dirty blonde hair into a messy bun on the top of my head.

He grimaces and grumbles as he picks up the mess then shrugs. "It feels like...like something is draining."

"Anal leakage!" Holden calls out and we all laugh.

Dad snorts a laugh and slaps Holden on the back of his head as he makes his way back to the kitchen with the broken lamp.

Mom turns to Dad as he comes back into the room, her eyebrows furrowed. "Draining how? Like your energy or...? What did the Healer say?"

He swats Holden on his legs and he picks them up so Dad can sit down. Holden sets his legs on Dad's lap and Dad shrugs.

"Not my energy. The Healer spouted a bunch of bullsh*t. She said that my Alpha powers could be minimizing and Axle and I are feeling it."

Mom purses her lips and looks down at Holden. "He's only thirteen. He just got his wolf last year. He can't be taking your powers yet."

"That's why it's a bunch of bullsh*t." Dad shrugs and leans back on the couch and yawns.

I bite my lip and think of Wyatt and how frustrated he has been lately. At work, he hardly smiles anymore until we're off shift and eating. But even then, his aura comes out with his surly mood and it's hard to be around him.

"When did it start?" My mom prods and he shrugs. "Like two and a half months ago. Maybe three. I'm not positive."

Farrah grabs a handful of chips and munches on them loudly next to me. I push her face away from me and she smirks. "Looks like there's competition. Maybe Maddy or Evie or both are getting your powers, Dad."

Dad looks up at me and his brows furrow. "She's not eighteen yet and...not to sound sexist, but, Alpha-born women don't get their father's powers. Only the males." He sits up and continues to study me.

"Have you felt anything?"

I smile and shake my head. "Nope. I'm just an Alpha woman. No powers."

Mom looks at me and frowns. "Has Ronan exhibited an Alpha aura, Madison? I mean, I figured he could take Meredith's, but maybe..."

"Nope. Just the same annoying pup. Besides, he's a year younger than us. He won't be exhibiting any Alpha powers until he's eighteen."

My mom pursed her lips and sighed. We all turn as we hear a knock on the door and I spring up. Wyatt was supposed to be coming by to pick me up for a party at the stream.

I hop up from the couch, throwing the chips into Farrah's lap and brushing the rest off of me.

"Where are you off to, pup?"

My dad sits up as Evie comes running from down the hall, bouncing excitedly, dressed in a halter crop top and jeans, despite the cooler weather.

"Party at the stream."

We both call out as we make our way to the door. Wyatt walks in with a giant grin. Holden waves and Farrah blushes as she sinks into the couch.

Wyatt walks over and kisses my mom on the cheek then shakes my dad's hand.

My mom grins up at him and shakes her head. "Goddess, Wyatt, you get bigger every time I see you."

"It's the steroids. Salem said he's on them." Holden pipes up and Wyatt laughs.

"Salem's going to get a rude awakening when I see her again." Wyatt jokes as he flicks Holden on the temple.

"Just saying, no one likes a small d*ck." Holden grins and Wyatt nods in agreement.

"Is that why all of the girls stay away from you then, Holden?" Evie says from beside me.

Holden chuckles and shakes his head. "I have a huge one. I'm good."

My dad smacks him and growls. "Not in front of your sisters. No talking about that. It's disrespectful. "

Holden grins and stands up. "Just saying, they run away 'cause I'm packing a monster."

He grabs himself and runs to his room as Dad leaps up and begins chasing him. Meanwhile, Mom is looking at Wyatt with an inquisitive look. Her eyes are narrowed and she puts her book down and tilts her head.

"Wyatt, you just turned eighteen not long ago, right?"

He nods. "Yes ma'am. You went to my party at the diner."

"That's right. Like two months ago?"

"Yep. You girls ready?" Wyatt looked nervous suddenly and Evie nodded. I walk over to them and look back at Mom. She still looking at him as we walk out and I wonder if it clicked for her the way it clicked for me. I also wondered if she would tell Dad.

I didn't want to be around for that.

In Wyatt's truck, Evie takes control of the music and I sit in the back and stare out of the window.

"We picking up Ro?"

"Ro went to the Fae again."

I groan because even as annoying as he is, he usually knows how to keep it so that Evie isn't hanging off of Wyatt all night."

"What's wrong, Mads?"

"I like it when Ro comes. He's fun."

"I'm fun." Wyatt protests and looks at me through the rearview mirror.

"Yeah, you are. But you and Evie run off and usually leave Ro and me behind."

Wyatt frowns and Evie turns to look back at me guiltily. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize we did that."

I shrug and continue to look out of the window. When we get to the stream, we all get out and join the wolves who all graduated with us from high school.

I saw a girl I usually hung out with while Evie was at cheerleading practice and walked over to her. I expected Wyatt and Evie to go find the drinks, but I was surprised when I felt them come after me to Melody.

Melody's eyes widen as we get to her and as she looks at Wyatt, she tilts her head in submission.

Wyatt's eyes widen and he shakes his head. "What are you doing? Stop!"

She nods hurriedly and then shakes her head. "Sorry, you just have that Alpha energy about you and..." She shudders.

I smirk as Wyatt's face gets pink and he shakes his head. "Yeah, no. Don't do that."

She nods and takes a sip of a drink.

Evie and Wyatt stand with us awkwardly as we stare out at everyone. I smile at how weird it is and sigh. "You two can go I'm okay here with Mel."

Evie sighs in relief and gives me a small smile. "Sorry, Maddy. I'll be back. Love you!"

She walks away and I look at Wyatt expecting him to follow. Instead, he crosses his arms over his wide chest and looks out at the crowd. And it's then that I see it. I see the Alpha in him plain as day. His eyes are hard and his chin is up in defiance. He's tall. Taller than every other male around here and huge. And despite him trying not to be an Alpha, people are looking at him like he is.

"Wyatt..."

He turns to me and smiles widely. "Yeah?"

I sidle up to him and tiptoe to reach his ear. My lips brush up against his ear as I whisper, "Your aura is out. Are you okay?"

When I pull away from him, he's holding his breath, and his eyes are lidded. His cheeks are pink and I raise my eyebrows at him.

He gives me a sheepish smile as he grabs my elbow and pulls me close. His lips brush up against my ear and I feel electricity riot through my body at that simple touch.

"I'll try to reel it in. Do you want to go get a drink and dip your toes in the stream with me?"

I smile and nod. He takes my hand and links our fingers as he leads me to the keg in the clearing close to the stream.

We can't light bonfires without permission, so they have lights strung up in the trees. Evie is laughing with some of her friends as we pass her. She looks at us and wriggles her eyes at me as she looks pointedly down at our hands.

I flip her off and she winks. We grab a couple of drinks and go off away from the party until we get to the giant boulder next to the stream.

We sit down after taking off our shoes and rolling up our pants. The water is icy cold, but surprisingly, I'm warm with Wyatt by my side.

"I'm surprised you don't want to be over there with Evie."

Wyatt sighs and shrugs. "I just...since the whole aura thing, I've just wanted to be away from everyone. I don't know what's going on with me and...I'd just rather be out here with you."

"Because you feel guilty?"

He snorts and shakes his head. "No. Because I like being around you. I feel like you understand a little more about how I feel than anyone else. You don't push me to talk and...I don't know. Something Evie said the other day has been bothering me."

I furrow my eyebrows. "What did she say?"

He sighs and takes a sip from his cup. "That I should just submit."

I frown and shake my head. "She should know what that would do to an Alpha wolf. It's not in our nature to just roll over and let someone be over us like that. And...especially now that you're just now getting your powers. It would be hard to even think about."

"Exactly! But she said it like...like it didn't even matter. I just...I don't like being upset with her, but I am."

I shrug and sigh. "For what it's worth, I think that it's going to be hard, but if you want it, you should go for it."

He raises his dark eyebrows and bites his bottom lip. "It's your dad. If I were to challenge him...we would have to fight."

"Or...he could give in to the fact that you're next in line as Alpha and Holden isn't."

Wyatt frowns and wraps an arm around my shoulders, bringing me closer to him. He smells so good, like mint and leather. I snuggle closer and look out at the bubbling water.

"Would you be upset with me if I challenged him when I got older?"

"It's your right. How could I be mad at you for doing what comes naturally to you?"

He smiles brightly and he seems to be back to his old self.

"I don't think my mom would like it."

I frown and I nod. His mom and my dad have a very gentle truce. They have been like that for years. I can't imagine it would be good if they were pinned against each other like this.

"Would it be better if I just left? Like...go and find another pack to take over?"

I turn to look at him quickly and shake my head. "No! I mean...you can't. I...if we're not mates, we're still friends and I don't...I don't want you to just be gone."

Wyatt's smile widens and it sends a flurry of butterflies right through my stomach.

"What ever happens, Mads, I'll always be here for you. You know that, right?"

I smile at him and nod. I hope he is. And truth be told, I hope everything gets resolved with this Alpha thing quickly.

I press my lips to his lightly stubbled cheek and he leans into me and holds me tighter.

We sit there like that for a little longer and I feel happy.