The Alpha’s Only Daughter

Chapter 5

Layla’s POV

I walked down the stairs to find myself in the midst of a bustling party full of a lot of guests I did not recognize.

Cami made her way over to me in a cute short black dress, “Happy Birthday, Layla!”

Everyone seemed to notice my arrival then and turned around to face me, applause began as I made my way through the crowd. They began singing the traditional birthday song to me. I smiled at everyone as pleasantly as I could as I made my way through the crowd.

I felt the eyes of many prospective mates. Most of which I could tell were the sons of Alphas, just not lucky enough to be first-borns. My mother had done her research and planned accordingly. Any of these burly werewolves could be my mate.

Cami used her spoon to clink the side of her glass cup to get everyone’s attention, though it appeared as though I already had it. She mouthed the word “Speech!” at me.

I looked from her to the crowd, “Uh, thank you, everyone, for coming out tonight to celebrate with me and my pack. Tonight is most certainly a momentous occasion. And thank you to my mother for planning this event. I hope I get a chance to meet each and every one of you tonight.” I nodded my head and music started playing in the background

Murmurs amongst each other began and most of the eyes were suddenly off of me.

One pair of eyes was not, and my stomach churned.

I had met him before, his name was Dante Greyback. He was the youngest son of a neighboring Alpha. During times when our families would visit with one another, he would do everything he could to make my life a living hell. That had stopped when I took over for my father, as we no longer went to visit other packs and very rarely had guests of our own. I had almost forgotten him.

Dante sauntered up to me, “Well, well, well. Seems like you’ve finally turned 18. Time to find your mate.”

I tightly pressed my lips together, “It appears that is the case.”

“I sure hope you find one tonight. It appears that your pops isn’t doing so well.” I glared at him. “Or so they say.” His eyes glinted in a way that made me think he was happy that my father’s health was declining.

“My father found my mother quickly. I’m sure it will be the same for me.”

Dante nodded his head quickly in a mocking way, “Oh, sure. But you also have people within your pack who have never found anyone, don’t you? Despite being higher up in leadership?” My mind flicked to James. He never settled either, because he wanted to meet his true mate. Some say she must have died before they turned 18. “Strange for such a big pack.”

He circled me, “You look fantastic tonight, by the way.” His hand touched my side, then up my back to my shoulder and as he turned to face me again, his hand landed on my neck. I held back my shiver of disgust and shrugged him off.

“You’ll make a delicious Luna,” he paused. “If you can find your mate.”

I gritted my teeth trying not to let my growl out.

He sighed in fake sadness, “Clearly we aren’t mated. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to keep your hands off of me right now.” He smiled devilishly.

I kept my stare cold.

“Well, Luna,” he emphasized the Luna, knowing full well that I was currently acting as the Alpha, “If you can’t find your mate within the next few months, I’m sure I can convince your mom that we should both forget our true mates and settle with each other to ensure that the pack doesn’t lose it’s way without an Alpha.” The thought had crossed my mind before, but never with Dante as the Alpha I settle with.

This time I couldn’t let it go and growled out, “Never.”

Dante smiled again, clearly happy that he was able to get to me finally, “We’ll see.” He slinked away into the crowd.

I tried to shake the encounter with Dante off, but it seemed to effect the rest of the night.

I found Cami again and pulled her aside and whispered, “Cami, what did it feel like when you found out Lou was your mate?” I looked at her eyes, searching for answers.

She blinked in surprise, “Do you think you have found your mate?? Which one is it??” She looked at the crowd excitedly.

I shook my head and grabbed her face to face me, “How did you know?”

Her brow furrowed and she looked at me quizzically, “I just knew. It was like something was screaming at me on the inside that he was it. This is the one. And it wouldn’t stop until I accepted it and touched him. I remember, I smelled him first—he smelled like the rain during summer. They say most wolves smell each other first! He said I smelled like flowers in a field,” she said wistfully with a smile.

My face dropped. I had not had any of these feelings all night, nor had I smelled my mate.

Cami saw the look on my face and knew. “Oh, don’t worry. You don’t have to find your mate tonight.”

“But soon,” I stated. We both knew it. “I’m going to go see my father real quick.”

I slipped upstairs to go to the Alpha’s room, but when I got there, the room was empty. My father’s hospital bed was gone. So was my father.

I heard the door shut behind me. I turned around quickly to see my mother, her eyes wide in fear. “Layla—.”

“Where is my father?” I demanded.

She shook her head, appearing to be holding back tears.

“Where is the Alpha?!” I demanded louder.

“Layla, he—he died this morning. While you were on patrol.”

My heart felt like it stopped.

“You didn’t tell me?” I stepped back away from her, holding back my own tears. “You continued on this charade and let us have this stupid party when my father was dead?”

She came towards me, holding out her arms.

I pointed at her, “No! You stay away from me.”

She came forward to me again, and I whipped around her running through the door and down the stairs.

“Layla!” I heard my mother calling behind me.

I run outside and unwrap the dress from around me dropping it on the patio, throwing my shoes off when I reach the grass, and shifting into my wolf form before hitting the tree line. My mother is still calling to me from the patio as I enter the forest.

I’m galloping at full speed when I feel that same jerk in my soul from last night. I spin around trying to see which way that feeling is pulling me. I feel the direction it is coming from and run straight ahead towards it.

As I’m tearing through the forest, I feel another presence coming straight for me, and I see a white wolf lumbering towards me. I keep running toward him, thinking if he is an intruder, I can take him on with the adrenaline rushing through my veins.

We each run faster and nearly crash into one another, skidding only a few feet away from one another.

My heart and soul scream at me simultaneously as I begin to recognize that this white wolf is actually a massive white Lycan with piercing blue eyes.

He stares at me before beginning to move forward. I jump up and run back toward my pack house and I keep running until I see the tree line. I feel the Lycan’s presence behind me, gaining on me.

I see Lou and other members of my pack in wolf form race toward me as I come out of forest running as fast as I can and away from the Lycan. I could tell he was chasing me in earnest.

Lou and the others barrel past me and into the Lycan, using their numbers to hold him down to the ground, nipping at whatever part they could reach if he so much as twitched a muscle. I stopped and turned around to face the Lycan and my pack realizing that this could go very, very badly.

Lou, stop! I yell over mind-link.

This rogue Lycan is probably the one who has been killing members of our pack! We should go ahead and kill him while we have him outnumbered!

I plead with him, You can’t kill him, Lou! He’s not the rogue who has been killing off our pack!

How would you even know?! He’s been hiding in our woods and he was chasing you! Lou was ready to snap the Lycan’s neck. I stare at the Lycan—his snow white fur moving up and down as he breathed heavily, those blue eyes piercing into mine.

I hear the Lycan’s voice in my head, Tell them.

Lou, as your acting-Alpha and your future Luna, I demand that you unhand that Lycan.

Lou snarls at me and barks, Why?!

I shift back into my human form and bite my lip before answering, “Because he is my mate.”