The Queen Alpha

Keira’s Run

(Kara)

I didn’t realize I had fallen asleep until my eyes flutter open to find Emma snoring softly next to me on my bed. Something about her snuggled up under the covers of my bed makes me want her again. I can’t get the way she tastes out of my head. My body feels sticky with all types of bodily fluids and I slip out from under the blankets quietly, placing a pillow in my place in case she rolls over looking for me.

I check my phone, and groan slightly when I see it’s after 3pm, we had slept nearly three hours. I tip toe into my bathroom, glancing out on the massive bay window that sits above the quartz bathtub.

The bathroom has to be my favorite part of the house, I had everything designed exactly to my liking. I did a lot of soaking, my body would be sore after training or when I’d get home from being in the woods for days, and Keira loves the forest, so I’ve had tons of windows installed throughout the house to keep her desire to be outside at bay.

Trotting to the walk-in shower on the opposite side of the room, I turn on my rainforest style shower head and step under, letting the hot water wake me up. It wakes someone else up as well. I need out today. It’s been days since I’ve been able to run, and I can’t stay in this mind much longer. Keira paces inside my head restlessly. I know my wolf needs to run, She’s used to being out nearly everyday but I’ve been so occupied with Emma I haven’t wanted to leave for one second.

Our mate needs time to explore her new home on her own for a bit, we won’t be gone long and I’ll stay close to the house. I can’t wait much longer. I sigh and shut the water off, grabbing a towel to dry with. She’s right, I’ve always treated my wolf as my equal, we share this body, and I’m blessed to have her. If she needs to come out I should find a way to let that happen.

After wrapping the towel around my body, I turn the corner and find Emma awake on the bed, scrolling through her phone with a tee shirt covering her top half.

“I didn’t mean to wake you.” I tell her, ringing my hair out.

She smiles up at me, the glow of her phone illuminating her face. “You didn’t, I woke up cold. I guess I should get used to that living all the way up here with the penguins.” Her giggle makes my heart swell.

“We don’t have penguins silly, that’s the South Pole. We have bears and moose.” I start to walk towards my closet to get dressed but Keira’s whines remind me that I was heading downstairs. “Emma, would you be okay if I went for a jog? My wolf is desperate to get out.” I feel oddly vulnerable asking someone else for permission to do something. I’m always the one giving orders and being asked for consent.

Emma seems almost eager for me to leave. “Of course, I’ll just hang out here and explore the house a bit, maybe watch a movie. My nerves are shot and I need to relax some anyway. Maybe I’ll take a bath.”

My eyes narrow slightly. “Are you sure? Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong. I don’t want your wolf to get anxious.” Her eyes flick to the ground.

“Okay I know your lying about something, what is it?”

Her cheeks flush red and she starts twiddling with her fingers. “I don’t want to tell you.”

I take a step towards her. “Shall I put the cuffs back on?”

Emma shakes her head and huffs. “Okay fine. I need to go to the bathroom and there’s not a door, so if you leave then you won’t hear it.” She mutters, embarrassment written all over her face.

Our mate is scared to poop in front of you! That’s hilarious. I bite my tongue to keep from laughing at her innocence. “Kitten, your aware we’ve had s*x twice now, right? There is nothing embarrassing about that, but I understand wanting to do those things in private. The bathroom downstairs has a door if you prefer to use that. I’ve lived alone since I was 16 so there’s been no point in having a door on my private restroom.” I smile softly at her. It’s difficult at time to remember to offer her different expressions since I’m so used to hiding them, but I know she needs someone to give her reassurance through body language.

“Can I meet your wolf?” Emma asks, her eyes full of excitement now.

Part of me feels like she might be trying to change the subject but I entertain her. “Of course love. But not until coronation, I want you to see us among the other wolves.”

Keira mind links Anthony’s wolf, asking if he would like to join us and he answers almost immediately, letting us know he’s on his way.

Emma pouts at the fact I told her no but seems to get over it pretty quickly and heads downstairs to the other bathroom. I chuckle at her and head down to the back door.

With each step I can feel Keira getting more anxious, pressing herself closer and closer to the front of our mind. I tell her to calm down, that if she keeps it up we’ll shift before I can even open the door.

Finally, I’m at the door and I drop the towel, and twist the doorknob. Crisp spring air washes over me, my n*****s instantly hardening. Keira finally jumps into the front and I let her, taking a seat in the back to watch, like she does for me.

(Keira) The shift doesn’t hurt us anymore, thankfully. The first time I morphed our body Kara’s scream of agony could be heard a mile away, which is extreme in a forest as dense as ours. I’m so much larger than her human form compared to other wolves and their humans it must’ve been excruciating. Now it only takes a few seconds for her body to change into mine, we’ve done it so many times it’s almost as natural as breathing.

I jump off the porch with two feet and land in the dirt with four paws, using the momentum to spring myself into the woods. The breeze ruffles my fur and I inhale deeply, smelling all the squirrels, rabbits, and plants. The earth is soft and cold under my paws, now that it’s later in the evening the temperature will drop back down and the snow that hasn’t melted is safe until tomorrow. Kara loves the summer up here, all humans do, but I always miss the winter when it leaves. The cold and harsh environment speaks to my soul, my ancient wolf blood runs strong when the sun disappears and the snow blankets everything for months.

I run along a well beaten path I’ve created for myself, making sure to stay fairly close to the house to keep Kara from worrying about Emma. I love Emma just as much as her, but I can feel her magic, and it’s incredibly strong. Our mate could protect herself if she truly needed to.

I sense Akna, Anthony’s wolf, as he gets closer to me. I try to mind link him but he ignores me and I come to a stop, lifting my nose in the air to catch his scent. He’s nearby, probably in the brush at my hind flank. I practically roll my eyes at his feeble attempt to stalk me. Still, I play along, acting as if I’m trying to pinpoint how far away he is. A twig snaps behind me and I spin around just in time to crash into Akna’s massive frame. For a Beta he’s rather big, almost as large as an Alpha wolf would be.

I open my mouth, playfully biting into his rusty coat. We roll around on the path, both fighting to come out on top of the other. Akna’s not as strong as I am, thanks to my Alpha blood, but we’ve trained together for years, and he knows exactly how I fight.

Kara had met Anthony long ago, back on their first day of school. I was there too, but when our humans are that little we’re more of a shadow in their minds than their other half. Our voice cannot be heard but they can feel our presence within them. I recall tiny Kara walking into a classroom and everyone cowering down to her. Even at five, she had built a reputation with the other kids as a force to be reckoned with. Everyone knew who Kara’s mother and father was. Kara took a lonely seat at the back of the class and suddenly a chubby faced little blonde boy plopped down in the seat next to her, and with an ornery grin, asked if she wanted to arm wrestle. That was the beginning of a life-long friendship that my human desperately needed. Of course, once Akna and I were able to come out when they became of age, we were instantly best friends as well.

I break free of him and start to bound down the hill, crashing through ferns trying to grow in the still frozen ground. Akna gallops after me and we play chase as the sun sets behind the mountain range to the east.

It’s getting dark, we need to head back to cook Emma dinner. Kara pesters me as I pause to drink out of a creek. I think she knows how to use a microwave. I growl at her and survey my surroundings. An owl sits on a low branch above me, his yellow eyes watching me intently. I can hear rodents moving around in the underbrush and Akna panting next to me, sprawled out across the ground.

We need to start heading back, you had your fun now it’s time to take care of our mate. Kara is like a mosquito in my ear, although she has a point. I’m starting to miss Emma too.

I walk over to Akna and push my nose into his side, letting him know it’s time to go home. He growls begrudgingly but stands and trots along with me, his brown fur shimmering in the twilight.

We reach a fork in the path, one leading back towards my home, the other leading to Anthony’s. I say my goodbye to Akna and walk home in solitude, taking in long, deep breaths, trying to get my fill of the forest scent. I close my eyes and give Kara back the control as my body shifts into hers. She takes it from me gently, and I step into the back of her mind once again.

(Kara) I can feel Keira’s sadness, she hates the ends of her run, and part of me wishes I could let her stay out longer. But the moon goddess has us share this form, and it belongs just as much to me as it does to her. I walk barefoot and n***d into the back door, the empty entertainment room dark and quiet. I wrap myself back up in the towel I had left on the ground earlier and start up the stairs to my home.

I type in my code to unlock the door and my nose fills with the smell of pasta sauce and garlic bread. Stepping into the kitchen, I see Emma dancing around to her phone playing music as she cooks dinner. She’s humming along to some country song and stirring the noodles boiling on the stove.

I stand for a moment, admiring her beauty. Her long auburn hair is still wet and hangs nearly down past her breasts. She turns around and jumps when she sees me, holding her chest. I notice how her eyes seemed to flash green, as if to defend herself. “You scared the crap out of me!” She exclaims.

I smile at her and start towards the bedroom to get dressed. “Sorry, what are you making?” I pause at the base of the stairs.

“S’ghetti and Garlic bread. It’s about all I know how to make and luckily you had the ingredients.”

“That reminds me, I need you to make a list of different foods you like so I can put them on the list for the shopper.” I tell her and continue upstairs.

“You have a personal shopper?” She shouts up at me and I smile.

“No, we have a personal shopper!” I yell back.

I throw on some flannel pajama pants and a black tank top and go back down to the kitchen, where Emma has the table set for two. She’s smiling from her seat, looking just adorable in her fuzzy pink pajama pants and matching sweater.

Maybe I was wrong before, a little extra color in our life could be a good thing. Keira remarks and I couldn’t agree more.

“Dinners served beautiful.” She taps the table gesturing for me to sit next to her. I do as she asks and take a seat, dip my fork into the spaghetti and we eat in silence for a few, both staring out the window, watching the daytime animals disappear and the nocturnal ones coming out. It’s not an awkward quiet but rather a peaceful one.

We’re nearly done with our plates when Emma speaks. “Aren’t you cold in that tank top?”

I shake my head. “No, werewolves have a higher body temperature, we don’t get cold as easily as delicate humans do.” I smirk.

Emma rolls her eyes and walks over to the sink to rinse her plate. “I’m not human.”

I follow her to the counter and place my plate inside the sink as well. There was something about tonight that felt peaceful. Even Keira had calmed down inside my head and was content just watching.

“Can we watch a movie? My nerves are just shot and I want relax with you.” Emma asks, draping her arms around my neck and snuggling her nose into my collarbone.

“Of course, let’s go lay down and you can pick something out.” We go upstairs quietly together, slide under the covers and she lays her head on my chest as she flicks through the different movies on Netflix, finally settling on some low budget scary movie.

I kiss her head and we settle into a comfortable position, my eyes drifting shut before the opening credits are finished.