The Crimson Alpha

Chapter 4: Courage

~Seth's P. O. V~

Blake: Well, this is a surprise. Mate loves dogs, huh? Ask her about wolves. I almost laughed at my wolf, he was prancing around like a puppy gettting to play a game of fetch for the first time. Mabel's scent was driving me crazy. Blueberry muffins with honey. It is making my mouth water. I looked at my mate. She is gorgeous, tiny compared to me, with long wavey black hair, her golden eyes and fair ivory skin. Her body alone could kill me. I cleared my throat and put my mind back into the conversation.

"How do you feel about wolves?" He wasn't going to leave me alone unless I asked anyway.

She tilted her head a litte and looked a bit confused, "I thought Roxy said you had foxes?" Foxes?

"They aren't foxes, Mabel. I own 3 wolves that are smaller than the average wolf." Damn it, Roxy. You know what our kind looks like. And they are in a sanctuary. "I don't actually have them, though. They are in a wildlife reserve. I donate money to a lot of animal organizations." Her eyes shimmered with admiration.

"That's amazing of you. Not a lot of people do that. To answer your question, I like wolves. They are kind of scary to me, but I find them majestic and I love that their fur changes depending on their climate."

Blake: We should wait until later before she meets me. I don't want to scare mate. Blake whimpers. I have to agree with him. When I tell her who I am, I will make sure to keep Blake at a distance.

And you will submit to her. She is your Luna too.

Blake: I know that. And I will. I wonder what her wolf is going to be like.

Keep thinking on that, buddy.

"Well, when I make the trip to up north, I will be seeing my wolves, if you want to join us?" I have to admit, I never asked a woman out before. They always came to me. Shit... I forgot about one chick. I need to make sure that she knows boundries now. Mabel is my Luna and Aurelia needs to know that.

"When is it?" Mabel asked me.

Blake: That wasn't a no.

Wasn't a yes, either.

"It's in 6 months. I have business up there usually around March. And I make side trips to see them." Maybe in that time, Mabel will will accept me. I need her to accept the man before the beast.

"I-I..." She started to look frieghtened. Oh, goddess, what have I done? She's going to say no. "Let me get back on my feet first, before I say yes or no." I counted my blessings, at least it's a delyed answer. Still, I shouldn't get my hopes up.

"Speaking of. Your father denounced you today." She looked bact at me with shock and sadness. "I'm sorry. Your home isn't there anymore."

"I-It's alright. It wasn't home to begin with." She left the door open as she sat down in the common area of the hotel room. "I used to think that being a wealthy daughter meant I was privileged. That is until I turned 7." I came in and closed the door. Sitting opposite of her. "The doors became barred for me, the staff shrunk in size. I couldn't even play outside anymore. The windows were my only source of air and I was to be at least 5 feet away to not attract attention." They literally kept her caged. I should hunt down Jackson and kill him for this.

"What did you do?" I asked out of anger.

"Not much. I read when I was upset and needed to escape. Other than reading, writing and basic stuff, I wasn't allowed to do anything." I wanted to comfort her. "It wasn't until a few days ago that I learned of my betrothal. On my 19th birthday no less." She just turned 19? I couldn't imagine how lonely her life must have been. That damned Eustace. He planned on her having no one to rely on. She curled in on herself. This must be hard for her. "Just the other day I thought a ball would have been something fun to do. Even if it was just once."

"What would you like to do?" I wondered out of curiosity. I saw her eyes widen.

"No one has asked me that before." Tears started streaming down her cheeks. "I wanted to run away from that place. I wanted to date, to have friends. I wanted to be a normal teenager and go have fun." I moved to sit next to her as I held her close to me. Her scent calming Blake down before he went on a rampage to find Jackson and declare war on Eustace. A whimper caught my attention. A small gold and cream looking dog came out from the bed and snuggled up to Mabel. This must be Laila. She's an adorible dog. She's an old dog. I got a look at her teeth when she licked them. She's got maybe a few months left.

"This must be Laila." Mabel nodded as she pet the dog. "She's 9." 9?! Who told her that?

"I hate to break this to you, especially right now. But Laila is nearly 17 years old." I pulled her back a little, "Who told you that she is 9?" She gave a confused look.

"The pet store I bought her at, how do you know her actual age?" She leaned away from me. I had to think of something quick.

"Her teeth. Because I had to do a lot of research on wolves, I also had to know how to tell their age. Here." I pulled out my phone and Googled 'How to tell a dogs age' then handed her my phone. She tried for several minutes to figure out how to work the device. She truly is one sheltered woman.

"Oh." She said and leaned back on me. I guess she is comfortable around me. "You smell like inscense. I can't put my finger on it. I just know it smells nice." I smiled at that. I use Dragon's Blood in my home, it must have rubbed off in my clothes. Blake was purring in the back of my mind. We both enjoyed being close to her. We sat in silence for a while, before I knew it, she fell asleep on me. When was the last time she had a decent night? The black rings around her eyes told me that it had been a while. I gently lifted her and placed her on the bed. Laila jumped up on the bed and laid next to her. I pet the dog once then kissed Mabel's forehead. My Luna. Eustace will know the fury of The Crimson Moon pack if he tries to get at her again. I made sure to lock her door before leaving.

"OMG. No way." I heard some of my hotel housekeeping staff.

"It's so true. Andy said he kissed her hand." They giggled.

"That is like the most adorable thing ever. Do you think they are dating?" One asked.

"Who knows. I hope so." The other sighed. "I am jealous. I mean, Seth is like stupid hot." I came around the corner and cleared my throat.

"Ladies." They shut their mouths and bowed to me. "I pay you to do your jobs. Not gossip." I wasn't going to take away their fun, however. "If you wish to know, I am courting her. Not dating persay yet." Their faces turned so red, I laughed a little. "Enjoy the gossip, girls." I could hear their squeals as I turned down another corner. Like I said, I can't stop the gossip, might as well help with it. Rumors around here will spread like wildfire.

I got up to my penthouse floor and landed myself on the couch. Mabel has been through hell. Being alone like that, it would drive a person mad. Alright, I better call my Beta, let the pack know what's going on. I pulled out my phone and dialed home. Within a few rings, my Gamma answered.

"Hello, Alpha."

"Formalities? What's going on, Noah?" He knows I hate formailities.

"A lot. Apha Eustace told the whole pack about you and Mabel Lennon. And some." I heared voices raised. "Other Alpha's are wanting to come and discuss pack treaties."

"What? Why?" Alpha Eustace, what have you done?

"I know this is false, so you don't have to explain to me." His voice got lower. "He said that you and Lennon had a deal for Mabel?" That lying sack of s**t!

"No, let me tell you what really happened in that meeting. And put me on speaker!" I demanded. Once I heard the tap I went full rage. "Listen to me, all of you! That lying piece of s**t Eustace is the one who had made a deal with Jackson Lennon years ago for Mabel!" I screamed into the phone. "I challeneged for her! Yes. Because she is my mate!" The room on the other end fell silent. "If anyone questions that again, I will personally send you to hell. My mate is to be treated with respect, kindness and above all as your NEXT LUNA!" I heard the grunts of those trying to refuse an alpha command, but couldn't. Blake wanted to run back to the pack and put them into their places. Blake is a monster of a wolf, pure red furred, red eyes and towers most alpha wolves. He will also kill anyone who disrespects Mabel.

"Yes, Alpha." I heard them say.

"I will be home in 3 days. Mabel isn't coming with me just yet. After what her family did to her, she needs time to trust. Oh, and lest I forget," I let Blake surface for a moment, "Alph Eustace is our enemy." Our voices mixed together. The only reason I am coming home to get Aurelia off my tail. I am packing what I can and bringing Mabel to my family's vacation home. Roxy and Corey will be invited too. Some alpha alone time. Corey should bring his Luna and kids too. This should be fun for her.

"E-Enemy?" Aurelia's voice trembled through the phone. "Seth, baby, be reasonable."

"Don't." I warned her. "We will talk more about this when I am home. Got it?" I say to everyone listening.

"Yes, Alpha." Great. I hung up the phone and dialed Roxy first. She let it go to voicemail. Probably on the hunt for her husbands murderer.

"Hey, Rox. Mabel and I talked about today and she said she had fun. Thank you for that. Would you like to join us for a vaction weekend? I am going to invite Corey and his family too. Let me know. Have a good night." I hung up and laid my head on the couch pillow. I won't tell her just yet. When should I? She's going to be scared of us once we shift. I think I am afraid of her rejecting me when the time comes. But I can't hide the truth forever. Alright. In a months time, I will tell her. Goddess, give me the courage to face her as a wolf. I dialed Alpha Corey. Thankfully, he picked up.

"Alpha Seth. What do I owe the pleasure?" Corey was a good friend. One that I could always count on for advice.

"I am going to take Mabel up to my family's vacation home in less than a week. I am gifting it to her for the time being. I wondered if you and Antonia would like to join? Oh and bring the kids. Kristen and Goergette must be huge by now." I said with a chuckle in my voice.

"I think we will take you up on that. Toni is getting a bit demanding." He chuckled. Ending the call.