Mate's Mistake

Chapter 2 - The Alpha's Choice

     Steven gently picked Anise up, princess style, and carried her back to the pack house. He know he would have to get her medical help and confess everything to the Alpha and Beta. He took one more look at his now former friends, Hector, Amos, Henry, and Winston, and then hurried to get Anise the help he knew she needed. He had heard it when at least two of her ribs cracked, and he could tell by the angle that her right leg and at least three of her fingers were broken. He knew he hadn't done any of this to her, but by not getting in Hector's way, he might as well have. As he dashed back he kissed her forehead and held her closer. 

     He would not have believed he would find his Mate the exact moment he turned eighteen. He would never have believed it would turn out to be Anise, his best and only female friend. He also would never have believed that his friend, to next expected Alpha of the pack, would decide that she had back-talked to him enough and needed to be put in her place. Why did this have to happen on his birthday? He was supposed to be having dinner with his foster parents. Not explaining her injuries to the pack doctor and leaders.

     As he walked thru the pack house door and headed for the infirmary, he yelled out for the Alpha and Beta to meet him at the doctor's room. He knew he would get in trouble for speaking to them so informally, but at the moment he didn't care. He laid her gently on the table in the doctor area and called for Dr. Schumer to come quickly.

     The doctor was there in moments and Alpha Jackson and Beta Chester were not far behind. When they saw Anise, both got a concerned look on their faces. Knowing they wouldn't wait for an explanation, he quick jumped into what had happened to get her this way. When he brought up Hector's threat to r**e her, he saw Beta Chester tense up, but Alpha Jackson's arm on his calmed him enough for Steven to continue his story. He kept his hand on Anise's forehead while the doctor examined her and he told the Alpha and Beta why she was in such bad shape. At the mention of her r**e both Jackson and Chester also laid a hand on an unmarked portion of her body. When he mentioned that he had just discovered Anise was his Mate, both men looked at each other and nodded at each other. 

     Beta Chester walked to the front of the house, leaving Alpha Jackson alone with Steven and Anise. First thing he did was hug his foster son. Steven was realized that both the Alpha and Beta believed him about what had happened. "I never meant to let him go that far, Dad. I thought that since he was supposed to be the next Alpha, I had no right to tell him what to do," Steven choked out. "It was exactly the second I turned eighteen that my Mate urge hit me, and the only thing I could think was to make them hurt as badly as she was. And the way she looked at me made it hurt so much more. I knew she saw me as a friend, and I still did nothing to help her. I just stood there and watched him hurt her. I'm so sorry, but I don't know how she could ever forgive me. I wronged her by not being there." As he spoke, Steven felt the urge to rip out his own heart and offer it to Anise to make up for what he did.

     Alpha Jackson gently squeezed his shoulders and said one word. "Shift," he said softly. Knowing it was not a command, but a request, Steven did so. What both of them saw was a shock to Steven. Not only was he larger, in both mass and height, his fur had changed from the reddish brown color it had been before to a midnight black color. Steven was dumbfounded. He had never heard of anyone's fur changing color when they came of age. He quickly shifted back to human and accepted the shorts his Dad handed him. The confused look he gave Jackson asked for the explanation he needed.

     "Mom and I knew you were something special from the moment we found you. You were the child she was unable to carry." Jackson lead Steven to a couch within sight of Anise, so he could watch over her. "We had no idea who your parents really were, but we knew you were a gift to us. When no one came to claim you after a few month, we went ahead and made your adoption official. You might not have been ours by blood, but you were ours by love. That's why we had planned for Hector to be the next to take over. When you told us about your change when you turned eighteen, exactly, I knew you would be the next Alpha. Chester did, too. And I can already tell you that Anise's fur will change when she comes of age, as long as she accepts you as her Mate. You're just going to have to convince her that she can still trust you. Just be gentle with her. She might shy away from you for awhile. Just give her the time she needs." Jackson squeezed his shoulder and gave him a one armed hug before getting up and walking over to Anise. "Let's let her rest while we get everyone to the pack house and summon Hector and the others for what's going to happen."

   Steven nodded and slowly walked to Anise as his Dad walked out. "I'm so sorry, Ani," he whispered into the hair by her head. "I should have stopped him when he first got the idea, before we ever found you. I will never be able to make this up to you, but I will spend the rest of my life trying. I promise." Before he left, he kissed her forehead again and gently held her hand to his heart. In a whisper, he said, "Mine," one last time before walking to the front porch to join the Alpha and Beta.

~AnabelleLee~