Beyond Fate

What a day

Shaking off the weird interaction I placed Mina down slowly, her little face looked a wash with worry. Her lips had slipped into the tiniest of pouts.

I didn’t want to scare her so I put on my best smile and kneeled in front of her, placing my hands on her little shoulders.

The pack living room was empty which meant everyone was probably in the main dining hall by now eating dinner. It wasn’t mandatory for the pack to eat together at meal times, it was more of an open buffet and Mina didn’t always like eating with everyone else. Most of the time I got the impression it was because in the past I wasn’t allowed to sit with her when she wanted me to.

That had been one distinguishing rank identification. The omegas served but we were not allowed to eat with the rest of the pack. Omegas had to either take their food elsewhere or wait till the higher ranks had eaten first but by then you ran the risk of not getting any food. Werewolves were huge eaters on account of our high motabolisms and our portions sizes tended to be twice the amount of any other species. I’d always had to stand back like a server during meal times. Mina never said anything but even with her young mind she knew why I was treated differently and she didn’t like it. My little monkey was so loyal to me but I didn’t want her to unintentionally isolate herself from the pack because I wasn’t wanted so I would encourage her to sit with them. However today was not one of those days.

“ Shall we go and get you some dinner monkey?” I asked, Mina’s head peered towards the busy dining room to our left. It was all open plan downstairs, no doors blocking off each room, only a small wooden archway gave any kind of indication that you were entering another room. Mina looked back at me sheepishly sucking on her thumb, her dark hair falling into her face so she could hide. She only did that when she felt really uncomfortable. It was one of her subtle tells that I had learnt overtime.

“ or we could go to the kitchen and I can make you a sandwich” she nodded eagerly the second I said that and she lifted her head giving me a bright smile. I knew the interaction outside had shook her up and I felt bad, I should have walked away from the creepy guy sooner. Putting our bags to the side by the front door so no one would trip over them we headed to the kitchen.

I didn’t spot the alpha as we walked past the dining room so I decided to quickly mindlink him and let him know Mina was back hoping I wasn’t going to get another reprimand like this morning.

Alpha Mina is back safe. She doesn’t want to eat in the dining room so I’m going to make her something else. I apologise for us being late back, we went to meet my brother for a playdate and lost track of time.

I hoped that being with Johnny would save me, not that I was expecting him to link back, he didn’t normally, he tended to just appear if I told him where we were, after all he was very busy and probably always had numerous pack members linking him at once. To my surprise he mindlinked me within seconds.

Thank you alisha, I'll be down shortly. Then he was gone. Short and sweet. He didn’t really ever say much to me beyond that.

We got to the kitchen and It was spotless in there, only a few young omegas were washing dishes. All the food had already gone out, so we really were late tonight. I nodded to the two girls when they saw us come in.

“ Can we help with something?” One asked with a shy smile, suds from her hands dripping on the floor by her. I had to say it was the other omegas attitudes I had noticed a change in more than anyone. They all smiled at me now rather than just flat out ignoring me, some, like this girl were even going out of their way to offer help, gone were the days I had to stand over them while they make Mina’s food.

“ no thank you I was just going to make something to eat if we aren't in the way” I smiled at her, she was young probably only just eighteen, she had long blonde hair like mine although hers was a mass of messy curls that sat in a high bun on her head, unlike Colton’s mate Katie who spent hours achieving the look I could see this girl was all natural. I imagine she didn’t have many days where she didn’t have to resort to scraping it back in order to tame it. Thick black glasses rested at the end of her nose and she pushed them back onto her face leaving a few suds in their wake, her friend wiping up next to her laughed as she tried to blow the suds away, she used the tea towel she was holding to wipe her face clean when it didn’t work.

“ No, not at all would you like me to do it, we were waiting to see if the alpha comes down anyway” the omega finally said when the two were done with their little show. Her friend flipped her dark brown hair over her shoulder giving me not quite such a friendly look that reminded me of my earlier encounter with Kelly.

“ no thank you I can manage” I said, giving the one a slight smile. “So alpha Mitchell hasn’t come down all day?” I asked thoughtfully heading to the fridge. I sighed seeing that there wasn’t a lot to go on. It was Thursday and the food was always scares at this point in the week.Food deliveries would come every Friday.

“ No he's had back to back meetings, I wonder what his latest great plan is to modernise our pack” the dark haired omega drying a plate said and I couldn’t help but notice the irritation in her voice which surprised me, as far as I knew alpha Mitchell was very well thought of within the pack. There was a level of fear since the lashings had taken place but he wasn’t a feared alpha. At least I hadn’t thought he was.

“ Mela shhhh!” The blondes' eyes looked around nervously like they might be heard at any moment. I looked at Mina who was still trying to climb up onto the stool at the counter. I would give her a few more seconds before I helped if she couldn’t do it.

“ What?? it’s true my dad said he even talked to the elders about abolishing the ‘trials’, it’s a tradition” the two omegas seemed to have completely forgotten myself and Mina were even there now too engrossed in their gossiping . I had to admit I was intrigued as to why the alpha would be keen to abolish the trials, after all, it was his family that had introduced the unmistakably fair way to allow every pack member to show their worth. What’s that, do you detect sarcasm? Yes, yes you do.

“ Honestly Mela you're too set in your ways change is good” the blonde whispered frustrated with her friend hitting the nail on the head as she spoke.

This entire pack was so bound by its traditions that even its youth weren't open to change. Rolling my eyes I turned back to the fridge seeing Mina had climbed up onto the stool herself, I didn’t know why I was waiting if the little monkey could climb a pantry shelf to get to the treats In the middle of the night, She could tackle a kitchen stool.

I found some cheese and in the back was some ham that was still good but the salad not surprisingly was not, but no one had thought to throw it away. I took what I found and set about making Mina a sandwich, tossing the old salad into the waste bin for good measure. The two omegas were still gossiping at the sink.Mina and I were long forgotten now they were arguing over whether the changes that had been made in the pack by alpha Mitchell so far were good or not. It seemed the one named mela had been rather influenced by her grandfather about pack matters. I got the impression he was one of the elders on the pack council from the sounds of things the elders thought alpha Mitchell was not up to the task of being alpha just yet and were in talks of whether his father should co alpha for the time being. I was shocked by how little support they were showing him.

The pack elders were a collaboration of so called wise pack members, not necessarily old but established ones such as doctors, teachers etc who would advise the current Alpha. Not all packs still had them now, like so many things in this pack it was an outdated tradition that hardly any pack stuck to any more, they were almost like a mini council that live within the pack which made no sense when we already had a supernatural council and pack elders held no real power other than to stick their noses in where it wasn’t wanted and give opinions that no one asked for.

Ever heard the phrase ‘too many cooks’ well no truer words spoken as a way to describe the pack elders. If what the little omegas were saying was true though alpha Mitchell’s reign could be in trouble before it even began. You see, although the elders had no real power, what they did have was influence. They could cause a rebellion within the pack just by giving their opinions to make the pack doubt the alphas leadership and I of all people knew how damaging the word of mouth could be.

“….your just saying that because he’s hot and you fancy him” mela’s voice brought me back into the room.

“ Fancy Who ?” A voice boomed through the kitchen, causing us all to look in the direction of the door. Alpha Mitchell stood there eyeing us all, he had dark circles under his eyes and his hair looked dishevelled from its smart slicked back look from this morning, his suit jacket and tie were gone from his three piece navy suit he’d been wearing this morning and the sleeves on his shirt were rolled up to his elbows partly revealing his tattoos up the one arm. His state of dishevelment did nothing to take away from the incredibly attractive man he was. I wasn’t sure how he managed to make a scruffy businessman look so good but then again he was a guy that had made drinken hobo sexy so it shouldn’t have surprised me…..wait did I just think that.

I shook my head trying to rearrange my scrambled thoughts. Seriously, this whole day was screwing with my brain. The omegas that had been gossiping both dipped their heads in submission and the room was suddenly extremely quiet. The one that had been washing up was bright red from the clear embarrassment of being outed by her friend for having a crush on the alpha. It was honestly nothing new, every female in the pack had a crush on him. Other females such as Jasmine made it very clear about wanting him too. However from what I had seen of him he showed no interest in any of them but that didn't mean he wasn’t doing anything with these females. I had asked him to keep all that separate from Mina which would also mean I wouldn’t see it either since I was always with her. It still didn't sit well with me, the thought of him being with other females but he was a werewolf and an alpha at that, his libido was higher than other males and it wasn’t like he wasn’t free to do what he wanted. This was probably touching on what doctor Wez had said in his last session about my not grieving Rose because I hadn’t been allowed to her funeral it had left things open for me. There was no closure so somehow my brain was subconsciously still keeping her alive. He had explained it in very technical terms that I didn’t really understand. All I’d got was that my brain was screwing with me to try and keep Rose alive somehow.

“ Daddy!!” Mina screamed jumping down from the stool running at him he smiled crouching down to catch her when she leapt into his arms. He scooped her up carrying her back towards the counter where I was finishing up her sandwich.

“ hungry? I can make you one” I offered, gesturing to the prepping station I currently had around me. He probably didn’t want something simple like a sandwich but he looked exhausted and if he’d been in back to back meetings all day like the omega said I doubt he would have eaten.

“ or I could make you some real food” mela chimed in surprisingly cheerful. I raised my eyebrows at her trying not to smile. It looked like it wasn’t just her friend that had the crush, mela was seriously liking the alpha too. He glanced her way for a brief moment as he sat on the stool next to Mina leaning on the counter before his eyes came to rest on me again.

“ Actually that sandwich looks great, thanks Alisha '' he smiled at me. I felt my breath hitch in my throat. It was the first time he had actually accepted, I’ve offered before when I was making things for Mina but he had alway declined. Maybe this was him finally accepting me being with Lucas. I know it was stupid to get excited over a tiny gesture but I felt like it was a turning point for us. I smiled, handing him the sandwich I’d been making for myself, Mina was already digging into her own. He took it from me, our fingers brushed when I handed him the plate and I felt him stiffen for a moment, it made my stomach sink slightly dampening my good mood. Ok maybe not as accepting as I thought but it was a baby step.

He sat next to Mina at the island eating whilst glancing at the omegas now and then with an irritated expression. When he clearly couldn’t stand the giggling anymore he dismissed the omegas telling them they earnt a break, they had both looked like they might spontaneously combust if they had been allowed to stay and gape at him much longer.

“ This is delicious alisha” Mitchell said as I was finishing the last of my own off before sitting on a stool opposite them, licking mustard off my fingers. I had decided to make some extra just in case they wanted more, so I had placed a plate in between the three of us. We sat and ate in comfortable silence until Mina was finished half of hers and then she wouldn’t stop talking about her day, everything she did at nursery and then riding around on wolf Johnny’s back. Mitchell listened intently to everything she said but I saw the hint of sadness around his eyes whenever Mina talked about how much she loved play time with Johnny.

It was no secret Mitchell and Johnny weren't friends anymore after what happened with me and Mitchell taking off without a word to anyone when Rose died. It wasn't hard to see why but it still made me incredibly sad with everything Johnny was going through right now he needed a friend more than ever. I wondered if there was something I could do to help them both reconnect. I knew they missed each other’s friendship, they were just being stubborn.

Mitchell had finished his first sandwich and was reaching across the counter for a second when we heard footsteps. Moments later Lucas came strolling into the kitchen, his usual casual damena like a man who had all the time in the world. Today he was wearing a white T-shirt with dark grey jeans, a look I’d come to learn was pretty much as dressed up as Lucas got, the only time I’d seen him more dressed up was the night he’d worn a tux, the night of the alpha ceremony and he’d tried to worn me away from going. He came towards me flashing a slight grin that spoke volumes and made my insides clench at the silent promises that grin was saying. I knew exactly what was on his mind but if I didn’t when he clasped my chin with his hand and licked the mustard off the corner of my mouth before capturing my lips in a smouldering kiss there was no doubt in my mind as to what he had planned for me tonight.

“ hmm foods never tasted so delicious sweetheart” he whispered in my ear, sending a blush on my face thinking about last week when he’d done something similar but he’d licked chocolate off me instead of mustard and it hadn’t been my mouth he’d licked it….

We both jumped slightly at the sound of a crash in the sink. Both mine and Lucas’s head whipped behind us to see Mitchell had gotten up and thrown his plate in the sink; from the sound of it, it hadn't survived the impact.

“ Slipped” he said looking down at the sink then back up at us awkwardly. I looked over at Mina who was a nodding dog, her eyes fluttering shut as she tried to finish her sandwich but her hands were nowhere near her mouth. I smiled at her knowing it was time to get her to bed. I got up, handing Lucas my half eaten sandwich and giving him a chased kiss, moving round to the other side of the counter. I took the crusts out of Mina's hands, popping them onto her empty plate just as she collapsed against my chest, snuggling into me. I heard a clanging and looked over to see Mitchell cleaning what was left of the plate out of the sink. Yep, just as I thought the poor plate had never seen him coming.

Lucas was now sitting in my previous spot chuckling at Mitchell over his shoulder while he finished my sandwich and reached forward to grab one of the spare ones in the middle of the counter.

“ I think I’m gonna put her down” I said to them both gesturing to a now sleeping Mina who was lightly snoring against my chest. I scooped her up in a bridal style trying my best not to disturb her. Mitchell smiled slightly nodding his head towards me, Lucas didn’t look up from his eating, I smiled, shaking my head moving towards the doors.

I was about to shoulder the swinging door to the kitchen open when there was an almighty crash and glass shattered everywhere. Mina started crying in my arms and I held her to my chest tightly feeling slingers of glass touched my skin but there was no pain. looking around to see if Mina was hurt I couldn’t find a wound but she screamed harder when I tried to pull her away from me slightly to get a better look at her so I just held her to me nuzzling her hair letting her know I was here.

“ shhhh it’s ok” I cooed, where had the the attack come from. I felt arms come around me but when I looked up I saw it was Mitchell not Lucas.

“ You guys ok? Are you hurt?” He looked down at Mina who still clutched tightly to me. The worry on his face made my heart ache and I could feel his heart hammering in his chest from the way he had us both pressed against him on instinct. My hands went to his chest in order to calm him and I could feel the fast rate of his heart beat under my fingers. Mina was fine,just scared and confused.

“ Alpha, she’s ok she’s not hurt” He looked from Mina to me panic in his eyes from the way his hand clutched my waist tightly my words weren't calming him. I rubbed Mina’s back, coaxing her to come out so he could see she was ok. She looked up at us both, her eyes and nose both streaming but she was fine. Mitchell scooped her up into his arms hugging her tightly to him but he didn’t let go of my waist with his one hand.

“ Someone's clearly eager to get a message to you” I moved away from Mina and Mitchell just as Lucas came strolling over holding a note and tossing a brick in the air before catching it in the other hand. He handed Mitchell the note at the same time he wrapped his arms around me kissing my temple. I looked to check how Mina was noticing that Mitchell’s eyes were on my waist where Lucas’s hands were before they quickly darted back to the note.

Goddess this day couldn’t get much worse. No screw that it can always get worse.