The Alpha I Refuse: Werewolf Second Chance Warrior Woman Romance

Kara Kara jogged into the pack cafeteria and found that the tables were already being cleared from lunch by the kitchen crew. “Hey guys!” She toweled off her forehead asking, “Is there anything left?” “Mrs. Johnson has the leftovers in the warmers in the kitchen. Go help yourself, Kara.” one of the servers said cheerfully. When she got into the kitchen her Dad was getting himself a plate from the warmers also. He grinned at her and shrugged as he handed her a plate, “I had an extra training with the young pups. You?” Smiling at her dad she quipped, “Added 2 more miles to my afternoon jog.” Her dad eyed her analytically, “Feel OK? Not strained, Little General?” “No dad. I stretched. Cooled down. I’m not overtraining I promise I’ve just had a lot of energy lately.” She couldn’t help the eye roll at his nickname for her since her second birthday where she started bossing everyone around and organizing the entire event to suit her own preferences. Her mother had been less amused than her dad who took it as a sign of her innate leadership skills. The man nodded, “Warrior blood, like your old man.” His smile made his eyes crinkle and she grinned. “You might have a little grey in your beard but you’re not old, Dad.” They were leaning against one of the counters in the kitchen eating their lunch when they heard Alpha Toren’s voice, full of charm and flirtiness. “And this is the pack cafeteria, my Luna-to-be.” Kara’s eyes widened in surprise and she ran to the kitchen door, peeking out to see their new potential Luna. Behind her, her father scowled. “Not again. Abram told him this was behavior unbecoming of an alpha when he pulled this stunt last month. Unbelievable!” Alaric took both their plates and angrily slammed them into the kitchen sink, leaving out the back door instead of going into the room with the alpha and the pretty human he had his arm around. Kara watched the two of them together trying to see what had her father in such an outrage. The woman was clearly human, but she seemed pretty enough. Was he upset because she was human? No. Her dad wasn’t prejudice the way some wolves could be. One of his grandmothers was a human, even before the coming out. Twenty years ago, werewolves found themselves thrust into the spotlight when a police officer shifted to rescue a kidnapped child hostage. On live television. Packs went public and developed a system similar to Native American tribes with their own governments and regulations, operating within the United States. While some countries began persecuting weres without mercy, most Western countries developed similar systems. Humans and wolves now knew about, and tolerated each other more openly, although myths and legends and great exaggerations were prevalent. Kara watched curiously as the young, red-haired woman looked about nervously, shy and blushing. Her curly hair hid much of her face and she didn’t say much. It seemed she was content to let Alpha Toren lead her around the room as his age-mates followed along behind him at a distance. It wasn’t anything new to see the man with a girl; he was handsome with an easy smile and charming personality that made many swoon. She watched their interaction. They seemed cozy with each other, although the girl clearly was naive and shy. Maybe her father thought she wouldn’t be a good Luna? Kara didn’t see a mating mark on the girl but if they’d met recently, they could be taking time to get to know each other. Even wolves would often take time to get to know each other and work out pack transfer protocols before marking a mate. That couldn’t be what was bothering her father, could it? Shrugging, Kara gave them one more glance. She couldn’t see anything special about this girl that would make her dad so grumpy. She turned away from the main room and jogged back through the kitchen to catch up to her dad, mind linking rather than asking out loud. “What’s wrong, Daddy? Wouldn’t it be good if he found his mate?” He was walking forcefully down the hallway towards the command offices. It was the strides of a head warrior on a mission – efficient, firm, and precise. At her question, her father snorted. Then his lips tightened and he hissed, “She’s probably not his mate. The human he brought a few months ago wasn’t. Last month’s naive little human wasn’t. I don’t see why this week’s should be either.” Kara gasped. “He lied.” Her voice was a hoarse whisper of disbelief, sounding strained even to her own ears. It was blasphemous to lie about something as sacred as a mate bond. Especially because as a human without the ability to scent a mate for herself, the woman wouldn’t know. She let out a hiss of breath as realization sank in. “She doesn’t know he is lying.” Her dad merely growled in response. They reached the Beta’s office and the warrior knocked once before opening the door impatiently. Abram Blackwood, the Beta of the pack was a solid man in his mid-30s looked up with a smile. “How’s my head warrior and his lovely daughter today?” he asked politely. “Pissed,” Alaric growled. When Blackwood raised an eyebrow inquiringly, frowning in concern, her father continued with explanation. “He’s got another ‘Luna-to-be’ human girl downstairs in the cafeteria right now.” Kara had never seen her father use air quotes before and had to stifle a snort. He was not in the mood for her weird sense of humor. Beta Blackwood stood leaning forward over his desk. “Not the girl from last week?” “Different girl. Same lie.” “Unbelievable. I don’t understand why he’d tempt fate so. It’s one thing to have dalliances, even relationships, before finding your mate. But to lie this way.” The beta shook his head, looking worried. Her father pressed, “I thought you were going to talk to him last week?” “I did. Hell, I talked to him last month when the first human showed up pregnant requesting that he acknowledge the paternity. He ordered us to send her away. Alpha ordered.” A silence fell over the office as the men stared at each other. Beta Blackwood turned his attention to Kara. “Did you have anything to add?” “Oh! No, sir. I was just eating a late lunch with my father when we saw the alpha and the girl.” she said quickly. “I don’t know anything about the alpha’s um…dalliances.” “Thank the goddess for that,” her father murmured. Kara rolled her eyes but shrugged. “Sorry if I was intruding on a private conversation, Sir.” “Not at all, young Redcliff. How is your training going? Are you still planning to be a warrior like your father?” The beta asked politely. “Yes, Sir. I’ve been leading the introductory classes with the pups for two years now and recently began teaching the elementary students as well. I’ve also taken over all the patrol scheduling and oversight from my father so he can focus on the higher ranked warriors. I’m hoping to coordinate a full set of women’s classes this year,” she said enthusiastically. “That’s something to bring to Alpha Toren. This pack’s always had a rule against advanced training for females who don’t come from warrior blood lines,” the beta replied, “but keep up the great work. I’m looking forward to working with you more in the future.” He reached out a hand towards her and Kara realized it was a dismissal. She shook the beta’s hand, gave her father’s cheek a kiss and slipped out of the office. As she turned to her family’s apartment to see if her mom was home from the clinic yet, she saw Alpha Toren leading the woman to the elevator. “Come on, baby. I’ll show you your future bedroom,” he said smoothly as he guided her in, giving her a kiss on the cheek. Kara watched them as the doors closed, a sad frown. Her eyes met the Alpha’s briefly before they disappeared from sight and the scoundrel actually gave her a wink. The nerve of him!