Alpha Rising

Chapter Thirteen

Alvira's P.O.V.

I could hardly remember how the rest of the conversation went after that point. Dad had gone on to bolster Alpha Jeremy’s plea and brought up the proposal for a string of safehouses spanning the mountain range. 

The call for volunteers came again, and I was still the first to step up and stand alongside the others already forming a line on the wall. There was a heavy silence for a minute as my intent fully settled into the crowd, but soon enough, it was smashed to bits by the rising wave of arguments and protests that came louder and louder. 

First to the defensive was my mother. Like the true pinnacle of peace that she was, she stood tall beside my father at the head of the table and coughed quietly to clear her throat. The room fell quiet in respect when she spoke, with a few of the other Lunas elbowing their mates in the side when they tried to protest to the disruption. 

“You asked for fighters,” Mom started. “You want people who are strong and fast enough to handle themselves in tough situations.” She looked over at me sidelong with the subtle hint of a smile in the corner of her lips. “Then why deny her? She has already fought and won against a group of these individuals.”

Others in the room started to mutter and whisper amongst themselves, earning a few glares from their mates as well as my father. Once everyone had settled, my mother continued. “The longer you stand here bickering about who does what, the more chances these monsters have to take more of our own for their desires.”

It was an argument met with sighs and nods of understanding, and one of the female fighters in the back looked rather proud too. The she-wolf was the next to step up and volunteer, striding to my side with confidence that I genuinely did envy. She was smaller than I was, but her toned arms and strong features were striking against the clean, crisp way her hair was pulled back in neat braids. Her dark skin was radiant, glowing with a warmth that could have resulted from any number of things. She caught me staring and flashed a wink in my direction. 

Nikolai was seated only a few feet away, across the table. So when he saw the display, his eyes narrowed, and a low growl rolled in his throat. Though, I’m not entirely sure that the wolf beside me noticed. This seemed to open the floodgates, as it were. Two more fighters still in the room rose to the occasion, with the makeshift council deciding that each pack would send at least two volunteers to work on the task force.

"I'll take up one of the spots for Star Garnet," the she-wolf beside me said. I hadn't realized at first that she was one of Nikolai's warriors. Perhaps that's why he was so touchy about her subtle flirtation.

Alpha Jeremy leaned down to listen to the words whispered to him by his mate, Ola. She glanced my way while talking, then towards Nikolai. I could only assume that she was gossiping about what had happened the day before. Surprisingly, Jeremy made eye contact with me, and his gaze seemed to soften. He had been harder on me at the meeting last night and even some this morning. But whatever she’d said to him had seemed to melt a bit of that away. 

As the meeting broke, with the topic at hand now fleshed out, Alpha Jeremy approached my father and shared a few quiet words with him. After my father’s eventual rise to the council, these sorts of meetings would fall to Jeremy in responsibility. He was next in the power cycle. 

Black Opal’s alliance with the Agate pack had gone back generations. I never got the whole story, but there was something about an ancient power hidden in the hills and how the two alphas of that age partnered together and kept each other alive on the journey to secure it. I didn’t know. Alban was always better at the old myths than I was. 

At any rate, the bond was deep, and it was intense. And whatever Jeremy had said to my father seemed to set off a sense of relief in him. My father pushed his peppered hair back off of the side of his head and he rubbed at the growing stubble on his neck. His face contorted as he thought before shifting. Alpha Jeremy watched as my father gestured to the hallway and followed him out without another word. 

While I was distracted, I didn’t notice Nikolai coming up beside me until he was already gripping hard at my wrist and gently tugging me towards the back door. I had started to mutter a peaceful protest, but he just shushed me until we were out of sight and out of range of prying eyes and ears. We’d exited out into the yard through one of the large doors along the far wall of the meeting hall, and as soon as the fresh air hit my lungs, I was being pressed firmly against the brick wall. 

My heart caught in my throat as Nikolai closed the gap between us; his nose was only centimeters from mine as his eyes closed. He seemed to be taking in the scent of me, the way his nose nudged my cheek and moved down to my neck. It made me hold my breath as I craned my neck enough to open up the smooth swath of skin for him.

Every sense in me wanted to freeze, but my wolf was already growling. I was starting to think she wanted this even more than I did. I could feel breath on my neck just before Nikolai pulled away. “Are you sure you want to investigate this?” he hissed mere inches from my skin. “It’s dangerous.”

The growl of his voice resonated in his chest, and the lack of space between us made the air warm with electricity. “What?” I said, half in a daze. His nose brushed my ear, and I could feel my shoulders tremble slightly under his touch. This was the longest that the two of us had been alone together, and it felt like the walls between us were slowly melting. 

“I don’t think it’s safe for you to investigate the rogues.” I was sure that he could feel the growl in my throat when he repeated himself because he pulled back from me almost entirely and narrowed his eyes directly on mine. 

“Excuse me?” I scoffed. “It was just as dangerous going on a f*****g vacation, and you’re trying to tell me not to hunt down the people who hurt me?” That claim seemed to cut through him like a knife, and I almost felt a pang of irrational regret for speaking so harshly. I knew that I had no reason to feel bad, but the mate bond was a tricky business. 

Some wolves bonded immediately and intensely. Some were able to mark each other directly and followed through with their lunar blessings within their first month of meeting. Being under twenty-one, I was unable to mark or be marked by my mate. It was simply how the Goddess operated. What Nikolai and I had felt strong, that was for sure. But there was also that reluctance that I couldn’t crack through. 

We had been standing in a stare-off for a minute or so until my father poked his head out the door to look for us. “Vira, Nikolai,” he cleared his throat and raised his eyebrows questioningly at our posture. A subtle shake of my head had him understanding not to bring it up, and he continued. “Caravans are heading out. There are some details we still have to discuss before the two of you head out.”

Head out?

Nikolai and I shared a confused look- at least we were on the same page regarding that. “Alpha Zachary,” he started, looking at my father. “What do y-”

My father raised a hand to cut him off and drew in a deep breath. “Your Aunt will explain everything, don’t worry.”

Nikolai nodded once in understanding before re-composing himself and heading for the door. I lingered a moment after to address my father’s unspoken question. “You don't want to know,” I said, though I didn’t think he believed me. But whether he did or not, he trusted my answer and stepped back to let me pass him unbothered. 

It was just Nikolai, Mom, Dad, Alpha Jeremy, and his Luna Ola back in the room. Mom looked like she was holding back tears when she met my eyes, and Dad was quick to clear his throat. “We haven’t made your mated status public yet,” he started, looking between myself and Nikolai. “Either of you.”

From the corner of my eye, I watched as Ola reached up to gently pat the hand of her mate that was resting on her shoulder. “Why not?” I asked, knowing that Nikolai was wondering the same thing. 

“Because,” Dad replied. “We wanted you two to feel less pressure in a room full of Alphas. You two hold a lot more power together than you realize, even now.” 

“Zachary,” my mother said low, with a tremble to her tone that I’d heard just the other week. “Please.”

Dad shook his head and let out a ragged sigh. “They’ll find out eventually, Katherine. And we can’t keep bullshitting the Elders much longer. You and I both know that they know.” Dad took a few steps towards me and brushed the hair from my face. “Vira,” he said, his low voice sad and tired. “We need you to go with Nikolai to Star Garnet. Stay with him and his pack for a few weeks while I settle a few issues here.”

Alpha Jeremy spoke up with calm respect that he had never before shown to me, odd deference in his eyes that was so very similar to what he showed my father. “You’ll be safe there. We have a meeting with the Elders here in two weeks to discuss your brother.”

Before I could ask what was happening with Alban, my mother stepped forward to wrap me in a warm hug. “Please, baby,” she whispered in my ear. “The less you know now, the safer you’ll be.” I could feel the tears on her cheeks as she indulged me and held me tighter, and I almost felt the sting of my take over. “Go, meet your new pack.”

My new pack. The thought hadn’t fully settled into my mind until she said that. I would have a whole new pack to help lead now. It wouldn’t be the same as being Alpha in my own right, but people would still be relying on me. Over her shoulder, I saw Nikolai looking uncharacteristically soft. His eyes shone with concern and confusion over every new bit of information he learned. 

‘Are you sure about this?’ I asked my parents through our mind link. 

Mom’s only response was to grip me tighter, but Dad did silently reply. ‘Jeremy and Ola will keep you safe. They’ve made a blood oath.’ 

I almost froze at that admission but didn’t press for more. If what they said was true, I would benefit from knowing less until it was safer. “Okay,” I said out loud. “Nikolai,” My watery eyes turned to my mate, and I forced a smile. “I can be ready within the hour. Okay?”

After looking to his Aunt for confirmation, Nikolai stepped forward to where my mother and I stood and placed a hand at my back. “Whatever you need. We can make it happen.”

I was grateful for that, even if it felt sudden and terrifying. I would have to make this quick. But at least I could start getting to know my mate and his family. That would have to be my silver lining for the time being.