The Alpha and His Childhood Sweetheart

The Beginning of Something Pt. 1

Elise is fourteen years old

            Elise had just gotten back from hiking with her family. My phone finally had service again. I laughed when I saw my phone. Tristan was calling me. My mom said, “Do you think Melanie stole his phone again?” I smiled. She was bored earlier. She normally always had something going on. Our teachers were already saying she was a genius. She was ridiculously smart. I answered my phone, “Is this Tristan or Melanie?” Tristan snorted, “Umm why would it be Ladybug?” I laughed, “It was earlier. She took your phone and called me.” Jason said, “We need to talk.” I frowned and ran up to my room in our vacation house. Once inside I asked, “What’s going on guys?” Tristan asked, “Has EJ said anything to you about thinking we are taking the part fairies part wolves?” I frowned, “What are you talking about?” Jason said, “Dad just got a text from Alpha Eric Conners. It said that unless something was an emergency he didn’t want us to ask them to pop us somewhere or use their powers.” My jaw dropped, “What? That doesn’t make sense. EJ pops to me all the time.” Jason snorted, “And he will keep doing so. You’re his mate. It’s different. If they offer to pop or use their powers it’s different; however, they still only want bigger things to be an emergency. Do they feel like we were taking advantage of them? Have they said anything like that to you?” 

            I frowned. I thought about it then said, “They have never said anything like that to me. I’ll talk to EJ.” Tristan said, “No don’t. That would only make it worse. If they felt we were trying to use you to change their mind.” I sighed, “Guys...Haley Conners is the nicest lady ever. There’s no way she just wants anyone hurting unless it’s an emergency.” Tristan sighed, “But if Alpha Eric feels like we are relying on them too much….he’s protecting his mate and family. That is something he would do. We just wondered if EJ said something to you because I’ve never heard him say anything. Jason’s never heard Alexander say anything either.” Jason snorted, “He’s a quiet guy, but I’m sure he would’ve said something.” Alexander was quiet and he tended to be a bit more emotional but….Finally I said, “They both would’ve said something to me, and I have no idea what this is about.” Tristan sighed, “Alpha Lyons said the same thing.” I sighed, “I’ll go ask dad.” Jason said, “I’d hate it if I upset Alexander.” I shook my head, “No, he’d have told me. Or EJ would’ve. It must have been some other pack. Maybe it was the Blue Moon pack that was upset, and Eric just agreed to present a united front.” Jason exhaled, “I hope so. Alexander’s my best friend.”

         I asked, “What did Mel say about it?” Jason said, “That was the weirdest thing….she got really quiet then went out to her spot to dance with her toy wolf of course. I love that she just carries that thing around still to prove a point to our pack.” I bit my lip. That wasn’t why she carried it around at all. It was because she still had a giant crush on her Xander. Tristan said, “It’s not the weirdest thing Jase. Go outside.” Jason snorted, “I can tell when I’m not wanted.” I heard Tristan moving around. He came back to the phone, “Ok, he’s outside.” I laughed, “How does he not know Mel has a huge crush on Alexander?” Tristan laughed, “He just doesn’t see her at the age where she can have a crush.” I snorted, “You've known since she was three years old.” Tristan laughed, “I’m closer with EJ than Alexander. Ladybug knows I’m not going to embarrass her and tell her crush about it.” I laughed, “Jason wouldn’t tell either.” Tristan said, “I know that, but ladybug is ladybug.” I smiled, “She was bored earlier.” Tristan said, “She’s been in a mood since Wednesday.” I frowned but shrugged that off. I sighed, “Well….I’m going to talk to my parents. I’ll text you later.” 

            I ran downstairs and found my parents sitting at the table. My dad smiled, “Hi Sweetie.” I didn’t bother with pleasantries. I asked, “Did you know about Eric’s text?” My dad sighed, “Drake told me. I just don’t think it can be directed at us. EJ would’ve said something. Alexander and Jason are so close….he’d have said something. I feel like any of them would’ve said something to you. EJ can’t and won’t keep things from you. Alexander is the quietest one but to say nothing to you or Jason….I just don’t see it. Cassie would’ve told you too.” I nodded, “I agree. It sounded like both Tristan and Jason’s feelings were hurt.” My dad sighed, “We have been through it with Haley and Emmaline. Your mom and Emmaline are still good friends. Haley always included them in her….” He trailed off. I snorted, “I know it’s called Girl Gang of Badasses dad.” My dad smiled, “I just think we’d have known. I’m surprised Alpha Eric didn’t call. I know he’s busy but….this had to be about Emmaline or Haley.” My mom said, “You’re discounting something. They could be trying to protect us all. If it’s known Haley, Emmaline or their kids pop in and out of our pack at our beck and call…..someone could use that information to attack us or someone else.” 

            I frowned. That was true. Peter sighed, “Yeah….I guess with the little girl on the way…..we’ve all been preparing for her to come along for a while now.” My mom nodded, “And you add that with Emmaline has Julianna and her ability to take people’s powers. Then we have little Aria as the strongest soul searcher in their family. Now we all know that Aaron is the strongest water fairy ever. I think they are trying to protect us all.” My dad said, “That does sound more like them than any other theory we’ve come up with.” It did. That sounded like the best theory out of all of it. I quickly texted the idea to Tristan. He was relieved and even added that Jason was too. My youngest brother Cooper came in and wanted to play with my dad. They left. I asked my mom, “Did Sam tell you anything was up with Mel? Tristan and Jason mentioned she’d been off.” My mom laughed, “I heard she’d been more like a bug than a lady this week. Sam doesn’t know why though.” I asked, “Do you know what led up to it?” My mom thought about it, “I guess she was around Charline and her friends, but last I knew they didn’t have a problem with each other.” I winced, “Oh no. This….this might be my fault.” My mom tilted her head, “I don’t see how that’s possible.” 

            I sat down, “Charline wants to go to the school dance. She even asked me about Alexander…..I mentioned it to EJ. He had me mention it to Alexander….I bet he asked her. If Melanie heard about it…..she’s probably upset about that.” My mom smiled, “That’s not your fault sweetie. Alexander is a big boy. From what I know of him he doesn’t do things he doesn’t want. I know ladybug has a crush….but ....” I sighed, “It’s not even like he likes Charline. I didn’t really think he would ask her.” My mom said, “He’s nice to her when they see each other.” I shrugged, “Alexander is nice to the vast majority of people mom.” My mom laughed, “I suppose that is true. He’s the quieter one though. He still doesn’t do things he doesn’t want.” I frowned, “I just really didn’t think he’d ask her. I just promised Charline I’d pass along the message to EJ.” My mom laughed, “You didn’t do anything wrong. Melanie will be ok. She’ll get over it. If it’s as you say it’s not like Alexander is going to date Charline.” I snorted, “I seriously doubt it. I really thought he found her annoying.” My mom shrugged, “Apparently not.” I was pretty sure I was right. 

            I shrugged, “Maybe he just wanted to come. Cassie is going with Jason and EJ is going with me.” My mom laughed, “That could be it too. Those three tend to be together.” I nodded, “I think that has to be it.” My mom smiled, “She would be the first girl he’s shown interest in. I’m sure she’s over the moon about it.” I cringed, “Which means she’s probably bragging. Poor Mel.” My mom smiled, “She’ll be ok. Especially if Alexander is just going with her as friends.” I sighed, “I still feel bad. This is all my fault.” My mom laughed, “They aren’t getting married Elise. It’s just a dance.” I nodded, “That’s true.” I sighed. I missed EJ. I hadn’t seen him since I left. I was confused about this new mandate they had. Unfortunately, my friends asked me not to say anything about it. I didn’t know how to broach the topic without him knowing how everyone on our side felt. I knew EJ or any of his family would pop to me no questions asked because of EJ. I just hoped my mom’s theory was the right one as opposed to Jason and Tristan’s. I would hate it if EJ or any of his siblings felt taken advantage of. I got up from the table. I was unsettled and would be until I heard EJ’s voice.

            I went upstairs and grabbed my phone. I called EJ. He immediately answered. His voice made me miss him even more. I laughed. I’d see him in two days. We could do anything for two days. EJ was taking me to his Uncle’s coronation. My dad told me I couldn't forget anything. No one outside of the Hackura had ever been at their coronations that talked about it. I asked EJ what he did today. He told me he was trying to figure out what was wrong with Alexander. Oh gosh. Was I wrong? Was it Alexander that felt taken advantage of? I relaxed when EJ told me Alexander was upset about the rule. That made me feel better. I didn’t totally misread him. Jason would feel better knowing Alexander was upset about it too. I told EJ the whole thing was weird. He shrugged it off saying there was nothing he could do about it. That he was just abiding people’s wishes. Ok…..so it wasn’t any of his siblings at least. That would make the McAlister’s feel better. EJ changed the subject. He must really not want to talk about it. I told him all about my day. My silly brothers jumped in the lake. My dad had to go in after them to get them out. EJ told me he loved my laugh. He always said that. I blushed. EJ of course knew I was. He just knew me. I knew all of him too. I heard someone knock on his door. I sighed. He was going to have to go. He told me he loved me. I always got butterflies when he told me that. I loved him too. So much. 

            He hung up. I immediately called Tristan. He answered, “Hey Elise. What’s up?” I told him, “I didn’t tell EJ anything about what you said. We briefly talked about it, but I know Alexander is upset about the new rule. EJ even said he’s abiding people’s wishes. It’s none of the Conners kids' requests.” Tristan let out a sigh of relief. He said, “At least that’s something Jason has been beside himself going over everything he’s ever asked Alexander to do.” I shook my head, “According to EJ….he’s pissed about it. So at least we know it’s not their call.” Tristan blew out a breath, “Yeah….they are our friends. It’s good to know they don’t feel that way. Sucks though. We gave our word to dad that we would only use it in emergencies.” I smiled, “Is Mel in a better mood?” Tristan said, “A little she was super jazzed after she came back from dancing all morning. She ran past us all to shower then she was pretty excited.” I laughed, “Must have been an inspiring dance.” Tristan said, “You know how she is when she choreographs a dance she loves.” I smiled, “I do.” She was adorable.” Tristan said, “She did my science project.” I gaped, “What? That’s...high school level.” Tristan laughed, “I know. She’s too damn smart for her own good. She did it without me even saying anything. She just told me all about the math and the experiment. It’s pretty good. She’s going to run the world someday.” I laughed, “I’ll bet she will. She’ll dance her way to the top.” 

            Tristan sighed, “Mom wants dad to think about letting Mel go to Juilliard. Or at least having her apply.” I gaped, “Your dad would never let that happen.” Tristan was silent then said, “It might be safer to have her all the way in New York. He’s considering it. Just getting her out of here so we can figure out if Alpha Theo would make a move. Mom met a couple that’s from New York. Their daughter Tiffany is in competitions with Melanie all the time. They said they’d be willing to host her in their pack. Her dad’s the lead warrior. He said he’d talk to his Alpha about it. There’s no way he’d have a problem with it.” I frowned, “Does Melanie even want to go?” Tristan laughed, “She waffles. I think she does….it’s just a long way away from…” I laughed, “Her Xander.” Tristan said, “Bingo.” I smiled, “Well….Juilliard….I mean….it’s Julliard. Alexander wouldn’t ever keep her from her dreams plus…..he can pop wherever he wants. If he is in fact her Xander.” Tristan said, “She kicked me in the shin when I said if he was hers. I don’t know what to do Elise….her entire heart is wrapped up in Alexander being her mate. They haven’t even met. Alexander left a hoodie in our car….She has it. She wears it to sleep. I don’t know if we should encourage this…..it’s going to break her heart if he’s not hers.” 

            I frowned, “He could very well be hers.” Tristan laughed, “Because your future pack needs to be more stacked? Alexander and Melanie fighting together would just be a sight to see. I mean she’s nine and I’m a little scared of her when she fights. I’d never want to face him. I’ve seen him fight.” I laughed, “He’s good.” Tristan laughed again, “He might meet his match in Mel. Dad FINALLY took ladybug to a training session. She kicked three warriors’ asses before he told her the session was over. He’s already texting your dad trying to see who they should have train her. Right now it’s him and my grandpa. Your dad suggested that your grandpa and my grandpa train her.” I gaped, “Grandpa would train Mel?” Former Alpha’s trained their kids and grandkids, but they usually kept it in the family.” Tristan said, “He agreed that if that’s what they thought was best. He watched her train today. She’s just too damn good at whatever she wants to do.” I laughed, “I got her a present. She’s still into the Thoroughbred Series right?” Tristan snorted, “Yes, she loves the books still. She wants mom to take her to the books store so she can get the next book.” I laughed, “Tell your mom to delay Mel. I found it out here and got it for her.” Tristan said, “On it.” I laughed, “Thanks T.” Tristan laughed, “Oh you know we’d do anything for our big sister. You’re family to us. Ladybug adores you. She wants to be just like you.” I blushed, “Well that’s so sweet.” We hung up after we talked for a bit longer.

        I loved my family, but the next two days refused to end. Finally the day EJ was popping to me arrived. I grabbed my dress and fixed my hair. When I came downstairs my dad smiled, “You look beautiful sweetie. You know that EJ won’t be here for a little bit. He’ll pop in the second he’s allowed, but you’re ready early.” Ray snorted, “The little Luna is counting down the hours just like her wolf.” I stuck my tongue out. My dad laughed, “Ray will be going with you.” I shrugged, “Ok.” Ray said, “Unlike last time….I WILL be fast enough, so the little Alpha wolf doesn’t pop away before I get a hold of him.” I looked at my dad, “Will you consider letting EJ and I go to the dance with just us?” Ray growled. I sighed, “It’s our territory. With our pack. You know EJ would be there. Please….just think about it?” My mom touched my dad's shoulder, “It is in our territory Peter.” My dad sighed, “I’ll think about it.” I squealed, “Thanks daddy!” Ray grumbled but I didn’t care. My dad was going to let me go somewhere without Ray. I knew EJ’s guards would be there, but they stayed hidden. Ray did too, but we could smell him. I didn’t mind Ray. I really liked him. I just wanted some alone time with EJ. 

            I waited for thirty minutes. I kept watching the clock. My brothers got bored and ran outside to play. I was literally counting down the seconds. The moment it hit time EJ was there. My dad teased him, but EJ’s eyes never left mine. He picked me up and spun me around. He scented me just as I took in his scent. It was so comforting. He snapped himself into an outfit with a tie matching my dress. I blushed under his gaze. He told me I looked beautiful. He should get a mirror. He looked like he just stepped out of a catalog. He told me he missed me. He had no idea how much I’d missed him. It was always like something was missing when he wasn’t with me. My mom told us we needed to get going. Ray literally jumped to his feet and told us he was coming too. EJ shot him a playful smirk. God I wanted to kiss him when he did that. I blushed at my own thoughts. I turned and waved to my parents. My mom shot me a knowing look. I blushed harder as EJ popped us away. 

            The first face I saw was Alexander. He looked stoic but I could see the hurt in his eyes. Was he still upset about not being able to pop unless it was an emergency? Poor guy. He was the most sensitive out of the siblings. He was the only one that could heal so far. It made him a bit more emotional than the others. Cassie was technically supposed to be more emotional than Alexander because she was the truth seeker. She let some things roll off her back though. Like this situation. They both had their things I guess. Cassie used to be very sensitive about the Cassandra topic, but obviously….that wasn't the case anymore. Alexander filled us in on their aunt Astrid delaying her coronation. Gunner’s son and her nephew had gone dark. I hoped they were ok. Gunner’s son Micah was hard to pin down. He was usually with his mom’s if we were here. I’d met him once though when EJ and I came here on a whim. He looked just like Gunner. He was just as good with computers too and he was only twelve. I was surprised to hear he was in the field, but Cayden was seventeen. Maybe he just needed a tech guy with him. The coronation was next month. Oh dear. Cassie would be upset. Cassie’s plan was to spend a month in Faerie. Cassie didn't deviate from her plans, and she planned to stay there for a whole month without popping anywhere else.

        Alexander turned his attention to me. He teased me saying this was the longest he’d gone without seeing me. He told me that his brother was lucky. He always told me that. He’d treated me like his sister for as long as I could remember. EJ popped us to a hill that overlooked everything. I smiled and told him that it was beautiful. He told me I was beautiful. I looked back and blushed at the look in his eyes. It held a deep love and also some lust. I asked why he brought me up here. I could tell the moment he started to get nervous. He stuttered over his words. It was such a departure from the strong confident EJ I’d always seen. I grabbed his hands and told him that he didn’t need to be embarrassed with me ever. He put his hands on my hips. My heart started racing. Was he going to kiss me? I’d been dreaming about our first kiss for ages. EJ leaned in and stopped right before he got to my lips. Giving me the choice. I closed the gap between us. His lips felt amazing on mine. I didn’t really know what I was doing, but we managed to keep kissing. I should’ve looked up how to kiss. 

        I didn’t know how long it was before EJ pulled back, but I wanted him to keep going. It wasn’t long before his lips were back on mine. We were both surer of what to do. EJ was smiling his happiest smile when he pulled back. He told me we had to go. He popped us back after he told me he loved me. Alexander took one look at me and then started smirking. Cassie gave me a look too. The ground could swallow me whole now. They all knew we’d just kissed. We took our seats for the ceremony. I glared at several girls who were openly staring at my mate. They met my stare with their own stares of jealousy, hatred, and contempt for me. Eventually they looked away first. That was right. He was MINE! I was never more grateful to EJ for teaching me Latin. I would’ve been so lost here, but it was a surprisingly short ceremony. I looked around for Ray. I spotted him quickly. He shot me a wink. Once everything was said and done Bjourn announced it was time to celebrate. I tensed. I’d been preparing myself. They had orgies here. I knew there would be one today. This was totally normal to EJ and his siblings. They’d grown up around it. EJ told me there was a parade later. I was taking deep breaths. I could do this. It didn’t faze anyone else. 

            EJ popped us away. I looked up at him surprised. His eyes met mine. I saw his complete understanding. I hope he wasn’t embarrassed of me. I told him he didn’t have to do that. EJ kissed me again. I melted into him. His body fit mine perfectly. He told me that if I was more comfortable with it then one day we could stay. He snapped his parents' horses ready to ride. I smiled. He’d taught me to ride on one of our visits here. He snapped me into jeans. He just thought of little details like that. He led the way out of the barn and down to the ocean. I knew that his family loved to come here. Haley loved the ocean. We started skipping rocks and talking. He asked about my dress for the dance. I wanted to laugh. My dad would freak out. My mom and I bought it when he was in a meeting. He would not like the low cut of the top, but my mom said I was beautiful in it. EJ wanted to match me. He was so sweet. People didn’t always believe me when I said that. The Conners had a reputation. They were sweet though with those they loved. 

            I told EJ lots of the girls here had their eyes on him. It always amazed me that he didn’t see it. He thought their eyes were only on Alexander. There were plenty of eyes on Alexander, but there were also eyes on him. He made me look into his eyes as he said the sweetest things to me. He told me they didn’t compare to me. It didn’t mean I wasn’t going to have to prove he was mine. He kissed me again then pulled back. He told me he didn’t see those other girls. That it was just him and I. I just didn’t understand how he didn’t see them. I knew what they saw. EJ was handsome. He was perfect. He was just too dang sexy. EJ teased me when I called him sexy. He knew he was. His whole family was attractive, and they knew it. It seemed we couldn’t stop kissing now that we’d started. He pulled back and I heard the strain in his voice when he asked if I knew how hard it was for him around me. He said my boobs were teasing him in this dress. They weren’t. If he thought that…..he was definitely going to lose it over my dance dress. He told me we needed to get back. We hopped back onto the horses and took off.