Not-So-Fated Mates

Chapter 4: The Girl

Drake’s POV

    The second he’d opened the car door, a hint of a scent caught Drake’s attention. It was the scent of pine and lavender, and it was surprisingly inviting. As he got out, his eyes searched the people gathered to greet him, curious as to where it came from. A man and woman stood to the forefront of the group of six, quite obviously the alpha and luna from their bearing and position slightly ahead of the rest. The man, Alpha Richard, had short, curly brown hair, green eyes, and looked to be in his forties; though, unlike an average human male at the same age, he was a lot more fit and one could see he trained on a regular basis, as was expected of an alpha. He was tall, but not quite as tall as Drake, who guessed he stood at probably 6’ to his 6’3”. His luna, who he knew was named Charlotte, was much tinier, only reaching her mate’s shoulder, with long, blonde hair she’d done up in a bun, and a fire in her deeply brown eyes. The pair next to them but an inch or two behind, undoubtedly in deference to the alpha and luna, were most likely their beta pair. The beta male was a burly man, broad and probably somewhere around 5’11”, what looked like brown hair cut down it what was fairly close to a buzz cut, with a well taken care of mustache and goatee. The female was about the same height as her mate, her long hair a lighter brown with highlights artfully placed throughout, skinny but with toned muscle.

    Then, he turned his attention to the guards slightly behind him. One was short, with a toned, sturdy body and a “don’t f**k with me” attitude he could’ve felt miles away. The other he recognized from the photo in the file he’d been given. Layla. But, for some reason, this seasoned and well-trained commander had her mouth hanging open in surprise as she stared at him with her beautifully blue eyes. His eyebrows drew together in confusion, and suddenly he felt a feeling he thought was foreign to him ever since…well, ever since she happened. He felt self-conscious, wondering what about him would have drawn out such a reaction. Did he have his shirt on backwards or something? It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility, he hadn’t been sleeping well lately, and Jackson was the type not to tell him because he thought it was funny.

    Almost as soon as that feeling hit him, he heard the other guard murmur something to the one with her jaw on the ground, and she closed it with almost an audible snap. He almost laughed at the sight before he caught himself, realizing he was in front of the alpha of this pack and really should be extending his greetings. He cleared his throat before saying, “Alpha Richard, thank you for having us here. We appreciate your hospitality.”

    “It’s no trouble at all,” Alpha Richard smiled, opening his arm in a welcoming gesture. “We are happy to have you and yours, Alpha Drake. Let me introduce you to my mate, my beta and his mate, and the two warriors with us. This is Charlotte,” he said as he gently put his hand on her shoulder as if she were made of glass, “This is my beta, Matthew, and his mate, Lynn. And my two guards, Chelsea and-”

    “Layla,” Drake finished for him, his voice surprisingly husky. He cleared his throat again and continued, ignoring the fact that she was staring seemingly harder at him after his interruption, “Yes, I read her file. Thank you for sending that to me, by the way.”

    “You are most welcome,” Richard said, as if he had hardly noticed the interruption. “And I presume this is your beta Jackson and your…?”

    “Delta, and his name is Kieran,” Drake answered. “I’m sorry, I’m not the best with introductions.”

    “That is quite alright, I understand. Well, let’s go up to the pack house and Chelsea and Layla will show you to your rooms. We have a few rooms that are specifically for visiting alphas such as yourself. They have their own bathrooms, as do most of the rooms for pack members, and we hope you find them to your liking.”

    They all turned to go inside, with the little guard, Chelsea, walking at the back of the group and Layla taking a slight lead, about a foot in front of the alpha. It was obvious they had maneuvered themselves to be able to protect the group if need be, and he was slightly impressed by the action. Most of the packs he’d ever visited, while they had trained warriors to protect the pack, did not have them trained so well. Yes, they were still good at what they did, but these two made them seem like amateurs in comparison.

    As they came up to the door, Layla opened it and then stepped aside, letting the rest of the group go in front of her. When he passed by her, that scent of pine and lavender became stronger, and his eyes widened when he realized it had been coming from her. He looked her in the eyes, and she held his gaze, which was shocking to say the least. Even when an alpha, especially one of his power, made eye contact with any wolf other than another alpha, they would look down in submission, even without the alpha exerting his power. The only time this didn’t happen was when a wolf was challenging the alpha, but nothing about her gaze seemed challenging.

    A tap on his shoulder made him realize he’d subconsciously stopped following the others, rooted to the spot as if by some kind of magic. He turned to see Jackson looking at him, eyes full of curiosity and a frown marring his usually playful face. He turned his attention back to the other alpha, who also had a look of bemusement on his face. Shrugging, Drake really didn’t know what to say to the group who were rightfully confused at that little moment he’d had, and, honestly, it had confused him just as much if not more.

    “Well,” Alpha Richard said, his face settling back into the smile that seemed as if it belonged there most of the time, “We’ll let Layla and Chelsea show you to your rooms. We’ll have dinner together later, while the rest of the pack is in the mess hall, which is around six. For now, is there anything else we can do for you to make you comfortable?”

    “No, we should be fine, thank you,” Drake replied with a smile he hoped matched the other alpha’s. Damn it, when did he get so bad at this? He used to be one of the most sociable people, but now, he had trouble seeming like he wasn’t completely socially inept. He really needed to work on that.

    “If you think of anything, feel free to let us know. You have my number, so if you can’t find me, do call and I’ll be happy to help.” With that, Alpha Richard hooked his arm in his mate’s and sauntered off.

    “It was nice meeting you, alpha,” Matthew said, also smiling as he held out his hand and Drake shook it, nodding his head at the other man. Matthew moved to shake Jackson’s hand and then Kieran’s before walking off.

    His mate stayed behind, giving the males a smile and a nod before turning to hug Layla. “I love you, sweetie.”

    Drake watched in amusement as a blush crept up Layla’s cheeks as she responded quietly, “I love you, too, mom.”

    “Wow, I would’ve thought you two were sisters,” Jackson said after Lynn had gone, a teasing note to his voice.

    “Everyone does,” Layla replied with a sigh. “Anyways, let’s get you to your rooms so you can relax.” With that, she promptly turned and started to the set of stairs across from the entryway. “You guy’s will be on the second floor. Chelsea’s room and my room are directly opposite two of the rooms you will be staying with, so we’ll be only a few steps away should you need anything or in case of an emergency. Alpha Drake, your room will be across from Chelsea’s, and Jackson and Kieran can choose whichever room on either side they would like.” As she spoke, they arrived at the top of the stairs and turned into the hallway, walking to the end where she pointed them out.

    “May I ask a question?” Drake said, scrunching his brows together as he looked at the door to his room.

    “Of course.”

    “Why is this one room specifically mine?”

    “Oh,” Layla said, looking surprised. “I mean, you can have your pick of the three, but we specifically set aside this room for the alphas that visit, mostly because that way they can rest assured that they have one of their own on either side for their own comfort and protection, because we understand how hard it is for alphas to stay in a territory that isn’t their own.”

    “I have no problem with that, so I’ll be taking that room,” he announced, pointing to the one directly across from Layla’s room that she had pointed out to them before.

    “Okay.” Layla looked like she was a little off-kilter, and he was sure he confused her by his wanting to change his room, and he could understand that confusion. Normally, it wouldn’t have mattered to him where he roomed, but, for some reason, he didn’t like the idea of either Jackson or Kieran having the room across from hers. He had no clue why he was acting so out of character. Maybe he was finally losing it after all the sleep he hadn’t been getting. It was the only explanation. Well, the only one that made sense. He hoped.

    “Do any of you need anything before we go?” Chelsea asked, looking between Drake and Layla with interest as she addressed the visitors.

    “No, thank you, though,” Jackson replied, smiling down at her. “Right, Drake?” he asked, pointedly looking at his alpha, humor dancing in his eyes.

    “Right,” Drake said gruffly. “Thank you both.” He immediately turned and entered his room, shutting it in his beta’s face as the bastard tried to follow him in, probably ready to grill him about why he was acting so oddly. No, instead of listening to that asshole yammer on, he was going to take a nap. A good long nap. That would set him straight. Hopefully.