His Warrior Alpha

Sharing the News PT. 2

Reed’s POV

I hung out in the cellar a bit longer, cleaning the room with bleach in case Dawson decided to check in on anything. “-Benne?-” I called out to my wolf, my stomach was in knots thinking of getting to see her later. “It will be fine. Let’s just finish this up so we can get out of here. We still have to talk to mom and dad. You should probably get some lunch too.” I sighed, lunch was not something that was on my mind at the moment. All I could think about was Melody and how much I wanted to take her out of the life she was living. “-Goddess please let us have a happy ending.-” I prayed.

I finished cleaning the cellar and went upstairs. Several slaves were prepping while the 2 omega chefs commanded the kitchen. Lunch was in full production. My stomach was still in knots but I figured I should probably grab something to eat before I headed home. I grabbed some bread off a cooling rack, nodding to one of the chefs as I passed.

I figured I should mind linking Dawson to let him know I was leaving for the day. “Dawson, I finished up with Melody. I’m going home to spend time with my family, so I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“ OK.” Was all I received in response, which told me he was still busy.

As I walked out of the door, I was hit with the need to run. Not being able to be closer to our mate was driving Benne crazy as he whined and paced around. “-Let’s shift and run home. Okay, buddy?-” Benne instantly agreed. I tugged my shirt over my head as I headed towards the forest. Knowing Benne, we would likely head for the Black River and follow its path before cutting back home. I stripped off my remaining clothes and shifted, espresso-colored fur replacing my human form as I let Benne take over.

As expected, he darted towards the Black River first, racing through the forest as leaves crunched under our paws. He was fast, and could keep up with even Dawson and Alpha Jacob. It didn’t take long before the dark water of the river was in sight. I knew Benne wouldn’t go in the water, at least not here, as the current was too quick and if you were swept away you had little hope of surviving the current, let alone the waterfall that was a mile downstream. I zoned out as Benne ran until the familiar surroundings of my home came into view. My father instantly spotted me from the kitchen window and met me outside with clothes.

“Welcome home son.” He smiled a familiar warm smile at me as I tugged on the basketball shorts he brought me. He pulled me into a hug, one that I desperately needed.

“Is he decent?” My mother called from behind the door, causing my father to let out a laugh.

“Yes Mary.” He said as he let me go from his hug. I instantly turned to my mother and pulled her into a bear hug, lifting her off the ground momentarily.

“Did you get even taller while you were gone? Gosh, I missed you. You are going to be home for dinner, right?”

“Yeah, I actually need to talk to you about that.” I said as I led the way inside. As I stepped through the door, I could see my brother at the table finishing off his lunch. I ruffled his hair, as I always did, and he scrunched his nose. It was hard to believe he was 19.

“Welcome back bro.” Ryan patted my back as I passed him, taking the seat next to him at the table. My mom and dad followed suit, taking the 2 seats on the opposite side.

“So son, what do you need to talk to us about?” My father said as he set his cane beside him, leaning it against the table.

“Well, I found my mate today.” Instantly, I saw my mother's face light up.

“Oh honey that is so wonderful! So is she coming to dinner tonight? You didn’t need to have a whole sit-down conversation to tell us that! We are so excited for you.”

“Let him finish Mary.” My dad said, gesturing for me to continue. My brother pushed his seat out, standing to put his plate in the sink.

“Her name is Melody Carmichael, she is one of the slaves from the River Mist.” As I said this my brother dropped the plate he was holding. It shattered on the ground and he looked as if he had seen a ghost.

“Your mate is the Alpha of River Mist?” He questioned, leaning down to pick up the pieces of the broken plate. My mom hopped up to grab a broom and they cleaned up the glass together.

“Well, she would be. Yes, she is the only remaining child of Alpha Frederick. Her brother was killed when he challenged Alpha Jacobs 5 years ago.” My father answered first. He also looked troubled hearing this. What was going on with both of them? Was there something I didn’t know?

“Are you going to appeal to the Alpha to take her as your fated mate? You don’t plan on rejecting her, do you? I know I raised you to accept your mate when you found her. She is a gift from the Goddess, even if she is currently a slave.” Mom didn’t seem to take in the shift in the atmosphere in the room. I am sure she was already thinking about her future grand pups.

“No, she is certain that Alpha will not free her if we do. She is going to participate in the warrior trial so she can earn her freedom. That is actually what I needed to talk with you about. I need to make sure she is ready. The Warriors trials are only 6 weeks away. Melody says that she is going to participate along with two of her pack members, Celia and Quinn.” My brother let out a growl as I said the girls' names. Did he know them more than just seeing them in passing?

“WHAT.” My brother nearly yelled, his eyes flipped between his normal color and black as he fought his wolf for control. “No, absolutely not. They are just slave girls, they cannot participate.”

“They may just be slaves now, but if they are anything like their parents, they may be able to pull this off.” My father commented. “Besides, you don’t really have a say in this.”

“Like hell I don’t!” Ryan was still raging but he seemed to have gotten his wolf in line.Being a bit younger and a little bit of a hothead himself, he struggled to keep his wolf in check at times.

“Care to explain why you have a say in my mate and her friends' decisions?” I had never seen my brother so protective over anyone except my mother, so him suddenly wanting to protect 3 girls he did not know seemed off.

Ryan turned towards me, rubbing his hands down his face before sitting back down. He sat quiet for a minute before letting out a long sigh. “Quinn is my girlfriend. We’ve been together for the last 8 months. The moment I saw her, I was drawn to her. Bronx seemed to like her right away too, but after the first date, I knew I couldn’t be with anyone else ever. I plan to take her as my chosen mate. Sorry mom, I know you want us to take our fated mate, but if it is not Quinn, then I refuse. I know I still have a few months until I turn 20 but I’ve made up my mind. I love her, I’ve even thought about appealing to Alpha myself when I turn 20.”

My parents were stunned by this revelation as they looked back and forth between them. I thought my news was going to be the biggest but somehow Ryan had trumped it. I waited for one of them to yell at him for this. We had always been taught to wait for our fated mates and he has basically gone against everything we were taught. After what felt like an eternity, my mother reached across the table and grabbed Ryan's hand, squeezing it gently.

“It's okay. We will accept her regardless if she is who you chose.” Was all she said and my brother instantly started to break down in tears, something I hadn’t seen since we were young kids. My parents' acceptance freed him from the burden he had been carrying in this secret for so long.