Alpha Black

Alice Forrest

I ran, I wasn’t a runner, I didn’t like or enjoy exercise, but I ran. I wasn’t completely sure why I was reacting this way, but I needed the air, I needed the freedom. The concrete jungle around me quickly shifted into the a few streets of residential and I found myself panting in front of the pine forest that encased Portland. I leaned against the base of a tree, not trying to hide but I just needed the oxygen, the air.

But my thoughts still suffocated me. He was my mate, meant to love my unconditionally, it was meant to be a magical moment. Yet I had already slept with him, the courtship was already half done, all he needed to do was mark me and I would never be able to escape him. Crap, image if he’d marked me last night, I didn’t even know he was a werewolf when I brought him home last night.

I spiralled into the hole of horror, thinking about my friends, my family, my career, and studies. The thought of him taking me away from my life by forces spiralled in my mind, I felt like I had been thrown into a tragedy, I felt like the victim of a story, a cliché. I felt it in my arms first, as they clutched the rough bark on the tree, I began to shake.

I’m not sure what I expected, but he emerged from the bright suburban jungle, barely a minute had passed, and he looked like he had barely broken a sweat. I must have looked so pathetic to him, as he approached me, his smell filled the air around me and I gasped for air, but his scent just filled my mouth and throat, rich and addicting.

Drowning me.

His once green eyes seemed darker - almost black and looked menacing, his saunter was calm yet demanded respect, and his eyes burned into me so ferociously, I felt like I could catch fire.

“Did you think you could run away from me, little mate?” he asked, quickly closing the distance between us.

I felt my legs begin to crumple as he towered over me and as evidently as he projected his authority, power, and dominance, I am sure I oozed weakness and flaw. My legs gave way and my hands scraped against the rough bark of the tree, I toppled in the root system and found myself lying face down, pine needs in my hair, my head throbbing and a thin dusting of dirt on me.

This is when I heard Jenny, “Alpha, please,” she said exasperated.

I rolled over trying to prop myself up, but my body continued to shake, and I could feel myself going through shock, my body wanting to shut down.

“Alpha Black,” Angel’s voice was firm catching his attention, “Do you mind giving Alice some air?” she said bravely stepping between the two of us, forcing his gaze to fall on her.

Jenny fell to the ground beside me, wrapping her arms around me and stroking my hair, “it’s okay,” she murmured lightly.

“You are either very brave or very stupid to step between me and my mate,” he hissed.

“Loyal,” she replied simply. “Alice is going through shock, just look at her. Please, let us talk to her, calm her down, be here for her during this time.”

He didn’t reply, but I felt the internal conflict ticking over in his head.

“We aren’t taking her from you,” Angel said reassuringly, “We just want what is best for your mate, for Alice.”

He grunted and turned around, disappearing off into the forest. While I could not see him, his scent lingered through the trees and I knew he was not far away, most likely listening, watching, and waiting.

Alice dropped down in front of me, “darling, are you okay?” he said, stroking my face as I looked into her eyes, her beautiful blue eyes.

“I - I don’t want to die like my mum,” I stuttered.

“No, honey, this is completely different,” Jenny said, her embrace containing the shaking of my body.

“Am I going to die?” I asked Angel, looking for any hesitation in her eyes, any flicker of fear, doubt or lies.

But her face softened, and she smiled, stroking my face lovingly, “he will not hurt you,” she said thinly.

“How do you know?” I asked, my breaths calming and I lifted my arms to Jenny, falling deeply into her embrace.

“Because of how he acted and treated everyone at the peace talks,” Angel said.

I felt my brow furrow and I looked at her confused.

“That’s how I knew who he was,” she explained, “while his reputation is noteworthy, he was not unpleasant. He did not fight, brawl or attack anyone, he didn’t even glance at a woman, let alone objectify any,” she said carefully choosing her words, aware that we still had an audience.

I knew her words weren’t lies, and Angel would never lie, especially not my Angel… Would she?

As the thoughts of my friends betraying me flooded into my mind, I realised how much my head screamed and my vision blurred. Jenny’s embrace was replaced by that of darkness.

I awoke in my bed, surrounded by the feeling of familiar pillows and blankets, yet I refused to open my eyes. This could have all been a nightmare, I’ll awake to find some human stranger sleeping in my bed. It’s a normal Saturday morning, I’ve just had a one night stand, and now I must face the shame of dealing with the consequences of my actions.

I opened my eyes.

* * * * * * * * * *

It wasn’t a nightmare, but there was that stranger in my bed, specifically Nathaniel Black. He had the bedside light on, softly illuminating the room, I think it was the first time the light had really been turned on - as I’d purely gotten it so that it matched the lamp of my side of the bed, rather than because anyone frequently slept on that side.

He had one knee up, supporting a tablet where he was reading through some document, with a furrowed brow and a hand on his chin, he looked displeased. Yet there was something about him that enjoyed seeing him on bed, posed so casually yet attractively, so serious, and focused, yet the fact that he’d taken the time and care to take his shoes off, triggered me.

Butterflies began to tie knots in my stomach, and I resisted the urge to reach forward and touch him. Yet maybe if I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep, to fall back asleep, he’d give up, give up on waiting and give up and leave. Like yesterday. I wrinkled my nose at the thought, but perhaps if he left, I could shift into my wolf, escape into the forest and the mountain ranges and be gone forever, free.

“How are you feeling?” he said softly, making me jump. He exhaled and tore his eyes away from his tablet.

“My head hurts,” I replied.

“You did hit it quite hard when you fell. Good thing you’re not a human or you would have cracked it open, maybe given yourself a concussion.”

I lifted my hand to the crown of my head, where the throbbing stemmed from, but there was no lump, nor was there a tender spot. Concluding that it was probably more of a psychological pain than a physical reaction, I slowly shifted my weight and sat up. I leaned my back and head against the headboard and stared at the blank bedroom wall ahead of us, my head spinning lightly.

He grunted slightly as he too straightened himself up and he reached to the glass of water on the bed-side-table and handed it to me. “Here,” he offered.

I took the glass with both hands and took a small sip, “thank you,” I whispered.

He dragged his eyes off me and joined me in staring at the wall ahead, “I talked to your friends, they seem nice,” he said slowly.

“What did they say?”

“They told me you’re a student, sort of. That you’ve just finished you’re masters and have applied for your PHD.”

I nodded slowly.

“They told me that you hate carrots, which is weird, who doesn’t like carrots?”

“Me,” I said quietly, still not looking at him, waiting for the list to continue.

“They told me that your mother was killed by her mate, an Alpha, who killed her after finding out you weren’t his child, but her husband’s the man who she married before she met him…”

I swallowed and lowered my glass to my lap, feeling his gaze burning into my skull, I turned and met his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he admitted.

“What for?”

“For sleeping with you Friday night, well Saturday morning really.”

I stared at him confused about his honesty. I mean who apologies about sex? Wasn’t I the one who started it, initiated it?

“I smelt you when I got into town and I followed the smell to the club you were at. You were quite drunk by then and I had only planned on watching you, I didn’t plan on talking to you, but after a few drinks of my own your eyes met mine and you didn’t look away. I thought maybe you realised what I was to you, but you didn’t you were drunk, which is impressive by the way, I don’t know many werewolves who have gotten drunk successfully.”

I smiled at his comment, but it wasn’t something I was proud of at that point.

“You didn’t even know who I was, that I was an Alpha, or a Black for that matter,” he said more quietly.

“Then what happened?” I asked, able to find my voice a little more, I was keen to learn the of events yesterday.

“I just wanted to touch you, but as soon as I did, I didn’t want to stop. The next thing I knew is I was kissing you, and then you took me by the hand back to your apartment, I was captivated by your beauty, your face, your name, everything. I had hoped to restrain myself, perhaps just watch you sleep until morning, but you had brought home a one-night-stand and were intent on getting what you were after.”

He stopped and studied my face for my reaction, “and I gave it to you. What you were after,” he said slowly.

I closed my eyes and leant my head against the headboard, closing my eyes and basking in my mistakes. I’m never getting drunk again, I thought to myself. I felt his eyes, burning and hole in my neck and I snapped my head forward, covering the hickey he had left. Where we would bite me, mark me, claim me as his own. The thought sent chills down my spine.

“Do I, - we need to be worried about, er – um.”

I saw a redness tinge oh his cheeks as he caught the grasp of my question, “no,” he said shaking his head, “I um, you finished me in other ways,” he said trailing off.

This time I felt my own cheeks flush as my imagination wondered, and I felt embarrassed for the forward woman I was last night.

“It was definitely unexpected,” he said with a slight cough, clearing his throat.

A laugh bust out of my mouth, and I looked away, feeling my cheeks flush at my embarrassment. But I felt some of the stress leave my body, that I didn’t have to worry about an unplanned child, but I knew deep down he would want to have them, to keep them, to raise his successor. These were the thoughts that began to weigh on my shoulders.

“But I um, I left in the morning. I had the peace talks all Saturday, from early in the morning late into the night. I am not sure how I found the will to drag myself away from you, but I did. I figured I would find you Sunday morning, give you time to recover from your hang over.”

I nodded, processing the events, “That’s where you met Angel - Angelique.”

“Yes, I didn’t realise she was one of the friends you were with Friday night, and it wasn’t until she introduced herself that I made the connection that she was Beta Stone’s wife.”

“What now?” I asked, so dearly afraid of the answer, but the words fell out of mouth.

Revision – 30/06/2021

Purpose – Spelling and Grammar

Revision - 23/07/2022

Purpose - Grammar and General