Alpha Black

Alice Forrest

My words hung in the air like a thick fog. I turned my head to look at him, his eyes were soft, and his warming gaze comforted me. Yet still I was so afraid of what he would say, what was to come, who I would be to him.

“Beer?” he asked.

“I have rum and coke,” I offered turning my nose up at the idea of beer.

“Good enough,” he said locking his tablet and jumping off the bed. As quickly as he was out of bed, he was on my side of the bed, offering me his hand.

“I don’t need your help,” I said quietly, looking down as I threw my feet out from under the bed spread.

“I know,” he said smiling softly, “I just wanted to hold your hand.”

I looked up at him and without realising it, slid my hand into his, allowing him to pull me to my feet. There was something deep inside me, that screamed for him, to constantly be by his side, to be with him forever. A warmth flooded my chest as a smooth tingling electricity flowed through my hand and down my arm.

He placed his other hand on my waist and followed closely behind me as we left my bedroom and walked into the living area, reluctantly he released me and sat down on the stool, watching me as I got the rum out of the cupboard.

“Pantry staple, eh?” he said cheekily.

“I’ve been a university student for the last five years,” I said, pouring a generous shot into two glasses. “Do you want a mixer, or straight?” I asked, pulling a bottle of coke out of the fridge.

“Straight is fine,” he said, pulling one of the glasses over to himself and downing it in a single go. He then grabbed the bottle and refilled the bottom half of his glass.

I smirked at his actions and I poured coke into my own glass and knocked back a couple of mouthfuls in one go. This would be a lot easier with a ’buzz’.

“How about we start fresh,” he said, once again emptying his glass. He held out his hand over the island bench, “I’m Nathaniel Black, Alpha of the Moon Pack.”

“Alice Forrest, I have a Master’s in Fine Arts and Architecture,” I said shaking his hand.

“Master Forrest, eh?” he said with a smirk.

The palm of my hand collided with my forehead, “okay, okay, maybe that’s enough alcohol for you,” I said, reaching for the bottle and sliding it away from him.

“Hey!” he said grabbing the bottle back and holding it to his chest, “I am offended that you would think that I could get affected by alcohol that quickly!”

“My apologies Nathaniel.”

“Nate, call me Nate.”

“Okay Nate, any reason why?”

“Well, it’s the same name as my Father and Grandfather, and they’re both still very much alive. So, to friends I go by Nate, and to the Pack I go by Alpha Black.”

“Mmm, Alpha Black does suit you,” I said taking another swig of my own glass.

I felt a dark flash wash over his eyes momentarily, “I want to do this civilly, Alice.”

“I can do that, what did you have in mind?” I said letting out a sigh and looking down into my drink where bubbles formed and floated, just like the lumps of anxiety forming in my stomach and throat.

“A deal for a deal?” he offered, “that way we both get what we want.”

I nodded, accepting his proposition. So far, he seemed more than decent, he seemed reasonable, logical, compassionate.

“I have to return to my pack by the end of the week, I can’t be gone too much longer. When I return, I will be returning with you,” he said sternly, studying my face.

I felt my head bobbing as I processed his words, “so there is no way I can finish university here then? No way I can say ‘come back in a year or two,’” I asked.

“No,” he replied firmly, “I’m going to take you black to Savage River with me.”

I felt the fear creep up from my stomach, it was like I had consumed hot coals and they were sitting in my stomach, the heat burning me, the smoke suffocating me. My thoughts raced, “I couldn’t reject you, could I?” I felt the words fall out of my mouth and the moment I said them, I realised I had made a tragic mistake. I stepped backwards, “sorry,” I choked out.

The colour of his eyes transformed in an instant from a beautiful green to a bottomless black, I could feel the rage - not only that which he projected, but that which coursed through the mate bond.

“I would sooner mark you against your will,” he said dangerously, “I have morals Alice, but I also need my mate and my pack needs it’s Luna.”

I sucked in air, feeling his words sharp against my skin. While he was not officially my Alpha, the dominance he commanded was intense and I felt my gaze drop to my feet. I nodded.

I heard a light grunt, and he uncorked the bottle of rum, filling and emptying his glass onca again.

I swallowed, “Okay, I want to finish my PHD,” I said hiding the fear in my voice.

“Okay, I can get you into Hardwall University, they’re in my pack boundaries, I am confident that you’ll be safe while attending,” he shrugged.

I looked at him, “Hardwall?”

“Yes, I assume that’s an acceptable compromise instead of Portland University.”

I continued to look at him, in shock, “Yeah, I mean they’re only one of the most highly rated Universities in the Country,” I paused, “Shit, I guess I’ll be re-doing my PHD proposal then,” I said running a hand through my hair.

“Happy?”

“And you just ’know’ people, who can get me in?” I asked, split between awe and shock.

“Alice, I am the Alpha of the most powerful Pack in this entire country, if not the entire content. Do you not think I have an assortment of connections, human, werewolf and extras.”

“Extras?” I said genuinely interested.

“You know, the rare fairy, witch, wizard, ogre.”

“Like Shrek?”

“What?” he said sitting up, “We’re-, you’re getting off topic. Are you happy with Hardwall?”

“Yeah, okay.”

“Good. I believe that means it my turn to make a demand.”

My mind once again raced as he studied me, thinking of all the worst-case scenarios, what would he ask of me?

“I will mark you before you come back to Savage River with me. I won’t be doing it straight away,” he said noticing me jump in reaction. “But I cannot have my mate, unmarked wandering around my pack. However, you don’t have to mark me until you’re ready to do so.”

It wasn’t an unreasonable request. A majority of the wolves in our pack were civil due to our close relationship with the human civilisations that resided in and around the pack boundary, but rouges and rural packs had less sterling reputations. You here whispers of women getting kidnapped and forced into marriages by assertive male wolves. I didn’t want to think about what could happen if the Alpha’s mate was brought unmarked into territory, even if I wasn’t Alpha Black’s mate. I could only image the horrors that a young female would go through if she unknowingly went near the Moon Pack territory.

“Okay,” I agreed.

He smiled, and something seemed to sparkle within him, “what is your next request?”

I sent back a couple of mouthfuls of my drink, “I don’t know if I want kids.”

His expression was blank while he looked at me, he took a mouthful of his own drink and I had no idea what he was thinking. “Don’t get me wrong, I might want them one day, but not right now, not anytime soon, and I don’t know if I will ever want them,” I babbled.

“Okay,” he said scratching his forehead, “I have a lot of nieces and nephews, so in regard to Alpha Heir that’s fine.”

I exhaled.

“However,” he started, “I will not allow you to abort my child if it grows in you, accident or not, you will go to term with my child.”

Why did he have to be so intimidating? “Is that one of your demands?”

“Yes.” He replied instantly without hesitation.

“Okay,” I said, feeling like I was slowly signing away my free will. “My turn again?”

“Yep, hit me.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“Not literally, what is your next demand?”

“I don’t know,” I replied honestly.

“What do you mean?” he asked, leaning forward.

“I don’t know what type of different world I’m going to be stepping into by going with you. You, you’ve clearly been waiting for your mate for, for, how old are you?”

He laughed, “I’m twenty-eight,” he said flashing a gorgeous smile.

“So, you’ve been waiting ten years since you turned eighteen to find your mate?”

“Yes, and now that I’ve found you, I have no intention of letting you go my darling.”

“Exactly,” I replied emptying my own glass. “You’ve had the last decade to think about these things, to mull them over, to prepare your life with your mate. I haven’t, I didn’t know who my mate would be, where they would be from, if they were even alive! Or even a werewolf,” I said trailing off.

“Think about your own demands then, I’ll let you make them at a later date.”

“You’re sure?”

“Of course, I know that I’m taking you away from your life. I want you to be as happy about that as you can be, without me just leaving you here.”

“Do you have any more demands?” I asked, swallowing my fear.

“I do,” he said swirling his glass, “I won’t let you run away, not now, not ever. If you do, or try, I will find and catch you. There will be consequences to doing this.”

He paused allowing me to give the go ahead, and I nodded.

“I don’t want you un-accompanied, not until you’re marked or I trust you enough to think that you won’t try to escape. If you’re not on my territory you will have me, or one of my men with you. If you are on my own territory I expect to know where you are at all times if you are by yourself or be accompanied by a high ranking member of the pack or a very, very competent warrior.”

“Okay.”

He leaned over the bench and held my hand, “I will never purposely hit, beat or hurt you,” he said staring into my eyes deeply, “I only want to love and protect you, never to hurt you, as you are mine.”

Revision – 30/06/2021

Purpose – Spelling and Grammar

Revision - 23/07/2022

Purpose - Grammar and General