Alpha Alexander

Chapter Seven

We returned to the pack house with more than enough sunlight left. Alpha Alexander left me at the kitchen entry, disappearing down the hall. I wandered inside the kitchen, looking for Julie, or some other familiar face.

I found a few pack members my age digging through the cabinets. I silently sat at the breakfast bar until one of them noticed me. He offered me a bag of Doritos, a huge grin on his face. "Want one?"

"It's like you read my mind." I took a handful of chips and smiled back at him. "Thanks."

"Anything for the Alpha." He winked at me. "Name's Kellan."

I took his hand. "Phoebe."

He gave my hand a firm shake then released it, digging into the bag of chips and chewing on them. He watched me thoughtfully. "How you holding up?"

I blinked, unsure what to say. "Honestly," I sighed, "I've been better."

He nodded as though he understood. "You'll get used to the routine around here. I remember when Julie was trying to adapt to everything. I'd never laughed so hard in my life, watching her try and stand up to Seth. She's a little spitfire."

"A compliment, thanks." Julie slid into the stool next to me. She bumped shoulders with me playfully. "I heard about what happened today."

I swallowed the mouthful of chips and shrugged. "It's not a big deal."

"Actually," another voice entered the room. "It is."

I looked over my shoulder at Jason as he glided into the room. He leaned against the counter, and I was taken back to this morning, a sense of déjà vu washing over me. "Seriously. It's not. They're jerks," I grunted.

"We all heard you, milady."

I stiffened. "What did you hear?"

"Some humans saying some petty stuff, but most importantly, we heard a certain human speaking up for us meager wolves." He was more sarcastic than anyone I'd ever met, including myself, but his eyes were serious, trying to convey how heavy what I said to my ex-best friends really was.

"It really wasn't that big of a deal," I muttered, chomping on another chip.

Jason sighed, giving a sideways glance to Kellan. "She's so ignorant, it's almost adorable." He pinned his gaze back on me. "You barely know us, milady, and yet you stood against your friends to defend us. You could have easily blamed everyone but yourself and begged them to forgive you, to still be friends with you, but . . . you didn't," he said carefully. "Loyalty is the most treasured quality for a wolf to have—we're born with it—and you showed it without a second thought."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, not too harshly, I hoped.

"Because, milady. Normally, humans take months, even years, to convert to the dark side. But you did it in a day—you defended people you don't even know, nearly ripped your oh-so-sweet bestie's head off. Your desire to defend others is a trait that every Alpha wolf has—that means a lot."

"Oh." I gulped loudly. Well, that was a little too heavy for me. I slid off the stool and smiled uneasily at Kellan and Jason. "Well, I guess I'll see you guys around."

I started to leave the kitchen, Julie right behind me, but Jason called out my name. I turned at the door to see what he wanted. His smile widened. "Tomorrow, I'm driving."

I frowned. "What do you—Oh. No, thank you. I'll be driving myself."

"Alpha's orders."

"We'll see about that," I sneered.