The Shy Alpha

Chapter Two

        Alexa's offer was met with silence, and she was starting to worry that maybe she had pushed her luck this trip, when she heard the bolt on the door unlock, and the door opened slightly, allowing her enough room to put her hand through. She giggled with happiness, and quickly put her hand through to put the brownie on the floor on the opposite side. Just as her hand released the brownie, and returned to her side, the door almost slammed shut and was locked again.

       "I hope you enjoy it, your dad asked me to clean the house for him today, so I'll get started. Let me know if you need anything else though!" she was definitely happier now he had taken the brownie, and hadn't rejected her offer like he had before. "I'll come back to say goodbye before I head out, until then - have fun!" Alexa scrambled to her feet and made her way downstairs, to begin the arduous task of cleaning the entire house.

        Back in the attic, Hunter was stood by the door, staring down at the brownie he had been gifted, with something akin to adoration. He could never, ever admit it to anyone, let alone Alexa, but the idea of his mate bringing him anything made him so happy that he could barely contain his smile. He'd always known, since he could first speak, that Alexa was his mate. Unlike other wolves, even Alpha's, Hunter had been able to communicate with his wolf since birth, and when he met Alexa with both of them at barely 3 months old, he knew he couldn't live his life without her. His wolf told him stories sometimes of when he was almost a year old, crying inconsolably whenever he was without Alexa, and only settling down when she was near him.

            He slowly reached down and lightly grasped the gooey brownies in his long fingers. It smelt amazing, and the lingering smell of the one who baked it made the treat all the more amazing. He took a deep breath, before slowly biting pieces off, savouring each one for longer than was necessary before moving onto the next bite. When finished, a sense of happiness washed over Hunter, before disappointment set in that it was over so soon. He walked back up into the main bit of the attic, wandering over to the window, whilst maintaining enough distance that no one could see him.

         No one, not even his father, knew why he hid himself away like he did, but being of Alpha blood, no one dared to question him. Alpha Derek hurt more and more everyday that he hadn't seen his son in 12 years, but knew it was his way of coping.

         Hunter's eyes scanned the common outside his house, surveying the many wolves getting ready for the bbq the next day. It was an event held every year, to aid in unmated wolves in finding their mates. An angry growl escaped Hunter's throat at the thought. Over the years he had watched Alexa tend to the food like it was her own child, making sure everything was cooked to perfection before handing it out to people. He had also noticed the excitement that Dominic took in hanging around her the entire event. Hunter's wolf let out a threatening growl when he saw Dominic down in the common walking towards his house. He could still smell Alexa downstairs cleaning, so he knew exactly why Dominic would dare to visit. Out of character, he made his way closer to the window, in a desperate attempt to hear what was going on. Alexa met Dominic at the door, with a, Hunter was pleased to hear, nonchalant greeting.

           "I thought you didn't like coming here Dominic..." Alexa muttered, annoyed that her good mood had been ruined.

           "I just wanted to make sure you're alright that's all..."

        Alexa raised an eyebrow in confusion, where was the usual cocky attitude, where was the normal Dominic?

           "Dom... what's wrong?"

          Dominic's eyes widened in disbelief, Alexa rarely called him by his preferred shortened name, so it was always a shock whenever she did.

        He gulped down the lump in his throat, bigging himself up for what he was about to say, "Alexa... I know each year you're always so busy with the bbq and getting everything sorted food wise... But I was wondering..."

           He paused, and Alexa was about to prompt him to carry on when he opened his mouth again, "but I was wondering... would you like to be my date to the bbq this year? You know... go together? As a couple?"

         Dominic's wolf delivered swift kicks to his human half, berating him for sounding so stupid, but stopped when he heard the greatest sound in the world.

         Alexa covered her mouth to stop the giggles, but was failing miserably.

        Dominic's good mood was instantly gone, and a deep sigh passed through his lips. He was about to turn away when Alexa spoke.

       "That was surprisingly genuine and sweet of you Dom," she whispered. Dominic's heart sped in anticipation. "I can hang out with you once the food is done, you know... together? As in a couple?" She was mocking him, but he didn't care, the woman he'd loved for almost 3 years was agreeing to go on a date with him. Dominic could officially be known as the happiest wolf in the pack right now.

       "Great! Amazing! I mean... cool, that's cool..." his wolf was becoming more frustrated with his humans stupidity. "So I'll pick you up at your place? Like normal?"

         Alexa nodded eagerly, "sounds good to me, see you then." Dominic waved happily, desperately trying to reign in the ecstatic feelings he was having. As he walked away, Alexa had a nagging feeling that she just made a huge mistake. She knew she was in love with Hunter, but she was also increasingly feeling isolated from him, and thought as her feelings would never be returned, she should probably move on. It would take a long time, she knew that, but unrequited love is quite possibly the worst feeling in the world.

Unbeknownst to them, high above their heads, an alpha's canines were grinding together and his claws were about to tear chunks out of the window sill.