© Amber Kalkes 2015
Song: "Wastin' Time" By The Shoes
C h a p t e r T h i r t e e n >
Rae is going to vomit. At least that’s what feels like. With every step closer to the front door of the Alpha house she’s fighting the urge to bolt. It’s odd, because it’s not like the Alphas are particularly mean or strict, they just scare the crap out of her. It’s like you breaking something and your parents finding out. You know they’re going to be pissed but you’re not sure at what level of pissed off their going to be.
“Rae, it’s going to fine.” Colton tells her with a heavy sigh.
“I know.” She says quickly. “But it doesn’t mean I can’t be nervous.”
“But why are you nervous?”
“I don’t know! It’s like going to the principal's office or something.”
Colton chuckles, “I promise you won’t get detention. I have connections.”
Rae slaps his arm and gives him a weak glare, “Don’t be cute. I’m trying to have a panic attack here.”
“Well stop.”
“Yes, sir. Will do, sir.”
Colton rolls his eyes, “Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.”
“Yeah but at least I’m still witty. Now knock on the damn door so we can get this over with.”
He lifts a brow at her before shaking his head, “And people call me bossy.”
“Shut up.”
Colton smirks before knocking on the door of the Alpha house. Rae tries to keep still but the urge to start rocking on her heels or drums her hands on her legs is getting worse the longer they wait. She wasn’t to know what the Alpha wants to say to Colton but on the other hand she doesn’t want to know. You can’t forget something once you’ve heard someone say it.
Rae’s about to drop of her façade of control when the door opens. She’s unsurprised to see Alpha Julie answer the door again but this time she has a little girl balanced on her hip. The little girl, Sadie, is adorable. With her light brown hair in high set pigtails that curl at the ends and bright blue eyes Rae feels her heart melt at the sight of her. She’s always been a sucker for little girls, especially the cute ones. It’s probably why Poppy and Cassidy are as adored as they are.
“Rae!” Alpha Julie says with clear surprise before she turns her eyes towards Colton. Inclining her head a bit in respect Alpha Julie smiles tightly, “Were we expecting you both today?”
“Your Alpha told me last night he wanted to speak with me.” Colton tells her simply.
“Just you?” She asks, giving Rae a quick glance.
Colton narrows his eyes and Rae can feel the tension practically rolling off him. Squeezing his hand tightly Rae steps in, “Is the Alpha here by chance?”
“Yes.” Alpha Julie replies with her still plastered on smile, “Please come in.”
Alpha Julie steps out of the way and lets both of them inside the house. Nothings changed since her last visit but Rae is still blown away by the house. It makes her admittedly run down house look even more like a crap shack. Following the Alpha female into the living room she suddenly turns and faces them.
“I was just going to put Sadie down for a nap.” She informs them. “Rae would you like to help?”
Rae opens her mouth to respond but Colton’s cold voice cuts in, “That won’t be necessary, Alpha. Rae wishes to come into the meeting between the Alpha and myself.”
“Well that’s boring.” The Alpha dismisses. “Why don’t you come help me? I can show you the baby’s room.”
“I think I’d rather sit in on the meeting, Alpha.” Rae says quietly with an apologetic smile.
Alpha Julie purses her lip for a second before sighing heavily, “Fine. Kendrick is up in his office. I assume you know the way, Rae?”
Rae doesn’t miss her friendly tone disappear and feels her nerves peak, “Yes, Alpha.”
“Well head up then. You know how he hates waiting.”
Rae begins dragging Colton towards the stairs with sweaty palms and a churning stomach. She doesn’t know exactly what this meeting is about but if Alpha Julie’s behavior is anything to go on, it can’t be good. Deciding to at least not act as freaked out as she is she stands up a bit straighter and wipes all expression from her face. She needs to just buck up and face this, Alpha or not she’s not just going to sit by and let him talk to her mate without her.
It’s just not happening.
“You good?” Colton asks lowly in her ear as they reach the top of the staircase.
Rae nods with a steady exhale, “Yup.”
Colton nods reluctantly before grabbing the doorknob. Rae initially is shocked. No knock, no greeting, nothing. He just walks into the room like he owns the damn place. Rae’s jaw unlatches and she gapes at him but he doesn’t see it. His eyes are already narrowed and cold as they zero in on the Alpha behind his desk.
“I see…”Alpha Kendrick says into the phone pressed to his ear. His eyes lift up to take in both Colton and herself with slight surprise before they wash off all emotion. Sitting back in his chair the Alpha’s gaze ever leaves them as he continues to talk on the phone, “And you spoke to Vince? Okay. Okay. Well keep looking. I don’t want him losing the trail. Alright.”
Alpha Kendrick puts down the phone without so much as a ‘goodbye’ and leans forward in his chair. Entwining his hands before him on his desk the Alpha’s eyes take in their clasped hand with narrow eyes. Rae stumbles a bit, too interested in what the Alpha is doing and doesn’t notice the chair right in front of her. Rubbing her thigh she blushes red and quickly moves to sit in the chair.
“Well this is a surprise.” Alpha Kendrick says finally once they’re both settled before him. “I didn’t expect to be seeing you Rae.”
“I-I wanted to come with.”
“Didn’t I make it clear I just wanted to speak to you, Colton?”
Colton’s anger is immediately visible from his seat beside her. His arms flex and his hands curls into fists on the arm rests. Rae isn’t touching him anymore so she can’t really soothe him. Instead she just watches as he coldly smirks at the Alpha who looks highly annoyed by her presence.
“What you want and what’s happening are two very different things, Kendrick.”
The Alpha narrows his eyes, “Call me Alpha, Colton. I’ve earned it.”
“Then call me Beta. I earned my position just as rightfully as you won yours.”
Alpha Kendrick huffs a laugh before sitting back in his chair, “Alright then, Beta, did I not make it clear that this was a private meeting?”
“A meeting about what exactly?” Colton asks directly. “Maybe if you told me what exactly it is you want to discuss I can judge how private it needs to be.”
The Alpha’s eyes move to Rae for a split second, “I think you know exactly the subject of our talk, Beta.”
“Then she has ever right to be here, don’t you think?”
“This is a delicate matter.” He answers through gritted teeth.
Colton smirks at his agitation, “I’m sure she can handle it.”
Rae watches the exchange between the two men with wide eyes. She could never even dream of speaking to an Alpha like that, let alone an agitated one. Her dad was an enforcer, a protector of the Alpha family and he always told her that disrespect lead to punishment. It’s engrained in her like the ‘A, B, C’s ‘ or talking. You just don’t mess with the Alpha but that’s exactly what Colton’s doing.
“Fine.” The Alpha replies tersely. “I wish to discuss the compatibility of your mating.”
“What about it?” Colton asks coldly.
“I don’t think this would be a smart undertaking for either one of you.”
Colton’s knuckles are white as his fists tighten on the chair armrest. “I assume you have a good reason to suggest such a disrespectful thing.”
“I do. Besides the fact of you being next in line for Alpha and Rae’s status as a lower ranked member of the pack, it seems inappropriate. Also there is the fact of her family situation. She has five siblings, all under legal age, who would have to be taken on by your pack and in turn a burden on your resources. Lastly, I would also point out the fact that Rae, though highly skilled in many things, would not be fitting to run a pack your size.”
Rae hears Colton’s bones begin to crack as the Alpha speaks. At first she can’t help but think that her Alpha is not only an asshole but a snobby asshole. His points are kind of valid, she can admit that. She doesn’t know how to run a pack. She does have a large family that needs to be taken care of. Also it is true that she is of lower rank than Colton. All of that is true but you don’t fucking say that!
“I warned you to keep her out of here.” The Alpha continues before turning to Rae herself, “Its not that I don’t think you’re a good girl, Rae. You’ve been dealt a hard deck of cards in life and you’ve coped beautifully with it but I don’t think this is a right fitting for you. My concern is heartfelt on his matter. Both of you will only suffer with difficulties if you continue on the course to a full mating.”
Rae’s mouth is dry as she asks, “So what? You expect us to just break the bond and forget about each other?”
“It’s for the best in the long run.” He replies sympathetically.
“No.” Colton growls.
“Colton—“ Rae starts but Colton’s bright yellow eyes meet hers abruptly making her close her mouth. Colton isn’t home right now, she realizes and from the look on his face, his wolf isn’t taking any messages.
Colton stands up from his chair and she hears his bones breaking and some beginning to jut out from under his skin. His wants out, wants to shift and most likely wants to taste Alpha Kendrick’s innards. Leaning on his fists on the edge of the desk Colton’s lips curl back from his teeth to show already sharp fangs. The Alpha looks unaffected on the surface but she can see the caution in his eyes. He’s just as scared shitless as she is right now.
“She is mine!” Colton snarls.
“Stand down.” The Alpha orders using his command voice but Colton doesn’t yield.
Colton growls and leans more into the Alpha’s face, “She is mine! She will be my Alpha female, she will bare my young and she will stand by my side! She is mine!”
The Alpha gets out of his chair and goes head to head with the seething Colton, “Stand down!”
“Mine!”
The Alpha snaps glares at Rae, “Get out of here, now!”
“B-But—“
“Now!” He orders, cutting her off.
Seeing the yellow of his own wolf begin to filter into his eyes Rae wordlessly nods. Backing away from the two men and heading for the door. She knows that if she gets in arms reach of Colton right now his wolf will mark her. Its not that she doesn’t want that but not like this. He’ll regret it and she doesn’t want him to regret anything as important as that.
Opening up the door she slips out of the room with her heart nearly beating right out of her chest. Once she closes the door she hears some snarls, glass breaking and furniture tossing making her jump. Without a second thought she runs for the stairs and takes them down, two at a time. When she reaches the ground level she hears the Alpha female’s voice speak from behind her.
“I warned you not to interfere.”
Rae turns on her with a disgusted look, “You knew huh? What he was going to say to me? Do you agree? Think I’m not worthy of my own mate?”
“Worthy isn’t the question here, Rae.” She says simply as she crosses her arms over her chest. “The question is what is good for not only Colton’s pack but also for the good of our pack. We can’t lose six members of our pack, Rae. We don’t have the numbers to not feel the absence.”
“So this is about White Stone is it?” Rae sneers, “Figures that whole ‘good for the both of you’ shit was just that, shit.”
Alpha Julie narrows her eyes, “You forget your place, Rae.”
“And what is my place? With my face pressed in the mud so you can walk all over my back? I don’t think so.”
“I am Alpha here!”
“Well I’ll be Alpha there!” Rae yells back before narrowing her own eyes, “So maybe its you who needs to learn your place, Julie.”
The office door slams open and Rae looks up in time to see a sweaty and bleeding Colton coming down the stairs. His eyes are blue again but he looks no less enraged. Blood is trickling down his nose and she can see four claw marks going through the left shoulder of his shirt. When he spots her he narrows his eyes again and stalks over to her.
“Come on, we’re leaving.” He grunts before grabbing her upper arm. Looking over his shoulder he sneers at the Alpha female, “Your mate is upstairs in wolf form. Apparently he’s not as in control as he thought he was.”
“What did you do to him?” She spits.
“Nothing he didn’t deserve.” He spits right back at her. Turning to Rae he grabs her chin and looks down at her fiercely, “You need to let your siblings know that we’re taking them back to my pack, a place they can be free to do as they choose.”
Alpha Julie scoffs before smirking at him, “Good luck moving them off the property, Colton. She won’t leave anyone behind, including the feral and mentally unsound.”
Rae feels her stomach drop, “How did you—“
“Kendrick is the best tracker in North America, Rae. Did you really think that he wouldn’t have caught a trail as familiar as your father’s? Do you really have such little faith in your Alpha?”
“He’s not her Alpha.” Colton snaps. “Not anymore.”
“We’ll see.” Alpha Julie shrugs before turning her gaze to Rae, “Wolves value loyalty but it’s truly only the weak who don’t cut off a dying limb.”
“Fuck you!” Rae growls as she takes a step towards her.
Colton grabs her around the waist and starts dragging her towards the door. Putting his lips to her ear he starts whispering calming words into her ear but they don’t work. It’s not only Rae but her wolf that wants to rip the Alpha apart now. She wants to shift and see just how ‘low rank’ she’ll think Rae is with her throat in Rae’s jaws. That’s when she knows it’s over here for her.
Her loyalty is dead for this woman and her husband.
They don’t deserve it. Not after this.
Once they’re out on the porch Colton spins her around so she’s facing his chest but she’s still struggling to get out of his hold. She wants to shift, she wants to run and rip apart something but his restraining her is putting a pin in those plans. Trying to push him away harder it only annoys her more when he doesn’t even seem affected by her smacks and punches to his torso. Instead he just takes it while looking at her like she’s most likely a crazy person. Of course she doesn’t know for sure but she can guess that’s how he’s looking at her.
“Rae, come on, baby, calm down.”
“Don’t!” She yells, feeling wetness slide down her cheek as her vision blurs. She punches his chest more, still trying to get him to release her but still it gets her nowhere. “Don’t act like I’m being irrational. You have no idea what it felt like to hear yourself talked about like that! And my dad? She had no right bringing him into this! No right at all!”
“But is it true?”
She begins struggling again, “Let me go!”
“Rae.” He calls softly. “Is it true? Is he still alive?”
She stops moving and lets out a sob. She hasn’t seen her dad in weeks, three to be exact and last time she did she could tell he wasn’t doing well. He was skinny and he seemed a bit mentally lost. She didn’t doubt he was sick and still doesn’t but she knew it was going to come to this anyway. He isn’t her dad anymore, just another wolf but she still loves him.
She still wants to help him.
“Yes.” She says quietly before sniffling. “Yes, he’s still alive.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Because he’s not right in the head, Colton. He’s more wolf than anything.”
“When did he disappear?”
“Right after she died. That very night he just went out into the woods and never came back. We just assumed he died, despite not finding a body. We’d heard that could happen, the surviving wolf mate dying of grief. It didn’t seem impossible.”
“But he didn’t die.”
Rae shakes her head and wipes her cheeks with the sides of her hands, “No, he didn’t die. He had just slipped into his wolf and let the wolf keep them alive. Dad didn’t want to live anymore and the wolf did so he took control.”
“Are you sure he can’t shift back?” Colton asks, gently.
“Yes. He’s not mentally there enough to come back.”
Colton closes his eyes looking just as pained as she feels. Laying his forehead against hers he holds her closely to him. “I’m so sorry, Rae.”
“Don’t be.” She says thickly. “That’s just how things are.”
“Not anymore.”
Blinking through her tears she frowns up at him, “What do you mean?”
“You’re coming to my pack.” He tells her before looking past her to give a scathing look to the Alpha’s front door. “They don’t deserve to even be breathing the same air as you after this stunt.”
“But my family—“
“Will come to.” He answers, cutting her off. “My mom will love having little ones around again to spoil.”
“I can’t just move them without talking to them, Colton. That isn’t fair to them. They deserve a choice.”
Colton nods, “I know. We’ll discuss it with them.”
Rae nods and lets out a shaky exhale. “I’m not ready for this conversation.”
Colton grabs her hand and kisses her knuckles one at a time, softly. When he’s done he looks at her over the tops of them, “I know but I’ll be there every step of the way.”
As they begin walking off the porch and back towards the house they don’t say much else. She doesn’t know what he’s thinking about but from the little smiles on his lips she knows it’s happier than her own thoughts. Rae isn’t thinking about anything happy at the moment. She’s just thinking about what they’ll say when they find out their dad is alive. She’s thinking about how much they’re going to hate her.
And she won’t blame them for it.
Not one little bit.
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So who is psyched for that family meeting? Not me! lol. Some of you may have mixed feels about Alpha Kendrick and Alpha Julie. They're not bad people, not really. People have two sides to them and so shoulder characters. They are snobby but they think they're doing the right thing for the pack. They're just also huge dicks about it....so there's that. lol.
Anyway, what did we think? Aren't you just loving these fast updates?
VOTE, COMMENT AND FOLLOW :}