My father and I move the heavy boxes out of the truck and into the house, dropping them off into the living room before turning around to do it again. My father, the current Alpha, had yet to break a sweat yet I sat here, groaning dramatically as we drop the last box. It at least got him to smile. We gaze around the house that was now mine, smiling. Everything was stacked neatly in the corner, waiting for me to unpack, yet I was dreading the moment that would happen. For now, I would let it sit there and take everything out little bylittle.
The sun glimmers through the curtains he hung up, repeatedly telling me that safety was more important when it came to a woman being in her own house, and I pull them back to put my plants in direct sunlight until I could find another location for them.
"Thanks for the help," I tell him. We stretch our arms over our head at the same time, me pulling mine across my chest to pop my shoulders while he drops his.
"Not a problem, kid. I have to get going."
I frown. "Why? You're not going to help me unpack this mess?"
"Pack meeting," he explains, smiling. "I have to get everything set up. Dress formally, Lia."
I walk him to the door after giving him his jacket, smiling up at him. I wait until he drives back to the house to shut the door and rub my face. I had, somehow, managed to avoid Jamie nearly the entire school year minus the required pack meetings. Even then, I barely looked at him. Staring at the boxes, I groan and head upstairs,determined to change into clean clothes and get out of the house to get coffee.
I take the steps two at a time, dropping the clothes in my bedroom floor before looking through my closet. Everything seemed too flashy to wear, and instead, I settle on some shorts and a strapless shirt, tying my hair up into a bun on the top of my head. My phone rings, showing my mother's name, and I lock it before sticking both my phone and wallet into my back pocket. With a sigh, I grab my keys off the side table and lock the door behind me.
"What I wouldn't give to have a normal life."
The walk to the coffee shop was quiet and twirl my keys around my finger, humming to myself. A few pack members smile as I pass them, heads slightly bowed before they walk away. My normal barista is behind the counter, his grin contagious as I walk up to him.
"Hey, lady," he smiles, "what can I get for you? The usual?"
"Surprise me."
He types something in and grabs my debit card to pay for them. "How is the move? Are you all set up?"
Grinning, I nod. "It's great. Remind me to show you soon. When are you off?"
"Tomorrow. Do you have anything planned?"
Shaking my head, I step aside while I wait for my coffee, letting the other customers place their orders. He makes small talk while I wait, being sure to give just as much attention to his other customers, before handing them over to me. As he has done in the last two years, he writes his number on the side and I roll my eyes.
"I saved your number two years ago, Link."
He winks, turning back to the register, and I settle in my normal seat in the corner by the bookcase. While I sip on whatever he had given me, my phone rings once, then twice, before it stops. I stare at my mother's name, considering calling her back, yet her name pops up for the third time.
"How was the move?"
I frown. "Not even a hello? That must be a new record." My words were sarcastic, and I could only imagine the glare she would be giving me. "It was fine. Dad should almost be home if he isn't already. I just moved ten minutes away, if that."
"I expect you here tonight, Liana."
"I will be, mother. May I go now?"
Before I could listen to her voice any longer, I hang up, putting my phone face down on the bookcase. Just her words had given me a headache and I massage my temples, stifling the annoyance that I was feeling. When I go to sip my coffee, I'm greeted with an unfamiliar scent, setting me on edge. My wolf and I both perk up, eyes zeroing in on him as he talks animatedly to Link. I hear my name mentioned, both men turning towards me, and my face turns red.
"Lia, come here!"
Sighing, I take my cup and head up to the counter, leaning against it with an innocent look. I see Link's cheeks turn pink, even making the new guy blush, and I grin. "Hello, Link. What can I do for you since you so gratefully ruined my alone time?"
He chuckles. "This is Eric. He just moved here and he's in the same college classes with me. Since he doesn't know anyone, I figured he could get to know you a little."
Eric shyly smiles. "I just moved here from Colorado. Sorry, he's a bit abrasive."
I shrug. "Nothing I'm not used to. So, what are you into, Eric?"
"He plays video games. I know you have every console known to man and probably every game ever created. I figured we could all hang out sometime."
"Wow. I just move in and you're already bringing people over?"
"It's fine," Eric defends. "You really don't have to."
"Hey, I enjoy meeting new people so I can kick their ass at video games. I'm free right now; want to come over?"
Link, ever so dramatic, gasps. "Wow. You just move in and you can't even let me be the first man in your house?"
I smirk, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you later, Link. I'm going to go kick some ass."
He curses when we leave yet it has both of us laughing. "He sure is something else."
"Link is a good friend," I tell him. "I was his first friend when he was new here, too. We bonded over coffee and video games when he accidentally dropped his coffee all over my laptop."
"Ouch." Erich chuckles. "I can promise I won't do that to you."
I hold the door open after unlocking it, kicking it closed when we both step in. "Don't mind the mess or the boxes. Did you want something to eat or drink before heading to the game room?"
"I'm fine right now, thank you."
Nodding, Eric tells me a little about himself while we head upstairs, his voice fading once I open the door. I stare up at him, seeing his eyes wide and his mouth open as he looks around. Smirking, I head towards the closet.
"This is the best part. Want to hit the light?"
He does and I hit the button, the room slowly lighting up. It starts around the television before wrapping around every single cubby that the consoles were in, traveling through the room until it's lit up blue and red. It was bright enough that we could see in here yet not enough to hurt our eyes, just how I liked it.
"Do you want to keep these on or the light?"
Eric grins. "This is fine."
I tell him to pull the beanbag chairs towards us while I pick a game, handing him the controller. Throughout the time we play, I had successfully beaten him six times with him only twice. On the last round, he groans loudly and drops the controller in defeat on his lap.
My phone buzzes with messages from Link, asking if we were done, and I stare at the time. "Shit."
Eric looks at me suddenly, eyes wide. "Everything okay?"
I nod. "I have somewhere to be in five minutes. Do you care if we continue this another day?"
"Sure. Can I get your number?"
I laugh. "Very blunt, don't you think?"
He smirks and shrugs. "I can always ask Link."
Laughing, I hand my phone over while we both walk into my bedroom, me grabbing the first formal thing I saw in my closet. It was a white dress that was one shoulder, tight around the bust yet loose around the waist. I hear the shutter on my phone ding and then Eric tapping the screen, handing my phone over.
"I'll see you later?" he asks.
Nodding, I let him see himself out before quickly changing, making sure my hair was down and fluffy. I wave goodbye as he walks down the sidewalk, me hopping in my Jeep as I curse low to myself. The pack was poking at my walls, my father wondering where I was at, and I let them know that I was just a few minutes behind. I hit the roads going seventy, slowing down to slide into the driveway of our packhouse. Dominic was waiting when I pull up, wearing a red shirt that was tucked into black pants and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.
I grin up at him, both of us meeting halfway. "Hey, you."
He smiles down at me, pressing a kiss to my cheek. "Hey yourself. You look beautiful."
"Why are you here?"
He groans when we walk up the steps, his demeanor suddenly changing to how everyone else knew him as. Dominic, tense at my side, doesn't catch anyone's eye, yet I knew my pack felt lucky for that. We both step into the dining hall at the same time, my father looking over at Dominic before smiling at me.
"At last it seems we are all here."
I tell the butler thanks when he pulls my chair out, walking right by Dominic who only rolls his eyes. He sends me a hidden smile when he sits beside me, his Beta right across from him. I give Cole a wave, getting one in return, and turn towards my father.
"So," I ask, getting straight to the point, "why is Dominic here?"
"Your father wants my land even though I've politely said no. Multiple times, may I add."
WhenI look at Dominic, he's staring at my father, an eyebrow raised while he sips on his wine. My dad only shrugs, giving him a smile. "You're not wrong there. I figured if we could have at least one in-person discussion, and if the answer was still a no, I would drop it."
I roll my eyes and dig into the food, everyone having polite conversations while we eat. I knew that Dominic would be the last topic of the night, not wanting to ruin anyone's mood. I engage in conversation with Dominic, ignoring the pointed looks that Jamie was giving me. Dominic, however, kept his eyes firmly on my mate each time he took a look at me.
"Is there something you need, Jamie?" he asks. His voice was cold, dull, and it sends a shiver down my spine.
"Just wanted to eventually talk to my mate sometime tonight."
I scowl at him. "You lost your chance nine months ago."
Dominic gives a soft laugh at my reply, getting my attention once again. The entire time I talk to him, my phone vibrates on my leg, occasionally making his eyes dart down to my lap before back to my eyes. At the fourth time, he raises an eyebrow, his cheeks pink.
"You going to answer that? Or would you like me?"
Groaning, I unlock it and stare at all the messages Link had sent before locking my phone back "It's just Link pestering me."
"I can get rid of him."
Dominic's face was suddenly close, his eyes softening when he looks at me. We stare at one another long enough that my face burns with a blush and his own slowly cracks in a smile. With the mischievous smile, he snatches my phone before I can protest, holding the phone to his ear. I stare at him in shock when it rings twice before Link finally answers.
"There you are! Did it go okay? Did you get laid? Is Eric great in bed?"
Scowling, I had thought it was impossible for my face to burn even more, however Dominic smirks over at me.
"Lia," he sings, "why are you ignoring me? Did you not get laid?"
"May I ask who this is?"
Imagining Link freezing up, I snicker underneath my breath. "Who is this?"
"Liana's boyfriend. Why are you pestering her?"
His voice was cold and deep enough that I knew Link was scared, and before Dominic could say anything else, the line disconnects. I groan at him, snatching my phone back. "You're so mean to him."
"He's a human. They're all annoying. Now, Lia, who is this Eric man and why are you cheating on me?"
I hear my father laugh, not wanting to interrupt our conversation even though we had all finished eating. "Excuse me? We aren't dating, Dom, and Eric is some new guy who moved into town. I just invited him over to play video games."
He's unable to reply when we hear glass shattering, Jamie staring at me with his eyes dark and his hand bleeding. I stand, ready to tend to it, yet he shoves his chair back and walks into the kitchen, muttering soft curses underneath his breath. Dominic, always so gentle with me, grabs my hand to set me back in my chair.
"Did you at least beat his ass?"
Grinning from ear to ear, I nod. "Took all those years of beating you against someone else."
After our laughter settles down, my father gets to business. Dominic sits tense at my side, his hand resting on his chin while his eyes darken with each sentence that my father says to him. Finally, at the end when he pulls out the map to show him just what we're wanting andJamie is back in his seat, I pop in.
"Dad, I respect you always, because you're my father and my Alpha. May I speak freely?" He nods, and I clear my throat. "It isn't unknown to every Alpha and pack in this country that I am the only one on good terms with Dominic. However, aside from growing up with him, it's because I don't pressure him into doing what he doesn't want to do.
"He lost his mate, his child, and his pack a couple years ago. He killed the man who did it at the risk of dying himself. We helped him out, got him back on his feet, and now we're trying to take land from him?"
"Its free land, Liana," Jamie mutters.
"Free land, sure. But when has it ever known in history for packs to be that close to one another? What's stopping us from being the next ones to attack him or vice versa?"
Dominic growls at my words, an easy way to tell me to watch what I say, and I glare at him.
"What I'm trying to say, Dad, is that we're being a selfish pack and you're being a selfish Alpha. We don't need more land and we sure as hell don't need to be any closer to him. I see him almost every day as it is, so why would I want a guarantee to see him every single second of my life?"
"Wow, I see how you care," he hisses.
"I love you a lot, and you know that, Dom. As next in line Alpha, I'm telling you that I don't want this to happen. Any day now I'll be taking over this pack, and if I have to step into it with hell between my pack and my best friends, I will be sure to rain hell on every single person."
My father sighs, staring between Dom and I. I could see him thinking it over in his head, having a small talk with my mother who was quietly sipping at her wine. As usual, she wasn't that concerned about what was going on. My phone vibrates, causing Dominic to give me a hidden smirk, and my father eventually nods.
"You make a very interesting point, Lia. I will no longer ask you to expand, Dominic. I appreciate you for being as tolerable as you have here lately."
He laughs a little. "Anything for the man that basically raised me."
"There's one more thing that needs to be said."
I was halfway out of my chair at his words, and Dominic, having a knowing smile, pulls me back down. "As of right now, Lia, I am resigning and giving the pack over to you. You will be their Alpha and will uphold all the values that the Alpha's before you have."
I blink, staring at my father, shocked.
"Do you accept your position?"
I stare at the blade that was hovering over his palm before glancing up to his eyes. I knew the moment I agreed Jamie would become my official Beta, stuck to my side more than anyone. With a deep breath, I nod, meeting my father halfway. I close my eyes at this part, feeling the blade quick against my palm after he had taken it across his own.
Pain begins in my hand and travels up the length of my arm, steadily pulling as my father takes it into his own. We stare at one another, me repeating the same vows that were taken with every Alpha in our pack that takes over, and in the end, Dominic hands me a towel after it's completed.
"That was easier than I thought," I admit.
"Lia," my father says, "I will have to leave for a few days. Be sure you come early tomorrow morning to take care of anything you may need. I'll have some of the butlers move my things out of the office starting tonight."
Everyone leaves the dining room, words hushed while occasionally giving worried looks to Dominic. When they're finally gone, leaving just us, I turn around and grin up at him.
"Are you busy?" I ask.
"Not entirely. What did you have in mind?" he asks, leaning down so our faces are inches apart.
I gulp, taking a quick glance at his lips before looking at his eyes. "Want to go play some video games at my place or watch a movie?"
He laughs and follows me outside, both of us getting into my Jeep. "I can definitely go for a movie right now. I need a chance to relax after your father."
"He's a bit of a mess I will admit that. I have sweets. Want to stop by the coffee shop and meet Link since you scared him to death?"
Underneath his breath, Dominic gives low laughs before he gets louder. I take a quick look at him, muttering something underneath my breath, and pull into my driveway. Sitting on the steps was no one other than Link himself, Eric right next to him.
"Well, fuck," I mutter.