Alexa's feet creaked against the floorboards of the wooden entrance way, being the Alpha Derek had a much larger house than the rest of the pack, but without Mary, his mate, it had fallen into a state of disrepair, another reason why Alexa was so happy to help. Mary had been a wonderful Luna, and she was happy to do whatever it took to honour her memory. The house had 2 floors, not including the special mezzanine floor that housed the massive attic where Hunter resided. As she made her way up the stairs, her eyes grazed over the bare walls, where family photos should have been. She felt her heart break a little, like it did everytime she came here, thinking of the broken family who lived here. Without his mate Alpha Derek felt empty and lonely, but without his mother Hunter felt lost, and alone.
As she made her way up the stairs to the second floor, she spotted the small staircase that led to the mezzanine floor, and the lone door that led to the attic. It was heavy and wooden, no lock on the outside, but she knew there was definitely a dead bolt on the other side. No lock could keep a werewolf at bay, but when a six year old Hunter started living in the attic, it was the only thing that made him feel safe.
She felt her heart beat faster the closer she got to the door, as it always did when she was here. Not from fear, but from nervousness and anticipation. She would never tell Hunter, or anyone else for that matter, but throughout their small, rarely had conversations, she had begun to fall for him. In a way, she expected that she always did, but now she couldn't imagine not talking to him. These meetings had become a huge treat for her, and she never wanted to let that go.
Alexa took a deep breathe, and knocked three times on the door, the sound reverberating around the old house. Hunter only willingly talked to Alexa, and the three knock hello was there signature. Again, although Hunter could smell her and knew she was approaching the house, it was something he wanted her to do since they were kids, before his wolf set in and he gained his powers. Female wolves didn't shift into wolves, but they still had the heightened senses and super strength in order to protect themselves effectively, and there was still that gut instinct that helped them out whenever they needed it, which the elders explained was their dormant wolf trying to help.
Alexa smiled brightly when she heard footsteps approaching the door from the other side, and proceeded to sit down in front of it, her hands which held the brownie folded in her lap.
"Good morning Hunter!" she said brightly.
"Good morning Alexa..." she heard a timid voice murmur behind the door. Alexa felt extreme gratitude for her heightened sense of hearing.
"How did you sleep last night?"
"Okay... and you?"
"Not too bad I guess, bed practically tried to kill me this morning though, so that put a negative spin on it..." Alexa growled angrily, her frustration for her evil bed seeping through again. But then she remembered who she was talking to, and looked down at the brownie in her hands, a big smile on her face. "I brought something for you!"
"Oh...?" Hunter whispered, his voice sounding genuinely surprised. The idea that someone brought him presents still confused him, and that in turn seriously upset Alexa.
"Of course, well... as you know it's the pack's annual bbq tomorrow, and I've made loads of cakes and meat dishes for it, and I thought that before Dominic stole all of them..." Alexa didn't have chance to finish, as Hunter let out a small growl, before going completely quiet. She kept forgetting that Dominic wasn't Hunter's favourite person, for whatever reason, so she stopped mentioning him. "Sorry... I brought you a brownie, one of the inside pieces, and one of the biggest... if you're interested?"
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.