I held my breath as Adrian stepped back from the new wolves. The transformation had been magical. I'd never seen a new shift before. From the struggle against nature's call to the surrender and shift, everything absolutely fascinated me. These new wolves sniffed their paws as if discovering themselves for the first time. When they looked up at Adrian, everyone fell quiet. This was a key moment for the pack.
My wolf preened in pride for our mate as he stared down the pups, mostly likely using a mind link from wolf to wolf to secure their allegiance. Several seconds passed, and no one moved. Not even the young wolves. My heart started racing, and my wolf took a step forward. I trembled at the little shudder of power that pulsed from her. What was she doing?
Adrian took a step back, turning slightly towards me. The young wolves' gazes shifted from my mate to me, sparking something deep in my chest. I stared back at the wolves, actually seeing the flicker of fear in their yellow-gray eyes.
"Sierra."
I jumped as Adrian touched my arm. He took my hand in his and pulled me forward until I stood several yards away from the shifters. He squeezed my shoulders and stood right behind me, his chest pressing into my back.
"They'll only submit to you," he whispered against my ear, causing my wolf to stand at full attention with her head high.
"Why me?" I squeaked, shrinking back against him.
"...because you're the alpha."
His words punched me in the chest. This was where his authority as acting alpha stopped. He could do nearly everything else, but not demand allegiance from new shifters. That was something only a true alpha could do.
Adrian dragged his hands down my arms and up again. "You can do this, love. It doesn't bother me that you have to do this. You need to show them who you are."
I spun to face him, my eyes going wider than I thought possible and my heart pounding against my ribs. Showing 'them' who I was didn't just mean the new wolves. It meant everyone. We were going to announce my place as alpha right here, right now.
"Adrian, I—"
"It's okay, Sia. Everything is going to be okay." He brushed a kiss to my lips before turning me back to the wolves, his fingertips resting on my forearms. The shifters still stared at me, unmoving except for their breaths.
I let my wolf take another step forward, her power and dominance oozing heat into my body. Even if I didn't have a clue what I was doing, she certainly did. I would need her to help me get through this.
She met the gazes of the young wolves and held them in a paralyzing stare. Something sizzled and crackled in my veins, almost like my blood was starting to boil.The heat and scent of ultimate power rapidly increased until it flooded my senses. I could see the boys in their eyes, squirming under her alpha trance. They clearly didn't like the idea of submitting to a girl.
Do you accept me as your alpha?
The spotty wolf snarled just a little, his lips quivered over his teeth. A few of the students gasped. They knew the consequences of refusing an alpha. The grayish wolf lowered his head but didn't break eye contact.
Do you accept me as your alpha? she repeated, a little more forcefully.
Still, no reaction. My wolf took a powerful step to the forefront of my mind, not quite taking control but being a step away from it.
Submit!
A wave of heat poured out of my body, the alpha power overwhelming me and the shifters. My alpha wolf had taken full control, and I was forced to watch everything from the back of mymind. It was almost like looking through a foggy window, everything just alittle misted over with the amount of energy she was putting forth.
One at a time, the wolves slowly lowered themselves and rolled onto their backs. My wolf stayed at full attention as the youngsters met her gaze. There was one more point she and I needed to make clear with them.
Do you accept Adrian as your acting alpha?
Neither of them moved, keeping their bellies exposed in submission. When I nodded in approval of their choice, they both rolled back to their feet. One of their teachers approached with a couple pairs of basketball shorts.
"Shift," I ordered, turning my head to the side as they shifted back to human form and jumped into the offered shorts. Once at least partially covered, they faced me and dropped to one knee.
I drew a slow deep breath to calm my racing heart. Adrian placed his hands on my shoulders and rubbed little circles with his thumbs. When I didn't speak for a few seconds, he poked at my mind.
They'll listen to you now, I told you. Please welcome them into the pack.
He didn't ask questions. Rather, he stood up tall and nodded to the young men before us. "Gentlemen, welcome to the pack."
The group burst into cheers, whoops, and hollers. The new wolves shakily rose to their feet as they were swarmed by warriors and fellow students. It was like a big family reunion. Everyone's energy level boosted, and the joy spread like wildfire.
My wolf retreated to the back of my mind, her job completed. I sagged backwards, collapsing into Adrian. He gently wrapped one arm around my waist and scooped me off the ground into a cradle hold. His general warmth and scent engulfed me and eased my tense muscles. For a moment, he held me close and traced the tip of his nose along my hairline.
"You did great, sweetheart," he gushed into my ear. "You were incredible. Even my wolf was turning belly up to your sexy alpha."
I buried my face in his shirt as I flushed a deep shade of red. This was not the place for his flirty mate comments. I'd probably die of embarrassment.
"Why is it so draining?" I whimpered, just loud enough for only him to hear. "I feel like I've been boxing for an hour. Every part of me is trembling."
"I know," he purred, nuzzling my nose. "The only other time I've felt you trembling like this was when we—"
"Stop," I squeaked, squirming in his hold. "No one needs to know about our private lives."
He bit back any additional comments and hugged me to his chest. "Sorry, babe. I'm proud of you for stepping up. Those boys didn't put up much of a fight against you, so that means your alpha side was really strong. What else did you tell them? They were on their backs for a long time."
I traced my finger along his jaw, offering one of my supportive smiles. "I asked if they accepted you as their acting alpha. They said yes, so you have their allegiance as much as I do."
He blinked a couple times. "Really? You did that? For me?"
"Of course," I said. "We are in this together, and I'm going to make sure that you have as much power as possible. That's how much you mean to me, and how much I want you in every part of my life."
He ducked his head and captured my mouth with his. We both flinched with the fireworks that exploded across our skin. If we'd been alone, this easily could have turned into a steamy make-out session that left both of us gasping for air. Thankfully, the celebrations nearby kept both of us in check. Adrian teased me a little with his tongue before pulling away. I stared into his gorgeous eyes as my wolf purred her pleasure with the attention.
Jaxon separated himself from the group and jogged over to us. Another flush crept up my neck as Adrian tightened his grip around me, a low growl rumbling in his throat. I loved his protective instincts, even if we weren't fully mated yet. I could only imagine how possessive he'd be once we were completely and officially a pair.
"That went better than I expected," Jaxon said with a grin to me. "You did very well for handling new shifters. I'm glad they submitted, because they are the first under your leadership. The rest will follow."
I nodded in acceptance of his praise. "Thank you, Jaxon. I hope you're right."
He glanced back at the group. "We've got the rest handled. You guys can go back to your training or..." He eyed Adrian's grip on me with a smirk. "...or whatever you planned to do."
I buried my face in Adrian's shoulder. Just let me die now... Jaxon was very perceptive, more so than most. He could sense emotions long before they bubbled to the surface. Of course, anyone with eyes could probably see that Adrian was very touchy and sappy around me. It didn't require much imagination to guess what kind of reward he wanted to give me after gaining the allegiance of two new wolves.
Peeking over his shoulder, I caught a glimpse of a shadow-like figure lurking at the edge of the woods on the far side of the clearing. Even though I couldn't quite make out distinct details, I was pretty sure it was a wolf. The glowing yellow eyes gave it away. It watched us without making a move. As soon as it seemed to notice that I'd seen it, it turned and vanished into the trees. Weird...
"Thanks, Jaxon." Adrian's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
I squeaked as Adrian spun around and marched away from the training fields. He didn't stop until we reached the back porch of the pack house. I silently waited for him to speak as he set me down and wrapped his arms around my waist. For a while we just stood there, no words really needed.
Finally, my mate drew a deep breath. "Well, my little alpha... It seems that you have come into your own. I think we should have a party to celebrate."
"A party?" I echoed. "Are we going to celebrate our joint alpha role? If we're going to be inviting the alphas and lunas of other packs, I insist that they know you are my co-alpha."
He wrinkled his nose at me but didn't argue. "If that is your only condition, I happily accept your terms. I will throw us a party that will bring you into the spotlight with me. We'll show the other packs that we are a team, powerful and stronger than they can imagine." He ducked his head and pressed his lips to my neck. "I'll need to show some kind of power anyway so no one else tries to make a move on my little alpha."
"They wouldn't dare," I reassured him. "And even if they did, I would use my kick-ass alpha strength to make them regret trying."
His chuckle ignited dozens of fireworks under my skin. Our mate bond sucked me closer to him, pushing us toward something I still wasn't quite ready for. My wolf had been growling at me a lot lately because I refused to entertain her Fifty Shades of Wolf fantasies. She drove me crazy with her puppy love whimpering and momma wolf demands. Sometimes I seriously considered blocking her out, no matter how dangerous that was.
"I will start planning our party tomorrow," Adrian whispered against my ear. "For now, I'd like to curl up with my mate and her choice of sappy movie."
"Really?" I squealed. "You're letting me choose?"
He sighed. "You just secured the loyalty of two new wolves for our pack. You're tired and need to rest. If I get to cuddle with you and kiss you for the next couple hours, I'd say suffering through a cheesy movie about unrealistic relationships or impossible heroics will be worth it."
I giggled and planted a brief kiss on his mouth. "Don't worry. You only have to suffer through jealousy of Captain America's incredible, sculpted, muscled, moral-boosted bo—"
"Please don't finish that sentence," he growled, eyes darkening.
"I'm kidding, Adrian. I just love provoking your protective-jealous side. It makes me feel very safe and loved when you compare yourself to made-up movie characters. You will always be my one and only. Okay?"
He gazed down at me with those gorgeous blue eyes, the jealousy fading away to devotion and longing. "Okay," he breathed.
We nuzzled noses for a minute, loving the electric sparks skating across our skin. Some might say that a genuine relationship takes a long time to form, but those folks clearly didn't know how mates work. I was glad we weren't like normal humans. We were bound, fast and furious, in a matter of hours. Each passing day solidified the relationship and drew us together in ways humans would never fully understand.
"Let's go inside before someone interrupts us," Adrian mumbled. "I'm not exactly in a sharing mood."
I couldn't help but giggle at that. When he got possessive of me, he didn't share. When he didn't share, I got spoiled. I loved when he spoiled me.
"Agreed," I chirped. "I'm not in a sharing mood either."