Save Me Mr. Alpha

"Cassie... if you need to talk about something else, I’m always here for you," Tyson’s words are soft and sincere and I can feel the warmth in his chest as he tells me that.

And for once, I start to believe him...

Dinner was quick. The entire pack was exhausted from traveling so far from Northbrooke. They ate quickly, scarfing down the food made by the pack’s cooks. Tyson was at the head of the table eating in silence, occasionally nodding his head when a pack member asked him a question and replying with the least amount of syllables available.

After everyone was dismissed, Tyson stood up from the table, making his way to the wing he disappeared to previously in the week.

“Tyson...” I call out as I watch him walk away from me, exhaustion on his face.

He turns, his hazel eyes seemingly dull as he turns around.

“Yes, My Queen?” he asks, exhaustion filling his voice.

“Do you want to see the Queen’s suite?” I ask, hesitating slightly at the exhaustion on his face.

Tyson lets out a small smile, “you asking me to see the inside of your bedroom?”

“I’m just-- never mind, if you’re gonna be a jerk about it...”

“I’d love to come and see your suite,” Tyson chuckles.

“Well then, let’s go.”

Tyson follows behind me, the heat radiating off his body as he follows behind me up the marble stairs and towards the room Cassandra had designed perfectly for me. As we walk up the stairs, the heat from him started to overwhelm me.

“Don’t get any silly ideas,” I mumble as we get to the landing with the wooden doors.

“Me? Get ideas? Never.” Tyson chuckles.

“So, do I have to say a special magic spell so you can come in, or...?”

“Why don’t you just hold my hand and we’ll go in like we did at the barrier?” Tyson suggests.

I roll my eyes, but offer my hand to him anyways. He takes it in his large, rough hand and tingles roll up my arm. I feel a tinge of a blush on my cheeks, my ears getting warm at the feeling.

We walk through the door hands intertwined and for a second, I don’t want to let go.

“Ready to go in?” Tyson asks.

I flinch at his words, them sounding suspiciously like the words he had uttered in my dream.

“Wh-what did you say?” I stammer.

“Are you ready to go in? You kind of stopped walking once we entered the hallway.” Tyson looks around and I watch him hesitate on the photo of Cassandra and then his mother.

“I’m fine, I just always get distracted by the... beauty, of this room.” I lie, pulling my hand away from Tyson’s.

“It doesn’t look too different from when my mother was here, but it’ll be nice to see your portrait up here soon,” Tyson smiles.

“When does that go up?”

“The day after your coronation as Queen. It’ll... appear.” Tyson says as we finally start walking down the hallway that leads to my room.

The dazzling sunset shines dark orange light into the room as I open up the second set of doors to my room. The color fills me with warmth and light and with Tyson standing so close, the tingles running down my body start feeling hotter and hotter.

“The room is beautiful,” Tyson nods approvingly at the room, looking around the bright, open room.

He takes a seat at the head of the bed, kicking his shoes off, and leaning back to gaze at the tapestry hanging above. I sit on my desk chair and watch as he relaxes in my bed, breathing deeply as his eyes flutter open and closed.

“What do you see?” Tyson asks.

“What do you mean?”

“The tapestry, what do you see? It kind of looks like one of those pictures you have to look at from a specific angle to see the real picture. What do you see?”

“Oh, I don’t really know.”

“I see flowers and a woman intertwined in the branches of a willow tree.”

“Interesting,” I murmur.

“What do you see now that you’re thinking about it?” Tyson asks. I move from my place on the desk chair going to the other side of the bed and lean back in the bed and look at the ceiling.

I stare at the tapestry and notice the strands of gold in the cream fabric and I do notice the threads forming a beautiful picture in the middle, almost an extension of what Tyson was seeing.

I look closely at the outline of willow branches stretching out and entangling around a wolf, the shape of his form familiar. It was most definitely Tyson in his wolf’s form.

I yawn, my eyes watering, fluttering open and shut. “I don’t really see anything familiar,” I lie.

Tyson nods, shuffling in his seat, putting his hands behind his bed.

“Liar.”

“What, I’m not--”

“I can feel your emotions, the Mark, remember.” Tyson hums. There isn’t any hatred in his voice, but more of a tone of amusement.

“Oh yeah,” I close my eyes, embarrassed by the realization.

“And you can feel when I’m upset or stressed or... imaginative...” he hedges.

I turn my head and look at Tyson in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve had dreams, Cassie...”

I blanch. My mind flashes back to the dream I had in the car and I feel a shell of embarrassment quickly falling over me.

“No, I don’t--”

“And when mates have dreams, their feelings, their guilt, basically any strong emotion gets fed through the bond. For example this afternoon, when you--”

“Tyson--”

“When you said you wanted to check on the border patrol you lied. I’m not sure why you lied, but for some reason I think it’s because you actually are starting to like having me around,” Tyson teases.

I reflect on our first link and relax, the torment and embarrassment slightly fading when I realize he’s not going to bring up the dream.

“Oh!”

“It’s okay to feel that way. It’s natural,” Tyson sighs.

He yawns and I realize how late it’s getting.

“Tyson--”

“Don’t worry, I’m leaving now. We’re both exhausted and at the Pack meeting tomorrow we both should be at our best.”

“Actually,” I pause, trying to rationalize my decision. “Could you stay?”

Tyson turns and his light hazel eyes stare at me, widening at my words.

“Oh, I don’t--I mean, I don’t want you--”

“I sleep better when you’re around. It must be your wolf I guess.” I say truthfully.

“Oh, sure. Yeah. I can stay. If you’re sure I mean.”

“I am.”

The next morning when I woke Tyson was gone and I had to wonder if me asking him to stay was a dream or not. The note laying on his pillow cued me that it was not.

I had had the best night of sleep in a very, very long time. Between Tyson’s warmth and the tingles running up and down my body, the knowledge of safety within the castle walls, and the present exhaustion I had been feeling, sleep was immediate, heavy, and constant. A rarity for a partial insomniac like me.

"Can I come up to help you prepare for the Pack Meeting. Traditionally you would wear red for your first official meeting pre-coronation." Katie’s voice fills my mind in a rush. She sounds slightly annoyed and I sigh.

"Sure. Can you have my brothers come too? I have some things to tell them.”

"Of course, Your Highness."

Before I can correct her the feel of the mind link is gone and I climb out of my bed and wait for the arrival of the newly founded “Terrible Trio,” a name Tyson had formed yesterday when my brother had knocked me down once we got out of the car to say hello to his new mate. The reason for trio being his twin brother had knocked me down again to tackle his brother for knocking me down. Ironic, much?

Fifteen minutes after Katie had reached out, a knock came at the door and at my approval the Terrible Trio themselves came flooding through the door, bickering, yelling, and just generally causing a headache.

Chase threw himself on my newly made bed, the note from Tyson hidden from their sight, Katie sitting demurely at his feet, and Charles threw himself at my desk chair.

“How is the castle treating you?” I ask, staring in distaste as Chase places his shoes on my clean duvet cover.

“It’s SO big!” Charles comments, taking a moment to look around the massive bedroom.

“Food’s good. Breakfast is done buffet style.” Chase adds in with a grin.

“I had them make you a tray, it’s sitting on the cart outside the doors.” Katie nods towards the door.

“Thank you. How has it been for you getting reacquainted with everything.”

“I forgot how big the palace is.”

“As the King’s sister I assume you were given a room here?” I ask softly.

Katie looks to her feet.

“Umm, yes, but I requested to be moved back into the village.”

“Why?”

“Too many... memories.” Katie sighs.

I wince as I realize I never thought about how Katie must be feeling with her father back in the picture, especially for a potential war brewing.

“I see.”

“Katie told me about her father.”

“That beast is not her father.” I correct before Katie can say anything. “Nor Tyson’s.”

“Sorry, My Queen,” Chase bends his neck towards me in an act of submission and that’s when I notice the red mark gracing the crook of his neck. This mark is definitely not a hickey.

“Oh, you two... you’re marked,” I mumble.

Katie blushes, her cheeks brightening as she bends her head and looks at her hands folded gracefully in her lap.

“Yeah, sorry we didn’t tell you earlier, sis...” Chase’s voice mimics my own mumble.

Charles rolls his eyes at the two lovebirds sitting on my bed.

“Well so are you, Cassie?” Charles huffs.

I flinch.

“I did it because I had too.” I snap.

Silence fills the room and I see Katie and Chase bending their necks to me in submission again. Charles is unaffected.

“Haven’t finished shifting yet?” I ask him, breaking the awkward silence.

Charles lets out a grunt and Chase chuckles.

“What happened?”

“Katie broke his werewolf...” Chase lets out a snort as he laughs.

“What?”

“I accidentally over rotated his neck. He’s physically fine, his wolf is just pouting because a non-warrior subdued him. So he’ll have a couple of more weeks until his pride heals and he can shift.”

Embarrassment fills her tone and I see Charles glowering at the floor.

“Well, on the bright side, until that happens you won’t have to take part in pack training,” I pat Charles’ back and he relaxes at my touch.

“True...”

“Hey, Cass?” Chase calls out.

“Yeah?”

“What time did Tyson leave your bed this morning? It smells like sex.”

Katie smacks her mate’s head while I close my eyes and dream of anywhere else I could be to prevent me from killing my baby brother.

Katie helped me get rid of my brothers quickly after Chase’s inappropriate joke before she helped me get ready for the pack meeting. She brought a red cashmere sweater from her closet for me to wear and I finished it off with a pair of dark jeans and riding boots.

After I finished getting ready, Tyson asked my permission to enter my suite via the mind link and I allowed him to enter. I sat at my desk reviewing the agenda he and Babe had typed up.

“Do you really think that the pack needs daily defense lessons?” I ask.

I can practically feel the wrinkle in my brow forming as I take off my reading glasses and rub my eyes to look at Tyson as he enters the room.

Tyson is staring intently at his phone, his tight grip making me worry if he’s going to break the seemingly small device.

“You okay?”

“I’ll be fine, I just can’t--”

“What?”

“This stupid candy just won’t crush--” he growls, poking at his phone.

I let out a chuckle at his childishness and at the sound Tyson looks up and looks appropriately embarrassed.

“Sorry, I just-- it’s my version of therapy,” he jokes.

“You should try my version,” I joke, handing him the agenda for him to review.

“What is your version?”

“A story for another time, but anyways, back to the agenda, two times of daily defense lessons for everyone?”

“Yes, that’s fairly standard.”

“That seems a little aggressive, especially for the older pack members and children.”

Tyson sighs, “Maybe you’re right.”

“I’m all for being prepared for things, but not at the risk of the health of the pack.”

“I understand.”

“And we should not--”

“I understand, Cassie. Now, are you ready to go downstairs and meet the entire pack?”

“Yes, but--”

“Cassie, I know you’re worried about the meeting, but it’s gonna be fine.”

“I’m not worried about the meeting--”

“You are worried you won’t be a good enough Queen.”

Tyson’s words echo in my ear and I flinch as he reaches his hand out to me. Tyson winces, his eyes sad as he holds out his hand.

“You’re not broken. You’re going to do fine and I’ll be there to help you.”

“I’m not exactly Queen material,” I say to Tyson, exasperation filling my whole body as I start to glare at him. “I am at most a Luna, but this new feeling--”

“You’re a leader. You’re a natural leader. You have the boys--”

“I am their mother, not their QUEEN!” I hiss.

Silence. The room fills with silence.

“Cassie...”

“I know.” I whisper. “I know, I’m not a mother. And I never will be.”