The Alphas’ P**n Star Mate

Chloe POV

"Chloe? Are you alright, lapachka?"

The room had grown silent as my tears ceased to fall. I was still curled up under the pool table, hiding from the rest of the world as Lenny babysat somewhere on the other side.

"I hate when you call me that," I murmured. "What does that even mean?"

My voice sounded monotone and dead, even to me. I was starting to feel that numbing layer over everything inside of me, a self-preservation thing no doubt, so I didn't break from everything I had been trying to bottle up inside. "It's just a term of endearment. Like when you call someone sweetie."

"So it means sweetie?"

"Well, no. Not directly. It's just the feeling of the term. It actually translates to, uh, little paw?"

"Like a dog's foot?" That didn't sound endearing at all.

"Like when you see cute little tracks on the ground, and think to yourself, awe, I bet a creature with cute little paws made those tracks."

"Sounds like you have a foot fetish," I murmured against my knees.

"Maybe," he laughed lightly. "Feet can be cute."

"Even on a dog," I retorted.

"Even on a dog," he agreed. Lenny never gave in to goading or teasing, even from me. Kai was the closest to him, and Kai couldn't even fluster Lenny. I swear, the guy acts more like an Alpha than most Alphas I have met.

The silence stretched on again, and then I had the urge to ask, "What brought you here, Lenny?" We've all given rough backstories to one another at one point or another on how we came to take refuge at Broom Stixxx, but Lenny never put in much detail. He would just say he was running from an Alpha, same as most of us, and he wasn't able to go back.

"Why?" His voice was getting closer, until he came into view. He lowered himself down to the wall in front of me, leaning back against it with his arm propped up on one knee. "It wasn't because I was looking at the wrong dog's paw or anything like that if you are trying to tease me." "No," I smiled, despite my bad mood because of his poor attempt at a joke. I know he's just trying to make me feel better. "I just would rather think about your past problems than my current ones."

The compassion on his face almost did me in again. I buried my face from chin to nose against my knees, willing myself not to cry.

"It's not a grand story of evasion and treachery, lapachka. I had an Alpha that I was devoted to, and who treated me well in return, then his son took power and wanted me out of the picture. I came to this country to keep the peace."

A cold tingle crept over my skin, and I somehow knew that he wasn't being completely truthful with me. There was more to his story, but it was his story, and I wasn't cruel enough to dredge up any trauma in his past to take my mind off mine. "What was that just now?" Lenny asked, staring into my eyes.

"What was what?"

"Your eyes," he said. "They flashed purple just now."

I shrugged, but somehow knew that it was the magic in me. That must have been that cold tingle I felt just now. "Magic is weird," I sighed. "And stressful. I feel so different on the inside sometimes."

"You are different on the inside now," he said gently. "You've come a long way from the betrayed and helpless Luna you once were."

I scoffed. "I don't think so. I'm still locked in the pack house, tip-toeing around like a meek little ghost. Only, I have two mates now and not just one."

"Your mates are nothing like your former one either," Cortina hissed. "They're just preoccupied and a bit stupid right now."

I didn't want to argue with my wolf over this. She tried to reason with me the first half hour I spent down here crying, but you can't reason away my mates not wanting to have pups with me. You can't reason away facts.

"Your mates are just scared for you, lapachka. They don't want to lose you."

I narrowed my eyes on Lenny. "Which is why they had you watching me in secret, right? You and Jamie?"

He had the decency to look apologetic at least. He tilted his face and gave me a guilty smile. "It wasn't them that asked me, Chloe. They didn't ask Jamie either."

"But they knew," I murmured, trying not to let my voice break with the heavy emotions boiling inside of me. I shouldn't have started talking like this. The numbing blanket is being stripped away. "They knew Rodger asked you and Jamie to babysit me." Lenny was quiet for nearly a minute, his face unreadable, until he asked, "What all do you know?"

"A lot," I scoffed. "More than I care to." I stared at a small stain on the carpet, trying to focus on that instead of the heat building behind my eyes.

"I thought you would want to know what all has been going on. I expected you to uncover the truth of everything a lot sooner."

"Knowledge hurts when it is concealed in deception." My voice came out in barely a rasp. "Every time I uncover something new, it just hurts more, because it shows the person wasn't willing to be honest with me themselves. Like I wasn't worth the time or effort." "Lapachka." Lenny crawled to sit beside me, then wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me to rest my head against him. "That was never anyone's intention."

I sighed, letting his warmth sink into me. "You can say that, but it doesn't mean anything if it's not coming from one of them."

Lenny growled, squeezing my shoulder more tightly, hugging my smaller frame to his large one. "I don't care if they are Alphas. I'm willing to bash their heads for you if you just say the words."

I almost laughed at the image that was brought to mind, but the reality I'm living took the humor out of me. "My mates aren't the only ones keeping things from me."

He stiffened, and I knew he knew exactly what I was referring to.

I did manage to chuckle at his reaction that time. "Would you be willing to bash his head in too?"

He sighed. "No. I could not."

His loyalty to Rodger was stronger than anything. I knew he wouldn't. I didn't really want him to bash anyone anyway.

"You know," I whispered in the quietness of the room. "You'd make a good big brother. Since you're babysitting me anyway, I might just start calling you that." "Calling me what?"

"Big brother," I snorted.

He laughed gently, rubbing his hand up and down my arm. "I can be your big brother. I don't mind, as long as you don't mind my terms of endearment, lapachka."

"If you're my big brother, you can't get mad at me la punching you in the face when you start calling me pervy foot names."

"Hmm, how about the arm? My face is too handsome to hit."

"So you don't care if I hit you, just not in the face?"

"I doubt you could do much damage anyway," he snickered teasingly.

I growled, thinking about doing some damage to his face now.

He stilled, which had me looking up at his face, his eyes staring out into the void, and glassed over. He was mind linking, and by the emotions playing on his features, I could guess who it was.

"What did they want?" I asked when his eyes focused back on the room, and he stared down at me. I tried to keep the dark undercurrent out of my voice, but I don't think I managed to do so. He looked concerned as he stared back down at me. "They wanted to know where you were at. I haven't told them yet, but they both want to come see you."

"Let them follow my scent then," I growled. "I'm sure it won't be that hard to find me."

Lenny grimaced. "You don't have a scent right now, lapachka."

"Again?" I looked at him confused. "I didn't take any potions or anything."

"I don't think it's that," he shook his head. "I think it's your magic. They can't even detect my scent now. Not since I left with you."

My magic took away my scent? "I didn't do anything though."

"I didn't think you did. At least, not on purpose. It has happened before too. I think your magic found a way to conceal it for you since you truly didn't want to be found."

"So it just activated on its own?"

Lenny shrugged. "It might be a self-preservation instinct, or maybe just unconsciously fulfilling a deep wish that you didn't voice yourself. It wouldn't be the first time your magic took the initiative without your saying so."

It took me a moment to understand what he meant. "Rome?"

Lenny nodded, watching me carefully.

I wish I understood this magic better. I feel like I'm just a victim to my magic instead of its owner. Not that I would undo what happened with Rome and Mick, but it's a little unnerving to have powers that act on their own just from a deep desire I have. I was chewing on my bottom lip, thinking about the strange power brewing inside me, when Lenny asked, "They really want to speak to you, lapachka. Do you mind me telling them where you are at, or do you want me to tell them to go away?" Cortina was restlessly pacing, muttering to herself. I guess I can't put this off any longer.

"Will you stay nearby?" I asked Lenny meekly. "Just in case?"

He smiled genuinely, his eyes crinkling in their corners. "Always. What kind of babysitter would I be if I didn't?"