The Alphas’ P**n Star Mate

"Do you not like the pancakes? I can get you something else. Nonna makes really good soup. Do you want me to bring you some?"

I didn't realize I had been pushing my pancakes around on the plate, making them soggy and torn to pieces in the syrup. My plate now looked like a mess.

I smiled gratefully, but shook my head as I began scooping up a fork-full of the soggy pancake disaster and shoveling it into my mouth. It still tasted good. "This is good. Sorry. I think I'm just tired."

"You should be," Jamie said. "You just went through fucking hell. The doctors told Darren you needed to stay in bed for the rest of the day if you didn't want to stay at the clinic for observation."

I grimaced. Staying in a sterile room with people watching me around the clock sounded horrible after what I had just escaped from.

"Darren will be checking on you before we head back to the meeting to make sure you're doing as you're told," Beau said.

"Why does it sound like Darren has some kind of authority in this pack?" I asked half jokingly.

"He does," Jamie answered. "He's a Gamma now, since he's mated to the Gamma of the pack."

"Seriously? He's a damn bear," I huffed. "How can a bear be a Gamma of a werewolf pack?"

"Be mated to a Gamma," Jamie shrugged, like it was obvious. "The pack accepted him as Billy's equal. They run the warriors together."

"Huh," I didn't know what to think about that. I knew he was mated to the Gamma before I was taken, but I thought he would be like Dave and just sleep all day and only wake up for mating or when he was told to. Not that anyone besides Riley or Rodger could tell Dave what to do, but I still thought all mated werebears acted the same.

"We all joined the pack," Winnie said excitedly. "You can now too. This place is great! They don't care about being gay, or being a cat or anything." He then wrinkled his nose, "But if Nonna gets her hands on you, she will make you help in the kitchen."

"I love helping Nonna in the kitchen," Jamie snickered.

"We know!" Beau and Winnie said together.

I looked at them strangely, but by the perverted look on Jamie's face, I realized I didn't want to know what they were talking about.

"Mick just let all of you join the pack?" I asked, still in disbelief. "So... So you plan on staying here? Like, forever?" I looked at Beau, struggling to grasp the biggest change since I'd been kept away.

Winnie started to shift uncomfortably behind me, and Jamie looked worried.

Beau was silent for a long time, and then said, "We like it here, Boyd. We really like it. The Alphas made getting you back a top priority too. That's all we had been working on since we realized you were gone. After all the shit you pulled with Chloe, all the fights you had with Mick, they were still willing to risk lives to save you." He held my gaze an extra few seconds. "This isn't like our former pack. We can live peacefully here."

Winnie rested his chin on my shoulder. "We can shift here whenever we want."

"And the food is excellent," Jamie slid down on the chair and started rubbing his belly. "If I wasn't busy babysitting Nonna, I mean, Chloe most of the day, I'd volunteer in the kitchens too."

I stared at my breakfast tray, pushing the eggs and bacon around on their plate. There was another question that had been nagging me since I got free. "Who was that woman?" I asked warily. "The one that broke me out of that place? Chloe was yelling at her." "Estel?" Beau answered. "She's a friend of the Alphas from another pack. I guess she grew up here, but left the pack with her sister when her sister found her mate."

So her sister is mated, but not her?....

"So she's not staying?" I asked, some uncomfortable feeling clawing at my chest. Sirius, who had been passive as he tried to process the shit with Laura, even became more attentive. He was grumbling like he was uncomfortable with talking about the woman that saved us from the basement, but eager to hear more about her anyway.

"I think she is staying longer, actually," Jamie said. "She asked the Alphas if she could, and we just saw her in the dining room with everyone else."

"Let's hope she doesn't start whispering in Mick's ear again," Beau snorted.

"Ah, you didn't see it. Chloe fucking blew up in the meeting earlier," Jamie scoffed.

"Because of you!" Winnie yelled. "You were the one whispering in Mick's ear then!"

"That's not why she got mad," Jamie waved a hand at Winnie. "She's just pissed because she knows Rodger is her father. All of us know, and we're still pussy-footing around the fact."

"Huh," I mumbled, still staring down at my food, mindlessly eating it as more forgotten, jumbled thoughts ran through my brain. I couldn't make much out. Not definitively, but something about Rodger being Chloe's dad triggered something inside my memories. The black haze was just too thick to pinpoint what.

What the hell was it? It was like I could almost put my finger on it, then the thought went racing away.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

I looked up, and there at the open door was Cindy, with Estel right behind him. She looked like she had just taken a shower, her hair still damp, lying around her shoulders. With her so far away, I didn't get that uncomfortable feeling while looking at her. Which was good, because I couldn't bring myself to look away.

She was so pretty. Gorgeous even, but not in the super obvious ways, like huge tits or styled hair. Her looks were nothing like Laura's, or even Chloe's, which struck me too, because I found Estel at that moment to be more attractive than both other women. She was dressed in joggers and a loose shirt, and it was captivating. The baggy clothes somehow accentuated her small build more than that sexy dress she had on when she saved me. Her red hair and clear hazel eyes had me locked in. She was completely natural, and dressed like a tomboy, but I found it so feminine and pure.

Then, she stepped into the room with Cindy and her scent wafted in.

Sirius instantly was on alert, and the hair raised on my arms, knowing something was wrong.

"We got to go, guys. The meeting will start soon," Cindy said, as I managed to drag my eyes away from Estel's.

I did catch a flickering of pain in the setting of her face, but when I glanced back from the corner of my eyes, her face was downcast, a mask of indifference.

"I wanna stay with Boyd!" Winnie whined, hugging me around my waist.

"I figured you would," Cindy smirked. "Estel's mission for the pack is done, so she volunteered to sit on guard with you too. Hope that's okay?" Cindy looked expectantly at me.

I shrugged, shoveling my fork full of eggs. "Whatever," I muttered before shoving the bite in my mouth.

Estel sighed, then said, "I'll be outside if you need me."

As soon as she left the room, leaning against the wall outside, and I could no longer smell her scent, a clawing feeling started to scrape the inside of my chest. "See you again soon... Mate," Laura's threat still echoed in my head.

I need to talk to Chloe. Soon.