The She-Wolf Alpha (Book 1 She-Wolf Series)

Samantha

The following week was filled with excitement.

I decided that Sunday would be a day of recovery from my first week as Alpha. Emerick made breakfast for my mom and I as promised. Instead of the grump I had faced in previous days, he had returned to the man I had fallen in love with. He charmed my mother with his boyish grin and quick wit. I found myself finally relaxing back into our relationship.

Michael officially accepted the position as Beta, and began work on Monday as I requested. Emerick helped catch him up to speed without hesitation. The two seemed to work well together. By the afternoon, Michael was going over the pack’s financial paperwork and helping me run the council meeting. The council themselves seemed to accept him, and I grew hopeful that things were finally settling into a manageable rhythm.

In the evening, Emerick grilled chicken and my mom roasted vegetables. We enjoyed a quiet dinner together, after which my mom shared embarrassing stories from my childhood.

On Tuesday, Emilia was officially moved to the cabin that would serve as her prison. I issued a statement to the Redclaw Pack as well as to our allies regarding her crimes and the evidence while she looked on with obvious disdain. In the end, she refused to acknowledge me or her husband as she was led from the vehicle that brought her to the front door. She paused only briefly to hug William, before entering and slamming the door shut.

The cabin had been spelled by a trusted witch who ensured Emilia could not leave and that no one other than Stephen, William, or I could enter. Even the security team guarding the cabin had to keep outside of the perimeter. I gave Serena the option to visit, but she kindly declined. While she had a few fond memories of her mother in law, Emilia was mostly cold and sometimes vindictive towards her. Knowing what Emilia was capable of, I couldn’t fault Serena’s choice.

When Wednesday finally arrived, I could hardly contain my excitement for Luke’s arrival. I woke before the sun had risen to a call from him saying they would arrive within the hour. In the background, I could hear my father grumbling as Luke chittered away. I smiled listening to my son’s hopeful tone.

We had agreed that he would start at the werewolf high school the following Monday, much to his disappointment. In less than two months, my sweet boy would have his first shift, and he could not wait to meet his werewolf peers. Everything about life with the pack excited him. I admired his confidence and outgoing personality at such a young age. I hoped for him to find his place among the people here. More than likely, he would be the heir to the Alpha’s Call when my time was over. It was imperative that he establish a community here.

My dad’s truck pulled into the driveway as the first rays of the sun started to peek through the trees. When the tires had barely stopped, Luke bounded out of the passenger seat towards me.

“Mom!” he shouted, wrapping me in a bear hug. I basked in the moment, thanking the moon goddess for blessing me with my boy.

“Lukey, I’ve missed you,” I said, quietly.

“Me too,” he said, releasing me from his embrace. “Is this our house?!”

He looked like a kid on Christmas staring up at the huge mansion.

“Sort of,” I told him. “It’s the pack’s Alpha’s Residence, so the current alpha and their family live here.”

“Cool! Can I pick a bedroom?” he asked.

“Yeah, kid,” I said, smiling and shaking my head.

His sense of wonder reminded me of when he was small. He was always a happy kid, but had grown more serious in his teenage years. I was sure once the newness and magic of the day had worn off, he would return to his normal self. For now, I enjoyed his excitement right along with him.

“Hey! Luke!” Dad called. “Get your stuff, man.”

Luke skidded to a halt and rolled his eyes just before reaching the door. He hurried to grab his duffel bag and backpack from my dad before once again making his way to the door. I heard my dad grumbling about “that dang kid wearing him out”. I shook my head, smiling, as I made my way over to give him a hug.

“Hey, Dad,” I said, leaning in and he squeezed my tight. “Thanks for taking care of my boy.”

“Always, Sammy,” he said, firmly before taking on an exasperated tone. “Although, if he leaves the milk out one more time, I’m going to lose my shit. I mean my god, that kid would lose his head if it wasn’t attached.”

I laughed, “Yeah, Dad, that sounds about right.”

We both picked up more of the luggage and household items they brought and made our way inside. My parents decided to move only things they felt they couldn’t live without and sentimental items. Otherwise, they were just going to use the furnishings in the guest house. It was beautifully decorated and both thought it too much of a hassle to move all the furniture out and replace it. They seemed eager to be more settled.

We entered the main house, and I could hear Luke talking with my mom in the kitchen. The smell of the breakfast she was making hung in the air, and I wasn’t surprised at all to find Luke plopped in a stool at one of the kitchen islands. The bags he brought inside were still at his feet.

“Did you get distracted on your way to picking a room?” I teased.

“Gran said she already picked the best one for me and had the movers put my stuff there,” he shrugged. “I’m starving.”

“You’re always starving,” My parents and I said in unison. We all laughed.

“Baby, it’s going to be just a minute before everything is ready,” Mom told him. “Why don’t you put your things away? Then we can have breakfast and continue discussing your plans for the next couple days.”

“Okay,” he said, cheerfully clomping his way to the staircase.

I started setting the table and felt my phone ring. I rolled my eyes as I answered.

“Yes, Luke?”

“Dude, this place is lit,” he stated without preamble. “I could throw the sickest parties.”

“Lucas Ryan, I’m not sure who you think you’re talking to, but you are not throwing parties in this house,” I told him. “And I am not your ‘dude’.”

“I had to tell someone, and I’m not allowed to talk to my friends,” he said, and I caught the first hint at sadness, or maybe regret, in his voice. He tried to mask it with a joke as he continued. “Besides, I just meant like dinner parties or whatever you alphas are into.”

“Right,” I said, not believing him. “Breakfast is just about ready if you want to head back down.”

He hung up and I heard his heavy footsteps making his way back down the hallway a moment later. The front door opened as the four of us sat down to eat, and I felt myself immediately on guard before Emerick walked into the room. I relaxed but gave him a questioning look. I didn’t expect to see him.

“I invited him,” my mom piped up from the table.

“Oh, great,” I said, brightly. I was glad to see him, but I didn’t want my parents or Luke to feel like I was forcing their officially meeting him as my boyfriend right away.

“Hey, everybody,” Emerick greeted, somewhat awkwardly.

“Take a seat,” my dad offered.

Emerick sat and Luke began peppering him with questions about the pack immediately. Luke mostly wanted to know more about the high school and what was expected of him as the alpha’s son. Emerick was a good sport, and answered each one without a hint of annoyance. I was thankful that Luke had someone who lived here to prepare him for life as a werewolf. Luke eventually ran out of topics and turned to me.

“I know we talked about waiting until Monday,” he started and I knew where it was going, “but I really think I should be at school the next few days.”

Before I could answer, my dad piped up, “I think that sounds like a great idea.”

I looked at him, bewildered. We had all agreed to take things slow.

“Sammy, the kid cannot be contained any longer. I’ve gone gray in the week you’ve been gone,” Dad reasoned.

“You have not,” I argued.

“Why are you wanting him to wait?” Emerick asked, sounding confused. “What’s the difference?”

“I just… well…” I stammered.

The truth was I was delaying the inevitable because I was afraid. I wanted to be selfish with my son’s time for a few days before he started on his new exciting life as a werewolf. In reality, I had a lot to do to make sure the Alpha Ceremony went smoothly, so mostly I would be dragging him around while I worked.

I looked at the faces waiting for me to answer and sighed, “Fine. If you want to start school sooner, I get it.”

“Great! I’ll get my stuff,” he said, standing up. “Emerick, can you drive me since you know where you’re going? If we leave now, I should be able to make it in time. The counselor emailed my schedule earlier this week.”

“Uh, sure,” Emerick said, following Luke.

“Wait!” I called. “I thought you meant tomorrow. You’re going now?”

“I mean, what’s the difference right?” Luke asked, nonchalant. I saw Emerick blanch at Luke using his words against me.

“Fine,” I conceded and threw up my hands.

Clearly he had planned this from the beginning since his backpack was already waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs. I now noted that he was wearing one of his favorite outfits and it looked like he had recently cleaned up his white Nikes. This was an argument I was going to lose, and at the end of the day, there really wasn’t a difference.

“Are you heading to the pack house after breakfast?” Emerick asked while I walked him to the door.

“Yeah,” I answered. “I need to make sure all the suites are ready for the alphas planning to arrive tomorrow, and I think Cass has a dress fitting scheduled.”

I saw his jaw tick for a moment. He had been furious when I told him about the alphas and the king attending the ceremony. No doubt he had the same thought I did about their ill intentions. To deter them and hopefully to appease Emerick’s jealousy, I had asked him to accompany me as my date. It seemed to work towards the latter, but he still became tense when we discussed it.

“Okay. I’ll meet you there?” he offered.

“That would be great,” I nodded. “And thank you for driving him. I’m sure he is much happier to roll up in your car than have his mom drop him off.”

“Well it is a cool car, Sam,” he joked. “Besides, I’m happy he wants to spend some time with me.”

My heart fluttered a little at his words. It was important to me that he and Luke get along if we were going to be in a relationship. Not that Luke needed a new father figure, but I wanted them to at least be friends.

“Okay, then,” I smiled. “Drive safe.”

I waved as I watched them pull down the driveway and sighed. There went my plan to spend time with Luke after being apart for so long. But he was a teenager and part of me was amused that I had ever thought I would be his choice of company on his first day as part of the pack. Of course he wanted to establish his place among his peers and meet new friends.