Alpha's Runaway Mate

Chapter11

Adeline

I woke to the whimpering of Athena. I stayed the night with my grandfather. I curled myself in his bed and fell asleep while stroked my hair. "Athena?"

"He's gone Addy..." She whimpered. I sniffed the air and perked my ears. Silence. The old man's heart had stopped beating. Without a warning my body shifted into that of my wolf, and she let out a painful howl into the early morning. I could feel the heaviness of the loss on my chest as Athena howled out her sorrow into the day.

The soft clicks of claws on floorboards told me my family had made their way here. Athena lay protectively over my grandfather's body as the chorus of howls filled the small cabin. Outside, howls began to erupt throughout the pack. The impact my grandfather had on the pack was evident in the howls that began to pierce the air.

A hand ran through my fur. I looked up into the eyes that were so like my grandfather's.

"Come on pumpkin. We need to bring him to the pyre." A low whine rumbled in my chest.

"Athena, we need to let Poppy go." Adam said, pulling me from the empty shell where my grandfather once resided. He wasn't there anymore. It was just a husk, but I wasn't ready to let it go. Tawney stepped forward with a sniffle.

"Come on Addy. We need to find some flowers and get the muslin to wrap him in. It will be okay. You're not alone." Tawney wrapped her strong arms around Athena and buried her face in our fur. I got up off the bed and let her lead me out the door. I stopped on the porch as Tawney stripped down and shifted into her chocolate brown wolf.

Together we howled out our mournful song as the back stood, shifted in front of the little cabin, singing their pain with us. My brother and father carried my grandfather out of the house and as a unit, the pack followed behind them, to honor the old beta. Tawney and I stopped by my parents’ home to grab the cream-colored muslin and cut some lilies and roses from my mother's garden. We walked naked through the streets to the pyre that sat on the docks of the lake. This was how we said goodbye to our loved ones. Sending them back to the Moon Goddess.

My grandfather was wrapped in muslin, flowers lain softly on his chest before he was dowsed in kerosene. The howls continued to sound as I noticed out of the corner of my eye Alpha Levi walk forward carrying the ceremonial bow that was used to light the arrow that set the pyre ablaze.

I shook violently as my despair ran rapidly through my body. I felt lost in my pain and my hand grasped Tawney's tightly. Tears ran like rivers down our cheeks.

"Today we lost a great man. Wayne was an outstanding beta to my father, and his father before that. For 356 years Wayne served this pack with pride, wisdom and a passion that showed brightly in everything he did. To the McCloud family, I am deeply sorry for your loss. Wayne will be sorely missed." Alpha Levi raised his bow, as Mrs. Jean began to sing out the words to Amazing Grace as was tradition. I was consumed with grief as the arrow hit the pyre. I felt the heat of the fire from the banks of the lake as we sent my grandfather off to the next life.

After the pyre had sank into the depths of the water, I turned and froze. The scent of vanilla mixed with cinnamon mixed with something like coffee swallowed my senses. My pupils dilate as I searched the crowd, trying to find where the tantalizing scent was coming from. As the crowd dispersed a single person remained. An extremely large man with a shock of raven hair that sat messily on his head. Blue eyes like ice stared straight through to the depths of my soul. The soft stubble of his beard gave him a ruggedly handsome look and a scar that cut through his eyebrow gave him just enough of an edge to be terrifying.

"MATE! MATE! MATE!" Athena screamed out in my head before she suddenly grew quiet. "You're not going to let me have this one either are you?" Her words rocked me to my core. I shook my head as a deep, gravelly voice boomed across the clearing.

"Mate!"

Before I could respond a large tawney, brown wolf jumped in front of me, baring his teeth at the handsome stranger. It was Zeke. The large man raised an eyebrow at the wolf, but otherwise seemed un-phase. A heart stopping smile broke out across the stranger’s face.

"Well, hello there little mate. I've waited a very long time to find you." We start walking toward me.

"Who are you?" I whispered out. He stopped abruptly.

"Jesus! I'm sorry little mate, I didn't think. I'm Alpha-" he didn't get a chance to finish before Zeke charged him. The man ran toward him shifting into a massive solid white wolf. He growled thunderously but it didn't deter Zeke's wolf, Zeus. He gnashed his teeth at the wolf and growled possessively. Just as the two were about to clash a blur of tan skin and sun-kissed hair rammed itself into Zeus' side creating a feminine yelp to escape Zeke's muzzle.