Raised For The Alpha

Celebrate

Oisin drives me in his black Range Rover away from the pack and into the town of the human world. He parks up in a dark car park which is surrounded by tall buildings and loud music coming from inside.

‘This is how we usually celebrate birthdays. The after party where we get to enjoy ourselves without parents and expectations. I've told my friends that you are my cousin.’ I just nod and follow him to the loud, tall building.

There are security guards outside the club who look at two cards which Oisin is holding and stamp something on our wrists. Boys keep looking me up and down my body which makes me feel uncomfortable and girls sneer at me. When Oisin announces me as his Cousin, the girls start being kind to me. I don't know what that's supposed to mean. The boys are still focused on my body but with a look from Oisin, they start making it less obvious. In front of him anyway.

The place is so busy. Bodies are dancing and swaying all around, loud music pumping into my ears and I can feel the vibrations of the music under my feet. I don’t think this place is for me. It’s so busy and I’m used to being confined in my bedroom. Oisin takes my hand as he leads me somewhere the tiniest bit quieter and less busy, leading me up the stairs and past a rope which I guess is supposed to stop people accessing this area.

We sit down in a curved seating area and he offers me a drink of something. ‘I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking when I offered to take you out that it might be a bit much too quickly.’ He says as he places his hand over mine in reassurance. I sip the drink and smile. I feel so nervous.

‘You said I was your cousin.’ I blurt as he laughs. I didn’t mean to say it like that, but I don’t know why he said that. Why can’t he have just said, friend? Are we even friends?

‘Sorry, the girls were threatened and I didn’t want them to treat you badly. We do share a home, so technically we are like family.’ Then he bursts out laughing ‘Well, actually, one day you’ll be my stepmother.’ He laughs uncontrollably and I don’t find it amusing.

‘Why would they be threatened and why would it be funny that I’ll be forced to be with a man who I don’t want to be with? Who I’m terrified of?’

Oisin drops his face as he looks at me. ‘I, I’m so sorry Bonnie. I wish I could change that for you but I can’t.’ He hangs his head low and I can see how sorry he is on his face. ‘I was just trying to see the funny side of things, but I understand that there’s no room for jokes where that is concerned.’

I place my hand on top of his to reassure him that it’s okay. It’s not okay to make those jokes, but I forgive him. ‘Why would the girls be threatened by me? I’ve never hurt anybody.’ I ask him again.

He chuckles and then lifts an eyebrow. ‘Bonnie, you are stunning and you walked in looking like that.’ He gestures a hand towards me as his eyes roll up and down my body. ‘You’re on the side of the future Alpha. Of course, every girl is threatened. You were ruining their fairytale of bagging an Alpha’s son.’

I look down at my outfit and back at him. I still don’t understand. ‘Bon Bon. They were jealous of you. Every girl in here wants to be on my arm whether they like me or not. They want the lifestyle it can give them. Every girl in here was so envious of that, to begin with, then they saw how stunning you are and realised they can’t compete. Every guy wanted your body.’

‘Oh.’ Is all I say back as he chuckles and pulls me by the hand to a dance floor which isn’t as busy as the main one below, but there are still a lot of bodies swaying. He dances in front of me, no longer touching and I’m yearning for his touch. I want him to hold my hand again. I want him in my personal space. Maybe it’s the drink he gave me or the lack of affection I’ve received all my life. My body wants to make up for it. I want to be held.

‘It didn’t upset you did it when I said you were my cousin? I knew how people would react. I knew all the guys would be on you straight away once they realised we weren’t together like that. We all stay away from each other’s family for hookups.’

I frown as he grabs my wrist and twirls me around. ‘And you are definitely not just a hook-up.’ I don’t understand what he’s saying so I stand there puzzled. ‘I want people to respect you. You deserve more than being someone’s hookup.’ Yep, because I need to save all of my firsts for his father.

I yank my hand away but he quickly pulls it back and I slam my body into his chest. ‘I’m not trying to insult you.’ He says as he stares at me. I don’t understand. This is all too much.

‘I want to protect you and keep you safe. My friends. They erm, they use girls for their bodies and it’s usually the girls using them too. Whether it’s for status or because they want to feel something too. A lot of girls save themselves for their mate and the males will hook up with a human girl.’ I stare at him as he shakes his head.

‘You don’t understand what I mean do you?’ I just look at him and try not to make myself look as stupid as I feel. ‘Hooking up can be kissing, touching intimate parts of the other person's body with their hands, their mouths or their intimate areas touching. Like having s*x?’ He looks at me to make sure I know what it is. I nod my head, it’s something I’ve heard about and been taught a little about to prepare me.

‘It brings pleasure and it feels good. So hooking up is where two people who aren’t mated do that with each other.’ I hope that’s not why I’m here. I’d like to feel good. My body wants him to touch me but I can’t. I realise something as I understand the feeling of envy and jealousy in a different way to the longing to be noticed or wishing my life was different.

This jealousy and envy is burning through me as I realise the reason Oisin comes here. Then I realised that he said I was his cousin because we ‘aren’t together like that. He doesn’t want me in that way. Am I not good enough for him? I decide that I’m going to prove to him that I am good enough.