Her only Alpha

I let out a deep sigh as I stare at myself in the mirror. I am feeling tired and rundown and I look the part. Luckily for me, my feelings are easy to hide, easier than the dark circles I have around my eyes. C**p, I can't go out looking like this!I frantically search the drawer next to the basin when I hear... "Cora, you better hurry up. They are going to be here any moment. You don't want to be late on your first day!" Anna was reminding me from where she sat on her single bed. I know she felt responsible as she is the one who got me this job. She works as a part time cleaner for a maintenance company where she put in a good word for me. She is much too pretty to be cleaning toilets. She should rather persue a career in fashion. She had the body for it. She had an exotic look to her with her bright red hair, freckles and piercing blue eyes. She was also tall and skinny, like a runway model. What a waste it was for her to be hiding away from her potential, but she was too shy to step into the limelight willingly. "I know, I know, I am almost done... can I borrow some of your concealer?" "Yeah sure, its inside the blue makeup bag, at the back of the drawer that's next to the basin" "Ok, thanks!" I shout back, relieved to find a miracle cure for my sickly look. I quickly cover my imperfections and pull my hair back into a neat ponytail. Looking at my reflection again I study my green eyes with the dark circles that surrounded them just a moment ago, now hidden away, and my long wavey brown hair pulled back into an acceptable ponytail, I am satisfied, not impressed, just satisfied. That'll do for now. I open the bottle of my vitamin boosters and quickly swallow two tablets before I have to head out of the bathroom, I have a feeling that this was going to be a long night. With a quick look I analyze my appearance, I did not have many wardrobe options to chose from so I had borrowed a pink crop top from Anna's cupboard to go with my faded and worn jeans and combat boots. I was much shorter than Anna at only 5'1ft tall compared to her 6.1ft. "Cora!! They are here! Hurry hurry" she grabs my hand and pulls me towards the door. "wait... ow... stop... I am on my way!" I try to struggle free from her grip on my tortured hand. She is surprisingly strong for a 20 year old human girl. "Nock'em dead girl" she says with a large reassuring smile as we reach the door, just before she shoves me out. "Not gonna happen, but thanks! I just hope they hire me again, I could really use the money." I say while trying to hide my insecurity and how pathetic I must seem. I was paying Anna what I could afford in order to contribute to rent and groceries. She was my lifesaver. She found me wandering the streets one rainy afternoon, looking for shelter just after my parents kicked me out of the house. Taking pitty on me, she offered me a place to stay until I can stand on my own two feet. Neither of us expected that we would become inseparable, like sisters. Anna doesn't know that I am a she-wolf, or well a wolfless she-wolf that is. She didn't even know werewolves existed for real and assumed they were only fictional characters in movies. If only i could tell you everything, I think to myself, but scared of losing her I decided to keep her in the dark about details that don't concern her, besides, it is against pack law to make our identities known without prior approval. I didn't care about that silly law though, after all, I could just as well have been human too. I have none of the perks werewolves generally had. I didn't have exceptional hearing, sight or smell, I wasn't strong or fast, I couldn't phase... I had no wolf. I head out through the front door of our apartment building after decending 4 flights of stairs, it was large and had graffiti written on the walls. I could hear the sound of a baby crying and glass breaking in the distance. This was a dodgy place to live if I had to say so myself, but this was all we could afford, for now. Just then I see a man rolling down the window of a black SUV parked by the curb in front of me. "Are you Cora Holmes..." he asked with a sense of urgency. "ye... yes... that's me" I answer him, regretting that I didn't sound more confident. "Well, what are you waiting for... get in" He flings open the passanger door and gestures for me to get in. "We don't have a lot of time, the festival is about to start" he sounds annoyed as he hands me a bright orange reflector vest with the words, Cleaner, printed on the back and a pair of black rubber gloves. I won't let you down Anna. The vehicle pulls away as I stare out the window, at our apartment on the 4th floor. We had left the town of Cold Spring, which was charming with a victorian flair to the houses and buildings we passed along the way. I would imagin raising a family of my own in one of those houses, with a large lawn for the kids to run and play, that is probably something I would never get to experience, after all, who would want a wolfless girl like me. I was not human, nor was I fully wolf, I was... nothing. Saved from my depressing thoughts, I was startled by the suddenly loud sound of our tyres as we turn off onto a dirt road going between tall and luscious trees. It is so beautiful and peaceful here, I should really take this route next time I go hiking. The drive was much longer than I had expected, we had been driving for 34 minutes now and I secretly wondered if the man next to me was my employer or my abductor, until we suddenly reached our destination. "Put on your vest and go straight to the security team standing over there" he says pointing toward a crowd of buff men in tactical uniforms. "they are expecting you and will tell you what to do" "Aren't you coming with?" I ask this strange and rude man who is still behind the stearing wheel, my voice shaky and confused. "No, I am not allowed past this point. I am human." He looks irritated by the fact and pulls the door to close right in front of my face. Closing the zipper of my vest, I stand up straight, squaring my shoulders as a make my way towards the security team. I clear my throat before I say "I... uh... am Cora Holmes, I was asked to work here tonight" "Oh yes, the cleaner. You are late" a man with a deep voice turned towards me says with his one eyebrow c****d. "come with me" he orders and I obediently follow after him, just past the big trees towards the water, when I notice the festival had just started. The sun was about to set behind the trees and the live band was doing a sound check while another group of men were pitching tents by the water. "here's the bin, there's the dumping area. You pick up any and all waste and bring it here. Got it?!" He says gesturing to a big green wheelie bin, before he returns to his post. Tonight was a special occasion for our pack, a rare Supermoon, the Pink Moon, was set to appear later tonight. Although the moon was not going to actually appear pink in color it was named after the new blooms of the mos pink wildflower know to grow in these areas. The festival was held to symbolise our pack shaking off the heaviness of winter and welcoming a bright and fertile spring, a new beginning filled with hope. This was also the perfect opportunity for our previous Alpha, Andrew Agnor, to officially retire and announce the reign of a new Alpha in the Poldark Pack, his son Adrian Agnor. Although I had never seen Adrian in person, I heard he is a great warrior and almost 7ft tall, he was well versed in politics and studied law at Harvard until recently. He came back to take his rightful place as Alpha and leader of our pack, the strongest pack in Northern America. Even though he is said to be very handsome, as both she-wolves and human girls tend to worship at his feet, people found him to be intimidating and temperamental. He sounds like a real catch, think to myself, rolling my eyes at the thought. The last thing I wanted was to be around him, or anyone of rank. I didn't want to be placed in a position where I could embarrass or disappoint my family even further. Grabbing the wheelie bin by its handle I stare down at my worn jeans and combat boots, and head towards the crowds. I had been picking up trash for over 2 hours by now. My feet and back hurt and I felt dizzy from bending down the whole time. Knowing I couldn't keep up this pace I decided to take a small break and gather my strength before continuing with my duties. I search for the right place to rest, somewhere I won't draw attention to myself... and then I see it, an old stump only a small distance from the tented area, right by the water. It was already dark out as I admired the sheer beauty of everything around me. The tented area was lit by neon lights, pink, purple and blue. Beside the tented area was a very large bonfire with cheerful people dancing, drinking and having fun. There were food stalls and beer tents with colorful bunting and streamers hanging from posts and trees. There was a live band playing with hundreds of people dancing to their music wearing glow sticks and flower crowns. They were busy lighting lanterns as all announcements had already been made and festivities had commenced. The stars were brighter out here than from our apartment. Anna would have loved it here. I wish I was here for the festival and not as the help. I was the only cleaner on duty during the festival. Access was restricted to werewolves only, allowing everyone here the freedom to express themselves as they wanted. Some were planningon shifting under the supermoon, apparently it gave a wolf super strength and speed, even more than usual, and if fated couples shifted together it would intensify their emotional connection as all senses were heightened. We live in a world where werewolves and humans live together, side by side, however humans tend to fear us and as a result they have hunted us in the past, bringing our pack leaders to instate a law of discretion as hiding our true identities proved to be the sensible option. It was generally seen as an insult to ask another werewolf to be excluded from such an important event such as this, and serve in such a lowly position, picking up trash. I, on the otherhand, was the pack disgrace, I was not regarded as a she-wolf with all the privileges is brings, I was labeled wolfless and worthless. I did not receive the same pack benefits as any other she-wolf, but they also did not have to hide their identities from me, making me a safe option to hire. The human crew will complete the cleanup once the festival was over and everyone had returned home on Monday as most wolves were camping out here for the duration of the weekend. I take a deep breath and return to my duties before I hear... "What the f**k are you doing here?!" a deep and furious voice growls at me. Connor wanted to keep me out of sight to protect our family name and at the same time, his public image. "I... I'm... working..." I stutter out the words. He caught me off gaurd and startled me. "I can see that! Do you WANT to embarras me! Do you WANT to ruin everything our parents have built?!Picking up trash for all to see! You sick and dirty little rat." He was grabbing me by my arms, his grip so tight I knew they would leave bruises. "Why!" he growled "Why what?" I asked. I meant for my words to sounds like an innocent and simple question, but instead it sounded like an accusation. Suddenly I was regretting my answer as I held my breath, waiting for its consequences. "Are you slow now too! How dare you speak to me like that! Why did you even agree to be publicly humiliated anyway!" I really didn't care what anyone thought of me anymore. I know I am an embarrassment to my kind, but atleast I could earn my keep and contribute to living expenses, and that was all I had thought of when I accepted this job offer. "I am sorry brother. I never thought you would feel this strongly about me working here tonight. Nobody ever notices me anyway, I really don't think you have anything to worry about. Besides, I need the money. I have to pay my portion of rent in 5 days." I resorted to pleading with him while trying my utmost best to keep his temper from exploding in my face. Connor was a very logical person but his temper was out of control. He was hard to read, one minute he was bringing me leftovers from the Packhouse kitchen, and then turning around and assaulting me if I say or do anything that even slightly displeases him. "If you embarrass me tonight, in front of my superiors, you will wish you had never been born." The irony of his words. To him and my parents, I was a constant embarrassment. I was disappointing them by merely being alive, I often wished I had never been born. "It hurts me to disappoint you big brother, I promise, I won't do anything to jeopardize your new position as Beta." "Fine! But stay out of sight! If anyone finds out that I have a wolfless sister, they would lose confidence in my ability to be a good Beta" he shoots me a warning look before leaving to disappear into the crowd. I continue to gather the last of the cups on the ground and throw them into the bin. Noticing the bin is full to the brim I drag it to the dumping area. I was tired and dirty, and I couldn't wait to take a shower and be done with this. It was almost midnight when I heard someone behind me as I was bending down to gather some discarded paper plates. "It's you!" said a voice I didn't recognize. I drop the plates and spin around, startled by the man standing dangerously close to me. "Oh, I am sorry!" I say shocked while avoiding eye contact. I feel his aura emitting shear power, and I knew that whoever was confronting me was of high rank. Ashamed of myself in that moment, I bow my head in submission. "You smell..." but before he could finish his sentence I cut him off. I couldn't bare any more insults. "I know..." blushing at my current hygienic state. I was in no condition to be introduced to anyone of importance. "Mine..." his voice stern and demanding. "excuse me??" I finally look up at him. He was tall, atleast 7ft I would estimate. I could tell, even through the jacket he had on that he was strong and muscular. His dark blonde hair having an unruly kink and touched on his shoulders. His eyes are a greenish blue color, dark and intimidating. Did I really hear him correctly? Am I his mate? This must be some cruel joke, or a plot devised by my family to get rid of me once and for all. "You smell so... overwhelmingly wonderful" he continues as he takes another step towards me, searching my face for... I don't know what for... I really hope I don't have dirt on my face right now. "I picked up my mate's scent in the crowd and followed it here... to you... you are mine." he looks at me with a smirk. "Who are you?" I had to ask, feeling stupid at my lack of knowledge. "I am Alpha Adrian Agnor, but you can call me Adrian" he answers matter of factly. This could not be happening, is this a test, is Connor watching me. "You can come out now Connor, I am not playing this game, you win" I boldly announce into the trees behind me. "Connor?" He almost hisses the name What the hell is going on! Connor didn't react to me calling him out! What is this? "What the F**K does my Beta have to do with anything!?" His voice was deep and powerful, he demanded me to answer as his aura almost forced me to bow my head once more. "H... He... is my... brother. I am sorry" I feel as if I had betrayed my family the moment I admitted to being related to them. He is going to kill me, Connor is surely going to kill me. "I wasn't aware that he had a sister" he frowned as he was in thought. "I... am... wolfless. I was forced to leave my family home after I couldn't phase" my voice is barely a whisper at this point. "I am sorry Alpha, but I am an embarrassment to our kind, not worthy to be in your presence..." my voice starts to crack as my emotions betray me, feelings of hurt and self loathing overwhelming me. "You have been fated to me by the moon, and the moon makes no mistakes... you are mine" he lifts my chin with his hand so we see eye to eye before continuing... "Now take off that hideous vest and let's go home. I have said and done all that I needed to, as the pack's new Alpha." "but I can't, I am still working..." "MY mate will NOT pick up trash like some commoner!!!" "...but I need the money for rent..." "No you don't, not when you are living with me." "But I am NOT living with you!" I protest, thinking of my best friend who needs me. "Oh yes you are!" he says as he picks me up into his arms and starts walking towards a line of SUV's parked on the other side of the festival grounds. As we reach the door he turns to the security guard. "Tell Beta Connor that I have gone back home" "Yes Alpha" he obeys as the driver opens the door for us.