The Alpha's Unexpected Mate

3 - Ghost whisperer

Leander

“So, Mom will be helping me with pretty much everything.” Mom and my sister, Lilly, laugh like they were best friends, giggling over the hot boy at school. “Obviously, Dad is giving me away,” Lilly smiles at Dad, who winks at his only daughter.

Mom sits next to Dad on the couch, holding his hand. Lilly is on Bastian, her mate’s lap, as they sit in the armchair, and Luther and I are sitting on the two-seater couch opposite them. We’re in the drawing room, discussing Lilly and Bastian’s fast-approaching wedding.

I’ve never been a big fan of Bastian Ashworth, even less when he realized Lilly was his mate and promptly rejected her. The agony he caused both Lilly and himself, all because he believed she was a rogue, was unconscionable.

But Bastian soon realized he’d made a mistake and tried righting that mistake. Lilly refused to accept his apology and tried to fight the mate bond.

They ended up together, but so much happened in such a short amount of time. I don’t know how any of us survived, let alone my sister and her mate.

But it all worked out in the end, and now they’re getting married. As Lilly is the future Supreme Alpha of Scarlet Nightwalkers, Bastian had to make a choice: join Lilly in ruling Scarlet Nightwalkers or return to his pack and continue being the Alpha there.

There was no choice to make in Bastian’s eyes. He had to be with Lilly, no matter where that was. Lilly could have handed the Alphaship to Luther or me, but we all know that a purebred female Supreme leading Werewolves would bring balance to our world.

My father is the Entyrie Supreme Alpha of Werewolves, the rarest of all Alphas. He was hand-chosen by the Lycan King Thane Knight for the position.

Mom is a Supreme, as is Lilly. Luther and I got the Supreme gene, but neither of us is Entyrie, meaning Lilly is our superior, our future Alpha Supreme.

Both Luther and I would do anything for our sister. We respect that she will one day rule, and we are her most loyal subjects. Lilly may be younger than us by a few minutes, but it means nothing in the grand scheme of things.

“The whole family will have a big role in the wedding.” Of the century is what Lilly is dying to say but doesn’t. “I know it’s not traditional, but I was hoping my brothers would stand up front with Bastian.”

“Of course we will,” I nod in agreement with Luther.

Though Lilly is correct, it isn’t traditional for the bride’s brothers to stand up front; if it’s what Lilly wants, Luther and I will do it. Bastian doesn’t have any brothers of his own, so it would be an honor.

At Lilly and Bastian’s blood-bonding, the marriage of their Wolves, Lilly had us stand behind her, which isn’t traditional either. Now she wants us to stand up front for the wedding of her human side, so that’s just what we’ll do.

“Are you sure, though, Lil?”

Lilly chuckles, and Bastian wraps his arms tighter around her waist. He kisses her head, and she smiles.

“We three,” Lilly points to Luther, me, then herself. “And Lorcan, we’re connected in a way most will never understand. You’re my brothers and best friends, and I want you up there with me. I know Lorcan won’t be there in the physical, but he’ll be there just as you will.”

I smile in my sister’s direction. “And we will be, Lilly.”

“Thank you,” She smiles again. “The Mating Ceremony and blood bonding were amazing.” Lilly looks at Bastian as he kisses her cheek, and she smiles contentedly.

I never thought I’d see Lilly look at her mate the way she is right now.

She looks back to the rest of us as if remembering we’re still here. “But this is our wedding day, and it has to be perfect,”

After everything Lilly and Bastian have been through since they met, they deserve the best of everything.

Fighting a monster who believed he could destroy our family took its toll on all of us. But it was Lilly who suffered the most.

How she’s still standing is beyond me.

“It will be, sweetheart,” Mom smiles. “Nothing is going to go wrong, that I promise you.” Mom gasps when Lilly suddenly slams her hands over her eyes and starts to cry.

We each share a look. No one knows what to say because we don’t know what’s wrong.

Never have I seen Lilly cry as much as she has these past few months. She has every right to cry when needed; no one would say differently.

However, five months ago, we rarely saw Lilly cry. We were not used to seeing Lilly cry. She was too proud to do that in front of anyone.

Lilly cried when she banished Bastian, trying to tell herself she didn’t want to be his mate. She felt him kiss another woman, and it crushed her heart. Yet she’s always seemed to hold her tears at bay until lately.

‘Hi, Uncle Leander!’ I turn my head and smile at the little boy now taking a seat between Luther and me. ‘What’s wrong with Mommy?’

“I’m not sure,”

Luther stares at me.

No one can see little Harry, and the reason for that is because they don’t have the gift that I have. Blessing, curse, I’ve felt over the years that seeing and speaking with the dead is both.

I realized I could speak to the dead when I was four years old. A pack member died in childbirth, a much-loved pack member. Mom was sad as she sat with Dad and all of their friends in the ample hall space as their Alpha gave them the tragic news. Samantha, our Delta’s wife, was dead, leaving behind her husband and four children, including a newborn son.

I didn’t understand why Dad was saying Sam was no longer with us.

How could it be true when she was standing right beside me?

Of course, people thought that I was crazy when I told them, and they wanted me looked at. I wasn’t scared; Samantha told me not to be afraid of my gift but to be careful with whom I told.

She gave me a message for her husband, which I delivered. The words I spoke were those only his wife would have known, which led him to believe what I was saying. This caused others to think that I’d tricked a grieving man and how evil I must have been, even at the age of four.

Mom was so very angry with everyone. She had many abilities and believed people would better understand her middle child.

Dad thought Mom would go insane with anger. But with Grandmother’s confession, Mom calmed down.

Grandmother, Dad’s Mom, explained that her younger sister had the gift too. The ability was passed down through the generations, and I just so happened to be the one it passed to this time.

People were finally understanding, but they were still wary of me. Some would come to me and ask if I could contact their loved ones, while others avoided me like the plague.

There came a time when Dad put his foot down and told people I wasn’t a sideshow. They were not to approach me and ask if I could speak to their loved ones. He understood how desperate people could be, but he also knew how much it took out of me at such a young age.

So, everyone backed off, and I spent time with the Elders and my mother’s father. They helped me learn to understand my ability and how to use it correctly.

Sometimes, I thought I’d go crazy not being able to shut out all of those voices. I barely slept for three years due to spirits waking me in the night, wanting my help. Some didn’t realize they were dead, and those were the hardest to deal with because it would drain my energy for days afterward.

By the time I was eight, I had learned when to hear those who had passed and when to turn it off. Now, I choose who to speak with, which isn’t many around Dalgaard Mansion. Mom had the house blessed, and it seemed to clear the place out when I was a kid. The grounds around the packhouse, the forest, and even the lakes are another story.

I try not to speak with spirits in front of anyone, but sometimes, it can’t be helped. My family learned to live with me, sometimes talking to what they see as thin air. But then, my family has always supported each other, no matter what.

‘Isn’t Mommy happy that she’s getting married?’

“Of course she is,” I smile at Harry, and his cute little smile melts my heart.

Harry was a pack member here. His birth mother died in childbirth, and his father killed himself the next day. The child was orphaned and taken to the pack’s children’s home.

From the moment Lilly saw Harry in his crib, she was hooked. My sister fell in love with the child and soon brought him home with her. She begged my father to allow her to adopt Harry and didn’t give in until he agreed.

Harry was a happy child with an authoritative streak. Dad believed that Harry would one day make a good Beta; it was in his blood.

Dad said that Harry even had an Alpha streak in him, so who knew what that boy would one day become?

My father is the Supreme Alpha, so I know he knew but never confirmed anything.

Harry was also incredibly smart and unbelievably fast. Harry was also a very loving child who adored Lilly and followed her everywhere.

Harry knew never to walk into the forest by himself. Each pup is taught that you don’t wander about without an adult because of the dangers rogues pose. Those fuckers have no boundaries when it comes to being places they have no right to be.

Little man asked if he could be trained in combat; that way, he could protect his mommy. It made us all smile, but we don’t train three-year-olds in combat.

Dad explained that Harry would be allowed to train with the others as soon as he reached ten. I’d never seen the boy so excited.

The day Harry died, he’d been crying because he believed Lilly wouldn’t return from Gray Shadows once she was there. Lilly had finally accepted Bastian as her mate, and they’d been enjoying a few days in Lykos before returning to Bastian’s pack. Lilly was now the Luna of Gray Shadows for all intents and purposes, and before Bastian handed the pack over to someone worthy of Alpha, they needed to spend time there.

No one understood why Harry was so anxious for Lilly not to leave. We all put it down to the fact Harry had imprinted on Bastian the way he had Lilly, and he was afraid he’d lose them.

What happened to Harry the day he died will always stay with me.

He’d been anxious all morning, knowing his mother and father would be away for a while and they wouldn’t be taking him with them. Harry cried and begged his mommy not to leave him and that he loved her so much.

Upon hearing those words, I remember Lilly’s smile was one of the most beautiful I had ever seen. I watched her take Harry’s hands in her own and explain how she’d never leave him again once she returned from Gray Shadows. She would only be leaving him this time because she wouldn’t be able to spend time with him while she and Bastian were sorting the new alphaship. Harry seemed to understand and agreed to be good while his parents were away.

Everyone was happy and waved off Lilly and Bastian. However, Harry sobbed and chased after their car, screaming for Mommy and Daddy to come back. Our pack doctor, Toby, ran after Harry, but Harry ran into the forest, seemingly hoping he’d get to Gray Shadows on foot before anyone could find him.

Luther and I took chase on Dad’s orders. He wanted his grandson brought home where he’d be safe until Lilly returned. Sadly for all of us, Harry was caught by a rogue.

Toby and I were ahead, and we saw what happened, the sheer horror of it all. Everything that happened seemed to go in slow motion.

Toby screamed for the rogue to let a terrified Harry go, but the rogue smirked before tearing that tiny little boy to pieces.

Having to tell my sister how the little boy she loved as her own was dead was the worst thing I’ve ever experienced. She howled in so much pain that we had no clue if she’d ever recover.

Lilly ran and kept running for a month. Bastian, Luther, and I followed, yet we kept missing her.

We believed Lilly was on a killing spree, but we were wrong.

A hybrid with ideas above his station was destroying packs and making it look like Lilly had been doing so.

Lilly was then kidnapped and held prisoner under a powerful illusion. Thomas Charter was a hybrid Wolf and Dragon with no shifting ability. However, he had powers that he used plenty on my sister.

Goddess knows that bastard made Lilly suffer.