‘Til We Meet Again

Chapter 9: Mystery Woman

Alpha Chris

I was happy my son readily accepted Trinity as his mate. Between his dedication to her and his overall budding character, he was shaping up to be a fine successor. I couldn’t help but think of what my life would be like if I had accepted my fated mate. I didn’t want to throw myself a pity party, but I regretted the way I handled things with her. 

My wolf was becoming antsy due to my thoughts about our fated. I decided to go for a run, linking Marjorie to let her know I would be in late. I gathered up some papers I had been looking over and set them aside. Once I was outside, I shifted, ripping my clothes. My wolf, Cayman, was running fast through the forest. He growled lightly as he ran, weaving through the trees and jumping over toppled logs. He ran faster when he spotted the carriage house up ahead. 

The scent was still rather enticing. Cayman crept around the house, careful not to frighten her. She was humming and knitting. My wolf just stared at her, frozen in place. 

“I know you’re there.” Her soft voice made Cayman purr as he walked around to climb the porch and sit at her feet. 

“No Alpha Chris today?” She reached down and scratched behind his ear, making him wag his tail. She chuckled and resumed her knitting. I wanted to shift badly, but I ripped my clothes. It would be awkward to engage in conversation while naked. I didn’t want to turn her off. We sat there for what felt like hours. Cayman eventually fell asleep. 

The sunlight woke us up. A bowl of bacon, sausage, and potatoes was right in front of Cayman. He immediately dug in. 

“We need to head back, Cayman.”

“I want to say goodbye.” He whimpered and stood outside of the screen door, sniffing around. 

“She may have gone for the day. We can visit again soon. I promise.”

He whimpered, reluctantly jumping off of her porch. He turned to glance again, as if he were hopeful she would come out. When he was met with silence, he took off toward home. 

I shifted back, grateful the kids were at school. I glanced around to see if any of the omegas were near. I went to the coat closet and grabbed a pair of shorts and a shirt. The omega bathroom was always empty, except early morning and bedtime. I knew I probably smelled like her, so I needed to shower before I ran into Marjorie. I was able to get to the omega bathroom unseen. The shower was much needed. 

After getting dressed, I went straight upstairs to my office. It was just past 10. I quickly thought up a schedule for the rest of my day. If I planned correctly, I could go back for a little while. 

Christian

Dinner time had finally come. I was dreading it, but mostly because my mom was still having trouble accepting Trinity. Paige sat with a smug expression on her face. It almost made me angry. I let her get away with a lot since she was my little sister and since she’s only 15-years old. 

“Alpha Chris will not be joining you for dinner tonight.”

“Where is he?” Paige frowned at the omega who delivered the news. 

My mom spoke up instead. 

“He had some business to take care of.” She waved her hand, looking off into the distance.

“When will he be back?” I was slightly relieved and considered just telling my mom, but I knew his presence would soften the blow. 

“I’m not sure.” She finally looked at me. I noticed her eyes were puffy and a little red, like she had been crying. 

“You ok, mom?” 

She only grunted in response, looking back off into the distance. 

“You’re off the hook since dad isn’t here, but you better be ready tomorrow!”

“Or what?”

“Or I’m going to tell!!”

“So?” I was hoping to call her bluff. Paige would not accept that Trinity was my mate. She and my mom were making things awkward around the packhouse. 

I looked over to see Paige with her eyes narrowed, glaring at me while she gritted her teeth. I rolled my eyes at her. 

“Good evening, Alpha family. I’ve prepared some salmon and vegetables for you tonight. Will the Alpha be down soon?”

“No, he’s tied up.” I had to answer quickly so my mom didn’t snap on the old woman doing her job. 

I wondered what he could be doing. 

The food was bought to our table. I inhaled and smiled to myself. Without a word, I started to feast. In the back of my mind, I was hoping there was chocolate cake for dessert. 

I noticed Trinity was picking at her food. 

“Are you feeling ok?” I didn’t want to draw attention to her, so I tried speaking lowly. Paige scoffed, so I assumed she heard me. 

Trinity shrugged and continued. 

The rest of dinner was uneventful. After dessert, I walked Trinity to her room. I decided I would wait up for my dad. I bought my schoolwork to the den and sat down. It was just before midnight when dad walked in. I could smell him, but someone must have been with him. I listened out for a second pair of feet shuffling through the packhouse. I only heard dad, so I pulled myself up and slowly walked toward the sounds. 

“Dad?”

He turned to face me and tilted his head to the side. 

“What are you doing awake at this hour, champ?” 

I shrugged. 

“I just wanted to talk to you.”

“Can we talk in the morning?” 

“Sure.” I turned on my heel to head upstairs. 

“Christian?” I turned to see my dad with a weird expression. 

“Yeah?”

“Don’t tell your mom you saw me tonight.”

I thought it was odd, but I nodded and dragged myself up the stairs. I figured I would grab my stuff in the morning.