Alpha's Reborn Mate

CHAPTER 4 : A PROPOSAL

Samirah washed up in the bathroom down the hallway and changed in her room. She fell face first on the bed.

The bed was dusted, the sheets were changed to fresh ones during the day. It smelled of laundry. Her pillows were fluffed and placed just how she always did before leaving for class in the morning.

"Samirah! Dinner is ready!"

Samirah was jolted awake by aunt Iris' shout. She went downstairs at once. Chris and Josh were already seated on the five person dining table. Samirah observed their faces and smiled. Despite having a clean face, the traces of chocolates couldn't be hidden. Their chocolate stained teeth grinned at her, unaware of their blatant display of naughtiness.

"Who gave you chocolates?!" Aunt Iris asked them sternly.

Dishes full of food were already placed on the table so she was free to interrogate them. Samirah took her usual place next to Chris.

"It was a fairy!" Josh answered with utmost sincerity.

Aunt Iris rolled her eyes. Obviously not believing his claim.

"It was really a fairy! We saw chocolates and a letter! She wrote it for us!" Chris unfolded the little note and handed it over as evidence.

"Look! She wrote it!"

Aunt Iris took the note, unfolded it, read it and gave it back. The topic was dropped right there. During the process she took a quick glance at Samirah. Samirah wasn't paying attention and didn't notice.

Uncle Samuel had a fixed schedule for work and home. He arrived before dinner and joined them after washing up. Everyone sat together to eat.

Samirah nearly buried her head in her plate. It was a strange feeling, sitting on the same table with them after so long. For others, it was just another day. But for her, nearly an entire decade had passed since she had a comfortable meal.

She kept her head low to keep her emotional eyes from being noticed. Dinner time in the house was mostly quiet, even the boys were well behaved when eating. Samirah was halfway through her food, thinking about the soft bed and warm quilt, when Uncle Samuel spoke up.

"Samirah, we'd like to talk to you about something important. So stay after finishing your meal."

Samirah had an inkling. If it was what she was thinking, she needed to prepare her words carefully. With a nod of acknowledgement, Samirah quietly went back to eating. She'd rather focus on the good parts than the stressful ones. Those eight years were plenty stressful. She had enough for one lifetime!

Chris and Josh were sent to their rooms by aunt Iris and the three adults gathered in the living room.

The house was not very big but had plenty of decent size rooms. The kitchen and dining room were connected, and right next to it was a warm and cozy living room. Samirah stuck to the sofa, facing her aunt and uncle. She was already mentally prepared for what they had to say. The answer was at the tip of her tongue.

Aunt Iris and uncle Samuel exchanged a brief look. Aunt Iris was the first to speak.

"Samirah, you are eighteen years old this year and already at the age where mating is an option. Recently, there is someone who proposed to be your mate for life. Would you consider it?"

Samirah had an entire play mapped out in her mind for this particular moment. She thought they were going to simply inform her about it and take away her right to choose. Samirah alway felt like that's what happened originally. Wasn't this exactly the reason why she ran away with Alan?

Because they forced her to be with someone and didn't accept Alan?

A think black veil was pressed before her eyes when she looked back at the memory. It wasn't clear what happened previously. Their words were the same as back then.

Why did Samirah think that they were forcing her? Stripping her off the right to decline?

'Would you like to consider?' They were clearly asking her if she was okay with it or not. But last time she didn't let them got to that point. She started arguing as soon as they mentioned there was someone who proposed to be with her.

Samirah understood the problem.

Before coming back in time, Samirah always looked at things with a colored lense. She thought everyone was against her except for Alan and Thea.

Although the problems roots were with Samirah's own thoughts, Alan and Thea only watered it and with time, she was no longer able to reason with others. She became the unreasonable one and blamed it on everyone else.

Uncle Samuel and aunt Iris never treated her badly, she simply assumed it in her own head. She was introverted, refused to open up and stuck the blame on them for being uncaring. Samirah scoffed at herself. In the end, she was the root of all problems in her own life.

Samirah was absorbed in her own thoughts. She remembered it clearly. She threw a fit and reused to listen to them, and when Alan suggested running away, she was still hot blooded by the argument and agreed. Samirah gently kicked herself for the moment.

"Samirah, look, we know it's not easy to spend your life with someone you don't know. We get it. But at least consider. Meet him once. If you don't like him or think you aren't compatible then we won't force you."

Uncle Samuel was cautions. He kept his eyes on Samirah thinking she'll flip out any moment. Samirah was a teenager after all. She had her own thoughts and ideas. It was impossible to restrain her. And they never meant to restrain her in the first place. That's why they tolerated her antics every now and then. Hoping that one day she'd see their care.

It happened to be that day. Samirah felt liberated after knowing the problem. She smiled and looked up at them.

"What's your opinion on it?"

Aunt Iris was surprised to see Samirah so calm. Uncle Samuel' reaction was no better. Both of them were taken aback because of her.

"We certainly think he is a good choice for you. We even met him once and he looks very good. Also, I asked around a bit about him. Everyone had only good things to say about him!" Uncle Samuel enthusiastically laid out all the information he had.

"He is an Alpha from a good pack, is respected and most of all, he is very polite and also good looking."

Samirah straightened her spine and asked with some fear, "He is an Alpha?"

She had bad experience with Alphas. Alan was an Alpha when her world crumbled down. Her impression of Alphas were not exactly positive.

"Yes! That's what surprised me the most as well!" Uncle Samuel saw her interest and continued to express his views, "We are a normal family and have no connections to people like Alpha's. But it turned out that someone from his office told him about you and he actually considered it. Then that person reached out to me regarding this mateship. "

"Oh really?"

"Uh huh. And that person from his office happened to be your teacher from middle school! Remember your homeroom teacher who transferred over to another pack for her mate? That one! I didn't recognise her first! She met me and talked to me about it. Then the next day she brought him over to meet me. He was very polite and said he just wants a peaceful life with a good person by his side."

Samirah raised an eyebrow and listened carefully. Well, an unproblematic, peaceful life was what she craved the most. A good man, sucessful in life, polite and respectful towards others. That was the formula for a good life.

She listened to her uncle's explanation, telling her how it was a good idea to find a good man while she is still young. She understood his concern and she wanted to a good life as well.

However, the man itself was the problem. She didn't want a man. She wanted everything else, except for someone else barging into her life. Being hurt once, Samirah was not ready to let down her guard again.

Besides, an Alpha? Hell to the no. A commoner would still be fine. An Alpha identity came with problems of it's own. Samirah would rather be alone for the rest of her life than have to spend it with an Alpha.

She didn't show it on her face, but her heart was already against this proposal. She didn't agree previously and took a wrong turn. This time she wanted to try a different approach. However, the chances of agreeing to the proposal was not high.

Aunt Iris watched the two of them discuss deeply about a common topic and smiled. When was the last time they sat together like this and exchanged a few words without fighting?

There wasn't such a thing in her memory. Ever since Samirah grew up, she never liked to sit with them as a family. Aunt Iris' eyes fixed on both of them as if she wanted to capture the moment forever and store in it her memory.