Mating With An Alpha

Chapter Seven

  Today was the day of the party, and Roxy was anxious. It was nerve-racking being in the same room as a hundred other wolves, especially when you were not a part of their pack.

     Roxy rushed downstairs from the sound of the doorbell ringing. She opened the door, already knowing what to expect. As promised by Brent, sitting by the door was a long golden-colored box with a big silver bow on top and a note stuck in between the bow. Roxy shredded the paper containing the card. It read:

        Roxy, it would be my honor if you could wear this dress tonight. It will look stunning on you and also showcase your beauty perfectly. I cannot wait to show you off to my pack. Yours truly, Brent.

     She could not help but smile to herself. Roxy did not want to admit it, but she was beginning to develop a little crush on Brent. While thinking about him, she rushed upstairs to her room with the box in hand. Carefully, she set the box on her bed and began to lift the lid. White tissue paper covered the lining of the box as well as the contents. As she pushed the tissue aside, she revealed the glamorous dress before her. She was astounded. She handled the dress delicately as she pulled it from the box and splayed it across her bed to get a better appreciation of the fabric in front of her. It was a sheath sleeveless, off-the-shoulder sweep train beaded sequin dress and in a beautiful golden-brown color.

     "Wow, honey, that dress is gorgeous. What is the occasion?"

     "Please do not freak out, mom, but Brent invited me to their pack's annual celebration." She smiled gleefully.

     "Roxy, I thought I made myself noticeably clear. It is not a good idea for you to get involved with anyone from that pack. Their alpha has left you alone for whatever reason. Take that as a good sign. If you go there, you are putting yourself in unnecessary danger."

     "Mom, stop, please! I appreciate your concern, I do, but I never do anything for myself. This is the only thing I have allowed myself to get excited about in a long time. I am always so worried about taking care of everything else that I never get a moment to myself. I will be careful, mom. Plus, I have Brent, who has promised to keep me safe."

     Esther looked deeply into her daughter’s eyes, taking in what she had just said. "You are correct, you never do anything for yourself, and if this will make you happy, then you should do it. Try your best to avoid the alpha if at all possible. I know that you will have to meet him tonight but try not to stay wrapped up in conversation with him for too long. One wrong word from you, and he will have no mercy when it comes to killing you."

     "I promise mom that I will be extra careful."

     "Okay, darling. I will leave you alone so you can get ready then."

     "Wait. Do you think you can fix my hair and do my makeup for tonight? You know I do not usually bother with those things, but I would like to make a good first impression and to let the pack know that I am of no danger to them."

     Esther simply smiled at Roxy. She loved having their one on one time together as it brought them much closer. "Of course, I will. What do you want to do first?"

     "Hair, please."

     After four long hours, Roxy's hair and makeup were finally done. Esther had curled her light brown hair into beautiful wavy locks before pinning them up into a bun on her head. She left one little strand of her curled hair that came down over the right side of her forehead. She had put on eyeshadow to match the beautiful dress she would wear, along with black eyeliner to make her eyes pop. Roxy did not need any mascara because of her already long dark natural eyelashes. To top of her makeup, Esther put on a creamy pink shade of matte lipstick.

     "You are all finished, aside from your gown."

     Roxy stood up from her chair, wrapped her arms around her mom, and squeezed her in appreciation.

"Thank you, mom. You are the best."

     Esther kissed Roxy on the forehead before leaving her room to allow her to get dressed. Unzipping the back of the dress, Roxy slipped it on feet first. After the dress was fully on her and in place, she reached her hand back as far as she could to zip the dress back up. She heard the doorbell ring and began to listen to a light conversation taking place downstairs. She quickly slipped on the matching shoes that came with the gown. Roxy opened the door and made her way downstairs, careful not to trip on the long dress.

     Brent looked up just in time to see her walking down the stairs. His eyes lit up at the heavenly sight of her walking down those steps while his mouth flung open wide. "Roxy...you look breathtakingly beautiful."

     Roxy blushed a little from his kind words. "Thank you, Brent, you look pretty great yourself. That tux looks wonderful on you. I am glad you coordinated with my dress,"

     "Shall we go then?"

     Roxy nodded shyly at him. "Bye, mom. Love you. I will be back soon." Roxy then kissed her mom on the cheek.

     "Mrs. Carson, I will take good care of her tonight. I promise."

     "I will hold you to that promise Brent. Now you two go and have a lovely time."

     Brent opened the door for them both to step out. Roxy stepped out first, gaping at the limo that awaited them.

     "Hope you do not mind, Roxy, but I wanted to make this kind of a like a first date. Hopefully, an unforgettable one."

     Roxy did not mind at all. This was perfect, and she had no one she would rather be than Brent. He held the door open for her as she slipped inside, and he followed after her. Roxy's nerves started to get the better of her as her hands slightly started to shake. She could not help the uneasy feeling that came over her suddenly. She tried to shrug the feeling off, hoping that it was just nerves getting the better of her.

     Soon they were pulling up to an enormous packhouse. Cars were already lined up, waiting to get to the front of the home and escorted from their vehicles.

     Roxy turned over toward Brent, slightly confused. "All of these people are from your pack?"

     Brent chuckled at her remark. "No, Roxy, these are packs from all around. We have aligned ourselves with most packs, so they are invited to this celebration every year. I know that this is a scary thing, but please do not be scared. Most of the packs are very welcoming. We may all share the same lineage, but our rules and beliefs may be different."

     "What do you mean?" Roxy tilted her head to the side, more confused now than before.

     "Each alpha runs his pack differently. You will never find a pack that runs the same way because it is up to their alpha on how they prefer things to run. For example, our alpha is hotheaded and tends to act in the moment. Other alphas may be more rational, more understanding. Sometimes you will find packs that kill at first sight and others who show remorse."

     "Tell me more about your pack because ultimately, that is the only pack I really care to know since we are sort of seeing each other."

     "My pack is family. We are all extremely close to one another. If a pack member finds his or her mate, we are more than happy to welcome them into the pack. However, like any other family, we have those who hardly ever listen to the rules and do their own thing behind the alphas back. That is until they are caught. Our alpha is many things, but kind is not one of them. He is a strong leader, and he has earned his right to be called alpha. He had a hard life growing up, but it made him the strong leader he is today."

     "How did he become your alpha?"

     Brent grinned widely at Roxy. "Sorry. It is just that you are so new to all of this. It is refreshing to see someone so innocent of their lineage. To answer your question, he fought to become alpha. His father was alpha before him. Alpha status is not handed down just because you are family. It is earned. In order to show that you are truly a leader and ready to run a pack, you must challenge the alpha to a fight. It is a fight to the death."

     Roxy's eyes looked at Brent in horror. "He killed his own father?"

     "Yes. That is the way it has to be Roxy. His father was a very cruel man. He had no desire to be alpha but could no longer take his father's cruelty, so he stepped up and did what he had to do to protect this pack. Everyone here is thankful for him every day. No matter how cold our alpha is, we all respect him for what he has done for us."

     "This is a lot to take in. Thank you for sharing that with me."

     As their conversation ended, the limo had pulled up to the entrance of the home. Brent stepped out and walked around to the other side to open the door for Roxy. He grabbed her hand, helping her to slip out of the vehicle with grace.

     Brent turned to the man that awkwardly stood there and nodded at him as he snaked his arm in with Roxy's and walked through the front door.