Mating With An Alpha

Chapter Five

     Roxy rushed in the front door from her trip to town. “Mom!” She was in a fret about her earlier encounter with Brent.

    Esther came barreling around the kitchen corner, thinking something was terribly wrong with her daughter. “Honey! What is it?”

    “I just met another wolf in town! He said he would have to report it back to his alpha. Mom, I am scared. What if they come to find me? What if they see me as a threat or something?”

    “Calm down, Roxy.” She gestured for her daughter to take a seat on the sofa. As they both took a seat, Esther began to ask her questions about this wolf and his pack. “We do not know for certain if they are dangerous or not. From time to time, you will run across other packs. It is inevitable. The important thing is to try and avoid them at all costs, even if they come across as friendly and inviting. Once you are mated, you will find the pack you belong to. Until then, avoid all others. Just being curious, though, did he tell you what the name of his pack was?”

    “I am not sure I even want to be mated. From what you told me, it kind of sounds like hell—no offense to you and dad. I mean, having someone else tell you that you are destined to be with another, that is lame. And for their pack, he said they were called the Black Shadow Pack or something like that at least.”

Esther's face fell. She knew all too well about this pack, and she knew exactly how dangerous they really were. “You need to avoid going into town, Roxy. I mean it! This pack is not one to mess around with.”

    “You have heard of them?”

    “Long ago, your father and I were on a run for our pack healer. We came across them a few towns over doing the same. They murdered one of our hunters in cold blood. The only reason your father and I made it out alive was that our hunter sacrificed himself to make sure we lived to return to our pack to inform them of what happened. The Black Shadow Pack is a well-known pack that is notorious for being ruthless, all thanks to their alpha. I have never met him, thank goodness for that because I am not sure I would have lived long enough to birth you.”

    Roxy was scared now more than ever. Her mother was now worried for her safety. “Mom, I told him where we live…before he sensed what I was.”

    Esther let out a long sigh, thinking hard about what to expect next. “If they are much like any other pack I have come across, then they will want to learn more about you first. I need to know what all you told him.”

    “I bumped into him while not paying any attention to where I was going. That is how we got to talking. He introduced himself as Brent. He asked if I was new here, and I told him yes and told him that we lived here. As I was getting ready to leave, he grabbed my arm and pulled me into another part of the shop we were in. I told him about me just finding out I was a wolf and not knowing much about this lifestyle. Rain, my wolf, also talked to him to confirm my story.”

    “That is good news, Roxy. That means that their alpha will want to make sure your story adds up before he sends any warriors after you. You are a rare gem, honey. He will most likely want to meet you. Most packs have never heard of someone finding out they are a wolf only after turning a certain age like you. I am sure his curiosity will get the better of him, and once he has confirmed your story, he will find you himself. Be warned, though, Roxy, one wrong word from you, and he will end your life on the spot with no remorse. Until that happens, I want you to stay away from the town. There may be other packs out there.”

Roxy was trying her best to stay calm, but Rain was also in a frenzy. She said that she wanted to learn more about wolves and packs, but now she was regretting that decision. Esther also worried about her daughter, especially since she was all so new to all this.

    As Roxy headed to her room, Rain invaded her mind. “Roxy, try not to worry. We will get through this. There is no sense in worrying about it so much. At this point, there is nothing we can do.”

    Roxy began walking back and forth in her room, unsure of what she was going to do.

    “Let’s go for a run. It will relieve some of the stress that we both are feeling. We have nothing to worry about as long as we stay close to the house.”

    Roxy shook her head in agreement. She headed straight downstairs and took off out the back door, making her way into the nearby woods. Once she felt she was deep enough into the woods, she slowly started shifting. It was significantly less painful this time, but it still hurt nonetheless. Soon, she was standing on all fours, ready to take off as fast as her long legs would carry her. As she broke off running, rain began to pour down over the top of her. The leaves started to shine a bright green as the season changed from Winter to Spring. Being in wolf form made her really take in her surroundings and appreciate their beauty even more.

    She slowed down as she heard branches snapping off to her left. Her heart began to race, as she did not know what to expect. Roxy focused on her hearing sensation before realizing it was an animal. She followed the noise until she noticed a young deer directly in front of her. As Roxy watched the deer, someone else was watching her every move.

    Brent stayed enough distance behind her, so she did not notice him. He was given direct orders to learn more about her, and one of the best ways to do that was to watch her. It would be clear if she were telling the truth or not, depending on how she acted in wolf form. If she were indeed new to this, then she would want to take in everything. Every little sound would pique her interest. She would stop to take in all the beautiful things she had not noticed when she was human.

    Brent could not help but notice how attractive she was, even in wolf form. It had been the highlight of his week watching her.

    Roxy neared the back door of her house before shifting back into her human form. She reached inside the door, grabbing a blanket and wrapping it around her. Suddenly, she got a feeling like someone was watching her. She turned to look back into the tree lines but saw nothing. Normally, she would have just shrugged this off but considering what her mother told her earlier. She knew someone had indeed been watching her this whole time.

**

    Three days later and all was quiet around her home. Roxy did not have the same feeling as before, like someone had been watching her since her run in the woods.

    Roxy had become easily bored with nothing to do or no one to talk to. Her mom had begun working at Sasha's club, which made Roxy feel lonelier than ever. She tried to focus on her online schooling, but there was only so much she could do there, and she was already ahead on all her work. She needed something to occupy her time.

    Rain even gave her a suggestion. “You should start training Roxy. Every wolf goes through sparing and training with the delta of the pack. It is important to stay as strong as possible when you are a wolf. The training will also help you to stay more focused and motivated. It also would not hurt to be prepared, in case you ever actually did have to fight another wolf.”

    Earlier that morning, she had gathered up some things to make a punching bag and hung it from the smaller tree in the front yard. Roxy decided it would be best to get into some more appropriate attire for her workout. She pinned her hair up into a ponytail, put on her jet-black leggings along with her new pink sports bra and her white tennis shoes. Now she was ready to begin.

    Now outside, she approached the homemade punching bag and began to go to work: left jab, right jab, right knee kick.

    A familiar voice came up from behind her. “You are doing that all wrong, you know.”

    Roxy turned to see Brent standing with his arms crossed. She looked around in different directions expecting to see possible other pack members, but to her surprise, he was alone. “Told you, I am new to this.”

    “Well, let me show you how it is done, then.” Roxy stepped back from the bag, allowing Brent to step forward. With just one powerful punch, the contents she used to make the bag began to spew out. “It is all about the power behind the punch. I would suggest using something sturdier, like this big oak tree over here.” He stepped over to the oak tree throwing punches into the thick bark.

    Roxy watched in amazement. “Does that not hurt?”

    “You get used to it.”

    “But your hands, there bleeding!” Roxy rushed over to him, grabbing his knuckles in her hands.

    Brent let out a small laugh. “You really are new to this.” He reached one hand behind his neck and pulled the shirt over his head. He placed the shirt across his knuckles, drying most of the blood.

    As Roxy looked down, she no longer noticed the cuts. “How…they are gone.”

    “Perks of being a wolf. Accelerated healing.”

    She looked up to him, and she could not help as her eyes traveled down over his body. His six-pack showed clearly on his perfectly chiseled body. Roxy, not noticing what she was doing, stuck her tongue out slightly and licked her lips.

    “Do not let me interrupt your train of thought or anything.” He said with a wicked grin.

    The heat inside her body started to rise as she began to blush. She immediately looked away, acting like she had no idea what he was talking about.

    Brent stepped closer to her, putting only inches between them. He bent down and whispered in her ear, “be careful, Roxy, remember as wolves, our senses are heightened, and that means I can smell you. It is a dangerous thing to let a male wolf know you are turned on near him.”

    She gasped lightly. She could not quite understand why he was having this effect on her.

    Rain decided to chip in. “It is a part of being a wolf, Roxy. Being sexually aroused is a hard sensation to control. Even wolves with the most control have trouble with this.” Even though Roxy knew Brent could not hear Rain, it made her blush even more.

    “Yeah, so I am going to head inside and grab a bite to eat. It was nice seeing your body…I mean you.”

Roxy shook her head in disbelief. Did she just say that?

    Brent smiled brightly. “I have got to get back anyway. Until next time.” He winked, then turned and headed off into the woods.