My Mate is an Alpha

Chapter 5

CEDAR

I had never been more restless than I was after leaving my beautiful mate.

Seconds felt like hours as I sat at the table among half a dozen other leaders. Foxes, lynxes, and other wolves were attentively listening to Alpha Lance as he voiced his pride and gratitude to all of us. He was truly thankful for our aid in the battle against the bears, and I felt terrible for not paying proper attention to his speech.

Nothing I did helped time pass by quicker. My Beta had already alerted me twice about my subconscious tendency to repeatedly tap my fingers on the table. I resorted to clasping my hands together to suppress my anxiety in hopes of no longer disturbing the meeting with the irritating noise. It still didn’t make me feel better though.

To add to the challenge of remaining under control while the mate pull urged me to run to my mate, my wolf, Torrent, wouldn’t simmer down. He kept pacing around in my head. From time to time, he also tried searching for a breach in my defenses to steal control and rush to our dear Sasha. I often caught myself wondering if I should accidentally let him.

“You’re doing it again.” Lyall’s voice echoed inside my head.

I had to blink a few times to regain my focus. My fingers were still intertwined as my hands rested over my stomach, yet it didn’t take me long to realize I had now been tapping my foot against the floor rather loudly. I cleared my throat, straightening my posture as I once again tried to concentrate on the topic of discussion.

“I apologize,” I uttered back to my second-in-command.

“Don’t. It’s understandable.” He shrugged me off. “If my mate was out there, I’d be way less poised than you’re managing to be.”

Conversing with him proved to be a good distraction, so I continued, “I’ve waited years to find my Luna. And when I finally do, I only get two hours with her before I have to leave her.”

I regretted my thought as soon as I finished projecting it to Lyall. He hadn’t found his mate either, and he was two years older than me, therefore having been on the lookout for his fated partner for even longer. I mentally cursed myself before opening the connection to him once again.

“Sorry. You know that better than me,” I acknowledged.

“It’s alright. She’ll come along when the time is right,” he replied hopefully. “Although it does suck to be the last remaining bachelor.” I couldn’t help but chuckle at his playful remark.

Lyall and I had been best friends for as long as I could remember, just like our fathers. It was no surprise for an Alpha to be close to his second-in-command, as trust was one of the fundamental pillars in the leading of a pack, but still. Not once in my life did he leave me hanging when I needed him. He was also the only one I could be honest with about my feelings, seeing as I usually had to keep them hidden from everyone else.

“Now we have a special someone around who we can be ourselves,” my wolf cheerfully reminded me.

“Let’s hope you won’t give me a headache before we get back to her,” I joked.

Sadly, his frown let me know that he wasn’t in a good mood. “If you had taken her with us, I wouldn’t need to give you a headache.”

“She deserves time to say goodbye to her friends and family, Tor.” I sighed. “We’re already robbing her of everything she’s ever known. The least we can do is give her space to bid it all farewell.”

“Mate doesn’t need anything else. Why would she? She has us. We’ll give her everything she wants,” he argued adamantly.

“You’re only half wrong.” I rolled my eyes at his way of thinking. Of course, I’d always give Sasha whatever she desired. But want and need are two different things. As much as I would love to believe I’d become her entire world, I couldn’t expect her to suddenly put me above everyone she cared for solely because of the mate bond. “Either way, I’m not throwing her over my shoulder and dragging her around against her will like a caveman.”

“Not like a caveman; like a wolf.” He grinned proudly. “And why not? I think mate would love that.”

“I think your instincts are off, buddy,” I laughed. “Sasha’s not the kind of woman who gets pushed around. She’s strong. I have no doubt she’ll challenge us.”

“I love challenges,” he cooed.

“Which is why she’s perfect for us.”

“Alright, everyone. Thank you for coming all the way to Diamond Tempest to celebrate with us.” Lance’s words suddenly caught my attention, and I immediately closed my connection with my wolf. Finally. “Please, grab your glasses so we can toast one last time to our victory and our union!”

It seemed like my conversations with Lyall and Tor had indeed been a good distraction. Too good of a distraction actually, considering that I didn’t even notice the Omegas walking around the table to pour glasses of champagne to each of the leaders present.

All of us raised our glasses on Lance’s command, toasting before rising from our seats to interact with each other. Between sipping champagne and greeting the other leaders, I slowly made my way through the expansive room towards the exit, with Lyall at my heels.

My eyes were locked on the door. Tor already had his nose up in the air, ready to our mate’s scent so we could be reunited at last. But just as I was about to make my great escape, someone called my name. A pinch of frustration struck me as I turned around, only to vanish when my eyes landed on my old childhood friend.

“I’m sure you’d like to get back to Sasha asap, so I’ll be brief.” Caitlyn showed me an apologetic smile. “I just wanted to thank you for all of your help. You were our first ally, and without you, I doubt we’d have been able to get more supporters. We owe this victory to you.”

“You were always so humble, Luna Caitlyn.” I stepped closer to her, offering her the attention she deserved. “You have a brilliant mind and an unshakeable determination. You would have succeeded with or without my help.” She nodded in gratitude. Just then, my gaze fell on the small bump on her stomach. “How far along are you?”

“Just over two months. It’s a boy,” she revealed proudly.

“Congratulations. With a mother like you, I have no doubt he’ll grow up to be a fine Alpha,” I told her sincerely.

“We miss you back home, Cait,” Lyall joined us. “But we’re happy that you’ve found a new family of your own.”

“I did. And as much as it pains me to see Sasha leave, I’m happy that she’ll be going back with you,” she replied with the same honesty. “She would never become who she is meant to be here.”

“Rest assured, I will do everything in my power to give her what she wants.”

“I know,” she chuckled, her eyes sparkling with a mix of pride and joy.

“There you are, beautiful!” Lance approached us, his gaze focused on his Luna as he carefully snaked one arm around her waist. A moment later, he turned his head to us. “Alpha Cedar. Beta Lyall. I’ll be out to finalize the details for Sasha’s departure soon.”

“Thank you, Alpha Lancaster. Take your time. I’ll be waiting outside.” I nodded respectfully at him, ready to spin on my heel.

“I’ll stay here and enjoy the fancy alcohol,” Lyall informed me, though I could easily read his true intentions: he wanted to allow me and my mate some privacy before we hit the road. “Link me if you need anything.”

“Freedom at last! I’m coming for you, mate!” Tor chanted as we finally walked through the door.