Alpha Riley

Chapter 6 - The big brother I deserved.

Riley

Anna tried. Every chance she got, she tried to make me look bad in front of Jeremy, but thankfully, I also had Eli, who seemed to like me very much. Eli always came to my defense and with Anna and Eli going at each other, Jeremy usually just rolled his eyes and told them to both go to their corners. That would be that and whatever Anna accused me of was forgotten until the next time.

The thing that probably drove Anna over the edge the most was when my seventeenth birthday came around and Jeremy surprised me with a television for my bedroom as well as a pack party. I didn’t even realize he knew when my birthday was, and it was a glorious day. I can’t believe that I have been with them for a year to this day.

I didn’t have any friends in the pack, but at least the people weren’t cruel either. It was more of an indifference to my existence, but it didn’t bug me at all. I had Jeremy for whatever that was worth and, for the rest, I had Eli. I was finishing school, which meant if I no longer wanted to stay there, I could at least find a job in the human world.

I thought about the fact that Jeremy paid for me from time to time and wondered if he would use that to keep me there if I ever did try to leave, but I quickly pushed that idea to the back of my mind. I couldn’t imagine Jeremy being like that. There had been women around our house over the past year, but Jeremy was very discreet and always made sure they were as well.

The only sign that they were there was the strong scent of perfume in the mornings that usually disappeared as soon as Anna got up. She was a magician when it came to hiding Jeremy’s intercessions and the scent of any strange female that might have been there. Anna wasn’t Jeremy’s mother. She wasn’t his family at all, yet she took care of him like he was her own son.

I had to give her that much. She was very protective of him. Since I moved in, it has seemed to get even worse. It was never a good thing for a single young female to live alone with a single male, and I had to smile when I overheard her saying that to Jeremy. He was insisting that she retire, and she point-blank refused. So, we carried on with life in our little world inside the world of his pack, and I was happier than I had ever been.

Eli had turned our classroom into a proper classroom in the first month and even had me moving my desk from one whiteboard to the next, so I could feel as if I was moving from one class to the next. Each whiteboard had the work for the next day prepared, and he arranged with Jeremy for training, so I could complete the P.E. part of my education. I was surprised when Jeremy trained me himself, but I didn’t ask questions. I was just glad to get out into the fresh air and I loved training.

The second year went by even faster, and before I knew it, I was sitting down in my old school hall ready to write my final exams. Jeremy tried to arrange that I take my exams at home, but the school insisted that I write there. With Jeremy and Eli keeping an eye on me from the back of the hall, I took a deep breath and opened my first exam paper.

I was incredibly nervous. The last thing I wanted was to disappoint them. Especially after what both of them had done to get me there. The test was easier than I expected, and I smiled as I handed in my paper and walked to the back to meet the two of them. I thought about faking it and telling them I was sure I was going to fail, but I was just so damn happy that I couldn’t hide it.

Eli and I discussed the test and my answers on the way home, and he seemed confident that I would pass with flying colours. A new chapter in my life had started, and I was excited about it. While I was writing my final exams, Jeremy insisted that I spent all my time on my studies, which made Anna more grouchy than normal.

Jeremy also appointed an omega to help Anna out temporarily, and I couldn’t help but smile when the girl came around the first day and Anna gave her the same speech that she had given me on my first day. I couldn’t believe that I had been there for almost two years. My birthday is coming. A couple of days after I write my last exam, I will turn eighteen.

I could already hear the rumours flying about who my mate might be and what would happen, since I had never rejected Caleb. Nothing ever seemed to be a secret in any pack and I could see that it bugged Jeremy that he couldn’t squash the rumours no matter how hard he tried. I just ignored them. I no longer wanted a mate. I was happy to just finish school and would even be happy to keep working as Jeremy’s omega for the rest of my life. I no longer felt the need to leave the pack for a better life. I was happy with the way things were. I knew Jeremy would always take care of me.

It had become abundantly clear that he wasn’t going to find a mate, and he even took me out from time to time, which was very nice. We were comfortable in each other’s company even though our relationship sometimes set the tongues wagging. We knew what we were to each other. We knew how much we cared about each other. Jeremy was like the big brother I deserved but never had.