Alpha²

Chapter 2

‘You need friends, Grey,” Wolf said, his voice husky and deep.

Talking to your wolf was a comforting feeling. His voice calmed Grey, as it always had. It was like your little inner voice, except the voice decided it would control you on every new moon.

‘Thanks,’ Grey grumbled back.

‘No, I’m saying. Befriend the grandkids; you need friends. Also, they’re new, meaning they don’t know.’

‘No, when they find out, and they will, they’ll also begin looking at me like that.’

‘Grey, you need to stop. Not everyone you know will pity you. You need friends. You need to go out more.’ Grey’s wolf was right. He was. Grey knew that, but he couldn’t. Maybe it was more that he wouldn’t than he couldn’t.

‘Trust me. Okay. Go and try to find them. Befriend them. You will feel better. It might take some time, but you will feel better.’

He sighed. He needed to go back outside and talk to people. Staying there would only anger his father more. When Grey left the room and returned to the hall, He instantly made eye contact with his father and regretted it because he beckoned him over.

“Mr and Mrs Chandler,” Grey said, smiling as he greeted them.

“Grey, hello. It’s been a while,” Mr Chandler greeted. He shook his hand, and it took everything in Grey not to snatch his hand back.

It was Mr Chandler. Mr Chandler. Mr Chandler.

“Yes, it has. How have you been?” Grey replied, wringing his hands in front of him.

They talked about trivial things until Mrs Chandler said something that quickly changed the atmosphere. “Every day, you look more and more like your mother,” she said, eying Grey. He cleared his throat awkwardly. Now, both husband and wife were eyeing him. “I don’t see an ounce of your father in you,” she added, and Grey narrowed his eyes at her as he made eye contact. Did she know? There was no way she could. His mother and Grey were the only two people who knew.

“Well, I guess my mother’s genes overpowered my father’s,” Grey replied. He wanted to leave. This conversation was starting to make him uncomfortable and his father angrier.

“An omega having more powerful genes than an alpha? That’s absurd. Look at our darling Cynthia, she’s the spitting image of her father, with very few features from me.”

“Well, what can you do?” he said, trying to laugh this conversation away.

Movement caught Grey’s eye, and he saw two siblings standing beside one another.

‘It’s them. I don’t recognise their wolves. They’re new. Talk to them,’ Wolf said, and Grey nodded.

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to introduce myself to the new family of the town,” Grey said, and the duo nodded. His father glared at him, but Grey bowed and hurried away.

The female nudged her brother and then motioned in Grey’s direction.

Grey approached the two of them while they completely stared him down. The duo had black hair and the most stunning blue eyes he had ever seen. They both had kajal on, enhancing their eyes. The female had more makeup on her than her brother.

“Hey, you’re cute,” she said, and her brother simply rolled his eyes at his sister’s behaviour.

“Rosalyn, we’ve been here for less than an hour. Keep it in your pants,” he deadpanned.

“Oh, that’s rude,” she said, and he snickered.

“You’re rude,” he deadpanned.

“Meh.”

“Mehh.”

“Will you two behave,” an elderly man snapped, and the duo glared at one another?

Grey assumed the older man who had come over, scowling at them, was their grandfather. He seemed too old to be their father. The older man had a large scarf covering his shoulders, but from what he could see, he was in a dark brown suit. He was tall, lean, and handsome, with a freshly shaved face and the same piercing blue eyes as his grandchildren with dark hair.

“But, grandad,” Rosalyn whined. “Alexander started it.”

“No, I didn’t. She-”

“I said behave,” he hissed back, hitting them both up the head, and they quieted down again.

He turned his attention to Grey, who smiled a little. “Hello, you must be Grey. I’m Warren, and these are my grandkids, Alexander, Rosalyn and Je-” He stopped mid-sentence and then frowned when he realised his third grandchild wasn’t there.

“Where’s your brother?” he asked, scowling at his grandchildren. Both of them shrugged. “I swear to the moon goddess, you three will give me a heart attack one day.”

“Rosalyn, go find your brother and drag him here by the ear.” She nodded and happily went away. Warren smiled at Grey before he excused himself, walking away, leaving Grey with Alexander.

“I’ve seen your dad. But where’s your mum?” Alexander said, looking around. Grey blinked a few times as the question settled in.

“Where’s yours?” he retorted and then winced. His response sounded much more childish than he had intended it to be. He could hear his father scolding him, but he listened to his wolf laugh a little.

“Touché,” he said. “Well, as you heard, I’m Alexander. Aren’t you that hotshot that everyone won’t shut up about?”

Grey blinked a couple of times. He wasn’t sure if he should have replied to that or not. But from the look on Alexander’s face, he was pretty sure Alexander wanted an answer. “I wouldn’t say, hotshot.”

“That’s not what those groups of girls are saying and oh no, they’re heading straight for us,” Alexander said, and he seemed to look around. Grey, too, seemed to have shown some panic or some sort of unorthodox expression because Alexander grabbed his hand and dragged him away.

The two of them went out the way Grey had come in. They rounded to the back, where a large water fountain was the main attraction, with some silver gates fencing the area off. Grey leaned on the gate, enjoying the sound the crashing water made.

“So, that was something,” he said, and Grey laughed a little. “I was so sure they would have killed us.”

“They’re harmless,” Grey said, having to deal with them for two years at all parties and coming-of-age ceremonies, and Alexander snorted.

“I’m pretty sure someone threw their show at me.” He then waved a gold high-heeled shoe around.

‘I like him,’ Wolf said, and Grey rolled his eyes. ‘Keep him.’

“Oh, no!” Grey had utterly forgotten about Cynthia. He would be in so much trouble if she went and complained to his father. He hadn’t realised he had spoken out loud or some of it when Alexander spoke up.

“Oh, no, what?” Alexander questioned.

“I forgot about Cynthia,” Grey said, and Alexander frowned.

“Yeah. I’ve been here for like one hour, who’s Cynthia?”

“Oh, yes, you’re new. Cynthia is-”

“Your mate?” he asked, interrupting Grey.

“No. She’s not my mate, but she might be my wife,” Grey replied, slightly surprised about the honesty.

“Wait, what?” He looked so confused, and Grey couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Wait, no. If she’s not your mate, how is she your wife?”

“Because I am going to marry her.”

“But, she’s not your mate,” he repeated, and Grey nodded.

“Yes, I am painfully aware of that.”

“Then why are you going to marry her?”

“Because I haven’t found my mate.”

Grey was weirded out. He was able to express his emotions. He didn’t have that freedom at home. Here, with Alexander, he could freely talk about how he was feeling and what exactly was going on. He wasn’t sure if it was because Alexander had no idea who he was or what had happened, but he relished the feeling. But he knew he wouldn’t get carried away with this newfound feeling.

“Then just wait. What would you do if your mate just appeared?” he replied as if it was the most obvious answer, and maybe to him, it was.

“My mate won’t just appear.”

“Did you find your mate at your coming-of-age ceremony?” he asked, and Grey shook his head.

“No.” It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t necessarily the truth. Grey had never had his coming-of-age ceremony because of the incident.

“Oh, well, same. So, it’s not like you’re the only one and we’re the same age. Why are you so eager to be wed?” Grey found Alexander to be full of questions.

“Oh, I am not. My father, however, is.”

“What, why?”

“He wants an heir.”

He looked so confused at that, and then he snorted. “Oh, tell him to suck it.”

Grey frowned. “Does your father not encourage you to get married?”

“No, why would he? I haven’t found my mate and will not marry someone who isn’t my mate. That’s just stupid.” He seemed so confident, and it wasn’t a pretence either.

“Well, what about your grandfather?” Surely he must have wanted an heir.

“No. None of us has found our mate; it’s not like my grandfather or even dad can do anything about it, except wait.”

“Won’t they ask you to marry someone else, though?” Grey asked as he turned to look at Alexander, who seemed to enjoy the water.

“No. Oh, don’t tell me you are one of those?” he asked, as he felt the blood drain from his face as he stared up at Alexander. What did he mean? Did he know something he shouldn’t have? Was his first try at forming a friendship about to fail?

~*~