Blue Collar Alpha

Jack Watson

Jack

The smell of smoke and death hangs all around us as my mother ushers several pack members through the forest. Shouts of fighting and the screams of the dying fill the air. I hold tightly onto my little sister’s hand as we trudge through the woods. Our pack Jupiter Moon is under attack. My father, Alpha Lawrence Watson, stayed behind while my mother, Luna Elizabeth, led as many women and children through the woods to safety as she could.

“I want Daddy,” my little sister Emily cries as I tug on her.

“We have to keep going, Emi,” I respond to her.

Our mother is a few feet ahead of us with Karlena, the beta’s mate. My friend Ray, the beta’s son, is beside me with a few other pups. I am trying to be brave like my father told me, but I am only six.

“We are almost there,” Mom calls to the crying women and children.

Steven Fox, the gamma, brings up the rear with two warriors. He fought off many attackers to keep us going.

We get to the border, and I watch as my mother screams and drops to her knees. “LARRY!” She cries into the air.

I may be only six, but I know that her screaming my father's name like that means he is dead. I try to comfort her, “Mommy,” I touch her.

“Keep going, Jack,” She says to me. “You have to get everyone to safety,” She whispers. “Keep your sister safe.”

Emily is beside me, bawling, and I sniffle as my own tears threaten to fall. “I want Daddy,” Emily wails.

“Daddy will always be with us,” Mom touches my sister’s cheeks.

“Come on, Jack,” Karlena urges me. “We are almost there.”

“Mommy?” I look at my mother as I hear growls coming from the woods.

She gets to her feet, “You have to be brave, Jack. Just like your father taught you.”

Wolves burst out of the trees, and Mom shifts into her silver wolf and attacks them. Gamma Steven joins in the fight while Karlena and another adult female drag me away.

I look back as my mother’s wolf is tackled by one of the enemies. I wonder if I’ll see my mother again. I scoop up my frantic sister to keep up with Karlena and the others.

I open my eyes as the recurrent dream fades. It has been twenty-two years since that fateful night when the Jupiter Moon Pack fell, and my father died. My mother managed to survive along with Gamma Steven. The remaining pack member fled, and what was left wound up on some land that my mother’s brother owned. There we formed a small pack that farmed for money. My Uncle Thomas, alpha of another pack, helped us get started, and we thrived but stayed small. Many of the remaining pack members went to other packs or became rogues. Today, our small pack, Hope Springs, consists of thirty members, and I am their Alpha.

“Jack,” I hear my mother as she knocks on the door. “Jack, sweetie,” She pokes her head in.

I look at the clock, and it is almost six am. I have to get up, help milk the cows, and do other farm chores. Being a small pack, we do not have millions of dollars in the bank, so all members have to work regular jobs. I work as an electrician.

“I’m up, Mom,” I mumble and sit up.

She steps into the room, “I was just making sure.”

I roll my eyes at her, “I am nearly thirty, Mom.”

“And?” She puts her hands on her hips. “We have cows to be milked and stalls that need to be cleaned.”

“I know, Mom,” I yawn as I get out of bed and stretch. “I’ll be right down there.”

She nods and walks out of the room.

The packhouse is a modest farmhouse. I live on the top floor with my mother. The second floor belongs to my sister Emily, my best friend Ray, who is Emily’s mate, and the beta. They have two pups, Jayden and Kenna. The bottom floor of the house has a large kitchen and a dining hall for the pack. There is my office and a meeting room. The rest of the pack live in houses surrounding the packhouse.

I am twenty-eight and still haven’t met my mate yet. My wolf Ajax is becoming desperate for his mate and doesn’t allow me to be with any other woman. Not that I have time. I have dated a few women, but I don’t sleep around like many Alphas.

I walk into my small bathroom and begin my morning routine. I dress in a pair of old jeans and my favorite flannel shirt, then comb my medium-length brown hair. There is some stubble on my chin, and I contemplate shaving until I look at the clock. Sighing, I rush down the stairs. I walk into the kitchen, where my mother and Karlena are making breakfast.

“Good morning,” I say as I pick up a piece of bacon and nibble on it.

“Morning, Jack,” Karlena smiles at me.

We don’t have omegas, so everyone takes turns doing house chores. I may be the alpha, but sometimes I have to clean bathrooms or wash dishes.

I pour myself some coffee, pick up another piece of bacon, and head out of the house. On the way to the barn, I run into Ray.

“Did you oversleep again?” Ray smirks at me.

“No,” I mock him.

“Did you have the dream again?” He asks with a more serious tone.

I sigh and nod.

He pats my back, “Emily has the same dream.”

“Don’t we all?” I snort as we enter the barn. I wave at Ken and Ben, who are warriors and farm workers. “Hey, fellas, how is it going?”

“It’s going good, boss,” Ken smirks at me. He is standing by his twin brother Ben.

“We started with the cows,” Ben walks over to us. He is shorter and stockier than Ken.

“Good,” I respond. We have both cows and goats to milk. Ray and I get started with the goats. The morning chores go quickly, and I leave while Ray stays behind to help Ben and Ken. I head to the garage.

“Morning, Jack,” Isaac, the pack gamma, greets me. He is training to become an electrician and assists me. He is standing in front of the garage with his mate Lauren and their daughter Kaitlyn.

“Morning, Isaac,” I greet my gamma and smile at Lauren and Kaitlyn. “Are you ready for the Murphy job?”

He shrugs, “Yeah, I guess.”

“Hey Lauren,” I smile at Isaac’s mate. She is a high school choir teacher but helps on the farm when she can.

“Jack,” Lauren grabs her daughter. “How late are you going to be?” She asks me.

“Hopefully, the parts we need are in, so the job should only take six hours,” I tell her.

“Yeah, should,” Isaac rolls his eyes with a chuckle. “I’ll see you later, baby,” Isaac kisses Lauren.

“I hope you don’t work too late tonight,” Lauren says, kissing him back.

I walk into the garage and get into my truck while they kiss and say their goodbyes. I start up the truck as Isaac slinks in beside me.

“Sorry, Lauren, just-“

“I get it,” I interrupt him. Longing for my mate makes it hard to watch others with theirs sometimes.

We ride in silence as I drive to the old house that a young couple of rogue wolves are fixing up. The house is almost a hundred years old and sat vacant for ten years before the Murphys bought it. Isaac and I have been working on it for several months. It was only supposed to take a few weeks, but the house had a lot of hidden problems.

Charlie Murphy is standing outside when we arrive. He waves as Isaac, and I approach. “Beautiful morning, huh?” Charlie huffs.

I let out a long sigh, “What’s wrong now?” I sigh.

Charlie says nothing as he leads us into the house. I greet his mate Jennifer and their two young twin sons. Charlie takes us down into the basement while he explains the newest problem.

“Nothing seemed to work this morning,” Charlie points to the breaker box, “So I just started flipping switches and-“

I look at the box and then at Isaac. I immediately see the problem, “We got this, Charlie,” I pat his arm. I look at Isaac, “I’ll fix this. Why don’t you go to Grover’s hardware and see if the parts we ordered are in, okay.”

Isaac fake salutes, “Yes, boss.” He smiles at Charlie and then rushes up the stairs.

I set my toolbox down and look at Charlie, “I have to cut the power for a few minutes,” I tell Charlie.

“Jen,” He screams up the stairs. “Jack has to cut the power.”

“What?” Jennifer screams back.

I sigh and set up my tools, and get to work. Thirty minutes later, I fixed the problem and moved on to the job we were hired to do after Isaac returned from the store.

“Grover’s wife just had a baby,” Isaac tells me.

Grover Woods is a literal troll and runs the hardware store. He is a nice guy, and I consider him a friend. My pack is located near a small town in Minnesota, and I know most of the people in town. There is a mix of different supernatural species and humans, and everyone gets along.

“That’s like baby number seven,” I laugh.

“Yeah,” Isaac chuckles.

It takes almost seven hours to finish the job, and we are both exhausted. I want to stop at the local bar, but Isaac insists on going home. I let him take the truck while I go into the bar.

“Hey Ricky,” I wave at the owner behind the bar.

“Jack,” Ricky greets me with my usual beer as I sit on a stool. “Did you get the Murphy house done?” He asks.

“Almost,” I reply and take a sip. I nod at the others at the bar. They are a mix of rogues, humans, and one werebear. Ricky himself is a rogue, but we all get along. My pack helps them out when we can.

“Hey, Jack,” Miranda, a woman I have dated, slinks up to me. She sits beside me. “What are you doing tonight?” She purrs while rubbing my arm. She is a human that is well aware of the supernatural community.

Ajax growls in my head, and I ignore him, “Oh, just getting a few beers before heading home.”

“Do you want to have some fun tonight?” Miranda asks while waggling her thin eyebrows. She is wearing a short skirt and a pink baby doll t-shirt with a horse. She has long blonde hair and brown eyes.

“Maybe this weekend,” I respond. “I have to get up early tomorrow.”

“Do you want a burger?” Ricky interrupts and eyes Miranda.

“Sure,” I reply. “With bacon.”

“The usual,” Ricky smirks.

I chat with Miranda and a few others while waiting for my food. Ricky walks out with my burger and freezes as two strangers enter the bar. I turn to see two pack wolves looking around the bar. I get off the stool and face the strange wolves.

“Who are you?” I step towards them.

They both appear to be a little younger than me, and I know one of them is of alpha blood. “We are just passing through, “the alpha replies. He looks me up and down, “I am Caleb Livingston of Diamond Lake pack, and this is Harley.”

I nod, “I am Jack Watson of Hope Springs Pack.”

“Never heard of it,” Caleb shrugs.

“It’s a small pack,” I reply.

“Are we in your territory?” Caleb wonders.

“No, but I look out for these guys,” I nod at the rogues, who are all staring at us.

Caleb throws up his hands, “We just want a beer.”

“Right,” Harley nods.

“Okay,” I smile as I get good vibes from the two of them. “Diamond Lake,” I mention. “That’s a big pack, huh?” I say we walk back to the bar. Ajax is whining in my head as the faint scent of jasmine seems to be coming from Caleb.

“Yeah, Diamond Lake is pretty big,” Caleb chuckles. “I am going to be their alpha in a few years,” He smirks.

“My cousin, Pete, is Alpha of Battle Lake Pack,” I mention. “He and my Uncle Tom taught me about the larger packs when I was growing up.”

“I know Pete,” Caleb nods, “He’s nice but kind of weird.”

I laugh loudly and nod in agreement, “He is a lot weird.”

“So, Hope Springs,” Caleb ponders. “New pack?”

“Compared to most, yes, “I chuckle. “We have only been around for twenty years. We aren’t rich or anything like that. My mom and a few others started it after our original pack was destroyed and my father was killed.”

Caleb frowns slightly. “Oh, sorry to hear that, man. I don’t think I would have survived without my Dad. What pack did you come from originally?”

“You probably never heard of it, but Jupiter Moon,” I respond.

Caleb’s eyes go wide, “Your father is Lawerance Watson? Or was?”

“Yeah,” I respond.

“Dude, he and my Dad were friends like best friends. I remember Dad telling me about Larry and-“ Caleb pauses. “He never knew what became of you or-“ Caleb pauses. “Your mom is Elizabeth, right?”

“Yeah,” I smirk. “I don’t recall my mother talking about any Livingstons, but then she doesn’t talk about the past much.”

“Losing your mate is hard,” Caleb sighs. “I would be lost without my mate, Kayla. Do you have a mate?”

I shake my head, “Not yet.”

“Hopefully, you meet her. You seem like a nice guy,” Caleb smiles.

We sit and chat for a few hours until I decide I need to go home and get some rest. Caleb and I have already become friends and exchanged numbers.

“My dad will be stoked to hear from you and your Mom,” Caleb says as we stand next to his Land Rover.

“It was nice meeting you, Caleb,” I pat his shoulder.

“Same, Jack,” Caleb shakes my hand.

I nod at Harley as they get into the SUV. I watch them drive off and then shift into Ajax, a large black wolf. We quickly run home, and I ignore my mother’s stares as I slink into the house. She is in the living room with Karlena and my sister.

“Where have you been?” Mom calls.

“Out,” I mumble and run up the stairs. I take a shower and then flop in bed and quickly fall asleep. A cute blonde wolf plays tag with Ajax in my dreams. When I wake up the next morning, I feel a strange bliss while Ajax paces. ‘What’s up with you?’

‘Mate, we are going to meet our mate soon,’ He replies.