The Rise of the Alpha

29

For a few moments, I just sat there absorbing what he'd revealed. The 'life's not fair' part certainly resonated with me, and I couldn't help but reflect on my own s.hitty predicament while I listened.

"Anyway, to make a long story a bit shorter, the rest of my little pack got together to discuss our collective moves going forward, and we quickly realized that not all of us were on the same page. Some wanted to stay put, start over, and rebuild the pieces of the pack, while others did not. Some, my mother included, were just so messed up about it all that they decided to just be done with pack life ranks and start over altogether. They wanted to go lone, so that's what they did. I don't know if you know what a lone wolf is, but it's-"

"Nothing like a rogue. Yeah, I know," I finished his statement for him, pairing it with a half-smile. "Guess I'm a loner now, too. I mean, I can't go back to my pack after what I put them through..."

Something about what I'd said seemed to grip him, for he looked up at the clear, blue sky for a few seconds as if in deep thought. "You know what strikes me as thoroughly odd?" he asked, then he averted his gaze back to me to read my expression. Since I'd given the simplest, quietest shrug as a response, he continued, "It's strange that both of our packs fell victim to a rogue attack … don't you think?"

Strange, indeed, Chloe concurred, her ears perked and her head c.ocked sideways.

I couldn't make heads or tails of it! Shrugging again, I replied, "I just don't know, y'know? I mean, my pack had been hearing about organized rogue a.ttacks for several years, but nobody had ever messed with us during all that time. We stayed prepared for anything, of course, but what happened at our border still took us all by total surprise. Anyway, that's the past, and it is what it is…"

As my words trailed off, he nodded in understanding, then he gently threw his free arm around me and pulled me even closer into himself. "We don't have to talk about that part anymore if you don't want to. It's cool. I'm here for you, though, okay? Whatever you need or want or desire, I'm here," he vowed with utmost sincerity, striking both my heart and my soul like a well-aimed, white-hot lightning bolt. How could this insanely-sweet man – this seemingly-fairytale mate of mine – be so caring and kind and, more importantly, want to be there for me through my healing process? Should I just go with the flow of it? I probably should, huh?

After a few more moments of pondering, I said to him, "So … back to your story," making myself a little more comfortable in his embrace.

"Oh, right," he mumbled. "Well, basically, the pack split up. Those who wanted to stay and rebuild did just that, and those who wanted to move on … well … they left. Mom and I were in the bunch that did the latter, and we traveled south, away from the locals, for ages, it seemed. Wasn't lightly, either. Everything we owned, we hauled ourselves … and we, as in all of us new loners, considered it pure, divine luck that we came upon this place and were able to settle here. You see, the village is what's referred to as a 'loner village', and it was already inhabited by other lone wolves with a pretty upright sense of community. They were receptive of us pretty much right off the bat, and after we explained what had happened to our pack and learned that, for the most part, we stood on common ground with them, they welcomed us into the village and … well … we then began the next chapter of our lives. Everyone in the village cares about their fellow man, and we help each other just like good, peaceful werewolves we are. If you plan to stay with me – and I sincerely hope that you do, by the way – you'll see for yourself. We like that sense of community here. We just don't like the things which drove us all together – those b.astard rogues. Never had a problem with 'em here, though, by the way! Not as long as we've been here. You can thank Sarah for that one, though, because as a favor to us all, she placed a spell of protection over this territory shortly after we settled in."

Despite the weight of everything he'd so freely just shared with me, I couldn't stop a smile from working its way onto my face! I not only heard but also felt the sincerity in both his voice and his words, and what really stood out to me during that entire spill was his mention of how I'd understand his way of life if I planned on staying with him. I mean…I think I'd be foolish if I didn't do such a thing! Chloe and I are trying to move forward with our life, too, y'know? "Jaden…?" I asked for his attention, then I scooched in even closer to him and added, "I don't think you have to worry about me splitting. Trust me … when I decided to run away, I already knew it was the turning of a page into a new chapter, and I'm down for the ride no matter where it takes me. Might as well just call me a tumbleweed rolling with the wind."

"Nope. I can't call you that at all," he replied with a wink. "You blew right into me, and now you're mine."

Mmm! ALL mine…, purred Chloe in my mind.

OURS, sis, I corrected her, enunciating the words to further reiterate them. He's OURS, and we're not going anywhere.

Mine and my wolf's mindlinking sparked another question within me. "So … no pack means no ability to mindlink everyone in the village, huh?" I inquired casually, and he shook his head straightaway in initial response.

"Not as a whole, no … but I can still link the ones who came from my pack. If you're born into a pack, you're tied to it from birth, and the only way to sever that tie is by d eath or rejection. In my case and Sarah's and my mom's and several others, there was no formal rejection of our pack. In fact, for the shortest while, we were still able to link the others who stayed behind in the pack. It was the oddest but coolest thing, and we figured it had something to do with the fact that a rejection was not involved. Anyway, that's how I was able to keep tabs on them and how I eventually learned that they were going to appoint a new Alpha for themselves and assume a new pack name, eventually pledging their allegiance to an entirely new pack. The moment they did that, our ability to link them d.ied like a flame in the wind. They had to move on with their lives, too, y'know? Just like we were trying to. My friends Will and Maddie left for their own reasons, and maybe they'll tell ya 'bout them when you meet them."

During all of that, I sat still and in silence. "Wow. What an interesting story…," I remarked softly, satisfied that I had learned a few gripping and new things about my mate. "And here I was thinking that this 'pack' stuff was simple."

He laughed me off. "It's anything but simple, ma'am."

His word choice made me grimace internally; there was just something about that particular "m" word that was akin to the sound of nails scratching a chalkboard, and it made me cringe! "Ugh! Please don't call me 'ma'am'!" I groaned, glowering with crossed arms. "I'm eight-freakin'-teen and can't stand it when people call me the that." My petty complaint sparked another question in my mind, one which I should've asked a little sooner. Opting to let up a little on the attitude, I adjusted my expression to a more neutral one then asked, "So, how old are you anyway?

My inquiry was met initially with a tug of his lips upward into a proud smile. "Twenty-three, and loving it," he answered.

Mmm! And twenty-three never looked SO damn good before. Wouldn't you agree? Chloe babbled in my mind, clearly satisfied with our mate's age…and I'd be a liar if I were to claim that the small age gap didn't excite me as well!

I mean, hey – age usually equals experience in all sorts of areas…right? I pointed out, but while in the process of telling her that we needed to simmer ourselves down, Jaden stood up and pulled me to my feet. Puzzled, I asked him what he was up to, and he informed me that we were going to head back to the village and start getting my introductions out of the way. Though a bit hesitant at first (since it's not out of the norm for me to be nervous when formally meeting new people), I nodded in agreement then brushed my hand against his in hopes that he'd get the hint and take it without me having to ask him to. Fortunately, he understood the assignment and grabbed hold right away, interlacing our fingers and bringing our j.oined hands up to his lips to give the back of mine an old-school, gentle kiss.

"Mmm…," he moaned so low that I nearly missed it, "your scent's driving me and Xavier freakin' wild."

Pfft! Join the effin' club, Chloe huffed, her snappy, unexpected comment amusing me and making me stifle a giggle.

"What's so funny?" Jaden demanded to know, studying me for a few moments with an eyebrow arched.

"Oh, nothing. My wolf can be quite hilarious from time to time. That's all. Oh, and by the way, I love your wolf's name, and I'm looking forward to meeting him," I replied.

On that note, he said, "Well, mate ... like told ya, we've got nothing but time," then he gestured toward the forest and added, "Shall we?" Holding my hand, he led the way back into the trees, and we began our trek back to his little slice of civilization. He asked me questions about this, that, and many other things all the while, giving me the impression that he was genuinely trying to get to know me better; for that reason and a few others, I was truly grateful! Maybe starting over might not be so bad after all!