The Alpha's Broken Mate

Chapter 6: Strawberries and Vanilla

Chapter 6 -

-Elijah-

After the end of the conference, I went up the stairs to my office where I planned to get some work done. I was dreading the fact that I had to attend a party that Tristian had accepted on my behalf. It's not that I don’t like to party, but more of the fact that it was an Alpha. We are meant to be seen as intimidating and ruthless, but always keeping the pack first. Partying was always a chance to ruin that image. One I had worked so hard to maintain.

Though with having made a new treaty, it would make sense for me to make an appearance as a new ally amongst the pack. I don’t plan on staying long. Maybe an hour tops, I really just wanted to sleep. My eyes were dropping and becoming very heavy. I was signing off on pack affairs when sleep seemed to overtake me. I quickly shook my head and I looked back to the stack of papers that needed my attention.

Since everything went down with Alpha Quincy and the new treaty, I’ve had this unsettling feeling. Not the kind of feeling that indicates that something is wrong but the kind of feeling that you get when you’re ready for something. I think that’s the feeling? Excitement? I tap my pen on the desk and stare at the closed door in front of me. Why was my head running a mile a minute? There was nothing going on that I remembered. So why?

I shook my head rather quickly so that I could disrupt those thoughts that were running through my head. Or more like the lack thereof. I have never had so much anticipation for the unknown. As an Alpha, we are trained that nothing good and worthwhile comes out of the unknown. Always be prepared and always be on your guard. That is the motto that I live. I breathe those very words every day that I wake up. So far, I would say that it has gotten me through.

Hours go by as I’m in a daze of the endless amount of paperwork that goes into running a pack. Incident reports, new pack members joining, old ones dying, and new children being born. Job reports, job applications, and schooling. These are just some of the many things that I deal with on a daily basis. Almost every detail or everything people do is run by me. Running a tight ship keeps people doing their responsibilities, while duties to the pack.

A common theme in people running a loose pack is they are easy to overthrow. People form ideas that they can do better than their Alpha. Challenge them for their position or you get internal spies working for other packs, to bring their pack to its knees. It's seen in all the major history books of wolf kind. Keeping everyone in line keeps everyone safe. Nothing is more important than the safety of the pack. An Alpha is nothing without his pack.

I begin to put my last few signatures on the papers that are due today by the council and I reach my hands above my head and stretch, reclining in my office chair. I yawn a big yawn and sigh as I crack my neck back and forth. Looking down for hours upon hours really does a number on the neck. I pop my knuckles and stand up, before heading back to finish the last few pieces of work.

As I pick up the black ballpoint pen in my left hand, a loud and startling knock begins on the office door. It’s almost as if the person knocking has some sort of urgency to be had with me. “Come in,” I yell, trying to speak over the loud, obnoxious knocking.

“Did you forget? Do you know what time it is? This is not the way to make a first impression Eli!” Tristan comes barging into the door, anger evident on his face. I stare at him blankly waiting for him to finish his tantrum.

“Eli you said that you would be there, but are you there? No! You’re in here doing stupid Alpha work and you totally weren’t paying attention to the time and now we’re late and Alpha Quince is going to take our heads as a prize for his daughter.” Tristan finally takes a breath and it's almost as if you can see the smoke pouring from his ears. If there was anything that bothered Tristan it was being on time. He was one of those people that really went by the slogan of “Five minutes before the occasion is on time and being on time is considered late.” Yeah, you could say he gets on my nerves.

“Okay, are you done now? Good. What are you talking about? What occasion are you talking about?” I looked at Tristan dumbfounded. I had already had a really long day, the last thing I wanted to deal with was a lecture from Tristan. I really had no idea what he was talking about. I have been knee-deep in pack paperwork to the point that I have no idea what has happened in the last few hours. Everything about today is in a blur.

“You said that you would go to Alpha Quince’s daughter’s birthday. To show him that you are his pack's new ally. Remember?” Tristan said as if what I had said was a different language. He was confused about how I could forget something that was supposed to hold importance. I looked at him eyes wide. My eyes quickly darted to the clock above the doorway of my office. The second hand is ticking away as the hour hand points to 9 and the minute hand points to 30. 9:30 pm. Are you kidding? How did I forget that?

“F*ck! I knew I was forgetting something. How did I forget that? Tris, what time did it start?” I quickly am cleaning off my office desk so that I can put everything away and begin to walk out of my office, lock the door, and head to my room to get ready. I begin to speed walk. Why was I in a rush? Why did I care so much that I was late to a party that I didn’t even want to be at? This wasn’t making any sense. I’ve tried to reach my wolf but oddly enough he has been dormant all day.

Whatever. I roll my eyes at my wolf’s no response. I will be talking to him later, I admit in my head. I’m picking up pace with Tristan tailing right behind me. He breaks into his room to go throw on a suit and look presentable. I enter my room and I put on the first suit set that is in my closet. It’s a black suit with a white undershirt and a teal and purple striped tie. I put on my black long socks and black dress shoes before walking to my bathroom to get my personal hygiene situated.

After I get out of my bathroom and look myself over once more, my hair is brushed back, but yet I still look overly tired. Oh well, there isn’t anything that I can do about it now. As if on cue, Tris and I both lock our doors behind us and continue down to the front door. We pass pack members on both our right and left. Each bowing as we speed past them. I check my watch before grabbing a pair of keys and see that my watch reads 9:45.

I mentally curse myself. Sh*t. If there was one thing that I prided myself on, it was that though I hated Tris getting on me about being on time, I was on time for a good chunk of my occasions. The things that needed my attendance I was there for. Hardly ever was I late and if I was, I made sure to call at least an hour and a half ahead of the time that I was supposed to be there. Alpha work and no sleep was really starting to affect me more than I realized.

“Tris, you drive,” I tell him as I throw him the keys to my black Porsche 718 Cayman. Look I was a car fan, but not in the knowledge of them. I liked them if they looked cool, that was about it. Fastening my seat belt and straightening my fallen hair, Tristan takes off and I head the car skid as it exits the garage. As Tris and I come up to the pack border we cross over with no second thought.

We get on the main road for about 10 minutes before we turn off into another dirt road that leads into another forest. A road that usually takes about 15 minutes to drive down, took us 5 minutes. We arrived right at 10:00. I was on the guest list so I had no problem getting into the party. Someone offered to show me where the party was taking place, but I figured that when walking into the packhouse and seeing the back doors open to a party, I could figure my way around.

As Tristan and I take a second to compose ourselves and fix our suits along with our hair, we take a deep breath. One that I didn’t realize I was holding. Tris looks at me uncertain because I usually am calm, cool, and collected even if things go wrong. I was restless but I didn’t understand why. I was anxious, excited, and restless. New place?

Tris and I walk through the doors of the back porch and I turn to look at Tris to let him know, we both are going to be apologizing to Alpha Quince when suddenly I’m hit with the most intoxicating scent. It was strawberries and vanilla. Never in my life did the smell alone smell so good. My mind was blank. I was not in control. My absent wolf was no longer absent, but instead completely front and taking control.

Everything about whatever was happening was making me crazy. I had no thoughts, no questions, no nothing. I didn’t know what I was doing, yet it felt so natural. As my feet move in the direction of the party I look around trying to find the scent. Looking for the source of that amazing smell. As I make my way I don't even realize that I have let out a low growl. Trying to warn everyone that there is something here that is mine, and if they touch whatever it is, I can’t promise there won’t be blood.

I feel possessive over something I can’t see. Something/someone I can’t find. That’s when it hits me. This is the mate bond. I found my mate. She was here. Somewhere. That strong smell of strawberries and vanilla is still filling the air and though I knew where I stood regarding mates, I needed to see her. Find her. Show her that I knew she existed. She was going to know me. I had one goal, and it was very clear. Find her.

I suddenly see her, the most beautiful angel that I have ever seen in my life. More beautiful than Lauren. She was something else. I wanted her. I had this drive to mate with her right where she stood. Though it was tempting, I knew that that was a private matter. No one could see her like that other than myself and I. Anyone else who dared would have their eyes removed from their eye sockets.

She stood there wide-eyed and looking me up and down and that only made the predator in me more excited than ever. I realize that everyone is down and showing submission and yet there she was, standing amongst the crowd. Since she is my mate she isn’t affected by my Alpha aura. She was the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen. It was almost as if she couldn’t be real.

She had the silkiest chocolate brown hair. Her hair was curled on the bottom and it was as if it fit her face perfectly. She has the most amazing bright green eyes. They were breathtaking. Like the bright green grass on a hillside. Untouched. She looked to be about 5 ft 9. Freckles danced across her cheeks that looked like they could be star constellations. She has a slim figure but has curves in all the right places. Long legs and looked amazing. And as if she wasn’t perfect enough, she had a perfect cream skin tone. She was the very air that I wanted to breathe for the rest of my life.

Wait. What was I thinking? Mates only make Alpha’s weak. They give other Alpha’s another reason to attack. It puts the pack in danger. Yet at this moment, I didn’t care. She was what I needed, and I was willing to give in. Even if it was just for a few minutes. I stalked towards her and finally I was about a foot away from her and I stopped. I wanted to take her all in. Even if I knew this moment wasn’t going to last, I wanted to take her all in.

She looks up at me, for I’m assuming because I was taller than she realized. I smirk at her and she shuffles under my gaze. It excites me even more. I want to get closer to her. So finally I give in to my natural instincts and I breathe her in. I lean in close to her neck and I breathe in the biggest deep breath that I have ever taken. She was the very air that I breathed right now in this moment. I wanted to mark the spot on her neck that was made just for me. The spot in her that was created so the other men could know that she was taken.

I wanted her closer. I wanted her body right against mine. I wanted to feel her and memorize her. I didn’t want to forget a single detail. I breathe another big deep breath and I do my best to keep steady. Being this close to her doesn’t come without its challenges. I exhale my breath and I growl with possession. I growl with protection and claim. She was mine. No one could touch her. I was going to make sure of that. Even if I never mated with her, she was coming home with me tonight. I’d make sure of that. I would keep her at arm's reach but at least she would be with me. I had moved her hair lightly so that I could expose more of her neck.

I knew what I had to do next. I knew that if I went through with the plan in my head, that this was going to change the course of everything that I had planned up to now. But I had to. Everyone needed to know. I know that Tristan is probably confused and shocked and that everyone here at the party is as well. But I couldn’t take the anticipation any longer.

I lean in again as if I’m going to take another breath of her scent, though instead I lean close to her ear and begin to clear my throat. I say to her in a low tone, low enough to give her shivers but also for anyone within earshot to hear me. I breathe her in one more time before I say the word that will change her life and mine from here on out.

“Mate…”

------THE END OF THIS CHAPTER------