Alpha Black
Chapter 36 - What a Shame

Nathaniel Black

Excluding Alice, we’d shifted, and I’d carried her on my back, her warm body pressed against my back, driving my wolf made as her warmth radiated like a fire in my bones. I swear I’d never run so fast in my life – probably to Alice’s dismay.

We’d stopped come night fall, erecting a fire amongst the grassy fields, it had warmed us as they slept under the night sky, I was on watch first, Alice curled up beside me with her head resting on my lap. She was perfect in so many ways.

I was in awe at how naturally she would step into the Luna position, how easy it was for her to slip into the roll. Naturally, she seemed to want to protect the pack, do what was best for them. Of course, it helped that she was smart, creative and analytical.

Once, I had dreamt of my mate. That she would be strong, smart and beautiful, little did I know, she was all of these things and so much more. I’d never met someone like her, so calm and composed when she needed to be, so easily able to work under pressure until she cracked. She was like me, she’d never let someone see how weak she really was, how much it hurt, how tired she was.

My Luna would protect our pack until the very end. She was after all, my other half, the perfect math.

We probably had no need to keep watch tonight, it was likely that who ever it was trying to overthrow me, thought I was dead by now, waiting to hear back. See my heat spiked on a stick or my hand delivered as proof of my fall. But the attack had shaken us, Jack was glancing over his shoulder every other minute, on high alter every time an animal walked through the grass, a bird flew above us or the wind rustled the grass too loud for his liking. Jamie and I, our eyes glued to Alice – I’d followed her like a shadow, normally something she might have objected to, but I too could sense the unease that was haunting her.

Her day had started off pretty badly as it was, I could see the weight of the white wolf weighing on her shoulders, physically compressing her. It almost made me wish I hadn’t told her, I’d kept the secret to myself. Yet, if I had done that, I would have been failing my pack, failing the people who depended on me to keep them safe.

I ran my hand carelessly through her hair, it was smooth and light, fluffy almost, so soft and weightless. The fire and the long shadows adding depth and colour, warming her skin and hair making her almost look like a red head. I wondered, what would have happened if she was not the white wolf? Would it have been someone else, would someone else have come in to save us? Or would my reign have ended, would they have taken the life of my mate?

I felt my blood boil as I pictured every way that they could have killed her, hurt her. I would never give them the chance, I would rip the cocks off every man who stood in defiance of me, I would slash the throats of anyone who hissed a swear at my mate, I would gouge the eyes out of anyone who looked at her too long, who made her uncomfortable or irritated her.

I would make every wolf, and pup worship the ground she walked on, because she was worth it. Every second, every minute. She was my mate, my queen, my Luna.

* * * * * * * * * * *

The sun peaked over the rolling hills off in the distance, the horizon beginning to glow and the stars faded off into the sky. The colours reminded me of a peach, or perhaps an apricot? What ever it was, it made me crave stone fruit – a nectarine maybe?

It was a line of yellow, golden and glowing, which melted quickly into a light pink, the type you replace at baby showers and in baby clothes designed for girls, which blurred into a powerful orange that banded thicker than the other colours. I’d watched many sunrises, but there was definitely something sobering about this one.

Sobering, because I was so unsure. I was unsure how many sunrises I might have to see, see and apricate. How many sunrises would I get to watch with my little mate, safely tucked in my arms, would I be able to protect her and defend my position as Alpha?

“You need to stop doing that,” Jamie groaned, rolling over on the patch of grass where he’d slept.

“Doing what?” I said quietly, making sure not to wake Alice.

“Brooding,” Jamie said, a yawn forcing it’s way out as he opened his mouth, “you’re a brooder.”

“Mmm,” I hummed, leaning back onto the grass and staring at the sky, watching the stars disappear as the sky lightened from it’s dark blue to a lighter – social media – coloured blue.

“What will you do? When you replace out who it is?”

“I’m going to kill them. I will not rest until I have killed them, and I will do it so slowly, I am going to watch them writhe in pain, I will watch the light fade from their eyes. They have endangered the lives of my pack and my mate.”

“Remind me not to get on your bad side,” Jamie said with a chuckle.

I couldn’t stop the rolls of laughter as they built up in my chest, the deep chuckle turning into a full-blown laugh shake my shoulders, Alice stirring from her slumber and Jack rolling over on the other side of the campfire.

“What time is it?” Jack asked, regaining his composure.

“About five,” Jamie replied with a chuckle of his own.

“What is wrong with you guys,” Alice said, rolling over and groaning.

I couldn’t help but pull her into my arms, cradling her against my chest despite the squeals of objection that came out of her mouth. Which I quickly silenced by pressing her mouth against my own, she froze for a second, before her muscles relaxed and her hands fell against my chest.

I cupped the side of her face, tracing her jaw and letting my fingers running into her hair as she pressed her tongue into my mouth, kissing me back. This was what I wanted, more than anything. My mate. At one point, my pack was all I cared about – the dreams of my mate had stopped, wondering who she was, what she was doing, the sound of her laugh, I’d stopped wondering.

But now that she was here, in my arms, igniting a fire inside me. So long as she was happy, I was happy and that was my priority. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry for everything,” I said, tearing my lips away from hers.

She opened her eyes, looking into my own, I still wasn’t sure if they were more chocolate or caramel coloured. “I love you, Alice,” I said, resting my forehead against her own.

“I know,” she purred, her arms wrapping around my waist and she pressed her body against mine.

“And I’m so sorry for everything. For brining you into this, for this stupid civil war, for every single fight we’ve had. For making you so unhappy.”

I felt her warm breath against my neck, the glow of her emotions washing over me, “I know,” and she pulled out of her embrace, her hand resting against my neck as she once again looked into my eyes. “We have fought a lot, haven’t we?” she said a smirk on her lips.

“We have,” I nodded.

“But I’ve never felt like this before,” her gaze fell and she lifted my hand, her fingers slowly lacing with mine as she linked our hands. “I’ve never hated someone so much either,” she said, cocking her head as she gazed at our hands, “but I’ve never been so happy, I’ve felt like I was in the right place, until I met you.”

“You ran away from me after you sobered up,” I chuckled, recalling our first weekend together.

She smiled and leaned her head against my chest, a small chuckle escaping her lips. “I did.”

I’m going to ask her to marry me. When this war ends.

Jamie cleared her throat, “sorry to interrupt, but this does make sense why Alpha Black is grinning so shamelessly every morning,” he said trailing off. “But, we should, perhaps get moving, replace some breakfast and maybe some coffee, destroy the scum trying to over throw you, but hey, what do I know, I’m just the Beta.”

Author’s Note:

Forgive me for not updating as frequently at the moment. I’ve been rather busy and a lot of the writing I have been has been for Book 02 - His White Luna!