She’s the Alpha
Chapter 5

My door opened and Micah came charging in, interrupting my moment with Jessie, but I didn't mind. While I looked more like my mom, Micah was an exact replica of our father. I had my dad's gray eyes as well, but Micah looked like a tiny clone.

Micah giggled and hopped onto the bed with Jessie and me. I smiled and pulled Micah over my lap and began tickling him. Micah was the happiest toddler I ever met. Well, only my mom would beg to differ. She always said I was the happiest toddler. Micah crawled over to Jessie and sat in his lap. Jessie was amazing with Micah. He loved that kid just as much as I did.

I sighed in longing. Why couldn't Jessie be my mate? I can't remember how many times I'd asked myself that question. He was going to be my Beta anyway. Plus, he understood me better than anyone else. He was my best friend. Micah played with Jessie for a bit before he went to, no doubt, replace our mom. I got off the bed and went to replace suitable clothes for the dinner tonight. My dad was hosting all the Alphas at the dining room table. Originally, I wasn't going to go, but I had a reason now. Jessie stood and grabbed me around the waist.

"Something has been bugging you since earlier, Kenny," Jessie said, stopping my hands from their nervous habit of pinching my wrist. I sighed and looked at our hands.

"It's nothing," I dismissed it. I normally told Jessie everything, but I felt like I had to keep this to myself. "Will you come with me to the dinner tonight?" I asked. He chuckled.

"You mean break the Alpha's rule against an Alpha's only dinner and possibly replace out what happened to get you so wound up, even more so than usual? Hell yeah, I'm going," he agreed. He kissed my head before he left to go change. I changed into something simple yet elegant. It was a burgundy dress that had a low v-cut and showed what little cleavage I had. The dress hugged my thin body like a second skin and ended mid-thigh.

I was actually really skinny and tall. I was fit from Alpha training so I had more of an athletic build, but I still had my mother's killer curves. I got my long legs from my father. I'm not sure where my pale skin and freckles came from. I was assuming it came from my grandfather on my mother's side. I left my hair down in its natural curls since it was actually behaving today. I pinned one side back and brought the rest over my shoulder. My fiery red hair came from my mom's side. I paired the dress with simple heels. I looked myself over in the mirror with a breath. I knew why I was putting so much effort into my look tonight.

Because of Kai...

What was I doing?

It was too late to change now. I might as well go through with it. I sighed before I put a little make up on; just enough to hid my freckles and make my eyelashes visible. Sometimes having red hair sucked. I looked myself over one last time before subtly covering my lips with a matching burgundy lipstick. After making sure I was already ten minutes late, I made my way to the dining room. Jessie met me at the bottom of the stairs. He kissed my cheek as his hand went to my lower back.

"You look amazing, Kenny," he said. I smiled.

"As do you, Jess," I said, and I wasn't lying. Jessie cleaned up nicely. His chocolate hair was gelled back and he was wearing a gray button up shirt with slacks and a black tie. He looked damn good. He offered me his arm and took it gratefully. I would need all the help I could get tonight. We walked into the dining room to see that everyone was already seated. I felt Kai's eyes on my instantly. I tried so hard to ignore it but I couldn't ignore him when he started growling lowly.

"Stella, Jessie," my dad said standing. I knew where this was going. Thankfully, my mom stood as well.

"So nice of you to finally join us," my mom cut in. I thanked her quietly before we took a seat. Kai glared daggers into Jessie as dinner started properly. It didn't help that Kai was sitting right across from me.

"So Jessie, is it?" Kai asked. Jessie smiled at him easily.

"Yeah, and you are?" Jessie asked. I held my breath.

"Alpha Kai," Kai introduced himself curtly. "I'm guessing you know Kennedy?" Kai asked. Jessie chuckled and pulled my hand up to kiss it. I smiled at Jessie.

"Little Kenny and I go way back," he chuckled. Kai growled lowly as his hands balled into fists. I ignored Kai for the most part. Kai kept Jessie talking and vise versa. Jessie was a good talker. He handled every single one of Kai's questions with ease while other conversations floated around the room. Kai had a tight smile as Jessie told stories of our childhood.

"...when we were younger, Kenny and I made a pact that if we never found our mates, we would mate each other. The same goes for if we don't like or accept our mate. So far, neither of us has found our mates. We know each other best... we always have," Jessie said with a small smile towards me. I squeezed his hand gently.

"And we're still on track with that plan," I said towards him. I risked a glance at Kai and got exactly what I wanted. He looked surprised, hurt, and angry.

And I suddenly felt guilty.

I lowered my gaze to the table as my dad cleared his throat and stood. He was planning on making the speech announcing me as Alpha, but since replaceing out that my mate was another Alpha, I had a feeling that his speech would change. I looked at him expectantly to keep from looking at Kai. Jessie rubbed my back gently, instantly making me feel better.

"Alphas, thank you for coming. I held this conference to try and work out any issues there might be between packs, as we do every year. Also, I have important news," he said as his eyes drifted to me. I held my breath. He wouldn't actually tell everyone I found my mate, would he? He cringed a little before looking at my mother. She must have kicked him under the table. My dad cleared his throat again before he continued.

"My daughter, Stella, is in line to take my place as Alpha; making her the first female Alpha in history. This was a joint decision between my mate and I and the whole pack. They all agree; she can be a great leader. I expect no trouble to be brought up due to prejudices," he said. There was a quiet murmur spread through the room as everyone began to look at me and talk about me.

I could care less as I released my breath. He didn't say what I thought he was going to say. That was a relief. Jessie squeezed my hand encouragingly. I went back to eating my dinner in silence as I waited for the stupid dinner to be over. Kai was making me uncomfortable. Finally, people started leaving. I tried to be one of the first gone. I grabbed Jessie and made quickly made a move for the stairs.

I sighed when we got back to my room. Jessie unzipped my dress and I stepped out of it gratefully, kicking off my heels in the process. Jessie said a quick goodnight before he went to his room. After showering, I was too restless to sleep. I decided to go for a run. I put on a pair of running shorts and a sports bra. I went out to the forest. I was just about to take off my clothes and shift when a voice startled me.

"Did you enjoy that?" the voice asked. I knew who it was immediately. I paused and dropped my arms.

"I did," I said, turning to face him. "You're not ruining this for me. I have a life, and a family, and a pack. You're not taking that away from me," I snapped at him. He growled in frustration and took a step closer to me.

"Like hell I will," he growled.

"I, Kennedy-Estella, reject you, Kai, as my mate," I blurted before I could stop myself.