Chapter 5 - You have to be the Alpha!

Gabriella

Damn! Gabriella was planning on using this as an excuse to go back home, but if Venus wasn’t going to be there, there was absolutely no use in going home. Gabriella sighed as she hung up. She couldn’t believe that Venus didn’t tell her when it happened. It was sad to think that she had only been gone a couple of weeks and already she felt as though she was drifting so far apart from her friends. It was nice to catch up with Zion. They were best friends all through their childhood, at least, until Gabriella went away to her fancy school. They kept in touch every single day for about the first two weeks. Then school took over and Gabriella got busy and they slowly drifted apart.

“What are you thinking so deeply?” Lucienne’s voice cracked through her thoughts and she rolled her eyes. Why on earth was he even here?!!

“I was thinking about my girlfriends.” She sighed and poured them each a cup of coffee, taking a seat at the dining room table.

“Your girlfriends?” Lucienne looked puzzled and Gabriella couldn’t help but laugh out loud!

“Not in that way!” She smacked his arm and a bolt of electricity rushed through her fingers making her eyes grow wide. “I meant my two roommates in the city who happened to be two of my best friends.” A soft growl escaped from Lucienne’s throat and she rolled her eyes. “They also happen to be girls.” She rolled her eyes again and then remembered when he smacked her the last time she did it. A red blush crept over her cheeks as she took a sip of coffee. “Damn possessive wolf.” She mumbled, not sure if she wanted him to hear it or not.

“Hey, it is the way it is.” He shrugged, seemingly not bothered that she kept on rolling her eyes. What the hell was it with this guy? “So, what’s up with the girls?” She sighed and wondered if she should tell him, then decided why the hell not. If he really was my mate, wasn’t he meant to listen to my female complaining? She took a deep breath and closed her eyes before telling him what was going on with Venus, and how badly she felt that she wasn’t there for her friend when her friend needed her most. “Sounds to me like those girls have become your pack away from home.” He scoffed. “Why didn’t they come with you?” He frowned.

“Ah, ‘cause they have their own lives and jobs in the city. I couldn’t just ask them to drop everything and come here with me.” She shrugged. She actually thought about asking them, but she knew what their answers were going to be, so she didn’t even ask. “Besides, I don’t know how the pack would have reacted to a witch and a demi-goddess.” She burst out laughing.

“Wait … What does that demi-goddess look like? I heard that goddesses were the sexiest women you would ever meet in your entire life.” He grinned at her and she knew he was pulling her leg. Stupid wolf!

“You aren’t their type. They like sophisticated men. Not hairy baboons.” She stuck her tongue out at him and he laughed.

“It’s okay, as long as you like this hairy baboon because you are stuck with me for the rest of our lives.” He grinned, but the tension was suddenly so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Damn, stupid wolf! A soft growl escaped and she smacked her mouth shut with her hand and looked at him with wide eyes! Did that just happen?! “Awww, you are jealous.” He grinned, making her smack him! This was not what she wanted for her life! She didn’t want a stupid, overbearing, possessive damn wolf mate! She wanted to go back home and enjoy life with her friends without a stupid wolf sucking on her fucking side!

“Okay, your face is telling me it’s time for us to go.” He sighed.

“Go where?” She frowned. She had an entire day of writing planned. She didn’t have time to go anywhere!

“You have a meeting with the elders in half an hour and I don’t think you want to be wearing that.” He waved up and down and she looked at her clothes.

“No, I don’t. I have a lot of work to do.” She frowned. This wasn’t funny! How was she going to get through all her research and her writing goals for the day if she was out talking to the damn elders?!

“Oh, and then we have a meeting with the warriors and we have to go out to the borders so you can talk to the border patrols.” What the hell? That would take forever!

“NO! I don’t have time. I have a lot of writing to do.” She shook her head and walked into her mother’s old office, but he followed her. “And why the fuck are you telling me all this? Don’t I have an assistant or something that could go to these damn things on my behalf?” She frowned and started putting her things together. When his hand came to rest on hers, she felt that damn lightning bolt again.

“Listen, Gabriella, I know that you don’t want this, but for now at least, can you humour everyone? Just until you’ve decided what you are going to do.” She sighed. Honestly!

“Okay, fine!” She sighed.

“You now have twenty minutes to get ready.” He winked and she rushed upstairs to change. When she came back, she noticed that he had also changed and his hair was wet! When did he have time to take a shower?! “Since you don’t have a beta, I will be standing in until you choose one, okay?” She frowned as they walked into the conference room and she noticed that nothing changed in that place. They still had the same old red leather chairs that she loved when she was a youngster and she watched her dad sit and work. Her hand slipped over the crack on the table where her father always hit his fist when he was angry and she missed him terribly. Being there just made her feel so damn sad! She didn’t feel like the Alpha of the pack. She felt like an orphan! The elders started filling in and greeting her and congratulating her on finding her mate. Seriously! Couldn’t anybody keep a damn secret in this place?

“Can we get started, gentlemen?” She called the meeting to order and they all sat down. A young omega girl handed out coffee and snacks and she realized why all of them looked so damn fat! “Why did you want to see me?” She didn’t look at the brief that Lucienne brought her and from the looks on their faces, she got the feeling that she should have.

“We need to discuss your Alpha ceremony. Now that you are of age, well, you’ve been for a while, but now that you are back, we would like to get it over with as soon as possible.” Again, SERIOUSLY!

“I’m not going to be the alpha.” It felt really strange to say it. All her life she had imagined this life she wanted, but now that she actually said it out loud it felt wrong. Their response was expected. Not many wolves would deny being the alpha of a pack, now would they? “I’m sorry, gentlemen, but I just never imagined myself in this position. Isn’t there anyone else who could be the alpha?” She sighed and the air turned thick again. Something was up, but she didn’t have to wait long to find out what, as her uncle stood up.

“As I said before. I’ve been doing this job since my brother died. Gabriella is still young. Let her go out and enjoy her life and I will keep doing the job. She can return when she’s ready.” For the first time, Gabriella saw a smile on her uncle’s face that gave her the shivers and not the good kind. She studied him carefully and realized he was being awfully self-confident. Did he realize that he could take over without much resistance from her? Did she actually care whether he kept on taking care of things? But from the tension in the room and some of the mumbles going around, she could tell that the elders weren’t happy with that.

“Why don’t we have an election?” She smiled.

“That’s not the way it works.” The elder frowned. “We don’t live in the city.” He sounded agitated. REALLY?! Why couldn’t they have a democratic election and let the wolves choose their leader for themselves?! She frowned. “If your uncle wants to take over as the alpha, he has to do it on a permanent basis. We are wolves. Not humans!” The elder smacked his fist on the table and Gabriella hoped that nobody saw her jump with fright! A soft growl came from her and everyone’s eyes snapped at her with fear. Damn possessive mate!

“I’m not going to fight my uncle! That’s barbaric.” She stood up from her chair and stormed out. She needed time to think about this. Seriously! They wanted her uncle to fight her?!