THE MATE THE ALPHA NEVER CHOSE
Though I detested smoking, the scent of my grandpa's pipe was something I had grown to love, and I cherished the memories it evoked in me.
"Smoking will be the death of you," Grandma remarked, still engrossed in her horror novel.
Grandpa laughed heartily as he knocked down one of my pawns. "My love, you've been saying that for almost five decades, yet here I am, alive and kicking."
She dropped her book and reached for a glass of water. "Well, I don't know about kicking. Your old body can't even stay upright on its own."
We all chuckled at that. It was customary to find my grandparents teasing each other and cracking jokes. They were a lively couple, and that's how they had raised me - with l