My Female Alpha

SEVENTY THREE

emery

The first thing I hear is Lenora's soft warning growl. Goosebumps scatter across my skin at its sound and a tiny fire kindles in my belly.

The second thing I hear is my father's derisive laugh.

I turn to Denver to gauge his face and my heart snaps in half at the sight of it. His expression has crumpled completely with despair.

"Okay, that's enough," I hear myself say in a voice I don't recognize.

Everyone turns to look at me. I put my hands on my hips and glare at my sister.

"Really, Bella?" I snap.

"What?" she cries.

"You know what." Then I turn toward my parents. "Daddy, look. I know this seems like a big joke, but it's not. You don't have to believe in soulmates or love, but you do have to get to know Denver and you do have to take him seriously.

"He is a good man with a good heart and I've never met anyone as loyal or protective or kind as him. He's my best friend, too. None of us could have picked a better match for Bella. And unless she does something really stupid—"

"Hey!" she pouts.

"—Denver is not going anywhere, anytime soon. Stop making him feel like shit or I'm gonna burn this freaking building down."

I suck in a raspy deep breath but don't let my gaze up on either of them. My dad appears to be in shock and my mom is horrified.

"Language!" she hisses. "And you can't threaten arson, honey! You'll go to jail!"

I roll my eyes but glance at the worker behind the register, catching her staring through wide eyes. I wave my fingers at her and she ducks behind the espresso maker.

A strong arm cradles my hips and pulls me into a hard chest. I tilt my head back to see Lenora smiling proudly down at me.

"My little Luna," she purrs. "Kicking ass and taking names."

My father huffs sulkily. "Alright. Let's get you kids something to drink and then we can all sit down and talk. One big happy family . . ." he mutters.

"See," Lenora says, turning to Denver with a smug look. "I told you."

We all order drinks and Dad pays, against the insistence of both Lenora and Denver. Once we're all settled into the booth—me, Denver, and Lenora on one side, and the other three opposite of us—the dreaded conversation starts again.

My parents ask Denver a few basic questions about where he's from, what he does for a living, and his family. I learn things I never knew about him, but I also am not sure how much is true and how much is sugar-coated for human ears.

"Okay, Denver," my mom says. "I like you for Bella. You seem calm and steady." Her eyes fall on me. "And if my youngest trusts you, then you must be everything she said."

I blush from her praise and earn a pat on my thigh from Lenora.

"Dad?" I press, meeting his skeptical gaze.

He nods and sighs. "Yeah. I second that."

Denver relaxes next to me and I flash him a smile.

It's only a small victory, but at least they'll stop ridiculing him. He deserves better than that and,
apparently, my voice is the only one my parents are willing to listen to.

"Now that that is out of the way," Bella says, "why don't you two tell us what this surprise visit is really about?"

My parents both tense and exchange a look. I frown.

"Well . . ." my mom trails off, her eyes hooked on her husband. "You tell them, Harry."

He takes a sip from his coffee before placing the mug on the table with a sigh. His eyes flit to me and then Bella.

"What is it?" my sister demands. "You guys are so dramatic!"

Now we know where you got it from. I subtly roll my eyes.

"I've retired from the shop," says my dad finally. "I sold it and your mother and I are thinking about moving up here to be closer to you kids. You both seem happy here and it doesn't seem like you'd be interested in moving back to Savannah anytime soon . . ."

"Nope," Bella and I say at the same time.

We chuckle and then I say, "That's great news, Dad! Why the long face? Aren't you happy to retire?"

"Well . . . there's more." He looks at my mom with a deep breath and she nods. "We're looking to move up here. So we can be close to y'all."

Bella and I look at each other through wide eyes. Lenora's hand tightens on my thigh.

"That's exciting!" I say, trying to sound enthused instead of panicked.

"But you two always said you wanted to retire in Savannah?" questions Bella.

"We decided being close to our daughters is all we want," my mother says. "I think we could use a change of scenery anyway."

I frown at the way her voice dropped as she said that.

"So, are you going to sell your house then?" Bells asks.

Our dad nods. "Yes. We need to downsize anyway. A three-bedroom is a bit much for us to maintain."

We continue chatting about what kind of house they want up here, when they plan to start looking, and whether they have found a realtor yet.

At one point during our conversation, I feel Lenora stiffen. She remains on edge for several minutes and doesn't utter a word. She and Denver have acted like statues the whole discussion—not that I blame them.

This is going to be a logistical nightmare.

Lenora and I have discussed terminating my rental agreement on the apartment since neither Bella nor I use it anymore. The rent is just a money dump gradually draining my savings account since I haven't worked. Bella offered to help but she doesn't have much saved up after putting herself through two years of law school.

But if we terminate my lease, my parents will wonder where Bella and I live. They'll probably want to see it, even. We can't exactly give them a grand tour of the pack house.

I glance over at Lenora and notice her piercing glare is set on someone across the coffee shop. She breaks her stare to offer me a soft smile, but the tension in her face and posture remains.

I look over to where her harsh gaze was just set and notice a dark-haired woman with graying roots and a tired face. She stares blatantly at our table, her mouth marred with a frown.

Her eyes lock with mine and nausea toils in my stomach.

"Excuse me," Lenora says.

Denver slides out of the booth so she can leave and my gaze trails after her. As Denver settles back in next to me, I watch Lenora approach the older woman.

What is she doing?

I can't hear what they're saying but Lenora's body language suggests she's agitated.

"—you think, Em?"

My attention snaps to my mother. She raises her brows at me.

"You okay, sweetie?" she says.

"Sorry, yeah." I offer an apologetic smile. "What did you ask?"

"I was just asking if there were any neighborhoods you would recommend—"

"GET THE FUCK OFF ME!"

We all break our necks to find the source of the booming voice. Lenora is facing off with the older woman who is now standing. Denver jumps up from the table but Lenora shakes her head at him.

A giant knot of trepidation builds in my throat. Bella kicks me under the table and shoots me a startled, confused look. I shrug, looking back at the escalating situation.

What in the shit is the matter now? I whine internally.

"What?" the woman says with a strange smile. "I'm not allowed to hug my own daughter?"