The Shy Alpha

Chapter Three

             The bbq was in full swing, and Alexa was in her element getting everything sorted before she could start her date with Dominic. She was a little depressed though, after she'd finished her cleaning at Alpha Derek's house, she went to say goodbye to Hunter, and didn't get a response from him. She waited 10 minutes... but heard nothing... It had been a long time since he'd last ignored or rejected her in anyway, and she forgot just how much it hurt.

            As Alexa was putting the last of the ribs on the fire, she felt arms wrap around her waist tightly, someones head resting on her shoulder. She could smell the unmistakable scent of her brownies, and smirked.

               "Dom if you don't move away now there will be no more of these ribs for you!" she goaded, giggling when she felt Dom tense up, but he didn't move away.

             "I'm so glad you agreed to go out with me... even if it was just tonight..." he whispered into her ear, her skin shivered, but it felt more awkward then good.

              "Yeah, don't get any more ideas though. It's just us hanging out, together..." before she could continue mocking his question from the day before, they both sensed their alpha approaching them. Dominic quickly jumped away from Alexa and she stood to attention, all of her attention on the smiling Alpha walking towards them.

            "Stand down Alexa, Dominic... I just wanted to ask Alexa something before she finished her duties," Alpha Derek's smile faultered slightly, but Alexa wasn't sure if it actually happened. She nodded, and Dominic bowed his head respectfully, before begrudgingly leaving. "Feel free to carry on cooking while we talk, I don't think I could fend off every hungry wolf here." A grin made it's way onto Alexa's face, and she did as he said, but made sure she paid almost all of her attention to him. Disrepecting her Alpha was the last thing she needed to do.

             "How can I help you Alpha?" she asked, her voice full of genuine curiosity.

            A deep sigh made it's way out Alpha Derek's mouth, before he rubbed his eyes wearily, Alexa was instantly worried, "Dominic is in love with you."

           Alexa almost dropped the tongs she was holding onto the fire, but managed to salvage it at the last minute. She always suspected there was something serious there, but hearing her Alpha say it, made the situation all the more real.

          "Alexa you know I think of you as a daughter... I wanted to know, do you love him?" Alpha Derek almost seemed worried about her answer, and Alexa immediately wanted to ease both of their worries.

         "No, no I don't love him Alpha. I'm sorry to say that maybe those feelings are my fault though, he asked me to go out with him tonight and I said yes without thinking..." the last part of that was a lie, but she couldn't tell him the real reason. To her shock though, he seemed more worried by her answer than she thought he would. "Alpha, Alpha Derek what's wrong?..."

         "He's asked for my permission to take you as his mate..." Alexa's world seemed to collapse beneath her, as she realised the gravity of the situation. "He came round earlier, asked to speak in private... away from the house, stated his intentions with you... and asked for my permission to declare the two of you mates."

        "But... but he can't..." forgetting who she was talking to, she took a step back, her arms dropping to her sides, her tongs long forgotten. She couldn't hear her Alpha, or the other wolves who had noticed the situation developing. Her parents made their way to the front of the crowd, calling her name, but she didn't respond.

          Dominic had gone behind her back and had told the Alpha he wanted to be mate with her, maybe if he had gone about it differently... no, she knew that even then she wouldn't say yes. Her heart belonged to Hunter, whether he recognised her or not, she was stupid to think she could have just moved on from her feelings that quickly.

            "Alexa...?" Dominic's voice made it through her haze. She turned her angry gaze towards him, feeling all her emotions welling up at once. "Alexa, what's wrong?" Before Alexa, or anyone else, knew what was going on, she made her way over to him and her hand made a loud, and painful connection with the side of his face.

          "You horrid, sorry excuse for a beta..." she muttered, her eyes welling up. "You know I don't love you... why would you do this?" For the first time since she'd known Dominic, she saw all traces of humour leave his face, leaving it stone cold and sober.

          "My wolf wants you, simple as. We might not be true mates, but both my wolf and I want you, and we've waited too long. You don't have a true mate... why reject us?" he tried to make it sound like he had genuine logic behind his excuse, and Alexa couldn't help her jaw dropping down in shock.

            "But I don't love you..." she whispered.

         Dominic's eyes turned hard, and she could feel his wolf rising to the surface, "that can be changed..." He grabbed the sides of her face, and pulled her towards him, his lips only an inch away from hers, when something stopped them.

       An alpha's roar, loud, powerful and angry ripped through the air, leaving everyone's hair standing on edge. All eyes shot towards Derek in shock, not sure what was going on... even less so when they saw it wasn't him who roared.

        Standing high above them, one arm holding onto the frame of the open window, his arm muscles rippling, and legs balancing on the small, slopping attic roof, stood the soon to be alpha, the wolf no one had seen in 12 years, Hunter.

              And he looked pissed.