Alpha and the Mouse

There is someone in my room

I wake up startled.

Sweat gathers at the nape of my neck and slides down between my shoulder blades. For a few minutes, I look around confused, trying to place my surroundings. Thunder strikes outside my bedroom window and sends a tremor through the glass.

It"s a bedroom. I'm in Rosy's bedroom. I'm still here. I'm still at home.

These thoughts run through my mind as I finally take in everything. The floral cotton blanket, the dark wood dressing table, and mirror, the plain blue curtain hanging in front of the window, the study table, and everything else that belongs in her room. I throw the blanket off as I sit up.

A strange noise comes from somewhere. Like a growling sound. I look around. Maybe it's the roof? Is it finally going to fall after all these years? I told dad he should fix it, but he's too busy with other things. The sound comes again. This time it feels closer to me. As if it's right under the bed.

It's probably Howler. He likes to sleep under the bed when there is a storm outside. Wait! Isn't Howler at the vet's clinic? Didn't he get a bad case of dog flu?

I peek under the bed to see if he is there, but I find nothing. The rumbling sound comes again and in my bent position, it seems closer.

O..kay...

Lightning fast I dive under my covers. With the pillow over my head, I cower and wait for the sound to come again. If it comes once again, I'm screaming for dad. I wait for a few seconds. When that seconds turn into minutes and then into half an hour, I laugh. Wow! I can't believe I imagined something like that. It was obviously...

The sound comes again....

I take a deep breath.

"DAD!! HELP!! THERE IS A MONSTER IN MY ROOM! PLEASE HELP ME! HELP!..!!"

I hear footsteps running up the staircase. I knew sleeping alone was going to be a problem but nooo Jade is a big girl now. Jade doesn't need to sleep on the same floor as her dad. Jade can sleep upstairs, by herself because STUPID Jade is a grown up miss!

By the time my dad bursts into my room I'm fuming mad at myself. I can't believe I denied Rose from sleeping with me on my first night in the upstairs bedroom. Frantic my dad looks around trying to find the monster.

"WHERE!? WHERE IS IT!? WHERE IS THE MONSTER!?"

"I don't know dad! That is why I called you didn't I? If I knew where it was, I would have already told you." my dad looks at me at my sarcastic tone.

"Wait a minute Missy! You were the one who was screaming like a little girl for me to come save your highness's butt and now you are the one using that attitude? And wasn't it you who said you can handle sleeping alone? Without the reassurance of me sleeping right there, next door? And if you were so afraid why didn't you take Rosy up on her offer to sleep with you this one night? First, I have to stay with you until you fall asleep, which took 2 hours and then also get some sass from you this late at night! What has my life come too? I no longer feel like I'm the Alpha of this damn pack!" he finishes with a grunt.

By the end of his speech, I'm on the verge of bursting out into tears. I am a very sensitive person and even the slightest of raised voice from someone else makes me cry.

Seeing me controlling the urge to start crying, dad sighs. Walking over to me he pulls me down towards the bed. He takes my hand as he pulls me down with him to sit.

"Jade.." he calls, but I refuse to look at him. "Jade come on.. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. I've just been stressed from all the ruckus about the new pack moving in very close to our borders. I've tried everything but nothing seems to scare them off. People are starting to get scared and I can't do anything, even though I'm the alpha. I really feel like I'm useless right now." he confesses.