The Alpha and the Oracle (The Belesone Pack #1)

Chapter 7

Katarina stepped into the house and was surprised to find a blurry shape rushing towards her.

It took her a moment to realise it was Josanna, rushing at her. Instead of hating her for being chosen as the Alpha's mate - the Alpha Josanna had a crush on - she threw herself into her arms and hugged her.

Katarina couldn't remember the last time they had shared an honest to God hug. "Hello." Katarina smiled uncertainly. The word pulled Josanna back from her arms.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?" She asked, sounding practically distraught.

"Josie, I'm fine." Katarina smiled as she realised that her big sister was afraid she'd been hurt by the big bad Alpha. It was hilarious, but she felt too much sisterly love and warmth at the concern to laugh at her. When she looked up, she found her father in the kitchen doorway, staring at the floor. "Daddy, I really am okay. Granddad Constantine was there to take care of me."

"Oh, thank God." With a sigh of relief he stepped away from the door and caught both his girls in a hug. "I was so worried." He confessed, kissing the side of both their heads before pulling back. "Well, why don't we have a hot chocolate each and we can turn in for the night?" He suggested.

The girls followed him into the kitchen and sat down at the table while he prepared three hot chocolates with marshmallows. Katarina didn't need anyone to ask her what had happened, to know that they wanted to know.

"I'm," she began and cleared her throat from the dried tears. "I'm sorry Josanna, but the council have chosen me as the Alpha's mate." She started with the most important news.

She heard a clink that said her dad had dropped the spoon he was using. A moment later the noises began again and he had recovered from his shock.

She was so pleased that all Josanna did was nod and reach across the table to take her hand, that she returned the love with a smile. She was so happy her sister wasn't angry with her or hated her for something she hadn't asked for.

"We have a week of courting and on Friday evening the council will reconvene. If the Alpha hasn't found his true mate by Friday evening, we are to be united before his birthday." Katarina tried to speak dispassionately, but it wasn't easy. She was filled with so many mixed emotions that she barely knew what to think. She liked Milo; she had been crushing on him for the last four years, but that didn't mean much to the Alpha.

Katarina felt inadequate, useless, disloyal. All just for thinking and hoping that it could work. That she could be the Alpha's mate and spend her life with him. But it wasn't possible. It was reckless and stupid. She might get to be happy, but she would make the pack - and most importantly her Alpha - miserable. And that was unacceptable.

"Will you have to stay with him?" Grene asked.

She knew from his voice that he was scared and upset for her. He knew how she felt about herself and what she wanted for her life. Invisibility. Duty. Obedience. And to remain alone.

"No daddy, I won't. I've to stay here, at least until Friday. The Alpha is going to sit with me in all my classes and at lunch." She told him. "After school we'll do some training for an hour or so. Then he'll walk me home. Every second day we've to have a date to get to know each other." Katarina knew that Milo had never told her those things. But he had been projecting so much around his Beta that it wasn't hard to find out exactly what had happened in the room with the Elders, when she wasn't there.

"So...you won't be sitting on your own any more?" Grene smiled as he passed them their hot chocolates and took his seat.

He was glad to know that she wasn't going to be on her own again. It was the only thing he ever complained about; she was such a loner at school. Even though everyone in the shifter community knew that Josanna was her sister, Katarina would never let anyone say so at school, around the human kids.