Alpha Maria

Melody

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"It's a story for another time." The alpha said while standing up.

I started to walk her down the steps when she halted, which resulted in me running into her back. She was solid to the point where I bounced off of her rather than her moving forward from the contact. She held one hand up to signal me to wait. I was more than happy to wait here while she investigated, but I was also too curious to stay here. She moved one step and I followed closely behind.

"What time did you say your parents came home?" The alpha said quietly.

"It's too early for them to be here." I realized.

The alpha turned to face me and placed a hand on my abdomen and pushed me up the stairs. I turned around so I could run quicker and when we reached the top she grabbed my arm and pulled me to Isaac's room. She stood in front of the door and pressed my back into the door. She took the hand she was holding and placed my hand on top of the doorknob.

If we hadn't been in a scary situation I would've been attracted to her actions. Isaac was right, I liked a dominant woman. She placed her back against my front and readied herself for an attack. Again, if I didn't have my mind in the gutter, I wouldn't have even considered the fact that my hips were pressed just above hers and her back seemed to curve at such an angle it almost felt like she was pressing herself into me.

When the door opened Maria moved to lunge, but I grabbed her waist and pulled her back into me, and I was glad she couldn't see my face from this angle because it was definitely bright red. My hands were large enough to almost extend from her ribs to the top of her hips if I spread my fingers. I could feel muscle underneath the shirt she was wearing, which didn't do anything for her tiny waist and large hips.

"It could be someone we know. Wait." I commanded in a whisper.

She didn't move and I relaxed slightly at her not fighting with me on this. We heard footsteps inside the house and the door shut behind the invader. The steps sounded almost like the invader was wearing heels. I tried to listen for anything that could be useful, but my hearing wasn't as good as either of the wolves currently in this house, so I had to rely on something other than my senses.

"Honey, I got home from work early, I figured we could eat a nice dinner together." My mother screamed up the stairs.

I felt my normal breathing return and Maria seemed to relax against me. I had still had my grip on her waist so I released her and she took a step forward so I could maneuver around her. I nodded for her to follow me and I led her downstairs. I stopped by the kitchen island and leaned my elbows on the counter. I watched as my mom rooted through the fridge for something I was assuming to eat for dinner.

"Hey, mom," I said.

I guessed she didn't know I was in the room because she shot straight up and almost hit her head on the shelves inside the fridge. She held a hand over her heart and feigned being scared. She closed the fridge and turned to face me. I could see her eyes light up seeing Maria by my side.

"I didn't know we would be having company." My mom gushed.

"Oh, I really should get going anyway," Maria said.

"Absolutely not. Stay for dinner. I'd like to get to know the girl my son is bringing home." My mom seemed pleased when Maria stopped making her move to leave.

"It's not like that," I said defensively.

"Hush. I think I'll make chicken. Do you eat meat?" My Mom asked Maria.

"Definitely." Maria joked.

I had a mental picture of Maria eating a raw chicken with her hands and I quickly pushed the thought from my mind. I led Maria over to the table and we sat down and I wait for an onslaught of questions from my mother. I hadn't bothered to bring any women home considering I'd never been in a relationship and Isaac was one of my only friends. I didn't need anybody else. My mother, however, was disappointed.

"So, where did you meet?" My mom asked.

"We have English class together. I've just transferred." Maria answered for me.

"Oh, that's great. What were you both doing before I got home?" My mom asked. "If I have any grandchildren this early I will throw a fit. I taught you to be safe and I expect nothing less. Don't ruin my years where I can still feel younger than my friends with grandkids."

"Oh no, we've just been rehearsing lines for English." Maria laughed. I'm sure she was laughing at my horrified expression.

"How exciting. What's the play?" My mom prodded.

"Macbeth. Your son got the lead." Maria smiled at my mother.

"Oh honey you should've told me that you were going to be acting I would've gotten a cake or thrown a party or-" My mother babbled.

"Mom it's just for class. It's not an actual play." I interrupted her before she could've continued. I knew from experience that her ideas just got crazier the longer she spoke.

"Well, you should be doing real plays too. You would look great on stage." My mother swooned.

"Anyway, Maria is playing Lady Macbeth so seemed like a good idea to run lines together," I said.

I knew I was lying to my mom, but it wasn't like I could tell her I had joined a pack of werewolves despite being human and the girl sitting next to me was the alpha of said pack, which I was partially terrified of. It seemed better to lie than to worry her. I watched as my mom worked on dinner and struggled to open a jar of minced garlic.

"Where's your father when I need him?" My mom asked.

"I could give it a try if you need." Maria offered.

"Sure honey. Here." My mom handed Maria the jar and Maria pretended to struggle for a second before opening it. She was a better actor than I thought.

My mom looked grateful for the help and I was glad Maria offered before I had because I didn't need to embarrass myself by not being able to open a damn jar. The smell of cooking food filled the room and I needed a distraction to avoid hovering over my mother and trying to steal pieces of food when she wasn't looking.

"So besides the class we have together, what other classes do you have?" I asked Maria.

"I'm taking all the basics but I picked human anatomy as an elective and a piano class." Maria fiddled with her hands in her lap.

"Do you play?" My mom asked. "I figured it could be one of those easy A classes."

"I used to. It's been quite some time though." Maria said.

"I always wanted to get Dylan to play but he was always so stubborn. We actually have a piano in the living room. I couldn't tell you the last time it's been tuned, but if you wouldn't mind, we'd love to hear you play." My mom said excitedly.

"Oh, sure." Maria sounded unsure for the first time since I'd met her.

I led her to the living room which was down the hallway. My mother followed closely behind and pulled me to sit on the couch. I had thrown my arm around the backs of the cushions and settled back in my seat. My mother was squirming in her seat and I nudged her with my elbow to get her to quit it. She tried to sit still but I could see her playing with her fingers.

Maria had run her fingers over the wood of the piano and sat down on the bench as if she might break it. She seemed nervous and I whispered, knowing fully well she could hear me, that she would be fine. She touched the keys gingerly and rested her hands on top of them before playing her first note. The tune she played sounded haunting and I found myself leaning forward in my seat. I rested my elbows on my knees and watched her intensely as if she would stop if I wasn't paying attention.

It was as if she had never taken a break from playing. Each key was memorized and performed expertly. I had no idea what the song was, but I fell in love with it immediately. I felt that the noise was able to convey so much emotion without a word being said. I hadn't noticed my father had entered the room until Maria's song had ended.

"Hey honey, Dylan, Maria." My father said.