Alpha Nicholas
Chapter 11 –

Alpha Nicholas

After two hours of playing nice and actively avoiding my mate, it's time for the sit-down meal part of the night and of course, I have to make a speech and I'm not looking forward to it. Don't get me wrong I love being Alpha and I love all of my pack members even more, and it's always an honor to have other packs go out of their way to come here but I just hate all the mindless conversations that I have to entire, and the times that I have to play nice with someone that I do not want to.

I get on with most of the people that I come across in life but now and again I get a strange feeling towards someone, a feeling that they are bad and the worst part of it is that in the past, when it has happened, I have ended up being right about them. Tonight I have had the same feeling with two wolves that I have met, one of them being the Beta to a fucking pack. I got talking to him and another guy, a warrior in the same pack and I swear that they made my skin crawl. Don't get me wrong, they were polite as can be but there was something about them that made me feel tense and instantly, I wanted to kick them off my pack lands but I couldn't... not without good reason anyway.

As soon as everyone is seated, I take my place at the centre of the stage and take a moment to enjoy the view. I may be a grumpy bastard at times but I do like to see everyone happy. I love seeing the mates that have been found and the hope that it holds for their future.

"Good evening everyone. first of I want to apologize for not personally being able to welcome you all today. We had several packs arriving at the same time and it was simply impossible, but I appreciate every single of you for making the effort to come here this evening and I hope to speak with many of you while you are here. Now, I am aware that several mates have already been found this evening and I want to congratulate you all and send my best wishes to those of you still searching. The night is young and I'm sure that many more mates will be found before the night is over."

I take a breath while loud cheers and howls burst the air, the excitement enough to make the air sizzle around us. "She should be up here with us!" Storm growls. I know he's struggling but the fucker won't shut up. I haven't seen her since that awkward moment with Elder Stone and I don't have any plans to change that. "But she's right there!" He growls as he tries to push his way forward and take control. It can't happen here. I won't let it. "Storm, I swear to the Moon Goddess, if you don't behave I'm going to block you out for the rest of the night!"

He lets out a whimper that tugs at my heart before going to the back of my mind and sulking while I quickly finish my speech before taking my seat in preparation for the meal. I swallow a sigh as the storm continues to whimper. Am I being too hard on him? Yes, proberly but this is hard for me too. I've always been so adamant that I didn't want my mate that I thought that If or when I did meet her it would be easy for me to reject her or, at least, I convinced myself that's how it would go. The Moon Goddess clearly isn't happy with me, because she's making sure that it's not as easy as I thought it would be... Fuck, it isn't easy.

Somehow I manage to keep calm and hold conversations with my family while we eat which is surprising considering the fact that halfway through the main course, Storm found our mate sitting close by and made sure that I saw her too. It took just seconds to notice that she seemed off. She looked sad and wasn't even eating and it pissed me off. Why wasn't she eating? And on top if that I noticed that Beta and Warrior that i dislike at the same table as her and I wasnt happy about it.

Another thing that has pissed me off yet again is the Moon Goddesses and her sense of humor. Not only has she thrown my mate in my face but she has given me a mate who doesn't look much older than my own daughter. She can't be any more than 20. Granted it explains why I hadn't met her yet, but it's also just another reason not to accept her, it's just not right!

"How are you holding up?" I jump at the sound of James' voice as he comes to sit beside me. Since food finished I have remained seated because I know the moment I get up one of two things will happen. One, Storm will drag me to see our mate, or two, Elder Stone will replace me and start the meetings between me and the wanna-be future Luna's. None of which sound appealing to me.

"I don't know." He gives me a sympathetic look just as Shane comes over and nudges me as he takes the empty seat on the other side of me. "Have you seen her again?" I shake my head not wanting to talk about it but knowing that I won't be that lucky. My brothers like to gossip more than the old ladies in the pack. "I don't know how you can do it." James grunts sounding pissed. Why the fuck is he pissed? I shrug. "It's not as easy as I imagined it would be, but I only need to keep going until tomorrow."

"I'd gives anything to meet my mate and yet... Fuck, you're throwing your mate away like she's nothing. How could you see her and yet, not feel a thing?" Shane grunts. "If only that was the case, brother. Trust me, I felt it all, the tingles that ran through my entire body. The way my heart was pounding. I felt the pull to her wolf and I felt the urge to pull her into my arms and never let her go but none of that matters, it doesn't change a goddam thing! I don't want a mate."

"Look bro, I love you and respect the shit out of you but fuck, you're an idiot!" James practically shouts. "It's his choice, brother. We may not agree with what he's doing but it's our job to still look out for his ass, even when he's being an idiot." Shane's words anger me but I do my best to keep my anger in check. "I saw her again during dinner and fuck... If already having to see her again wasn't bad enough, I realised that she's also insanely younger than me. I'm not kidding when I say that she's not much older than Lottie. I reckon 20 at the very most. How didn't I notice it before?"

My brothers shrug at the same time and if this was any other situation I would laugh at their coordination. "Age is just numbers. It doesn't mean anything once a wolf is 18 and you know it. Hell, look at Mom and Dad." My mom is 9 years younger than my dad and granted I've always thought the same as Shane but now... not so much. "More like you're just using it as another excuse!" Storm growls. "I think someone is just using the age gap as another excuse, for all you know she could be older but just not look it." Shane grunts making me laugh. "What part of that was funny?" He snaps. "None. I'm laughing because Storm said the same thing just seconds before you. "Smart wolf."

"You need to think this through brother before it's too la-" James gets cut off by a loud growl that makes us all stand and look around the room. "There's trouble by the bar." Storm shouts sounding pissed as fuck. I take off in that direction with my brothers right behind me and quickly replace the source of the growls and I'm instantly pissed. Sophie is standing on her own looking down at the ground while she wraps her arms around her waist. "What the hell is going on here?" I know I should act more professional but this is Sophie and I'm incredibly protective of her as are my brothers who have placed themselves behind her ready to protect her.

"It's nothing, Alpha Nicholas. We had a small issue but it's been dealt with now." Some guy says as he comes to stand beside me. I don't know who he is but I instantly dislike him. What is it with all these pricks here tonight? I don't like him and I don't want to hear his shit so ignoring him I go to stand in front of Soph and lift her chin so she has no choice but to look at me. A crowd is gathered around us now but I pay no attention to them.

"Soph, sweetheart. What's wrong?" She looks at me then at the guy who spoke to me just seconds ago before shaking her head and looking back down at the ground. "Sophie, talk to me." Her eyes fill with tears and the sight makes my heart hurt and anger simmer below my skin. "I can explain the situation if you would like, Alpha?" I'd rather hear it from her but I have a feeling that she's already shut down on me so instead, I nod in his direction while keeping my eyes on her.

"I discovered that this girl here is my mate and I rejected her. I'm sure she expected it so I'm not sure what this show of tears is for." He sounds cocky and shows no remorse and I want to knock him the fuck out. "You rejected her... Why? Shane asks and I swear even before the prick answers, I know I'm gonna hate his answer.

"Have you seen her face? You'd reject her too and you know it!" Yep, he's dead!