8. Chapter 8
Dinner with the Alphas
“Hello, Little Wolf. I’m Charles. It’s nice to finally meet you.
I can see that August didn’t exaggerate your adorableness in his stories.
” His gaze cuts to August, who is giving him a very rude hand gesture, and he smirks before turning his attention back to me.
“I must ask, and please feel free to tell me to fuck off, how old are you?” Charles is smiling widely, a joyful twinkle in his eye as he watches Mandy and Abby snuggle on either side of me.
The big comfy couch almost swallowed us whole when we sat down, but I loved it.
“Um, I’ll be eighteen in seven days.”
“Damn, you’re tiny, Little Wolf. Well, your birthday is the night of the full moon, so we’ll have to celebrate here, then we can help you through your first shift.
We can talk about that over dinner since it's on the table now. Come on women, let's get you guys a plate before us fat ass Alphas eat it all.” I’m a bit confused as to why he would say they are fat.
None of them have an inch of fat on their bodies!
James is huge, like seriously massive, but it's all muscle.
He turns and heads back the way he came from and August and James scramble to get up.
August helps Mandy to her feet and James reaches both hands out to me and Abby.
We each take one to get up, but when we place our hands in his, he tugs hard and we go flying into the air.
Abby finds her feet quickly, but James has to catch me before I go tumbling to the floor.
I go really high into the air as James’s booming laugh echoes around the large room.
Abby is laughing too and the sound of the two of them giggling makes me chuckle, despite me being a bit upset at the way James just threw me through the air.
The smell of food hurries me on my way, so I leave the hyenas in the living room and follow the sound of Mandy’s voice to the table.
The kitchen is modern, all high tech smart appliances and marble countertops.
The cabinets are matte black to match the rest of the room and the tiles on the walls between the cabinets and the counters are a deep blood red.
The contrast looks amazing and I can tell by scent alone that Charles rules the kitchen in this house.
His orange zest scent is saturated in this part of the house and I find myself sneezing as I pass through to the fourteen seat formal mahogany dining table.
The chairs pushed in around the table match perfectly and have cream colored padded cushions.
Mandy is sitting on the right side of the table with her back to the window wall that has a stunning view of rolling waves.
I stand there staring at the view for a second as James and Abby walk up to either side of me.
James throws his big heavy arm around my shoulder and gives me a gentle squeeze.
When I look up at him, he is smiling at me.
“The view is astounding, isn't it? I’ve lived here almost fifty years and I still can’t get used to how beautiful the ocean is.”
I want to ask where he was fifty years ago, or question how old he actually is, but the look in his eye is screaming that it's personal, so I let it drop and hug him to my side. Walking forward without letting him go, I sit in the chair across from Mandy and next to Charles, who is sitting at the head of the table. August is on Mandy’s other side across from James and Abby is looking around the room as if she is searching for something.
“Where is CJ and the boys? I thought I’d introduce them to Becca so she knows someone before starting her Early Start classes.”
Mandy frowns, looking my way before giving Abby all her attention again.
“They are with Sandy for the next two weeks.” Abby nods and sits beside James.The two of them seem very close, but when Mandy addresses me I let the thought go and pay attention to the table and conversation.
“I didn’t know you were taking Early Start courses. ”
“Yes, I am. Dean Sanchez set up classes on shifting and shifter culture so I can get a better understanding of what it’s like to have a wolf before my first shift.
He also wants me to take a placement test since I went to the human highschool, that way he can put me in the correct classes when the fall semester starts. ”
“That’s really nice of Hector. He’s a great Beta.” Charles is filling the plates with food and sending them around the table.
All of the guys make sure that the women have plates before accepting plates for themselves. We talk about little things, people around the community and upcoming town events. Mandy mentions us girls going out to have a girls day, which me and Abby immediately agree to. The whole night is pleasant.
The Lycan family, the ones I met at least, are all really nice and seem to genuinely enjoy my company.
James gushes over my sketches and even offers to pay for some of them to hang in his office.
I tell him he can just have them, but he still makes me promise to paint him a large canvas with a seascape, and that I accept some money for the commission.
I agree, but mentally tell myself I’d leave the money for Abby when I go to my new family.
Thinking about going to a new family makes me feel sad.
Abby is amazing and the Lycans are such a joy to be around.
If I go to a new family, I may not be able to spend as much time with them.
Would the new family be as nice and welcoming?
Would they give me the Cinderella treatment, make me cook and clean and expect me to stay silent all the time?
Not that I mind cooking and cleaning, but my mind is making up thousands of worse case scenarios.
When it’s finally time for us to leave, I can feel the tears building in my eyes.
I want to stay here forever. I want to meet CJ, who everyone here says is an amazing boy and Alpha.
I want to be able to talk to Mandy about all the odd things I keep experiencing and feeling.
I know that Abby will tell me anything I want to know, but something keeps whispering in my mind that Abby won't be able to help me with the dreams I’ve been having every night since I got out of the hospital.
Hugging all the Alphas and their Omega makes me feel so welcome, I trudge down the stairs to the car, each step feeling heavy.
A pang in my chest tells me that I should stay, but my mind argues that I wasn’t invited and have no reason to even want to.
Hell, I didn’t even know if they had a room for me to stay in, or if they’d want me to.
So, I wave back over my shoulder when Mandy says she’ll call tomorrow to set up our girls’ day then get into the car.
I notice Abby stands in the doorway for a few extra moments, the five of them talking quietly before they all turn to look at me.
Abby nods at them and makes her way to the car.
The ride home is quick and silent. When we pull into the drive, I move to get out immediately, but the sound of my name stops me.
“Becca, can I talk to you for a minute?” I sit back in my seat and turn to give her my full attention.
“So, I’m supposed to wait a few more days, but after watching you at dinner, I think I should tell you now.
Remember how I said there was a family that already applied to be your sponsor?
” Nodding, I tilt my head to the side, curious about what she is getting at.
“Well, the Lycans are that family. Technically, you're not supposed to join your new family until you manifest, but since all new wolves shift at the Alphas’ house for the first time anyways, I think it would be better, if you want, for you to move in sooner. I talked to them about it before we left and they agreed that the sooner you get there, the better.”
Her words make my chest leap in excitement. For some reasons that I don’t understand, I want to be close to them. They feel like family in a way that even Abby doesn’t. Still, the logical side of my mind has questions.
Nothing about my changing has been normal.
Every time someone mentions how things are supposed to go for Chosen, I can’t help but notice that it isn’t that way for me.
Abby explained that Chosens don’t usually feel any different until they get their wolves on their first shift.
Even their sense of sight and smell isn’t that much different until their soul joins their wolves.
Chosen usually spend a week or two grieving their old life before they are ready to accept it and start learning about their newly adopted culture.
Abby even mentioned that the last Chosen wolf waited for ten years before he allowed his Beta mate to change him because he was so scared.
I, on the other hand, haven’t grieved at all.
I’m not sad my human life is over, I don’t need time to adjust or accept the difference.
I just want to start being a member of the community and get my wolf, so we can start bonding.
I smell everything, even if I don’t understand what it is I’m smelling.
My sight is way more advanced than it was when I was human, and I can hear things happening miles away if I focus on it.
I also have all these strange emotions bubbling in my chest. I don’t know what they are or how to deal with them, and that makes me anxious.
Everything about me is strange for a Chosen Wolf, but maybe staying with the Alphas and having them to explain things will make it clear why I’m so different.
There really is no other way to handle my situation.
I’m sad that I’m leaving Abby so soon, but I’m also happy to have a more permanent situation.
I think a lot of the confusion I’ve been feeling these last few days is because I knew that I wasn’t done with the changes.
In the back of my mind, I always remembered that I’d have to leave Abby’s and start a whole new routine with a family I hadn’t met and didn’t know.
Now, I’m relieved to know that I’ll be staying with the Lycans.
Sure, I haven’t met CJ or his pack yet and that makes me nervous, but this way I’ll have a whole week to settle in before I have to deal with the next wave of new experiences.
“So, you want to do it? All of this is up to you. If you’re uncomfortable with going there, then it won’t happen. I just need to know what you want to do.”
“Yeah, I want to go. I feel really safe with them.” She smiles at me, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.
Her beautiful green eyes are full of worry that I don’t understand.
Thinking back over my words, I realize she probably thought I didn’t feel safe with her and that isn’t it at all.
“No! Don’t think I don’t feel safe here!
Your place is amazing, and so are you. I love being your friend and talking to you. ”
“Becca,” Abby puts her hands on either side of my face and makes me look into her eyes.
“Breathe darling. I didn't think that at all. I’m just worried about how well you are taking everything. Something about your transition is so different from what I’ve seen before and I’m worried about what it might mean for you.
I know that we are friends, before long we will be best friends.
I adore you and I know the feeling is mutual.
So don’t worry about it anymore okay? No matter what happens, us and the Lycans will handle it. ”
She holds my gaze a bit longer before pulling me into a hug. “Let’s go get you packed up. I’ll text James and have them come help move your stuff in the morning so you have time to settle before starting school Monday.”
I hold her a bit tighter for a minute before agreeing with her plan. That night, we pack all my stuff up then pop some popcorn and fall asleep watching movies. It feels like hanging out with Sam when we were in middle school, before all the boys and drama that eventually drove us apart.
The next morning, we are woken up by Mandy and her Alphas walking into the house.
The three of them laugh at our disheveled state then ask if they can make us breakfast while we get ready for the day.
It is an amazing day and I couldn’t have felt happier if I tried.
My life as a wolf is finally settling down and I know that as soon as I get my wolf, it’ll be perfect.
I’ll finally be living the life I was always meant to live.