Page 1 of Freeing My Alpha

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Rainn has me hooked arm in arm, skipping ahead of me. “Run with me, Luna! Noah told me you’re fast!”

Now I understand why Noah told me to wear my hiking boots. Dousing ourselves with mud before we’ve seen a single Lycan child, Rainn and I burst into laughter as we blast through dense thickets, a collection of little leaves gripping our long hair. My mate’s younger sister glances over her shoulder, and the brightness in her eyes stirs warmth in my chest. I never had a doting younger sister, but with just that look, I feel like I do.

Rainn pulls me to a stop, crashing into my torso with a hard hug. “Oh, your scent just got sweeter than ever. I love you too, Luna.”

“I— I love you too... too?” My world spins as I struggle to keep up with Rainn’s affection downpour—all within the first three minutes since we said hello.

I’m not Greenfield Pack’s Luna—not yet, at least—but loving words from pack members like Rainn make me feel like I’ve long-earned the title of the pack’s maternal protector. And even though I’m only part Lycan, instincts well up inside me whenever a pack member huddles up to me. I wish I could hug everyone here all at once.

Rainn’s smile widens as she pulls back. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to say a single thing—not when your scent is so honest. I love that about Noah too.”

As Rainn takes off, still gripping my hand, I laugh through my watery eyes. She’s so different from her shy, stoic brother, but so similar at her core: her wolf is ever-present in a curious, unbothered ball of energy.

“Ever since you asked to hang out with me and help out with my class, I’ve been so excited that I couldn’t sleep!” Rainn shakes her head, laughing at herself. “I can’t wait for you to meet everyone. They’ve been asking me all week about you.”

“They have?” I’m smiling, but nerves blast through my guts.

I have no idea what Lycans teach their kids in the Greenfield Forest School, but from what Noah and Rainn explained, it’s more of a daycare for homeschooled wolves, many of whom have been expelled from human schools for wolflike behaviors.

My preschool student, Andy, has been on my mind nonstop; his biting incident helped me recognize a new slew of wolfy misunderstandings in school. As future Luna, I want to make sure Greenfield Pack kids can access free education, but even more so as an educator.

I’m mildly terrified of what I might discover today. I asked Noah about a few standards of human early education, and his eyebrows formed into a deep scrunch.

“They’re wolves,” he said. “They learn some of that, but they need to learn how to hunt, survive, and protect their family and pack, first and foremost. Everything else isn’t as vital for Lycans as it is for humans.”

My chest tensed, protective instincts bubbling to the surface. “But they have human forms too. They need reading, math, and science skills, or else they’ll be even more segregated from human society.”

Noah’s resulting, earth-shattering concern surprised me. My sweet, shy Alpha sat with his head in his hands for over an hour, and I could only pull him out of it by promising him I’d take a look at the curriculum in person—and that I trust him and his pack to know what’s right for their needs.

Today, I only want to observe. My top Alpha mate and his little sister are proud of their Greenfield Forest School, and I wouldn’t dare drag down Rainn’s teaching style. My degree is in human education, not Lycan. Maybe the pups really do have a passable amount of literacy, numeracy, and science literacy.

Right on cue, a pup bursts from the bushes, stealing Rainn from my grasp with a tackle. I scream, but Rainn laughs, rolling across the forest floor with the child in her arms and popping back up to her feet. The pup nuzzles into her chest, giggling as Rainn vigorously rubs his back.

“My little Alpha! You are getting so good at prowling!” Rainn beams.

The pup screeches through his excitement, squeezing her as hard as his little arms can manage in a display of pure pride and joy.

That’s when Rainn kisses his forehead, over and over. I release a sharp gasp.

Rainn whips her head around, meeting my eyes with dilated pupils. “What’s wrong?”

I’m too stunned to speak out loud, resorting to the telepathic mindlink we share with Greenfield pack members. You kissed him.

Rainn’s shoulders loosen. She breaks into her usual reassuring smile, setting down the Alpha boy. Of course I kissed him. I’m his daytime mom. And so are you for today!

I want to smile along with her, but my stomach churns. What do their parents think about that?

They expect me to love on them! Wolves need a sense of community to grow up strong, and everyone trusts each other to help raise every pup as their own.

My heart tugs at the thought of Noah being raised like this. Feeling loved from all angles. I’m tempted to melt at the thought, but I can’t shake the human fears I know too well.

No one’s worried they might fall into the wrong hands?

Rainn laughs. Oh, no. At the first predatory hint in their scent, we handle those wolves with our fangs. No one’s getting to our babies here. Especially not under Noah.

I wring my hands, still uneasy. I know it’s different for them, but for whatever reason, I’m drowning in culture shock. But if Noah and I have a baby someday, does this mean they’ll grow up feeling safer than I feel now? That they have a better chance in this world? I bite my lip, staving off a giddy smile. It feels too good to be true.

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