Page 5 of Sold to the Alpha Wolf

We didn’t choose our mates, our lives. I was an alpha by birthright and some innate part of me. I didn’t decide to be this, and a part of me knew I wouldn’t have if I had been given the choice.

But I wasn’t. None of us were.

I was the son of the former alpha and his mate. No matter when he died, whether it was from old age or, as the case actually was, due to a lousy fucking human hunter who’d shot them both, I was destined to lead.

I hung my head, sighing. That headache had definitely not gone away, and it had definitely gotten worse.

My computer screen had gone black at this point, and I looked at my reflection in the dark abyss of my sleeping laptop.

“You’re a barrel of fucking laughs, aren’t you, Jet.”

Sighing again, I closed the thing and stood up. It was no use trying to get any work done at this point. The reports could wait, anyway. We weren’t in dire straits for food and supplies, and I needed to walk this off. I crossed the thick rug in my office, my boots making a shushing sound against the tightly woven strands of fabric.

I’d been fighting off this headache for too long, and since it was picking up steam now, I needed to just step away and distract myself. Plus, on top of that, my shoulders ached from sitting at that desk for too long. It was not how I enjoyed spending my day.

“Scotch. More scotch is necessary.”

My stash in the office was gone, so I stalked to the kitchen, hoping that my beta would be back soon with some good news about the hunt. Even the deer around here seemed to be dying out, and that wouldn’t fucking do.

Going into town and purchasing things from the humans too often was risky. They could catch on to our differences, and we had no desire to draw them up into the mountain so they could keep an eye on us with their gun-happy officers.

No, they didn’t know we were here, and we needed to keep it that way. Humans were worse than any rogue pack or slow disease that might be killing us; they were fueled by rage and prejudice, two things that did not mix well with others and spread worse than wildfire.

“Ugh, hurry back, Deacon. I need some good news.”

Entering the kitchen, I immediately noticed Kaiden and his sister, MacKenzie, playing cards at the long wooden table. The room was low-lit, with just the roaring hearth and a smattering of candles providing a warm glow. Aside from my office, this was my favorite room in the house, and it was filled with my favorite people.

These twins were the closest thing I had to true family and the last set of youngsters that the pack had seen. I smiled as I walked up, my nerves already relaxing as I let the power of nostalgia thread through me.

The kitchen was massive but homey. The large table that stretched across the far end matched the deep brown counters—aged mahogany that had stood the test of time. The walls were stuffed with cabinets and shelves of the same make, and a combination of MacKenzie’s healing herbs and Sonja’s for cooking hung from the ceiling alongside all the copper cookware.

This was the center of the house, the meeting room for dinners and war counsels alike. Of course, we did have a proper chamber for that, but when it was just me and those closest to me, we were in here—the command center.

“Hey, Jet.” MacKenzie’s cheery voice eased the frown plastered all over my face, and I smiled. “Wanna play?”

I walked over to them, standing behind MacKenzie and looking at her cards over her shoulder. Flicking my eyes over to Kaiden with a smirk, I nodded.

“Sure. When you win this.”

“Oh, don’t start that now!” Kaiden sighed, tossing his cards down on the table with a light chuckle. “Well, fuck. Guess I’m out, then.”

Doing a little dance in her chair, MacKenzie giggled heartily, grinning from ear to ear and making her tight copper ringlets bounce in place.

“Thank you, Jet!”

I couldn’t help the laugh, and Kaiden got up from his chair, offering it to me with a subtle bow of his head that sent his sleek black hair spilling over his face. Slipping into the seat, I smirked at him as he leaned against the island in the center of the room.

“Ha! Well, you know better than to play MacKenzie in Texas hold ’em, don’t you?”

He just rolled his black eyes playfully. “I guess I should. Kenz, you need to let someone win for a change if you want to keep any friends.”

“Absolutely not!” She shook her head, holding her cards to her chest. “I will keep them with my charming personality.”

The room erupted into a chorus of laughter. Damn, I loved these two. They were as different as siblings could be, from their looks to their skill with card games. But they were loyal, some of my dearest friends and basically my pseudo-children. The evening was shaping up to be much better now.

“Jet! Pack!”

Shouting boomed from the front door, and I exchanged worried looks with Kenzie and Kaiden. We all sprinted from our chairs, hurrying to the entrance hall in a flash of movement that sent the cards flying to the floor.

---