Page 24 of Rise of the Alpha

“Miss Holloway, gargoyles are real. And Mr. Draighton, I would have hoped you would’ve paid better attention the last time you took this course, but that’s why you are here again. As Mr. Draighton pointed out, they were thought to be extinct, but are not,” he begins to explain, and my jaw drops at his revelation.

“You’re a gargoyle! I knew they were real,” I blurt out excitedly before I throw my hand over my mouth to keep from spurting out anything else.

He lets out a muffled chuckle as his gaze stays focused on me, a small trickle of electricity beginning to flow across my skin. “Yes, I am. We are small in number, with tiny clusters of three to four grouped together across the world, often holding sentinel positions guarding over places of importance, like this college. We are the oldest of supernatural creatures, second only to dragons.” He clicks the button through images of other pictures as he explains what they are. “We have numerous supernatural types. Even amongst shifters, you couldn’t count the different breeds on two hands. We have the common types: wolf, bear, panther, lion, and tiger. But also the more unique prey shifters: mice, housecats, ferrets…”

His words are now just an audible sound in the background as I begin thinking about what he just said.Ferret! Could it have been? Nah. I didn’t even feel the sensation of another shifter being around like I do with wolves. If it was a shifter, why would he just watch me at that most intimate of moments? Ah fuck, he saw me tiddle my bean, my big O, and then I held him while he licked my fingers.

“Are you okay?” Blaine leans into me to ask, concern laced in his voice.

“Umm… no… I just didn’t know there were ferret shifters.” Looking between the guys, I see Zeke has gone pale and looks nervous as fuck as his face turns red.

“Yeah, there are. Actually, I know a few of them.” Blaine’s words seem to hide a meaning behind them.

My thoughts are running wild with this new information and the need to know if it was a ferret shifter or a real ferret. I try to control them, pulling out a pen and paper from my bag, and taking notes.

Alpha Johnson

My receptionist's voice crackles through the speakerphone. “Alpha, there is a Mrs. Alderman on the line from Arcayne University requesting to urgently speak with you.” If she wasn’t easy on the eyes, she would have been gone by now, not to mention she sucks a mean dick and is discreet about it.

“Thank you. Send it through.” I drop my pen on the desk as I prepare to hear what is so urgent, knowing it must have something to do with Magnolia Holloway. When the call clicks over, I immediately answer. “Alpha Johnson, how may I help you?” Kind words that make my stomach want to hurl, but it’s a pretense I must keep up.

“Yes, Alpha, I’m Janice Ovelton, we met when you came here for the national pack meeting a year ago.” Ahh, yes. I remember now, she was a fun roll in the sack.

“Yes, I remember. How can I help you?” I repeat, wanting to get this call over with.

“Oh, yes. I was calling about the female wolf from your pack. When she came into the office today, I saw you had handled scheduling all of her classes, so I thought you’d want to know, she changed her schedule.”

“She did what?” comes out in anger, and I know by the shrill scream she’s shaking in her boots, and I’m not even there. It’s just how far-reaching my power truly is. People quiver in fear at the mere mention of the Exodus Pack.

“Yes, sir, she added Psychology as a secondary major and added a couple of introductory courses. I wasn’t going to let her, but the head counselor came over when she started making a commotion and did it for her. I even got in trouble for refusing to let her. I knew this change would be something you’d want to know,” her voice becomes more sultry as she speaks. I know an Alpha climber when I hear one, and right now, I already have a wife, one who is of this pack and knows her place. An Alpha climber is only looking for the power that the position of being my wife holds.

“Thank you, and please keep me updated with any other information you find out about her.” I quickly hang up the phone, dialing the number of the next person I need to talk to.

It rings four times before he picks up the phone. “Alpha Johnson, how can I help you?”

“You can explain to me why your daughter is going against the plans we laid out. You can tell me why she’s changing her schedule,” I growl out angrily. There is no way this little slip of a girl is going to make a mockery out of me.

“I have no clue what you’re talking about. She knew the rules to be able to attend school there. If she’s broken them, I’ll go there myself and drag her home.” We’re both quiet for a few moments. I believe him when he says he didn’t have a clue. But it’s not an excuse. He should have more control over his females. “When is she due to come home for a visit?”

“Two weeks, Alpha.”

“You are to notify me as soon as she gets in town and then she’s to come and meet me. I think it’s time for me to have a private chat with your daughter, my son’s future mate.”

“Yes, sir, as you command.” I hang up the line as I sit, seething in anger. This is what happens when you give a woman just a little bit of leeway, she thinks she can do whatever the fuck she wants. Magnolia Holloway is about to learn a lesson.

Zeke

Fuck!Fuck!Fuckityfuck!I’m dead. Deader than dead once she finds out what I am. That it was me in the woods. She’s going to hate me. Any chance I had with her is gone for sure now. I can tell she’s putting the pieces together now that this little bit of information has been made known to her. If only I had known she didn’t have a clue about all the shifter types that day, I wouldn’t be in this fucked up situation.

When she looks over at me, I can feel the color drain from my face, and even without seeing, I know I’ve gone ghostly white. I can’t make out the whispers back and forth between her and Blaine, and immediately, I feel frantic that they’re talking about me. He’s spilling my secret to her before I even have a chance.

Slow down, Zeke. Just breathe. Your best friend wouldn’t do that to you. You need to get yourself in check and calm down.

I have a plan. When class is over, I’m going to bolt from this room. Just get through classes today, then I’ll go to her room, confess and pray she forgives me. I mean, it was a total misunderstanding.

The more she looks at me, the more jittery I become. Mr. Godrickson keeps going on, showing slide after slide as he talks about the different supernatural species. I just wish he would shut the hell up, so I can bolt. My prayers are answered fifteen minutes later when he announces class is over and the assigned reading for our next class. It’s my chance. Standing quickly, almost knocking my chair over, I snatch my bag from the floor and the books off my desk and run.

“Where’s the fire, man? Wait up, where the hell are you going?” Blaine yells out to me.

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