Theo reached out and set my muffin on the table, then took my hands in his, “As the Alpha’s sister you are held to the highest standards, not only is it your birthday in a few short days - which should have finding your mate at the top of your priority list...” I huffed at that notion and he squeezed my hands as if to say ‘quit.’
He took a long breathe in, and as he exhaled, I seen my father lurking behind him, but not fully coming into the room we stood in. Theo most definitely got most of his looks from the Alpha bloodline, his chin chiseled in the same way, their expressions the same, and their eyes perfectly emotionless.
Theo continued ”…but we will have unmated males from other territories roaming around anytime now as they arrive with their Alpha's, until after the Carnival,” he paused again when Rowan tensed at his words.
I wasn’t sure what else there was to say, or why the Alpha's would come when they usually don't, but after what seemed like a longer then normal pause, “The Timber Pack will be in attendance this year, as there is also an Alpha's meeting the first night of the carnival.”
His words seemed to fall from his mouth in such a controlled way, but he was squeezing my hands uncomfortably. He was unnerved which was new, and I could feel my mother's pure fear as she raised one hand gently over her mouth and one hand to her chest, hunching into herself a bit. I broke Theos glare, redirecting my stare to the floor, his surprise only stifled by my father's contentment with my actions.
On the way down I caught a glimpse of Rowan who hadn’t flinched at the news, and Farah whose cheeks were streaming silent tears. I didn’t have to submit, but Theo’s position was new, and being the sister to the Alpha didn’t exempt me from acting accordingly, especially under the eye of the old Alpha.
“I understand Theodore, may Farah and I be excused?” My voice was much softer than I expected. Theo let go of his grip on my hands and gently lifted my chin to look at him, meeting me with his softened eyes.
“I’m still your brother Avi, please continue to call me Theo,” he smirked, breaking both a smile on my face and what seemed like the tensions in the room. He grasped my head on either side lightly and kissed the top of my head gently, “Please come to my office later as I’d like to speak with you alone, but you and Farah may go.”
Theo would always be my soft landing, but it didn't help alleviate the suffocating nature of this lifestyle. Two days, in two days I would have a lot more freedoms but I wasn't sure I could leave him behind to deal with all of this alone. He didn't have a mate yet, though he wasn't much older than me, but it would have been lonely growing up without anyone else who truly understood the dynamics and responsibilities that rested on our shoulders alone.
I gave him a gentle nod and took Farah’s hand as we made our exit back through the kitchen, up the stairs and to where my room was. When we got to my hallway, we both let out a huge sigh as if we had been holding our breathe the whole time, although to be fair, Farah might have been.
I turned to her and apologized, “Sorry about that, I guess I should have listened to your wardrobe advice!” That’s when I noticed, she wasn’t really listening to me. Her face was paler than I’ve ever seen it, and she broke into a rambling sob as I dragged her into my room.
I sat her in a big chair beside my bed and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders.“What are we gonna do Avi?” Farah’s panicked voice rang out, and I sat staring at her not really knowing what to say.
‘Tell her to be afraid’ Echo chimed in.
‘NOT helping… like at all!’ I snapped back. I looked at Farah and grasped at what confidence I could, to speak without sounding as afraid as I should be, “Theo won’t let anything happen to us…”
“It’s the TIMBER pack!” She screamed at me, covering her mouth and looking like she let the cat out of the bag.
“My room is soundproof Farah… and I –“
“Well then, IT’S THE FUCKING TIMBER PACK AVI!!!” She cut me off and screamed. I was shocked, I didn’t know whether cry or laugh. I knew the words she was saying were intense, but I had never heard a fowl thing come out of her innocent mouth.
“Farah, having a sailors mouth is kind of MY thing…” I tried joking with her, but it didn’t break her free of whatever trance she was now in.
Two solid knocks on my door sounded, what kind of psycho knocks twice?
I already knew as I got up from crouching in front of Farah, to answer the door.His minty scent had filled my nose before he even knocked, I opened the door slowly and stopped it with my foot so that less than my body width was open, as my voice rang out in an accusatory tone, “Rowan… “His face looked puzzled and annoyed, probably because I called him by his full name. As a child I could never say his name properly, so I only ever called him ‘Ro.’ He always said it sounded so formal and weird to hear me speak his full name, a little taste of what I endured downstairs if you ask me. I was still standing in the doorway, not having fully opened it when he relaxed his stance, bringing his hand up in front of his chest, holding a strawberry muffin.“I didn’t know…” was all he said.Did he really think he could bribe me? Of course he did, because he knows me a little too well. I tried not to get lost in
“You can’t ask that of her…” I could hear my mom whisper in distress.“He certainly can, she has always been a part of this family, and that’s what's expected of her role, blood or not Willa.” That stern tone had to come from my dad, Gabriel.“Please Theo,” she begged, “she deserves her mate, wherever and whenever they find each other.”The room grew hushed, I could feel their tensions from where I stood and Echo was pacing at their words, ready to rip into anyone that threatened our ability to find our mate. I pushed her to the back of my mind and opened the door, calling out as if I had just sprung down the stairs and burst into his office without a second thought.“Hey Theo!” I faked surprise when I seen both mom and dad starring back at me, “Mom… are you ok?”“Yes sweetie, and we were just leaving” she barely made it out of the room before breaking into a sob as she scurried upstairs.“Much better,” my dad noted, nodding to my dress. His voice
I raised an eyebrow at him, desperate for him to elaborate.“After you shifted on your 16th birthday for the first time.” He paused for effect I’m sure, but I tried to let that sink in for a minute, it would make sense for it to be timed around when Echo appeared.“Your wolf gets a lot more… prominent after that, and sometimes they can sense things.” His voice was cautious, I was his sister but we were also discussing his best friend, “But I’ll tell ya Avi, I haven’t seen Rowan faulter in his affection for you once, I’m glad you’re birthday coincides with the carnival because if you both could find your true mates, that would make this a whole lot easier…. And leads me to the real reason I asked to talk with you in the first place.”So Theo didn’t think we were mates either, but he had a point, if both of us could find our true mates in the next few days it would makes things so much easier and seamless, I sure wouldn’t have so much guilt over things eve
I left Theo’s office feeling confused. Was I happy, or upset? I was neutral. I didn’t know what to think and that left me in the middle, at least I wouldn’t have to make up my mind right away, there would be time to decide the fate of the rest of my life.I walked upstairs realizing how drained I was, and I couldn’t escape to recharge where I normally did, not that I would want to right now anyways. Knowing Ro, he would be waiting out there for me even now, ready, and willing to just exist beside me. There were always moments with him, ones I could tell he wanted to push the subject but was waiting on me, he would slowly approach a boundary without daring to cross it. Slowly stroking his fingers through my hair and allowing his hand to travel down my arm, stopping himself from venturing lower. Resting his head on mine as he brought me in for a hug, but never daring to plant his lips on me in any fashion.I decided that a nap was the next best thing, I glanced at the cloc
We pulled up to a decent sized mall and wasted no time heading in. I tried to focus on just being out with Farah instead of letting my mind drift, as she pulled me in and out of several shops making me try on countless dresses and shoes to match. We eventually settled on a few dresses that resembled the ones we were already wearing, and made our way onto the formal half of the mall.I knew Theo had picked my outfit for the first night of the carnival, so I settled on a black, slim fitting dress, with long sleeves and a deep V down my back, that would be perfect if my presence was required the second night of the carnival. I wasn’t too comfortable with it, it was showing a lot more skin than I was use to, but Farah said it hugged me in all the right places, and if she approved than so would everyone else.We walked further into the mall and skipped a few shops until there it was, the perfect dress!I pulled Farah into the shop after spotting an emerald green dress t
I turned on my heels, spinning to meet the identity of the man behind us.“For fuck sakes Ro!” I screamed, we came out of the mall too quickly to register his scent and he seemed to get some kind of enjoyment from my reaction. He waited there on purpose for us to come out, now smiling slyly at me while raising an eyebrow.“Tsk tsk tsk Avi, is that a mouth fit for an Alpha’s sister? What would your mother say?” His eyes met my own, and I tried my hardest not to get lost in them, as he tried scolding me playfully, and the only emotion I wanted him to feel right now was my annoyance.“My mother would say Betas shouldn’t hide in the shadows, how psychotic!” I glared at him, now more pissed off from the shock than annoyed, “Betas!” I rolled my eyes.“Well Theo wants you home,” he smiled cockily, “I’m here to make sure it’s without incident.”Farah looked at h
I stared out the window trying to catch a glance at the streets, but it was beginning to get dark and just left me wondering which packs had arrived. I climbed into bed wishing I could just sleep through the next four days. My birthday and the carnival would all pass by, and there wouldn’t be so much tension and pressure.6am came too soon.Farah's knock always made me smile, it was just so... her. When I opened the door however, it wasn't just Farah, the makeup and hair ladies had decided to tag along. They hurried me through the shower and whisked me and Farah into basic hair and makeup today. Farah had picked out my clothes today, bringing me out a yellow floor length dress that we had purchased the day before. It was much like a spaghetti strap on top, form fitting, but with sheer and flowy short sleeves, and a sheer overlay as it tapered out from my waist.I slipped into some comfy, dark colored flats, and watched as Farah slipped into a purple sun dr
“Avi breath,” Theo urged, but I didn’t even notice I had stopped, “the Timber pack has a reputation for never attending these things, I don’t expect them until last minute.”I could feel Farah instantly relax overhearing his words, her posture becoming less rigid as we waited, in what seemed like, the longest silence until we seen uniform vehicles approaching.I hadn’t seen anyone from Evergreen, besides Troy’s mate, but I recognized the Alpha who stepped from the vehicle. He was one of the few Alpha’s who had visited Moon Rising on multiple occasions before he took over their pack, but I had only ever caught glimpses of him through my window. I was never expected as a child to entertain guests, only after I turned 16 had my parents started to groom me to be proper, and now I know why.“Alpha Alexander!” Theo greeted him as he approached us, but Alpha’s always shook hands like coexi