The Alpha Who Saved Me

Chapter 13

I pace back and forth, nervously, on the porch of Dark Moon’s pack house as I wait for Declan to arrive. Not only am I getting sworn in, but I’ll be meeting my pack for the first time in three years. I’m not sure if I will remember any of them or if they will remember me. I know three years isn’t a long time, but I was more of a flighty girl in my high school days, never being in one place for too long and always hanging with friends instead of worrying about pack stuff. Will the pack even accept me as their Alpha? Spencer had told me how some of them had tried talking him into stepping up as Alpha since, technically, he was next in line, but he told me that it never felt right to him. I would have understood if he had, it was his right. Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Someone chuckles behind me, and I jump as I spin around. I slap the arm of my new Beta, “What the *, Spence!?”

“Sorry, Alpha,” he laughs,” I figured you would have sensed me.”

I furrow my brow because he’s right, “I apologize, you’re right, I should have sensed you behind me. I was in deep thought I guess.” I need to be more careful in the future; it’s dangerous for a person in my position to be oblivious to their surroundings.

“You’re going to walk a hole in the porch if you continue pacing. Why are you so nervous?” Spencer tilts his head as he asks.

“Oh, I don’t know, Spence, maybe it’s because I’m about to become an Alpha to a pack that I don’t even know!” I throw my hands up frantically

“Calm down, Alpha…”

“Please don’t call me that.”

“Call you what… Alpha?” Spencer asks confused.

“Yes! We are old friends, practically family; I want you to call me what you have always called me.”

“Sorry, but it would be very disrespectful to call you Pain in My *.” He grins.

I scoff and slap him again, “You did not call me that!”

He laughs, “Oh, yes, I did. You just never heard me!”

I give him the evil eye and place my hands on my hips, “I was young and impressionable back then! I thought you had hung the moon and just wanted to be around you.”

My Beta grins shamelessly. “I’m pretty sure all the girls did.”

“Oh…” i take a step toward the *Beta, but then I stop and turn when I hear a throat clearing.

Standing at the bottom of the porch steps is my best friend looking confused, a scowling Alpha behind her and to the left, and a smirking Alpha heir behind her and to the right. I curse myself for being caught unaware once again.

“Are we interrupting something?” Gavin asks amusingly as he broadens his grin.

“Nothing of importance.”

“I wouldn’t say that Alpha,” Spencer muses, and turns to the three newcomers, “Alpha Quinn, here, wants me to call her by what I’ve always called her growing up.”

“Well, what’s wrong with that, if she’s asking you to?” Cici asks.

“What’s wrong with it, little wolf, is that it would be highly inappropriate if I went around calling our Alpha, Pain in My *.” Spencer states as he tries hard not to laugh, only to fail when the other three start

to chuckle.

I roll my eyes and then stomp into the house, leaving them to follow me in once they get over their little chuckling session.

“Quinn!” Spencer calls out as he jogs after me to catch up. “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t resist. It’s been way too long since I’ve been able to give you *,” he pauses and then, putting all joking aside, he solemnly continues, “I didn’t think I’d ever get to pick on you again.”

I look at him with a sorrowful expression, knowing exactly what he means, and I step up and hug him. He hugs me back with comforting arms. When the others join us, we all slip into my office to talk about the ceremony.

“Now.” I spin around and lean against the desk, looking at the four other occupants, “I know why they are here,” I point to Spence, Cici, and Declan, “But why, may I ask, are you here?” | point to Gavin with a smile.

“Well, I stopped at the Storm River pack to visit with you, only to hear that you are no longer living there.” Gavin explains.

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“And Declan offered to bring you over here?” I smirk towards the Alpha, knowing fully well that he would not have done such a thing.

“Actually, your bestie, here,” Declan points his thumb over his shoulder at Cici, “talks way too much and let your location slip. He then called shotgun.”

I can tell the Alpha is extremely annoyed and I can’t help but chuckle, “Oh, I see. Well, I’m glad you can be here to watch me get sworn in, Gavin. I can use all the support that I can get right now.”

“Quinn, everybody in this pack supports you. They are thrilled to know that you made it out alive and are happy that you are finally of age to take over.” Spencer enlightenments me.

“Really? They don’t remember the high and flighty, spirited girl who couldn’t care less about pack business?” I ask in concern.

“Of course not! Your father was a great leader and Dylan would have been amazing as well. You are their blood, and you will lead this pack just the way it’s been ran since your father took over.” My Beta gives me the drop-dead-gorgeous Neely grin. His dad had the same one and women would swoon over it all the time, as I remember.

I smile back, starting to feel much better about taking over, *Thank you for telling me this. You don’t know how much I’ve been worried about not being accepted.”

“Uh, Quinn,” Gavin cuts in, “sorry but I do have a question. Is it safe for you to be taking over? Won’t Alpha Luther find out that you are still alive?”

I have actually thought about it, but I can’t let this *win. If me taking my rightful place as Alpha draws him out, then I will get my revenge. I know I’m not quite ready yet, and I’m hoping that he doesn’t find out for a little bit. At least not until I am confident that I can take him out.

I shrug, “It’s a chance that I’m willing to take. My pack needs their leader; they have suffered enough.”

“Yes, but let them come to my pack until we can make sure there is no danger to you,” Declan speaks up, “I hate to agree with him, but Gavin is right; Luther will come for you.”

“Send my people to your pack and what about me?” I ask not to be a *, but seriously. He knows I can’t remain in his pack, especially once he takes Lila as his Luna.

*You know that my pack is your pack too, Quinn.” Declan sighs.

* And you know why I can’t remain there, end of discussion.” I rub my forehead, irritated that he would even say something like that.

The big Alpha steps closer and lowers his voice, “We need to talk before the ceremony, Quinn. You can’t just run away.”

Jerking back, it was as though he had slapped me in the face, “I’m not running away, Alpha. I’m simply returning to where I belong.”

“You belong in the Storm River pack.” Declan says on a sigh, but even he knows that what he says isn’t true.

I glance over at the other three occupants in the room, “Could you give us a few minutes?” They all nod and start for the door, Spence, could you please let me know as soon as the rest of the pack is here?

“Sure thing, Quinn.” He gives both me and Declan a small smile before shutting the door behind him.

Giving my full attention to Declan, my breath hitches when I see the way he is staring at me. I can see both Declan and Duke as they gaze hungrily at me. I go to put space between us by walking around the desk to sit down but my upper arm is grabbed, and I’m pulled into the Alpha’s hard chest.

Shoving my feelings aside, I glare up at him, “Let. Me. Go!” I growl.

“We have unfinished business, Quinn. You will not turn away from me until we are done.” Duke is the one in control at the moment, so Tala comes forward as well.

“Do you honestly think that putting your paws all over us is the way to get our attention?” She rips our arm from his grip and takes a step back. “Let Declan and Quinn talk this out, Duke, and stop being so possessive! We do not belong to you.” She leaves the growl out, but she still sounds a bit menacing.

Duke scoffs, “You are our responsibility until you find your mate, and by the way I see it,” He glances around, “I see no mate just yet.”

“How do you figure that we are your responsibility? We are of age now, and about to become an Alpha.”

“You are still female and need our protection. We took responsibility of you the day we brought you home and made you a member of our pack.” Duke replies smugly.

“Oh no he didn’t! Did he actually just say that we need them because we are female?’ Tala says to me.

“Please calm down, Tala. I don’t like what he said either, but we still need him to swear us in before you go all she-wolf on him.’

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“Fine, you better take over then.’ Tala moves back, giving me the driver’s seat once again.

“Duke. please let me talk to Declan.” I ask as nice as can be.

“I don’t know, he seems to give in to you way too much. Maybe it would be better if you talk with me.”

**Duke!” I say in warning, “If you don’t let Declan forward then you can just forget about ever seeing us again! I don’t need some possessive wolf thinking he can run my life, especially when he isn’t even my mate!”

“You need us to swear you in, gorgeous.” He tries buttering me up by calling me the endearment and caressing his fingers down my arm.

I roll my eyes, but don’t move away, because even I have to admit that his touch does something to me, but I refuse to tell him. “Flattery isn’ t going to get you anywhere this time, wolf!” i glance at his hand and then *a brow at him, “And I don’t need you to do it, but I would like it to be you. I can just ask Gavin, since he’s here already.”

“Ah, but he isn’t an Alpha yet…”

“Oh, but he has a phone in which he can call his father to come and do it. All I have to do is bat my lashes and ask him sweetly.” I knew what I said would get to Duke, making him step away mumbling before he lets Declan come back.

“You don’t need to be so harsh to my wolf, he’s only wanting to look out for you, just as I am,” Declan says sadly, “But I am sorry, for the way he delivers his words. I will work on him about it.”

“I need to do this Declan. I understand how dangerous it is with Alpha Luther still around, but I still have a pack who wants their leader back, and I’m the only one who can do it.”

“That’s not true, your Beta can be sworn in as the new Alpha.” He reminds me.

“You would have me give up my birthright, just to keep me in your pack? How fair is that to me, Declan?”

He sighs, running his hand down his face, “I know, Quinn. I’m just trying everything I can before I’m forced to face reality.” Half his mouth kicks up into a smile, “You are rightthis is your birthright, but promise me that you will let me lend you some warriors to help protect your pack until we figure out what to do about Luther, and I want to put up cameras around the borders to help keep an eye out. I don’t want another sneak attack on your pack like last time.”

I think about what he says, and I have to admit that he’s right. The Desert Sand pack was able to get through our border patrol by killing them without being seen. Had we had a warning that they had breached our borders, we could have been more prepared.

“Okay, I will agree with those terms, but Declan, I am accepting because we are allies, not because you are still responsible for me. I no longer hold you accountable for anything that may happen to me. You have been so good to me the last three years; it’s time that you take care of yourself now,” I feel a pain in my chest at my next words, “You may be a father, and you will need to concentrate on that pup.”

I see the hurt in his eyes when I mention his situation, but it’s not something that we can ignore. It may not be what he wanted, but it’s what is happening, and he needs to deal with it. Looking at him in front of me, makes me feel so many things, and I don’t understand it. Both Tala and I feel a pain every time I think about him becoming a father to another she-wolf’s pup, and we get excited when we see him now, but we don’t scent him as our mate, and it confuses the hell out of us.

“Once again you’re right,” Declan’s husky voice gets my attention, And it’s exactly what I will do as soon as I find out that the pup is mine, but in the meantime…”

I raise my hand to stop him from finishing, “Look Declan, what happened between us cannot happen again. It isn’t fair to any of us.and to be honest it’s hurting us more.”

He says nothing, but I can see the storm brewing in his eyes just before he moves, “*this…”

I’m swept up into his arms as our mouths fuse together. His hands slide down to my waist, and he’s lifting me, so I have no choice but to wrap my legs around him. He turns us and presses us up against the nearest wall as he dominates me with his mouth.

My emotions are through the roof, fighting to do the right thing. As much as I want to resist him, I want him to take me, and to possess me just as much