Love Thy Alpha

My name’s Jennessa Richards. I just turned nineteen and this is my story. I live in a small, almost charming, town in North Dakota, surrounded by more trees than buildings.

Our town has one main road. Most folks just drive straight through without giving it a second thought. The rest are dirt roads that seem to go on forever, leading nowhere in particular.

We’ve got a small grocery store, a convenience store, and a gas station. That’s about all you see at first glance.

But if you look a little closer, you might be surprised—or maybe scared—by the community that calls this place home.

We’re Lycans, including me. We might seem like a small community to outsiders, but we’re the largest pack in the Midwest. Our territory stretches for hundreds of miles.

We don’t all live together, though. Our pack is scattered across the land, divided into four groups.

The first is Alpha’s Mainland, where the wealthiest and most influential pack members live. It’s also where our alpha headquarters is located, smack dab in the middle of our territory.

The second group is Training Hill, where wolves learn combat skills, hoping to one day move to Alpha’s Mainland and help protect our pack.

The third group is my home. We’re called the Reduced because we don’t have money or power.

The fourth group is made up of those who’ve broken pack laws but weren’t exiled.

We don’t really have a name for them. We’re not supposed to talk about them. I guess humans would call them outlaws.

Tonight, I’d rather be anywhere else. Our alpha, Clay, has organized a ball and invited the entire pack.

Invitations were sent to each family, claiming it’s for a wellness check and to boost morale.

But there have been whispers about a shift in power at the top, and everyone’s wondering if this ball has something to do with it.

Unlike the Queen of England, our alpha needs a mate. If he doesn’t have one, it’s seen as a weakness, and other wolves might challenge him.

It’s strange that our alpha hasn’t found his mate yet. If he doesn’t find her soon, his control over the pack could start to slip.

The problem for me is that history shows alphas only mate with dominant she-wolves, which is what I am. The last thing I want is to become the alpha’s mate.

I want nothing to do with any of it. I met our alpha a long time ago, before he was our alpha. He was much older than me, and I was just a kid.

I remember him as a golden boy who could do no wrong. Every girl and young woman wanted him. No surprise there.

He was friendly to everyone and always ready to help a pack member in need. Everyone loved him and his good looks, even back then.

Our parents were friends, so I knew him pretty well. He was always nice to me, but with almost a ten-year age gap, we didn’t have much in common. I doubt that’s changed.

I’m hoping I can go unnoticed tonight, hoping he doesn’t even remember me.

I can’t stand him and his family. I hate them, actually.

But it’s not up to me. It’s up to fate. You don’t choose your mate. Once we turn eighteen and our wolf is fully grown, they start looking for our mates.

One minute you’re independent, and the next you lock eyes with someone—and you’re bound to them forever.

It’s all ridiculous to me. I’ve never wanted to find my mate. I’ve never been interested in looking.

I’ve seen it happen, and the two people involved completely change. It’s revolting. I want to live for myself, not for someone else. I don’t need anyone else.

I’m one of many dominant she-wolves in our pack, so even though the odds are against it, I’m planning to keep a low profile at this “party.”

My plan for tonight is to stay under the radar, keep my head down and my eyes on the floor. I have a feeling our alpha is on the prowl, and I don’t want to be his prey—or anyone else’s, for that matter.

“Jessie, are you almost ready?” my mom called through my bedroom door. She’s more diplomatic than me, but I know her well. She’s just as wary about tonight as I am.

“Yes, Mom, I’m almost ready,” I replied, trying to hide the fear in my voice. I took one last look at myself in the mirror. Any other night, I’d be thrilled to look like this.

I’d say I looked beautiful in the gorgeous hunter green silk dress my mom bought for me after we got our invitation. The dress made my green eyes stand out, and my dark hair and olive skin seemed to glow.

This wasn’t good. I didn’t want to look this good. But my mom worked hard to get this dress for me.

We don’t have much money, and I’m not sure how she managed to afford it, so I couldn’t say no when she showed it to me.

“Can I come in and see?” my mom asked, her voice full of excitement. She’s always been an optimist.

“Yes, come in.” I sighed and turned to face her as she walked into my room. My eyes nearly popped out of my head when I saw her.

I inherited my petite, slim, and toned body from my mom, but that’s about all we have in common physically.

I got my dark features from my dad, while my mom has the kind of blonde hair people would pay hundreds of dollars for at a salon. And she has the bluest eyes I’ve ever seen.

Her hair was cut into a short bob that reached her neck, which she had curled and pinned half up. She wore a pale pink dress that made her look flawless. Even in her fifties, she looked better than most twenty-year-olds.

“Oh, sweetheart, you’re stunning!” She beamed, crossing the room to me.

“No, Mom. You’re the stunning one,” I countered as she enveloped me in a warm hug. “Dad would’ve been so proud to see you by his side tonight, if he were still with us.”

“You think so?” My mother’s question was barely a whisper, her blue eyes misting over at the mention of my father. He’d been gone for ten years.

He’d been the alpha of our pack. He’d been challenged. His opponent had taken a low blow that ultimately led to my father’s death.

Alphas didn’t retire. They never abandoned their duty to the pack. An alpha’s reign ended only in death. It was the only honorable exit.

With my father’s death, the challenger became our alpha. His first act as our new leader was to banish my mother and me from Alpha Headquarters and send us here.

His reign was short-lived, though. Just a few years later, his own son killed him and took over as the newest alpha of our pack. He still held that position.

“Absolutely, you’ll have everyone’s heads turning,” I assured her, trying to lighten the mood.

I was being completely honest, and I didn’t mind one bit. If everyone was ogling my drop-dead-gorgeous mother, maybe they wouldn’t notice me.

“So, I wanted to chat with you before we head out, sweetheart.”

“Okay,” I responded, moving to pick up my heels for the evening. I made a mental note to grab a pair of flats as well.

These heels were stunning, but they were also five inches high. There was a limit to how long a woman could walk on her tiptoes before it became unbearable. “What’s up?”

“Well, I wanted to give you a heads up before he arrives... I chatted with some friends and found out Janice’s son doesn’t have a date for the ball, and I know you don’t either—”

“Oh god,” I groaned, looking up at her in horror.

“So, I thought—”

“Mom, no!” I sprang up from my bed.

“He’s a very good-looking guy, Jessie. There’s no harm in having someone to keep you company tonight,” my mother argued, hands planted firmly on her hips.

“I don’t need a date. I thought we were going as a family.” This couldn’t be happening.

“Well, I’ll be there, yes, but trust me, sweetheart, you don’t want to appear alone in such a large crowd. This way, you’ll always have someone with you, even if I get pulled away,” she tried to reason with me.

I was about to protest her logic when the doorbell echoed through the house. My mother’s eyes sparkled with excitement, and she flashed me a triumphant smile. “That must be him!”

“Mom, no, please,” I pleaded, but it was futile. She was already halfway out of my bedroom, and all I could do was trail behind her down the hall to the front door. Without another word, she swung the door open.

“You must be Daniel,” she greeted, but I couldn’t see past the door from where I was standing off to the side. I was already on edge about the upcoming ball tonight, and now this.