Love Thy Alpha
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Rachel Weaver
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4,1M
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51
Chapter 1
JENNESSA
My nameâs 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.
Weâve got a small grocery store, a convenience store, and a gas station. Thatâs about all you see at first glance.
But if you look a little closer, you might be surprisedâor maybe scaredâby the community that calls this place home.
Weâre Lycans, including me. We might seem like a small community to outsiders, but weâre the largest pack in the Midwest. Our territory stretches for hundreds of miles.
We donât all live together, though. Our pack is scattered across the land, divided into four groups.
The first is Alphaâs Mainland, where the wealthiest and most influential pack members live. Itâs 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 Alphaâs Mainland and help protect our pack.
The third group is my home. Weâre called the Reduced because we donât have money or power.
The fourth group is made up of those whoâve broken pack laws but werenât exiled.
We donât really have a name for them. Weâre not supposed to talk about them. I guess humans would call them outlaws.
Tonight, Iâd rather be anywhere else. Our alpha, Clay, has organized a ball and invited the entire pack.
Invitations were sent to each family, claiming itâs for a wellness check and to boost morale.
But there have been whispers about a shift in power at the top, and everyoneâs wondering if this ball has something to do with it.
Unlike the Queen of England, our alpha needs a mate. If he doesnât have one, itâs seen as a weakness, and other wolves might challenge him.
Itâs strange that our alpha hasnât found his mate yet. If he doesnât 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 alphaâs 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 didnât have much in common. I doubt thatâs changed.
Iâm hoping I can go unnoticed tonight, hoping he doesnât even remember me.
I canât stand him and his family. I hate them, actually.
But itâs not up to me. Itâs up to fate. You donât choose your mate. Once we turn eighteen and our wolf is fully grown, they start looking for our mates.
One minute youâre independent, and the next you lock eyes with someoneâand youâre bound to them forever.
Itâs all ridiculous to me. Iâve never wanted to find my mate. Iâve never been interested in looking.
Iâve seen it happen, and the two people involved completely change. Itâs revolting. I want to live for myself, not for someone else. I donât need anyone else.
Iâm one of many dominant she-wolves in our pack, so even though the odds are against it, Iâm planning to keep a low profile at this âparty.â
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 donât want to be his preyâor anyone elseâs, for that matter.
***
âJessie, are you almost ready?â my mom called through my bedroom door. Sheâs more diplomatic than me, but I know her well. Sheâs just as wary about tonight as I am.
âYes, Mom, Iâm almost ready,â I replied, trying to hide the fear in my voice. I took one last look at myself in the mirror. Any other night, Iâd be thrilled to look like this.
Iâd 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 wasnât good. I didnât want to look this good. But my mom worked hard to get this dress for me.
We donât have much money, and Iâm not sure how she managed to afford it, so I couldnât say no when she showed it to me.
âCan I come in and see?â my mom asked, her voice full of excitement. Sheâs always been an optimist.
âYes, come in.â 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 thatâs 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 Iâve 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.
âOh, sweetheart, youâre stunning!â She beamed, crossing the room to me.
âNo, Mom. Youâre the stunning one,â I countered as she enveloped me in a warm hug. âDad wouldâve been so proud to see you by his side tonight, if he were still with us.â
âYou think so?â My motherâs question was barely a whisper, her blue eyes misting over at the mention of my father. Heâd been gone for ten years.
Heâd been the alpha of our pack. Heâd been challenged. His opponent had taken a low blow that ultimately led to my fatherâs death.
Alphas didnât retire. They never abandoned their duty to the pack. An alphaâs reign ended only in death. It was the only honorable exit.
With my fatherâs 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.
âAbsolutely, youâll have everyoneâs heads turning,â I assured her, trying to lighten the mood.
I was being completely honest, and I didnât mind one bit. If everyone was ogling my drop-dead-gorgeous mother, maybe they wouldnât notice me.
âSo, I wanted to chat with you before we head out, sweetheart.â
âOkay,â 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. âWhatâs up?â
âWell, I wanted to give you a heads up before he arrives... I chatted with some friends and found out Janiceâs son doesnât have a date for the ball, and I know you donât eitherââ
âOh god,â I groaned, looking up at her in horror.
âSo, I thoughtââ
âMom, no!â I sprang up from my bed.
âHeâs a very good-looking guy, Jessie. Thereâs no harm in having someone to keep you company tonight,â my mother argued, hands planted firmly on her hips.
âI donât need a date. I thought we were going as a family.â This couldnât be happening.
âWell, Iâll be there, yes, but trust me, sweetheart, you donât want to appear alone in such a large crowd. This way, youâll always have someone with you, even if I get pulled away,â she tried to reason with me.
I was about to protest her logic when the doorbell echoed through the house. My motherâs eyes sparkled with excitement, and she flashed me a triumphant smile. âThat must be him!â
âMom, no, please,â 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.
âYou must be Daniel,â she greeted, but I couldnât 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.
