Chapter 23: Return of the Alpha

Tyler

I was expecting to just sneak into the pack house, watch the show of Jayden finding a mate, then announce my presence. That would invariably steal the show, and I knew Jayden would appreciate it.

So when I saw my sister come flying out the door through which I planned to infiltrate my own home, I was duly surprised.

She leapt at me, exhilaration propelling her, and I caught her easily. My hands wrapped around her and hers around me as she clutched me as tightly as she dared, like a little girl who has found her missing doll. The feeling was wonderful; I hadn't seen her in months, and hadn't felt her demonstrative hugs since I left. So I wasn't complaining.

She pulled away and gasped, "You're here! You're home!" like she totally couldn't believe it.

This was exactly what I was expecting. I hitched up a grin. "Well," I said, with a twinkle of my eye, "I wasn't exactly going to miss my Beta's seventeenth birthday! Not on your life."

Her eyes remained overexcited, so I resorted to old methods, tried and true. I could see that she had taken some pains on her hair this morning, so I decided to mess it up. Before I could, though, her hand appeared in my way and lashed back viciously.

"Don't even think about it," she snapped. "Now come on," she said, brightening, "you might miss it after all."

She grabbed my hand.

"See ya Tyler," called Adam. I nodded at him before letting my little sister drag me over to the house. At this point she was totally hyper. The grin on her face told me plainly that my attempt at discretion was in high danger of being ruined.

Before I could tell her about it, I noticed someone standing quietly in the doorway.

God damn, Zio whispered.

I noticed the bronze colored hair first. Then I couldn't help trailing its waves down to her throat, where a bright, silver-colored locket dangled. From there my eyes dropped down the slim figure, drinking in all the curves and the wonderful taste in choice of clothing. As soon as I reached the little heeled boots, I began to drag my gaze back up to her face, trying not to stare. But my eyes couldn't help lingering all over again. Finally, I took in her face, noting her prominent nose, plump pink lips, and flushed cheeks. Her neck was pearly white, but her face was darker, indicating lots of hours in the sun. Large eyes stared back at me, a beautiful golden brown that reminded one of honey, and speckled. The sight quite took my breath away.

Apart from the blush, she was very composed, and, luckily, didn't seem to mind me checking her out.

Good, commented Zio. Couldn't be helped anyway.

I held out my hand, trying for the casual demeanor. "Tyler, the next Alpha," I said like they always said we should, back at Wolfsbane.

She slowly took my hand and shook it gently. Her hand was a little rough, but fit perfectly in mine.

"Lucinda," she said simply.

Two things greatly pleased me when I heard this. First, that it was spoken in a voice that was not too silky, nor high-pitched. It sounded almost like water flowing over rocks. Second, she had the most beautiful name I had ever heard.

Unfortunately, my sister, whose presence had been readily forgotten, grabbed my arm and pulled me inside.

"Don't tell anyone about my arrival", I commanded over the link. Lexi shot me a shocked look, while Lucinda did not react at all.

"Why?" Lexi whispered.

"Just don't, okay? If they knew I'm home, no one will pay attention to Jayden," I whispered back.

Lucinda glanced at me and nodded slightly.

We all headed to one of the windows. Almost at once, the Beta female led everyone in the Happy Birthday song. Jayden plodded down the steps, looking down as was the custom. When the song ended, every single wolf held their breath. I could see the apprehension in their eyes, and knew exactly what was going on. They were afraid that we would have a repeat of my birthday, when I failed to find a mate and they were all faced with the possibility of being bereft of their leader.

It was harsh luck not to find my mate on my birthday, so I honestly hoped Jayden would find his. If he didn't, my pack would be in an even worse fix.

His brown eyes rose and locked on a face almost immediately. The goofy smile appeared, and the pack, myself included, breathed again.

She laughed and ran up to him.

Huh! So Patricia is the Beta female. Rather a good choice, though we weren't expecting it, commented Zio.

I raised my eyebrows.

Jayden kissed her. Cheers rang through the air, while Dad boomed his applause with as much gusto as he always does.

Lucinda and Lexi, however, turned to each other in shock.

"Trish?" They said in unison. They blinked at each other for a few moments, then turned to me.

"What?" I said with a shrug. "It's not my fault your best friend is now mated," I said.

Lexi frowned. "I know, Tyler. The point is, that's your Beta up there, and you aren't going to congratulate him?"

"Sure I am," I said lightly. "But you go first. After all, she's your best friend."

Lexi grabbed Lucinda's hand and said, "No, she's not. That's Cindy, dumbass," she said, rolling her eyes and stalking away, Lucinda in tow.

She's the only one who has ever dared speak to me that way, or roll her eyes at me, or leave before I have had the last say. She can also hang up on me, or slam a door in my face. These little shows of defiance are part of the reason why I treasure her so much.

She also took Lucy, growled Zio.

I watched her and Lexi congratulate Trisha. More people kept coming and coming until I could see Jayden get slightly irritated. I smirked.

I wove my way through the crowd, keeping my head down and aura suppressed. When I got there, I released the aura and whispered, "Hello, Betas."

A whoop sounded. Gasps and whispers broke out. Jayden and Trisha gaped at me in stunned silence, then smiled simultaneously.

"Welcome home, Alpha," said Jayden.

"Tyler!" "Tyler!" "You're back!" "OMG, it's him!" "Tyler's back!" "Tyler!"

The girls were screaming my name, the boys were whooping, the men were shouting, the women were smiling. A sensation if I ever saw one.

"Get out of here," I whispered to Jayden. "Now's your chance— oh, and you owe me."

He grinned, and fled up the stairs with his mate.

Then followed a long and tedious session of being welcomed home, having my back slapped, and having tons of she-wolves flutter their eyelashes at me. I received their enthusiasm as genuinely as I could, then retired upstairs. I found an open window and leapt out through it. My clothes tore to shreds as I shifted in to my very large wolf. I let Zio take over, and enjoyed the run. He took us over to the stream, but instead of crossing it like we usually do, he stopped. He sniffed around all the likely places, and sure enough, hidden in the bushes, we found a set of clothing.

I shifted back, put them on and lay down.

The running water calmed my senses, and as I stared at the sky above, I let my thoughts drift.

The sound of the stream reminded me of a certain voice. I sighed. Lucinda was perfect in every way. I wondered who she was, just now remembering that she gave me a single name. She must be the child of some rogue who joined the pack— her bones were rather prominent, indicating that she did not have enough to eat until recently. Well, that's alright. The pack was growing every day.

I thought about her eyes, her speckled, honey brown eyes. And her graceful, quiet, but not shy demeanor when she met me. Her breathtaking smile when she congratulated Jayden and Trisha.

She was beautiful, no doubt about that. Hers was not the eye-catching beauty, like Lexi's. She could not draw attention in a crowd. But it was the beauty that, once seen, continues to fascinate one— a face that I could stare at for hours and not get tired; a face more likely to appear in a dream than Lexi's.

And her hair, with that reddish color, brushed to a subtle luster, looked like waves of cascading chocolate, with a little spice thrown in.

I caught myself. What was I doing? Admiring a girl who, I reminded myself sadly, was not my mate. I had to keep in mind that my mate will be better. My wolf was always very adept in reminding me of it.

I had seen lots of girls before. Girls of all types and variations of beauty. Girls who had not been malnourished, nor had callous hands— but never had my wolf ever failed to jump onto the scene and remind me that our mate will be better.

But this time, Zio had admired her right along with me. Not once did he reprimand me. Hell, he had even gotten slightly angry when she was taken away.

Am I losing control? Losing focus?

I sighed, closing my eyes to repeat to myself the chant:

Our mate will be better. Our mate will be better. Our mate will be better.

But one thought brought me a cutting pain.

She's not our mate.

Our mate will— could— might— be better.

*Tyler's wolf, Zio*