Page 2 of Claiming Her Alpha

“Thank you. That means the world to me.”

“I’ll see you later at the ceremony?”

“Of course.”

She walked towards her parents’ house. Despite being twenty-six, she still lived at home. She’d wanted to move out for years, but tradition dictated that she stay home with her parents until she met her mate. As much as she hated it, she didn’t fight them. She wasn’t just anyone–she was the alpha’s daughter. That meant she had to be a role model.

As she walked into the house, she found her father in the office to her right, and heard the sounds of her mother bustling around in the kitchen. Her brother, Kent, was nowhere to be found–as usual. He was probably somewhere screwing a girl that wasn’t his mate. Most wolves saved themselves for their one true love, but Kent wanted to be free and wild before being tied down. He was a total dick, priding himself on his title but doing nothing to upkeep the pack. She hated how he acted, how he dismissed his duties. He was supposed to be a leader through and through, but instead he was the biggest loser of all time. Though he wasn’t the first born, he was the only son, which meant he’d always been pampered by their mother.

“How was your run, sweetheart?” her mom called from the kitchen.

“Good.”

“What else is on your mind then?”

She sighed. Her mom had noticed too. For the past few days she’d been on edge, always feeling the need to move, as if something was pulling at her. Everything set her off. Simply thinking about Kent right now had made her fist her hands, wanting to punch the idiot.

Kendra shrugged her shoulders and tied her fiery red curls into a tighter bun. “Need help with that?”

“Go shower first and then you can help me.”

“And here I thought my sweat is your secret ingredient.”

Rushing upstairs, she passed her sisters’ bedroom. Abigail and Annabelle shared everything—as expected of twins—and were the total opposite of Kendra. They were girly girls all around, always dressed to impress. She loved them very much but they’d never been close. At least, not once they’d reached their teens. They were seventeen and still waiting for it to be time to find their mate.

She took a quick shower, hoping the hot water would help her relax. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. She quickly got dressed and helped her mom in the kitchen, preparing for the Moondance. The village celebrated, because it was the night when the moon would be closest to Earth–when Isis would be closest to Earth. It only happened once a year, and also the night when Isis awakened new wolves, turning boys into men.

Unlike how human horror movies portrayed them, werewolves didn’t turn into ugly, blood thirsty wolf-creatures by a full moon. Rather, they could shift whenever they pleased–and they were nothing but giant versions of typical wolves. They were massive in size, with great strength, enhanced healing abilities, and what they called a pack link. It was a mind connection that everyone shared within their pack. Not just the men, but the women too. Everyone could link their mind with whoever they wanted but often it was just done between people who knew each other well. Opening one’s mind to someone else’s was a very intimate act. The bond not only shared words, but emotions too. Sometimes those emotions were hard to hide. It took a lot of practice only to share what was meant for the other.

Though Kendra tried to hide her restlessness, it got worse by the minute. Relief spread through her when it was finally time to go meet up with the rest of the pack. As she walked next to her family, she carried the prepped meals to the clearing on which they celebrated their Moondance. It wasn’t far from the village, but Kendra was glad she could move again after feeling trapped in the kitchen with her mother.

Kent was already there, pretending to have overseen the setup. Kendra set the food on one of the tables while searching for Mike and Lina. They were on the other side of the clearing talking to some other warriors.

“Mom, do you need anything else?”

“No, I got it from here. Go have fun, sweetheart.”

While waiting on the sun to set, the pack would busy themselves with food, conversation, and simply enjoying each other’s company. Once the moon was high in the sky her father would call all the boys who’d found their wolf forward and help them through their first shift. A wolf didn’t come at a certain age but rather whenever Isis thought he was ready. Kent had gotten his wolf when he’d turned sixteen and had been an even worse brat ever since. Mike’s wolf had appeared when he was twenty.

“You still look miserable,” said the man in question.

Lina scolded him right away. “Mike! That’s rude. Apologize!”

“Sorry. You just look like you need some beauty sleep.” Mike chuckled along with the other warriors.

Normally, she wouldn’t have minded but in that moment, his words only fuelled her fire. “Maybe I should just punch you and make it even.”

“I would be careful with your next words, Mike. Our alpha’s daughter seems ready to rip your throat out.” Anthony laughed, though he seemed to be worried that the same fate might fall upon him, too.

“Have you made your famous chocolate cake again?” Lina asked to break the icy atmosphere that was slowly building.

Kendra nodded and forced her face to relax enough to give her a smile.

“Ooh I have to hurry and get some before it’s gone. Do you want one too?” she asked, turning to Mike.

“Always.”

“C’mon, Kendra let the boys be boys.”