MATED TO AN ALPHA?

CHAPTER FIVE

MATED TO AN ALPHA ?

(Ava's POV)

I didn't sleep. I was worn out already, and feeling too cold was something else. I kept seeing Orion standing at his angry packland. I touched the warm granite stone in my pocket. It was real. I was now part of a dangerous plan.

The next morning, I was even more tired. I went to my dinner job. Flipping burgers was easier than thinking.

At noon, the door opened with a cold blast.

I looked up. My heart froze.

It wasn't Orion. It was Rhys, a young, strict werewolf from the woods.

He looked calm but dangerous. He wore normal clothes, but his gold eyes scanned the room like a hunter. He walked straight to my counter. Everyone else seemed to feel the threat and got quiet.

"You smell better in here," Rhys said, leaning on the counter. "Less forest, more grease."

I kept wiping the counter. "What can I get you? The special is meatloaf."

He ignored me. "You were with Orion last night."

It wasn't a question.

"I got lost in the woods walking home," I lied. "I don't know any Orion."

He laughed, a cold sound. "Lies don't work. I smelled your fear behind that tree. I smelled your... interest. Don't play dumb."

He moved fast, grabbing my wrist. His grip was like ice and iron. He pushed back my sleeve, exposing my skin.

"Look," he hissed. "No pack mark. You're just a human. Why would my Alpha fight for you?"

I ripped my arm away. "Order food or get out."

He smiled, a dangerous flash of teeth. "You're a problem. And problems get removed."

"Rhys!" A voice cut through the diner like a knife.

Orion stood in the doorway. He looked different. He wore dark, expensive clothes. He looked like a king, but his eyes were pure wildfire.

Rhys instantly backed down, turning to face his Alpha. The command in the air was thick.

"Brother," Rhys said, his voice tense. "I was checking her story. She lies. She knows you."

Orion took three powerful steps forward. He only looked at Rhys.

"Return to the camp," Orion ordered, his voice low and full of power. "Wait for the council. Do not touch what is mine."

Rhys's face twisted, his face appearing as one willing to disobey, but couldn't. The Alpha command often held him.

"She's a risk to our secret life," Rhys argued weakly.

"She is not your concern," Orion stated, using that same dismissive word. But now it felt like a shield to me, overhearing them. "You may leave."

Rhys glared, gave a sharp nod, and stormed out. The dinner felt safe again.

I breathed out shakily. "You scared away a customer."

Orion turned to look at me harshly this time. His eyes bulged out and glowed like red-hot burning coals. "You have to be more careful, Ava. They are searching for chinks in your armour. You cannot be caught with me."

“He found me,” I shot back. “And ‘not my concern’? Last night you lied to me. Now I’m nothing?”

"I did it for your protection," he repeated, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "If they think you're important, they'll use you as leverage against me. You are important, and it's because of that, alone, that I had to do what I did.”

Leaning in close, his words became a harsh whisper. "Listen. It goes farther than cash. They've rescheduled a pack council, tonight, not two days from now. They've moved it up. They will question my claim to be Alpha because of this weird scent, because of you."

"What?" I exclaimed. "I won't have any part of it!"

“You have no choice,” he said firmly. “You are caught up in the middle of a pack war, and you don't even know why. The meeting is at the old quarry mine. You know it.”

I nodded. It was a dark, terrible place.

"I need you there," Orion said.

“No,” I said instantly. “I'm not going to a fight between werewolves. I'm a mere human waitress, I'm sure you are aware of that."

“You don’t understand,” he insisted, his eyes burning. “The council will vote. And should they see fit to replace me as Alpha, Rhys will take my place. But he is brutal. His first order of business will be to hunt the human who diverted his attention. He will hunt you.”

This was the truth that suddenly came home. I wasn’t a witness but the cause. If Orion fell, I would be dead.

"Fine," I replied, trying to sound calm. Fear had been sharpening my mind. "What do I do?"

“I need you to prove your loyalty to the pack,” he said, leaning in the smell of a close danger. “Show them the stone I gave you. Tell them the truth.”

“The truth?” I asked. “That I was lost? Or that I smell like a wildfire to you?”

He reached out and his thumb grazed the underside of my wrist. A rush of heat ran through my arm.“The truth is,” he murmured, his gold eyes holding mine, “that I broke pack law to find the only human brave enough to look me in the eye. Tell them that. Tell them you are under my protection.”

I withdrew my hand immediately, but the warmth lingered. "Your protection? I'm not a pet."

"You’re not only my pet now, but also my claim," he stated, "...and tonight, you will have to prove it to me, mate."

“Mate… why did you call me that?”