~*~*~
When my house came into view, I knew I was in trouble. Through the window, I saw my father, his arms waving madly in the air. From this distance, I could barely make out his voice, but I knew he was yelling… most likely at my mother.
“Thanks for walking me home,” I told Christopher, gripping his arm to halt his progress, “I can take it from here.”
“I would actually like to speak to your parents,” he shook his head as he pulled his arm out of my hand.
“But…” I began to protest.
He kept walking towards my house and I had no choice but to follow. My father had no doubt heard someone approaching and had ceased yelling before we were within earshot. Before we even arrived at the doorstep, my father appeared in the doorway, his version of a polite smile fixed on his face.
“Mr. Brady,” Christopher inclined his head politely.
“Alpha! What a surprise!” he exclaimed, putting his hand over his heart.
Surprise… right. I had no doubt he had looked out the window and saw who it was before opening the door. He wouldn’t have such a fake smile on his face otherwise.
“Thank you so much for bringing my daughter back here,” he continued, sending a brief warning glare my way, “I’m sorry for any trouble she caused.”
“No trouble,” Christopher shook his head, “She and I were speaking about the mating tomorrow night.”
“Oh, yes; exciting, isn’t it?” my father clapped his hands together, letting out a pleased laugh, “Tess is very happy to finally get her chance to be mated, isn’t that right, Tess?”
“Of course,” I replied, plastering a smile on my face, “It is a privilege to take part in such a time-honored tradition.”
“See? Happy as a lark!” My father gushed, “It was nice seeing you, Alpha. Tess, come in so we can talk.”
“Yes, sir,” I replied, stepping past him into the house. As I hurried back to my room, I heard my father continue speaking with Christopher.
“It should be quite the event tomorrow,” my father began, “Who all do you think will chase?”
“It is hard to know,” Christopher replied, “Tess is a strong female and any male would be lucky to have her.”
“Exactly! I’m thinking all twenty males will want their chance.”
“Perhaps. Good day, Mr. Brady.”
“You too, Chris!”
I heard Christopher’s chuckle as my dad shut the door. Having known Christopher since I was a kid, I knew he hated being called Chris and it was quite the assumption for my father to call him anything but Alpha. Any other Alpha would have corrected him quickly and sternly, but Christopher apparently wasn’t just any Alpha.
I looked out my bedroom window and watched as he walked away from my house. No, he wasn’t just any Alpha… Just any Alpha wouldn’t spend all day with a lowly unmated female, helping her get ready for her mating.
Whoever Christopher’s mate was, she was one lucky girl, I decided.
“TESS!” my father’s voice boomed through the house once Christopher was out of earshot.
With a sigh, I moved back into the family room, keeping my eyes on my father’s feet rather than his face. Out of the corner of my eye, my mother emerged from the kitchen, clutching a dishtowel for dear life.
“What were you doing out and about?” he demanded.
“The Alpha wanted to talk to me,” I explained in a quiet voice, a stark contrast to my father’s loud, gruff shouts.
“What were you doing out in the first place? I told you to stay home today!”
“I was… out for a walk…” I told him, unable to think of an answer that would satisfy him without being a blatant lie.
That was something I envied human families for; they didn’t have super hearing so they couldn’t always tell when someone was lying. My father wasn’t the sharpest stick in the stack, but it was always safer to tell at least a partial truth… rather than suffer the consequences.
“She probably just needed to clear her head,” my mom offered softly, her voice anxious, “It’s a big day tomorrow and—”
“And I wanted her to stay here today,” he growled in Mom’s direction. She seemed to shrink beneath his forceful glare, “I didn’t want her traipsing around town, getting herself in trouble. You want a good mate, don’t you, girl?” he demanded from me, “A high ranking male?”
“Yes, sir,” I whispered.
“No well-respected male wants a trouble-making bitch,” he snarled before gripping my hair and jerking my head backwards, exposing my throat forcefully. I fought back a yelp of pain and anger as he continued, “Females stay where the males tell them to, girl. Learn that quickly. Go in your room and stay there, now. If you leave…”
He pushed me away from him, causing me to hit the wall. Without pausing to get my bearings, I hurried to my room and shut the door. I moved to the window again, looking out it hopefully.
What did I expect to see? I asked myself as tears fell fast and furious, though I remained as quiet as I could.
Christopher was long gone before my father started shouting. No doubt he had been watching him leave as well. Did I really expect Christopher to put a stop to my father’s abuse?
No, he was the Alpha… and his pack was extremely traditional. Even if his opinions were different, he could only stay Alpha as long as he kept the pack happy. To such traditional wolves, females were property and no one, not even the Alpha, had a say in how property was treated. If he started meddling in people’s business, another wolf would challenge him for the title of Alpha… but would he even want to stop such treatment?
He had implied that the mating traditions weren’t his preference, but did he think females deserved better treatment or not?
As I collapsed on my bed, I decided it didn’t matter. I would go through with my plan tomorrow. I would shift with the wolves, begin the chase, and as soon as they were far enough behind, I would leave the territory and find someplace else to live.
I wouldn’t be used by my father anymore. I wouldn’t be his key to becoming a higher ranking pack member. I wouldn’t let myself be forced into mating with a man I didn’t like, much less love.
I wouldn’t be mated on the full moon.