ALPHA: Heir Of The Four

Chapter Seven

Chapter Notes: Caleb's POV

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- 'Looking at all or nothing, babe, it's you & I. . .' -

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     After entering the study, which also acted as our home library as well as a meeting room, I made my way to the furthest end to address my awaiting pack members. The mahogany desk stationed in front of the outswing casement window served as my seat. Immediately and without hesitation, Kane and Chase took their place on either side of me and, together, the three of us faced the awaiting deltas, who were all scattered around the room. It had been a while since a pack meeting had been called, a while since any true concerns needed to be addressed, but it was vital to the balance of the pack that the topic of my mate finally be discussed.

     "Alright, guys. I'm sure that—with Kane's assistance—you are all aware that I have indeed found my mate." I cut straight to the point, had never been one to prolong or drag things out with the pack. Even as a pup, I had very little patience, a fault my mother, even to this day, continuously reminded me of.

     My mother.

     Inside, my wolf cringed at the mere thought of Moira Brandt because I had yet to tell her and my father about finding my mate.

     "What makes you think that I told them anything?" Kane tried to defend himself and even had the audacity to look appalled, causing everybody in the room to laugh.

     I was, in part, joking. I had made Ava-Rain's presence and importance in my life aware to my pack from the moment I had laid eyes on her in that awful club. But, in that moment, all they knew was that she was my mate. Anything else that they might have learned up was most likely sourced out from my eldest beta.

     "You mean, besides the fact that you did?" Chase retorted.

     "Regardless of how you were informed, yes, it is true. Yes, I have found my mate. Yes, her name is Ava-Rain, and yes, she is human." The human part they already knew, but, still, that had not deterred my eyes from scanning over my deltas. Although they were trained at keeping their emotions masked and their thoughts shielded, I was certain that their own memories of the past—of a certain human in particular—haunted them as thoroughly as they still haunted me.

     "She is mine, and with every second that passes my connection with her only strengthens and my feelings for her only intensify. Denying her is not a possibility and, therefore, will never become a reality. I say this because, despite my firm belief that none of you—all of whom I consider my brothers—would reject or deny Ava-Rain as my mate, it is still something that has to be addressed. Your opinions matter a great deal to me; you are all blood of my blood. So I must ask, do any of you have an issue with Ava-Rain being my mate?"

     My eyes roamed over each one of my deltas, reading their expressions and assessing their body language. As wolves, being able to read body language was a necessity as much as it was a natural instinct. To be able to read another's body language was important; one quick sweep over another could easily convey whether or not somebody was a friend or foe, or if they were being honest or dishonest.

     "Brother," Harrison, my eldest delta, who had been stationed in front of the floor-to-ceiling bookshelf on the left side of the room, stepped forward. "You really think that we'd care if she was human or wolf? Hell, I care more about the hundred dollars I lost to Stryder for betting that you wouldn't find your mate for at least another couple of decades."