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Chapter 11

"Father?" Alaya asked, wondering why his demeanour has changed so much in the time it took for them to get there? She ventured toward him but stopped, not liking how distant he felt and how wrong it felt to even be in there. Alaya again pushed the feeling down, hoping her wolf being out of sorts was affecting her judgement.

Her father turned and a hesitant smile was on his face. He gestured to the now three chairs in front of his desk, Alaya not missing the fact there had been purely one yesterday.

"Did you sleep well?" her father asked, slowly making his way to his own seat at his desk. Fen took his usual stance behind him, face as neutral as ever.

"I slept fine," Alaya replied, having hesitantly sat into the middle chair, hoping his gaze would fall on to her, not Noah or Neve. She had a strong urge to protect them, like they were already pack despite only meeting them less than 12 hours ago.

"I didn't," Neve interrupted and Alaya groaned inwardly at where this conversation was already going unless she could divert it.

"Yes I'm sorry about the floor. Mighty uncomfortable even with cushions," she lied, glaring subtly at Neve in the process.

"Anyway father. About last night-" Alaya began before her father lifted his hand up to silence her. She hated it when he did that, not having the decency to even attempt to use words. Just expected her to close her mouth and patiently wait till she was granted his permission to speak again.

"Yes, last night. Noah is it? Why were in my community Noah? In the dead of night? No announcement, no invitation," her father continued, voice heavy and eyes burning slightly. Just enough to give his irises an ethereal glow, a less than subtle hint at what awaited beneath the surface.

"Well -" Noah started but was briskly cut off by Alaya.

"That's what I was about to explain if you would listen for a moment. Don't just talk and assume I'm done, I wasn't done," she used the words he said to her yesterday evening, fighting the urge to also raise her hand up to silence anyone else wanting to speak just yet.

"Alaya I didn't ask you the question," her father warned, his eyes glowing brighter at her obstinance.

"No you did not but I'm going to answer it anyway because Noah is my mate," she rushed out the last bit of information before her father could interrupt her again. She watched his expression change from annoyance to shock, his eyes dimming a little as his mind obviously now had other things to deal with.

"He is your mate," her father stated, not a question or agreement simply an acknowledgement that he had indeed heard what she had just said. Alaya didn’t miss how Fen scowled momentarily at Noah before steeling his face once more.

"Yep. Actual mate. The myths and fairy tales might actually be true it seems," Alaya joked when silence still filled the room.

"They've always existed Alaya. Or they had many, many moons ago but there hasn't been an actual mating in decades, centuries even," her father continued but it was more like he was talking to himself rather than to Alaya.

"Well lucky me," she joked sarcastically, fiddling with the hem of her top until Noah's hand stilled her own. She looked over at him and felt the worry lift a little, just by gazing into his gorgeous silver eyes.

"That is why I came here, why we came here. My wolf had been getting impatient lately, more insistent and whenever I phased I ended up further and further from my home. I figured my wolf was trying to tell me something. So last night I allowed myself to surrender and just see where he wanted me to go," Noah explained and so much of what he said rang true for Alaya. Her wolf had been unsettled for weeks, fighting to get out but Alaya had put it down to not phasing. It had obviously been something else entirely.

"But you were in human form when we found you," her father stated, eyes unrelenting upon Noah.

"Yes I phased before we entered the compound. That's probably what alerted you to my presence in the first place but I figured better to be human so I could explain myself," Noah continued, his gaze holding her father's with ease. Alaya pulled at his hand gently and he turned to her for a moment. She smiled at him, determined to hold his gaze a while because he shouldn't be holding her father's like that. He shouldn't be able to stare into the eyes of an Alpha with his wolf at the forefront without the urge to look away. And he hadn't looked away yet. She knew it and her father knew it. There was something he hadn't told her.

"Why didn't you announce yourself? Or come up to the gate instead of creeping in the night?" her father questioned, his gaze still on Noah despite Alaya's interference. She still concentrated on Noah though, hoping he would do the same as she drew circles on his palm.

"That was my fault," Neve interjected and thankfully the Alpha's gaze fell onto her instead.

"How so?" he asked, his gaze softer on her as her gaze flitted around the room, not holding his in the slightest. Like Noah's should of done.

"I said until we knew what we were doing here, we should explore a little. His wolf might of been pushing for nothing so the faster we were in and out the better. We didn't realise until he saw her. Then it all made sense," Neve explained softly, her eyes full of worry as they fell onto Alaya. Alaya instinctively reached out and grabbed her hand to reassure her. Holding them both felt like everything made sense and for the first time in a long time, her wolf and her were sure of one thing. They felt like Pack. That's what it felt like with both of them at her side.

Pack.

"See father. There is no ulterior motive. No secret plan. His wolf, like mine had been searching for each other. Explains everything," Alaya said, breathing a sigh of relief that it would all be ok now.

"Not quite," Fen spoke darkly from behind her father. Alaya looked over in confusion at what else could there possibly be that they hadn't explained.

"He disobeyed an Alpha. With ease," He continued, eyeing Noah fiercely.

"Oh that's simple. Like I'd already said at the house, it was the same for me. The pull to get to him was overpowering. I guess that need was stronger than the need to obey. I'm an Omega, it's not like I can just decide to disobey an Alpha," she explained before Noah could attempt to answer, ignoring the memory of her and Luther's altercation yesterday. She glared at Fen, hoping that would be the end of it.

"Even if that is true -"

"It is," she interrupted, seeing as Fen clearly didn't believe her in the slightest. Like usual. Or he was just intent on twisting the reasons that Noah had offered.

"Even if it's true," he repeated, holding Alaya with his gaze as he continued, "he disobeyed our Alpha, the strongest Alpha in power. That cannot go unpunished," he finished, breaking away from her gaze to walk over to the door as if ensuring no-one could escape.

"Punish? You wish to punish him for something he couldn't help? Are you going to punish me too then? As Noah did actually obey whereas I did not," she argued, voice loud and anger fuelling every word. She was standing now, pulling her hands free to slam on the desk.

"Don't be ridiculous Alaya. You're pack and his daughter. My soon to be wife. No one is punishing you," Fen shouted, his green eyes ablaze as he stalked towards her. Alaya was left dumbfounded by his proclamation. He couldn't be serious? She couldn't be his anything now. Even if she wanted to her wolf wouldn't allow it, that much she knew.

"Fen," she breathed out, bridging the gap between them and putting her hand on his arm. His green eyes still burned but not as fiercely, less anger and more sadness.

"I think we all need some time to process this information. Alaya, Tunika is waiting to read you again this afternoon. No ceremony, just us," her father informed her and she turned to glare at him. What she was didn't matter for the moment. That whole saga was on the back burner right now.

"Father she will only find what she found the last time. I am an Omega. Do we really have to do this today?"

"Its already done. You are to meet her in the community hall," he replied, his tone telling Alaya that there was no point trying to defy him.

"Read you?" Neve questioned, confused at what exactly Alaya and her father were discussing.

"Yes read me. You know when you reach maturity. Tunika, our pack reader, has already informed us of my status. But my father is having a hard time accepting I'm a lowly Omega so has convinced Tunika to read me again," Alaya attempted to explain but the confused expression both Neve and Noah shared as they looked to each other, proved she was doing nothing of the sort. That was even more strange, every pack had a ascendants ceremony, otherwise how would a wolf know where their place was in the pack? It was then that Alaya realised Neve’s eyes were a deep blue, like the sea at night time. How was that possible at her age? During the process of being read, when your inner wolf was pulled to the forefront, your eyes turned into their true colour. A visual reminder for all pack members when in human form of what rank you were.

"Its complicated," Alaya breathed out, shaking her head, not having the time nor the patience to attempt to explain again or wonder why the pair looked like they had never been read in their life. This particular reading wouldn't matter anyway, it wouldn't change anything.

"2pm Alaya. Don't be late," her father continued, his eyes focusing heavily on her so she knew the importance of what he was saying. Alaya brushed off his gaze turning back to Noah, wanting the conversation to get back on track and finding out where they were going next.

"Are we done yet father?" She asked, knowing the answer was a firm no but needing to grasp his attention.

"Far from it. The matter of our intruders needs to be settled," he continued, voice low and slow, more of a growl than an actual voice and Alaya didn't like it. She felt the Alpha seeping from him, infecting the air and making it heavy, the weight of his presence informing those around him who was in charge.

"Oh for the last time they are not exactly intruders are they? Noah has explained why he is here, explained all of it. Why is that not good enough for you?" she growled, her wolf now pacing inside of her as she felt the threat in the air. She wouldn't let her father hurt him. She just wouldn't.

"Alaya you are dismissed. Surely Jeremiah will be missing you," her father stated, rising from his chair expecting her to do the same. She did not, earning her a hard glare from him.

"I'm not leaving unless Noah and Neve come with me. Punish them, you punish me," she demanded, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs in front of her. She watched as her father stiffened, his eyes glowing as a warning. Alaya ignored him, focusing instead on the wall behind him.

"So be it. All three of you shall have to reside in the empty house in the north corner. At least until I have spoken with the heads of the houses and see what their take on all of this is. I will post a guard on your door and Fen will come to collect you at 1:30 this afternoon for your reading," her father continued, raising his hand up when Alaya tried to interrupt him.

"No Alaya. I will not have lone, strange wolves roaming the community. I won't put our pack at risk, mate or not. Do not even think of defying me. It will not end well," he glared at his daughter as he spoke, as if making sure she understood that his mind could not be changed. Alana sat there dumbfounded. Was this some sort of house arrest? What would happen after the Heads of the houses had heard of everything that happened last night? Had Neve been right when she had said they should never of come?

"You're locking us up?" Alaya finally replied once her brain had calmed enough to construct a sentence.

"Of course that's your conclusion. No Alaya. Did I say you would all reside in the cells? No I did not. Always so over dramatic. You need to understand that we are a community and although I am Alpha I will not make decisions without asking those that live here with us. Lone wolves cannot just come and go as they please without risking safety. And I will not risk our community," he continued, eyes heavy on her as he spoke. She looked away not wanting him to see the tear that had escaped because she understood.

Protect the pack.

Protect one, you protect them all.

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