FUTURE ALPHA OF THE MYSTICAL PACK

Two years later…

KEVIN’S POV

Warm water cascaded down my body, soothing my aching muscles. My father insisted that I trained at least two hours in the morning. After all, I was the future Alpha of The Mystical Pack. My weakness could be the downfall of the entire pack.

A sharp knock pulled me out of my thoughts. “Kevin! If you don’t come out in two minutes I will come inside.” 

I groaned as I turned off the shower. If it was someone else I would have ignored it. This was my beloved sister, Risha. She must have already arranged for a duplicate key before threatening me.

Wrapping a soft, white towel around my torso, I rushed to open the door.

Risha’s eyes lit up and her lips stretched in a sweet smile. She thrust some clothes into my hands saying, “Here, wear these. We are going to the Espanol Café.”

I shook my head and sighed before nodding. Risha could be quite bossy but I loved every bit of her. I was free this morning. So, there was no reason to disappoint her.

Flipping her hair, she swayed to the door. I had to muffle a chuckle watching her sashaying her body. Her girly gang had some kind of stupidity going on where they learned to walk with style. To be honest I never understood why they would torture themselves with those horrific heels.

She opened the door of the bedroom and said, “Don’t be late,” before banging it shut.

I put on my clothes and shoes as fast as I could. The last thing I wanted was for Risha to tease me all the way.

Trotting down the stairs I found her, my younger brother, Sandy, and Father sitting around the table.

Pulling a chair beside Risha, I asked, “I thought we were going to a café.”

She shrugged her shoulders and mouthed the word ‘mom.’ My mom had this unwritten rule. She never let us step out of the house without eating.

My lips stretched into a wide smile when I saw her walk in with a tray of sandwiches. Her golden hair was tied up in a tight bun. Her face creased with laughter lines as she looked at all of us seated around the ornate teak table.

Mom hadn’t even set the tray on the table when Risha shrieked, “How could you do this to me? You have made Kevin’s favorite ham sandwich. Where is my cheese sandwich?”

“You won’t die if you eat ham sandwiches today.” Mom said serving dad some coffee.

He looked up from the newspaper and pulled mom to sit beside him. My mom hesitated, “I have work to do.” 

Dad put the newspaper away and countered, “Is it more important than family time?” Mom shook her head and finally settled down.

I had no idea why mom and dad had this same conversation every morning. I did think it was cute but it was slightly repetitive.

Risha pouted and crossed her arms. Her face fell as if she was wronged greatly. She pushed her plate away without even looking at it. “I am not hungry.”

I couldn’t restrain the chuckle that escaped my throat. My chuckle acted like a trigger and soon the room was filled with guffaws.

Tears welled in Risha’s eyes. She sniffled and got up from her chair. “I am going to my room.”

I could tell that she was hurt. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She was not usually so touchy.

I grabbed her hand and forced her to sit again. “Rishu, I am sorry. I shouldn’t have laughed.”

“Why should you restrain your laughter? You will soon be the Alpha of this pack and order us around.” She said in a voice thick with emotion.

Ah! She was worried that everything would change once I became the Alpha. No wonder she was upset by such a small matter.

I cocooned her hand in mine and said, “Nothing will ever change between us, Rishu. I promise.”

She squinted her eyes and said, “Not even when you find your Luna.”

I tapped her nose lightly and said, “Not even when I find my Luna.”

She pursed her lips and nodded. My heart ached when I saw her desiccate the sandwich quietly. I was so used to her incessant chatter that even a moment of silence was painful.

“You don’t have to eat that Ham sandwich. I will go and make your favorite cheese-cracker sandwich.” I said in an attempt to lighten up the mood.

It worked. Her small face lit up like the sun. She flashed me one of her best smiles and said, “Thank you, brother. You are the best.”

My mom exhaled deeply and said pushing another plate towards Risha, “No need, she can have this.”

She puffed her cheeks and glared at mom. But, when she saw the contents of the plate she squealed with delight. “You made my favorite sandwich! Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

Mom lifted her shoulders slightly. “Everyone loves a bit of entertainment.”

Risha’s eyes darted between the sandwich and mom several times. In the end, she chose to ignore her teasing and focused on eating the sandwich.

We all watched in wonder as she wolfed down in two minutes flat.

Catching our glare she muttered, “What! I was just hungry.”

Afraid that I would end up teasing her again, I swept my eyes around the room looking for something interesting. It was then I realized that Sandy was unusually quiet.

I shifted my chair slightly so that my body was angled towards him.“Sandy, is everything okay?”

He raised his round face and a faint smile formed on his thin lips. His short, brown hair bounced slightly as he shook his head. His voice was slightly disoriented. “I… I was just thinking about you…”

Risha clapped Sandy’s back and chirped, “Woah! You were thinking of something. Aren’t you afraid that your brain will become extinct?”

“Risha! Not everything is a joke. Can’t you see that he is serious?” Mom said, her voice laced with warning.

Risha stuck out her tongue but kept quiet.

Sandy leaned forward and said with a serious expression, “I was watching everyone eat happily when a sudden fear gripped my heart. What if all this is temporary?

Tomorrow, Kevin will turn eighteen. Maybe he will find his mate too. What if she is not a good person? What if she ruins everything that we have?”

I could sense the apprehension in his voice. My stomach was in knots but I had to behave responsibly in front of my siblings.

My father must have sensed my feelings because he said, “We can’t remain static forever, Sandy. Change is an unavoidable part of our life. The sooner you accept this, the sooner you can adapt.”

I smiled at my dad and nodded. Even though he was talking to Sandy, I knew that the message was meant for me.

“Moreover, once Kevin has marked his mate; their thoughts and feelings will merge. Believe me, Moon Goddess has her own way of making things right between mates.”

A sigh escaped my throat inadvertently. I had forgotten about that part of mating. Once I had marked my mate, I could read her thoughts and she could read mine. It did seem a bit intrusive but it left no room for misunderstandings.

“I hope I didn’t intrude on your ‘happy family time.’ A familiar voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

My heart skipped a beat as I raised my head in apprehension. It was really Cami. She had always been pretty but now there was an air of confidence about her that added to her charm.

Risha squealed and ran towards her, pulling her into a tight hug. My heart almost stopped beating when Cami looked at me and smiled. My face flushed slightly and I lowered my gaze.

The silence that followed was a bit disconcerting. So, I cleared my throat and said, “When did you return from Loretta?”

She pulled away from Risha. Her eyes twinkled as she said, “How could I miss your eighteenth birthday? I know you didn’t invite me but…”

“I did!” Risha interrupted.

My mom glared at Risha and chastised, “Who asked you to bother Cami. She has to appear for the leadership fest next week...”

“Why are you blaming me. I just wanted to make sure she was around just in case she is Kevin’s mate. Don’t tell me you hadn’t considered this?” Risha said, pouting her lips.

“As much as I would love to have Cami as my daughter-in-law, we should not speculate. The Moon Goddess will guide Kevin to his mate.”

Exhaling deeply, I hardened my resolve. I had to accept the one chosen by the moon goddess. I couldn’t let my mind get distracted...