The Alpha's Judgement

Rebekah

Rebekah stood in front of the stranger, butterflies forming in her as she stood close to him. Her hand was still resting on his muscular chest as his scent flooded her senses. He smelled strongly of pine and cedar, a faint trace of booze around him. She could feel the eyes of everyone on them, but it was as if they were in another world as she stared up into this man’s blue eyes. Nyx, her wolf, was shaking in excitement as they had found their mate. She whispered, just for him to hear, “What’s your name?”

Before he answered, her father’s voice broke the tension in the room. “Unacceptable! You must reject him, Rebekah! Do you really want to be mated to this criminal? You’re meant to be a Luna and he’s an omega!”

At her father’s words, a growl escaped both her and the man. She stepped back from him, holding a hand to her mouth. The man looked at her, a questioning glance in his eyes, probably in confusion to her growl. She looked at her father, “That is my mate you’re speaking about and how dare you even suggest rejecting the mate-bond?”

The council around them all started muttering to each other. Rebekah scanned the room, taking a second to make eye contact with each council member and her father. Her father was furious about the match, she could clearly tell by how he stood, arms crossed in front of him. He also wasn’t accustomed to anyone talking back to him in his own council room, yet she just did.

Rebekah sighed, “We are the Nightstar Pack; we have prided ourselves on the fact we never reject the Moon Goddess’s matching. We’ve refused to accept pack merger agreements in order to grow our pack due to the mate-bond.” She stared directly at her father. “Yet, you want me to reject my mate because of an act in self-defense and standing up for someone? Mother would be ashamed of your words.”

Her father looked between her and the man. Exhaling a breath, he directed his focus on the man. “What’s your name, young man?”

“Shaun Payne, Alpha.”

“Payne? I’ve heard that name somewhere. Clearly, you know what you’re doing. Infiltrating my pack, living here for years, yet you’ve never caused an issue. Tell me, why should I let you live?”

Rebekah looked at her mate, seeing a smile on his face. “Alpha, I’ve just been trying to survive.”

“Why did you choose my pack?” Father sat back down, slowly calming down. Rebekah was glad to see him back in the role he was known for: the calm and logical Alpha Thorne, difficult to upset and always resorted to what made sense. He rested his chin on his hand, leaning on the armrest. Rebekah could see he was thinking about what to do logically, almost conflicted about what was the right choice.

Shaun gestured to an empty chair, silently asking to sit down. Thorne nodded and gestured for Rebekah to take her place next to him. Rebekah walked to the base of the stairs and turned back towards Shaun, staying close to him. “Four years ago, a kind tavern owner saw a young man, barely skin and bone, stagger into his tavern. The young man hadn’t eaten in weeks, traveled a long distance, hadn’t slept in days, and was on death’s door. The tavern owner gave him a room for the night, some food to eat, and a fresh pair of clothes after bathing. The next morning, the young man asked if he could work in the tavern in exchange for food and board.”

One of the council members scoffed as Shaun told the story. Rebekah shot daggers at the member but they continued. “What does this have to do with anything? Answer the alpha’s question!”

Shaun looked back as the council member, Rebekah barely caught the look of amusement on his face. He then calmly looked back at Rebekah. “I was that young man. I’ve never wanted to cause trouble. I’ve been saving the little money I make to leave and go searching for my mate, heading south from here.”

Rebekah swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. Her mate had struggled before he found somewhere that accepted him. Here she was living a life without a worry in the world, learning to be a Luna while her mate was struggling to survive. He didn’t want trouble, he had a kind heart standing up for the tavern hostess, and he worked to live. Rebekah barely knew Shaun, but she felt more attracted to him after his story. She wanted to know everything about him, the mystery around him pulling her towards him. Her heartbeat quickened as the room filled with anticipation in the silence from the council waiting for her father to continue questioning him. 

Nyx paced around in her mind as Rebekah studied Shaun. They had attended multiple events hoping to find her mate when suddenly he was dragged in front of her. She could sense his power that he tried to hide, pretending he was just a tavern worker. But what caused her to question him was his bare shoulder. Everyone had a pack mark, even rogues had a faint mark, yet Shaun didn’t. Her father stood up and looked around at the council before stopping on Shaun. “What are your plans if I release you?”

Shaun stood silently for a minute then stared directly at Rebekah. She stared back at him, wanting to be closer to this stranger. Without looking away from her, he spoke. “I must request that you continue your plans to visit the Silverback Pack in the north.”

“How do you know about those plans?” One of the council members asked.

Shaun looked back at her father with a smirk on his face. Chills ran down Rebekah’s spine as she watched him. His entire demeanor had changed from when he walked in. He was standing straighter, spoke with authority, and she could feel his power radiating off of him. She felt an even stronger desire to be next to him. “I’m a tavern worker. The information travels quickly through taverns, that’s one of the reasons I’ve worked at one. My plan is now different since I’ve found my mate. But I’ll need you to act like you’re still going to Silverback to find Rebekah’s mate, and I’ll accompany you. The only problem is due to circumstances outside your borders, we will have to travel a longer route. By the time, we reach the Northern packs you’ll understand my actions and you’ll end up apologizing to me.”

Rebekah now realized how dangerous her mate was. He was strategic and knowledgeable. He hid in their pack for years under the guise of a weak tavern worker, but now he was showing his true colors. Nyx was even more restless than usual, their mate was just a few steps away and she yearned to be closer. 

Now’s not the time or place, Nyx. Calm down.

Don’t be a fool, he’s stronger than anyone here. Go to him! Nyx growled at her.

Suddenly, her father laughed. “You believe I’ll apologize? Fine, let’s say we follow along with your plan, what happens when Silverback Pack realizes that we deceived them and Rebekah already has her mate?”

Shaun laughed, filling the air with tension from the council. Rebekah could tell nobody knew how to handle this stranger. “You won’t have to worry about Silverback. It’ll all make sense once you meet the Silverback Alpha. Besides, I got unfinished business with the current Alpha.”

The atmosphere in the room grew cold, almost as if Death himself had entered the room. But Rebekah could tell Shaun meant them no harm. So she rushed to Shaun’s side, wrapping around his arm. “Father, I say we listen to him and allow him to accompany us.”

She felt Shaun’s mood lighten and saw a smile touch his lips for a second. Looking over at her father, she could see him thinking. “Do you really think this is a good idea? We know nothing about Shaun and he starts talking like this is a game. Can we trust him?”

“Yes! I know we can trust him. Think about it, he’s hidden in our pack for years and hasn’t caused any trouble. And his only request is we continue with a plan we already made to travel to Silverback, except along a different path.” She didn’t know why she acted so impulsively, but now that she found her mate, she didn’t want to be away from him. 

Her father paced back and forth a few times. “Alright, we’ll go. You’re just like your mother; can’t change your mind once it’s made up.” He looked at her while she was holding onto Shaun’s arm. “Besides, you two make a cute couple, I can’t go against the Moon Goddess’s decision.”

She smiled at her father’s words as she looked up at Shaun, to see him already looking at her. Being this close to him, her heart fluttered in her chest. “Pack for a long journey and pack warmly; it’s going to be cold where we’re going. There are some things I have to take care of before we leave,” he whispered to her.