Chat With An Alpha

~Lynn~

I sneak out of bed, careful not to wake Vonte. He’s been so sweet to me since Devonte was hospitalized. I didn’t expect to be as affected by his illness as I was. I can’t function when my mate’s future is in limbo. I don’t even know why I care since he hasn’t accepted me.

I’ve already tried to come to terms with the fact that Devonte will never accept me. The thought of that brings me to tears, and I just can’t take it. When I get to that point, I take a step back and distract myself. I’m sure I don’t need to say how much that doesn’t work.

I slink down the stairs and into the kitchen. It’s the middle of the night, and not many people are up. It’s so dark outside, making it darker inside with dim or no lights on. As I walk into the kitchen, I notice a refrigerator door open. There are three big refrigerators in the kitchen. We have a good-sized pack, so we need the space to keep the food.

I try not to make a noise; then it hits me who’s in the fridge. I sit at the island and lay my head on my arm. “Did you come down here to eat or get something to drink?” I sigh and close my eyes.

“I came down here because I was tired of lying in bed.” I feel a hand on my head briefly before it went away again.

“I don’t like seeing you like this, Lynn. I know I’m no Tia, but my ears work just like hers. Besides, you just got marked and should be on cloud 9.” I can feel the tears forming, but I don’t want to lose myself in front of Lincoln. We have gotten closer since he’s been mated to my best friend, but we aren’t super close. I feel weird crying in front of my Alpha.

“I should, right……I should be the happiest I could ever be. Instead, I’m miserable. I don’t know what to do.” I can feel Lincoln get closer to me. He sits beside me at the island, but I keep my eyes closed.

“Talk to me, Lynn. If I go back upstairs knowing you’re upset, Tia would have my head. She’d want me to help you as much as I can. You’re important to her…. you’re important to me as well.” I half huff and half laugh.

“I’m sure it’s only because I’m the Beta. If something happens to me, you’d be a bit stuck.” I swear I can feel Lincoln roll his eyes. “Seriously though, let me ask you a question. Why didn’t you accept Tia immediately?” I open my eyes and watch Lincoln close his. I can see the pain and sadness on his face, and it speaks to me. This happened a while ago, but he’s still so emotional over it. I know it’s because of his love for his mate and their child.

“All my life, I knew I would share a mate with my brother. I had no issue with sharing things with him; I mean, we’ve been sharing our entire lives. When you think about love and mates, you think about this undying love that is between two people. There’s no one else more important than your mate. How could I have that with my mate if I have to share her with my brother? How could she love me and him the same? How could I keep from getting jealous? This is all I thought about when thinking about my future mate.” Lincoln opens his eyes and sighs. He maneuvers his body so he can lay his head on the island. He keeps his eyes trained on me. “When we went to these packs and didn’t find our fated, I was relieved. I knew that without our fated mate, I didn’t have to consider these tough questions that had been in my mind for years. I encouraged Landon to go for the Colby twins. I wasn’t in love with Aida, but I knew that if we had them as our chosen mates, I would never have to be scared of losing my mate or not measuring up to my brother. It was vain and short-sighted at best.”

Tia told me just the main points, but nothing this detailed. I can’t imagine how that would feel, being so insecure about your place with your mate. Oh, wait a minute, am I not living that now? “What changed your mind?” A smile grows on his face.

“It wasn’t so much that I changed my mind; I just saw the forest for the trees.” What the hell does that mean? I must look confused because Lincoln laughs. “Let me explain. After taking off for hours, I returned to the packhouse. Landon and Tia were asleep, but Landon woke up when I walked into the room. He was trying to talk sense into me, and I heard him, but I wasn’t fully feeling what he was saying. It was when I slid into bed with Tia, her response to me. She was already hugged up to Landon, but to feel her pull to me when I got close to her…….”

Lincoln’s smile grows. “I felt it, Lynn. I felt that Tia couldn’t just have one of us. I mean, she could, but it wouldn’t be as strong. I felt how much she needed me and Landon, and that sealed the deal for me. I came really close to losing out on the best thing of my life, and I’m so grateful that I woke up before that happened.” I nod and sigh. I guess there’s nothing I can do to change Devonte’s mind. He’s going to have to realize on his own, realizing that I’m meant for him.

“It must have been a tough time for you. I’m glad things worked out, though. My bestie is super happy, and that’s all I ever wanted for her.” Lincoln stands up and places a hand on my back.

“Lynn, I can only imagine how hard this is, but he will come around. He can’t be without you, trust me, I know. He’s going to have to realize how much he needs you. Now, you can wait for him to get there or you can move on. You deserve to be as happy as Tia, but it’s ultimately your choice.” Lincoln leans down and kisses my forehead. “I’m going to be wishing you nothing but the best. I have a feeling everything will work out.” Lincoln pats my back and leaves me alone in the kitchen.