Ch. 511..515: The Alpha Contract Chapter 511-515

Chapter 0511

Dane

"Girls?"

Damien nods his head at me. "You had a fifty-fifty chance."

"Two of each is good enough for me." I smile

"And no more." Neah adds. "Four will be plenty." She stares at me until I reluctantly agree. I love being a Dad, and she knows that if I had it my way, she would have more. But she also knows I will respect her decision. "At least they will already have older brothers to protect them." I grin and watch as Neah presses a hand to her mouth. It was definitely time for us to go.

I sweep her off her feet and she presses a hand against my chest. "I can walk."

"And I can carry you. Just let me enjoy carrying all my girls at the same time."

As soon as we are back at Eric's house, Neah races past Mallory and dives into the bathroom.

"She's suffering a lot this time, isn't she?" Mallory murmurs.

"It's just one of those things." I mutter

Mallory slowly nods her head. "Are you on board with it?"

"The pregnancy stuff?"

She shakes her head at me, folding up her arms.

'She's talking about Samara.' Aero mutters

"You can't always help who you fall for." I reply to Mallory.

"It's like he has completely forgotten what happened. I mean, I told him to go for it, but I never would have if I had known it was her."

"We have seen a different side to her since she has been able to shift."

"And that is probably put on as well."

I couldn't be certain if she was jealous or annoyed.

'Maybe both.' Aero mutters

"If it were put on, I'm sure Brax would have said something. It's not like he keeps that kind of thing to himself. Especially now the whole situation of him losing his abilities has been sorted." "I still don't buy it."

"She ripped her brother's head off." I remind her. Mallory hadn't been on the Hunt, but she had learned how Cooper died.

"Could be part of her plan?"

"Have you spoken to Eric about this?" I ask

"He says I'm reading too much into it." She mutters as she frowns.

"Or maybe you are upset that your best friend has found happiness in an unlikely source." I sigh. "Neah is right. Samara is the most watched person in our pack at the moment. The moment she puts a foot out of place, Damien is likely going to be the first to know. Do you think he will just sit by and let it happen?"

"No, he has too much respect for Neah."

"Exactly. Things didn't go to plan with my sister. She.... When she should have lent on him for help, she didn't. She shut him out, she also concealed everything from everyone. Her twin, that she always had issues with became the apple of her eye. It's actually a little concerning when I think about it."

I shake my head. "Damien should have been able to settle down with her, there was even talk of them starting a family, but that was taken away from him. And then Eris was fucking crazy. Surely you can see why it has become his choice. He is not interested in what has been set up for him. And I get that. Before Neah, I was considering settling down with someone who wasn't my mate."

"They have nothing in common." She murmurs

"Did you and Eric?" I ask

She frowns and shakes her head.

"If I were you, I would let Damien carry on. He can still be your friend and have Samara as his mate, but if you keep having a shouting match with him, who do you think he will choose? Who do you think he will walk away from? Don't ruin your friendship over this." Upstairs, Luca starts crying and Mallory leaves before another disagreement leaves her lips.

I hear the bathroom door open and a sweaty Neah makes her way towards me. She leans in against my chest and slips her arms around me. "Do you think she will give Damien space?" she whispers

"I don't think she will have a choice."

****

A few weeks pass with no real dramas, thankfully. Neah had hit the stage where the pregnancy fatigue was kicking in and is currently crashed out on the sofa while the twins follow me around.

Mallory hadn't said anything more about Damien. Any meetings Eric, Damien and I needed to have, we held at Damien's place. Purely so it didn't start an argument.

Though Mallory hadn't said anything, I had seen her face when she came in from her walk an hour ago. It seemed like she was trying, but the irritation was stronger. I had hoped the space from Damien would give her time to reconsider, but so far, it wasn't working. Picking up the boys, I head out to check on the packhouse.

 

Chapter 0512

All the rubble had been removed and the new groundwork was already getting started. The plan is to have it built and decorated, and for us to move back in before the girls arrive.

While Evrin holds my hand, staring at the space where our home once was, Logan runs around us in circles. The boys were so different and I still didn't know why Logan couldn't shift. Technically, he was the eldest. It would be his birthright to become the Alpha. but Evrin just seemed more aware Though I had only heard from Klaus once, he had confirmed he could find nothing about Evrin. Eventually just putting it down to following in his mother's footsteps.

Ryken appears on my left. "It's coming along nicely. I'm making sure everything is as it needs to be."

"Thank you." He had taken the lead on the build. Checking in with me regularly about the progress.

Just before the work started properly, he had come to me and told me that before he came to Black Shadow, this was the job he did to support his family.

As a pack, we had always managed to stick up new houses ourselves, but the packhouse was the largest place here. It needed someone that could spot problems that we might not see and Ryken seemed to be the man for the job.

He glances down at Logan who is busy pulling up grass. His eyes shift to Evrin who is still staring at the empty space. "Different, aren't they?"

"Yes."

He dips his head but doesn't say anymore and strides over to meet with others that are already gathering to help with the work.

I had forgotten to ask how Kade was doing. He had been home for a while now, but was yet to return to school. It was the teacher that had told me, because neither one of his parents had. I will check in later if I have time. "Let's go see uncle Damien."

The boys push through the door before Damien has a chance to open it all the way. I knew who they were after. They loved climbing all over Dorothy, but they were about to be disappointed because Brax and Maddie had taken her into the city to pick up a few things. Their smiles quickly disappear as they realise she isn't here. Samara is quick to the rescue, bringing out some toys for them to play with.

Neah had been a little hesitant about the boys being around her. I understood why, but with the promise of me not letting them out of my sight, she agreed.

"I wasn't expecting you. Neah sleeping?" Damien asks

"Thought we could give her a little bit of peace." I mutter with a nod

"Actually, it's a good thing you are here." He tells me. "Samara has been going through that book Klaus gave her."

"Still?"

He nods at me. "We think she might have found something."

"About their location?"

"It's not named, but there are hints throughout the book. Light descriptions of areas."

He grabs the large book off the kitchen counter and hands it to me. Glancing through to the lounge at Samara putting together a train track, he smiles. "I actually think her and Klaus would have gotten along." "Really?"

"If you open the book, you will see why."

Paragraphs are highlighted in a multitude of colours. A piece of paper is folded in the front with the matching colours and a description of what each one is for.

"She's desperate to find out if there are other family members out there." He tells me

"I wish I could say the same about Neah." I mutter. "She has had too many bad experiences with the family she had. That won't just go away. I'm certain she will change her mind on this."

"The descriptions are vague." Samara tells me as she moves to the kettle. "But there are a few that cross over. There is mention of a small beach in one part when they are getting ready to battle. Another bit mentions a tide washing out the beach landers, sending them crashing into the cliffs. There's something about the waves being dangerous and if people don't know the area, they shouldn't go. Boats are rarely seen in the area. Things like that."

She shuffles into a chair. "It took me a while to see it."

"To find the descriptions?"

"I think it's more than that." Samara tells me

Damien shakes his head, "It's just her theory. We don't know anything for certain."

I glance over to the boys who are attempting to climb up on the sofa. I had no more family to offer them. I couldn't give them any more insight on who they are or their bloodline, but Neah could, especially if she knew more. ""Let me hear it."

"I think this was written specifically for Kitsons to find their way home."

Chapter 0513

Neah.

"I was just about to link you." I tell Dane as he comes in with Logan sat on his shoulders. I look down to see Evrin sitting on Dane's foot with his arms and legs wrapped around Dane's leg.

"I took them to see Damien. It seemed like you needed the nap." He lowers Logan and leans in to press his lips against mine. "Did it help?"

"For now." Logan holds his arms up to me. Opening and closing his hands to tell me he wanted to be picked up.

"Samara thinks she has found something." He tells me as I swing Logan up on to my hip

"About White Cliffs?" It had to happen sooner or later. Damien had said she was being pretty relentless at trying to find something. "Klaus said there was nothing."

"He did, but she has a bit of a theory." He tells me

"And Damien believes it?"

"Belief is a strong term. I think he is trying to take a step back and let her figure this out. Yet he is cautious. It seems as though he is trying to keep her level headed and not run away with an idea. While I was there, he did tell her we needed something more concrete and that we wouldn't go on a hunch."

"Was she annoyed?"

"No. She took the book and started reading it, again. She is determined."

'He wants us to go there.' Nyx murmurs

"What was Samara's theory?" I ask. I can ask him the other thing in a minute.

"She thinks the book is to help Kitsons find their way home."

I snort, "This pack is my home. This is the twins home. You took over from your father here. You've grown your pack. I somehow helped the Lycans move in and made it even bigger. My home isn't somewhere with a name like White Cliffs."

'I agree.' Nyx murmurs

"And how is it that of all the Lycans here, no one knows anything about that pack? Yet the majority of them knew there was a female Alpha? Even Blair knew before I did. I know you said they are likely a secretive pack, but someone has to know something."

"I don't have that answer, but I also didn't know what you were when I met you." He gives me a small smile. "Maybe it is somehow ingrained into the Lycan connection. Maybe it's the importance of your bloodline. Maybe they grew up listening to stories of a prophecy. And when you accepted who you are, that broke everything that was keeping you disconnected."

'It makes a tiny bit of sense.' Nyx tells me in a huff. 'Like how it is ingrained in us. Maybe that's why Dakota believes she is supposed to be our Beta.'

"We talked about this." I mutter to Dane. ""We have."

"You said you would accept my decision." I murmur

He nods his head at me. "You also said if they found something, you would consider it after the pups are born. You know I will support you, but this, I think, is something you should seriously consider, for them." He gestures to the boys. "Their home will always be Black Shadow no matter what their legacy is."

He takes Logan from me. "Now go get dressed, we are going out."

"Out?"

"It's about time I took you on a proper date, isn't it?" He cocks a brow at me. "Athena has already agreed to take the boys and she is currently Lycan proofing her home. Just in case Evrin tries a repeat of what he did here." "You told her?" I mutter in surprise

"You did say there was no point hiding it anymore. Though I am still surprised that Blair hasn't run her mouth off."

'Because no one will believe her.' Nyx snorts.

***

Mallory helps me choose something to wear. She pulls a long black strappy dress out of her wardrobe. "It stretches so it will fit the bump and will show off your figure." She smiles at me. "I think ou will look better in it than I ever did.

I had stayed clear of dresses as much as I could. Only wearing them as a last resort. Being forced to live in a ratty maids outfit for years made me hate them. Give me jeans or joggers and I was content. But I hadn't lived that life for a long time. I couldn't let things like that hold me back anymore. I had found my place and I was finally thriving.

 

Chapter 0514

Running my hands over the soft fabric, I sigh. I knew Dane would like it. It was simple, no embellishments of any kind. Something you could dress up or down, depending on the situation. Thanking Mallory, I take it as she asks where Dane is taking me.

"I don't know. He just said to wear something nice."

"Fancy or non fancy?" She presses

I shrug. He had given no clue.

"Have trainers and heels prepared." She winks at me. Then randomly adds, I think I might have something that will cover both."

After I shower and change, she has me sitting at her vanity table so she could curl my hair.

I wanted to ask her how she was, especially with the whole Damien and Samara situation, but I said nothing. It was easier not to poke at the wasp nest. But it was her who brought up the topic.

"Do you know if he has marked her yet?" She asks as she wraps my hair around the curler.

"I haven't seen anything."

"Oh."

"He might not be ready yet. A lot has happened to him this year."

"I thought men found it really hard to hold themselves back from marking us." She frowns and my hand goes to my neck. My mark had released my Lycan abilities. Though Dane had managed to hold off marking me until I agreed. 'And now you love me.' Nyx chirps as I roll my eyes

"Can I ask you something?" Mallory murmurs

I bob my head as her eyes lock with mine in the mirror.

"Why is it always the men?"

"Huh?"

"Why is it that the men do the marking, but not the women? Surely we claim them as much as they claim us."

"It's not....it's not something I've thought about."

"It's just, if the men are shitty, they can force their mark on anyone. Or like Damien, not even bother."

"That's not fair Mallory."

'It explains why she has gone down this rabbit hole of hers.' Nyx murmurs

"I'm just saying." Mallory mutters

I stand up and face her, I didn't care that my hair was only half done.

"It's not fair that you of all people are doing this to him, Mallory. You should be happy for him. Do you not remember him telling you that Raven was his light? That Raven kept the darkness from seeping in? I have been watching him ever since I had to kill her. Making sure that he was okay. When he shifted to take part in the Hunt for Cooper, I was certain that was it. That we would lose him to Rogue life."

She opens her mouth.

"No, you need to listen, Mallory. He didn't lose his shit. He could have, easily. Yet somehow, he didn't and I think she is the reason. I don't know exactly why, but I see more happiness in his eyes whenever he looks at her, then I ever did when he looked at Raven." She lowers her gaze. "I'm worried."

"Then be worried, don't project your fears onto him. It's not fair. It's not like he ever stopped you being with Eric is it?"

"No." She pouts

"And trust me, he had a lot to say about that, but he kept it to himself because he is your friend. If things had gone bad, who do you think would have been there for you?"

She stares at me, "I'm overreacting, aren't I?"

I nod, "We have all been trying to tell you that. I'm not saying you have to be best friends with her. I'm not. But as long as he is happy, let him be happy. Plus, I'm pretty sure he will be the first one to find out if things are not right. And I think Samara has actually learned that there is no point in lying. I don't think Dakota will let her get away with it."

She nods and gestures for me to turn and sit back down.

She mulls over my words and quietly asks "Is it weird to find out that you have another family member."

"Yes. I grew up only knowing of my mother, my father, the guy who pretended to be my brother but was actually my uncle and the pack. That was it, that was my so-called family. And what an amazing family they were." I mutter with frustration.

 

 

Chapter 0515

She doesn't say anymore on the subject and mostly talks about Luca as she finishes my hair. My dark hair and the black dress seem to make my blue eyes pop even more. "Do you want makeup?"

"No." I scoff and she laughs. She had asked me so many times. Waiting for the day that I would agree, that I think it had just become a habit of hers.

Dane is waiting for me at the bottom of the stairs. He was all in black too. A crisp black shirt, black jeans and black boots. It makes him look like a mystery. A man with many secrets of his own. He radiated Alpha and yet his crimson eyes don't leave me as I make my way down.

"Whatever you are comfortable in." He tells me as I ask him if it was a fancy date or not. His crimson eyes drift down, taking in every inch of me as Mallory comes forward with a pair of pristine white platform trainers.

"Somewhere in the middle." She smiles at me as Dane pulls me in against him. His nose settles in the crook of my neck as he inhales my scent.

"Where are we going?" I whisper, as his lips leave little sparks across my flesh.

"Let's see where we end up." He mutters as he peels himself away.

He lets me put on the trainers and then with his hand pressed on the small of my back, he guides me to the passenger side of the black car that sits out front.

As I take the seat, his lips press against mine and he pulls the seatbelt around me. The tingle of his lips lingers. I wasn't sure if it was just our bond, or the excitement of actually doing something other than pack stuff. We pass Blairs old house as we head to the city. It had been Cooper's hideout, but now it sits abandoned and like no one had lived there for years.

"Where are we going?" I ask again

"I'm taking you to a restaurant. One that I haven't been to for a long time."

"You've been there before?"

He nods. "You remember Madame Curie, it's the place where I would meet with her, and they also do excellent food."

He rests his hand on my thigh. His thumb moves back and forth across the black dress covering my leg and I already knew he was desperate to get it off of me. The question is, how long could I make him wait?

As we pull up, some kind of worker opens my door. A Human. Dane gets out and rushes round the car. "I should have warned you. It's just valet parking." He looks at the Human. "She's getting used to a different kind of life." The guy bobs his head."Yes sir."

My interactions with Humans were still limited. I had barely met any and the ones I had, have either been turned into Lycans, Or they were Lycans that lost their abilities.

Danes voice settles in my head, 'I should warn you, if you haven't already scented it, there are a lot more Humans here than there used to be.'

T

'Okay.' I whisper back as Dane tells another Human that we have a reservation.

"Of course sir, right this way." The Human opens the door and out of all the people here, I could tell there were no other Lycans. A few Wolves, but at least eighty percent were Human.

We are led to a booth where Dane gestures for me to sit down first. As I slip into my seat, I couldn't help but look around at the crowd. The majority may be Human, yet there was someone here with power and it wasn't Dane.