ALESTER:
Alester's mom knocked gently on his door before pushing it open and poking her head into his room. He sat hunched over on his bed, his black hair poked between his fingers in various directions.
"We missed you at dinner." His mom said, sitting next to him.
Alester didn't budge, even after he felt the bed dip beside him. He knew he should, he just couldn't.
She gently rubbed up and down his back. Her face scrunched with worry. "What's wrong?"
She asked empathetically but expectantly.
His mother's love thawed him slightly, but the words were difficult to get out.
"I refuse to be around them."
"Around who, sweetie?"
It was so frustrating. Why did he have to say it? His mother was excellent at reading situations and sniffing out secrets. Why couldn't she read this one? Alester let out an exasperated sigh.
"All of them; Phiona, Samantha, Dad!"
"Phiona keeps touching me and I don't want her as a mate! And dad keeps acting like he expects me to accept her, and I cant. And He wanted to throw Samantha out, but I defended her! And now she's not who she said she is!"
He knew he sounded like a child, but he couldn't hold back his frustration any longer. It was too much. And this was his mother. Wasn't her job to help him in emotional moments? Heaven knew his father couldn't help him.
His mother squeezed the sides of his neck and watched as her once calm-headed child broke down in front of her.
She had already talked to his father. Charles had convinced himself that Alester was purposefully trying to get out of mating with Phiona. In his mind, the girl, Samantha, was the key to Alester's performance. He argued Alester was using her presence as a distraction to get away from his mate. She had told her husband that he was letting his emotions ruin his judgment. But now she was curious.
Alester had always been an obedient child, but he was firm about one thing. He wanted to take over the pack his way. He made his stance on his future and what he thought of having a mate, brutally clear. And yet he didn't reject Phiona, which was expected. She understood the mate bond, and she knew he wouldn't be able to go against it. But he also hadn't accepted her and it had been two days. She had only ever heard rumors of mates waiting that long. She had never seen it.
Still, she was most curious about Samantha. Samantha appeared to be tugging at his heartstrings, but in what way? It was just speculation. She couldn't be sure it was true. But what would it mean if he had romantic feelings for Samantha that were stronger than his mate bond?
She took her hands off of him. It was no longer time to be coddling mom. She rolled her shoulders back. It was time to give advice.
"You can't hide in your room forever."
She gave him time to process the words and to figure out it was his turn to listen.
"Your initiation is in a week. And as the future Alpha, you need to learn how to deal with awkward situations."
She watched Alester go still and hoped she wasn't pushing too far. She wanted nothing more than to hold him and make sure no one ever hurt him, but that was not her role as mother or Luna. She needed to teach him how to deal with life, especially in the hard moments. Because one day he would need to know how to do it without her.
She stood up to face him, tilting his head to look at her.
"I know you don't want to hear this, but you need to treat Samantha like she is a part of the pack. At least while she stays here. She is a guest and though you feel hurt, you are one of the few people she knows and trusts. She's going to need your help training her wolf. Also, it's good Alpha training. It might be uncomfortable, but it's doable."
Her head tilted to the side, staring off as if pondering something. A small smile crept on her lips.
"And, son. You might not like her, but she is your mate."
Alester felt a thrill of shock shoot through him. His eyes went wide. Had she just called Samantha his mate?
"She wants to hold you, and so does her wolf. Give her some time. Get to know her. Still..." Her speech trailed.
He had misunderstood. She was talking about Phiona. Alester's face fell, unbeknownst to him.
"Still. You have the right to your consent. I'll speak to her and try to get her to give you some space..." She patted Alester's shoulder and smiled.
Alester took a deep breath.
"Thanks, mom." He forced a smile. What she said was hard to hear, and he wasn't sure if he could do it, but she put a demand on him, something she expected of him, and that made it harder to ignore.
She walked swiftly to the door, giving a nod as she pulled it close. But it didn't close. Instead, she stepped back through the doorway.
"Oh. And son. You're helping me with the party planning."
She closed the door with a smirk, giving him no room to argue.
"auugggghh" Alester groaned and slumped back on his bed.
His mother's words played over in his head. "Treat Samantha like part of the pack."
"She needs you." "She's your mate."
He couldn't believe he had thought his mother meant Samantha when she said that. It made no sense. And yet, a part of him started wondering what it would be like if Samantha were his mate. What if his wolf would have said it was her instead? Would he and his wolf have gotten along better? Would things have been less miserable if he only had one girl to be mad at?
Alester shook himself. Samantha had betrayed him. If he had mated her, the heartbreak would have been 100 times worse, though he couldn't imagine anything feeling worse. And yet, something inside him urged him that being her mate would be wonderful.