My Alpha Mate

"Dad, please," I say as politely as I can,
nervously twirling a strand of my long jet black
hair with one hand, and holding a phone in the
other. "You don't have to make a big deal out of
it."
"I will not hear it. It's not every day that my only
daughter comes to visit. Plus, I haven't had the
chance to celebrate your psychiatry degree."
"Psychology," I correct him without thinking.
"That's what I said," he says and makes me
chuckle. I love that old man. Even though he is
not old at all, mother and he were only 19 years
old when they had me.
"Plus," he continues, "Graham has been
showing off with his son's fighting skills ever
since he became the new third in command,
and Jorah's daughter seems to have found a
mate. He is the beta of the Carter Pack, so he
won't shut up about it. He is calling them over
every other day. Now I finally have something
to brag about myself."
Jorah is our pack's Alpha. His daughter Simone
and I have been very good friends growing up,
as my father is his Beta. "I'm so happy to hear
about Simone!"
"She always did want to have somebody in the
high ranks," he says. The Carter Pack has
always been one of the largest and strongest
wolf packs in the region and beyond. "But to be
honest," he continues, "I doubt they are really
mates. To me, they only seem to be strongly in
love."
Hearing my father talk about mates always
saddens me. My mother, his mate, died giving
birth to my stillborn sibling. My youngest
brother, Jamie, was only 2 years old at the time.
Having mates is very rare in packs, and my dad
could never remarry after losing her, as he
suffered too much. His and Mother's mate
bond was so strong that he still cannot
mention her name without breaking. Even after
all these years. And he is one of the strongest
men I know.