Alpha's Mate

Part 15-The other side of James

Joseph

During dinner in the pack house, I had told Abby to sit beside me during the meal. She insisted on sitting to the side so it's not obvious we're together. I growled at that.

Why doesn't she want everyone to know we're mates? But I let her sit where she wanted and it happened to be near James. Yup, my table is so big it could hold anyone.

And you know who sat beside me? Kayla. After our thanks to the Moon Goddess, I turned to her.

"I thought you left." I said.

"I'm not leaving until night." she simply said.

"Where are you going?" I asked. "I'm going to- wait.... You're not my Alpha. I'm going nowhere." She said.

"You are eating at this table beside an Alpha and you are not leaving till midnight. You have to tell me." I said. She huffed.

"Fine, I'm going somewhere with lots of trees but with no werewolves." she said.

"You're living alone?" I questioned as I took a piece of friend chicken in my mouth.

"Er... yeah... for now." She said awkwardly.

Something was wrong. She was wrong. There is something going on, but I didn't know what it was.

Abby

"Hi." I said to James.

"Hello, Luna." he said. I snorted an unladylike snort and said, "Please, James. Call me Abby."

He nodded and looked surprised. "I can't believe I'm actually talking to you. I mean, I barely ever talk to people who are ranked higher than me. And if I do talk to them, it always ends up with them looking at me in disgust and telling me to do my work." He said and lowered his head.

"Seriously? I'm no higher than you are. In the inside, Im just a 16-year-old werewolf." I said honestly.

He grinned, and I thought it was cute. "I'm sixteen too. I go to St Reverence's High school." ( There is no such think as that school; I just made it up)

I looked at him. "No way, I go there too." Now he just smiled. "I know. I just wanted to know if you saw me before. We have the same history class." he said.

I felt a bit bad. I didn't notice him before. "Oh, cool." I said; I didn't know what else to say.

"So, I'll see you tomorrow." he said. "Yes. We will." I said and smiled at him. He turned back to his food and I looked at his short brown hair.

It looked simple, yet with some style in there. I don't know how people cut hair these days. I wanted to touch it; it looked so silky. What am I thinking? I already have a mate. I mentally shook my head and took a sip from my drink.

*****

After dinner, I walked out to the forest... with James.

Joseph had to go to some emergency meeting about the Red Ends invading. I touched my arm at the thought.

"Are you all right?" James asked. Since Joseph was busy, James had no work to serve him.

"Yeah, just.. worried. About our safety here." I said, rubbing my hands together. I didn't know it would be this cold outside. I only wore a sweater.

"Here, take this." James took off his black sweater and put it around my shoulders. I felt a bit warmer. "Its my job to keep the Luna safe." He said proudly, but I could tell there was more.

"Thanks. But," I paused, thinking if I should say what I thought of asking him. "Would you still offer me your sweater if I was not a Luna?"

"Of course," he said without hesitating. Hmm...

"Aw, you're such a friend. How did I miss you in school?" I said, and immediately regretted what I said. I had just admitted I never saw him before.

I saw hurt in his eyes before he recovered and said, "'Cause I'm too awesome for you and you never observe the people around you, like I do when people walk through the door in class." he said proudly, then looked embarrassed. He basically just said he looked at people around him in class... like me.

Now there was awkward tension of embarrassment in the mild air.

"Um... thanks for the sweater, I think we should go now." I said.

"Already? Fine. You could hold on the sweater for now Abby. I'll take it back tomorrow." he said to my right. He sounded relaxed.

"Uh... no! It's okay. You can take it back." I said as I shrugged it off my shoulders and put it around his. He looked upset. Oh.

"No, It's just that I don't want Jose- Alpha Jase to think we have some sort of relationship. I really want to take it but... " I trailed off.

"Yeah. I understand. We are just friends." He began to turn around back to the pack house when I said

"Wait!" I took a step forward to him, and accidentally tripped over a branch of a tree that was above ground. And I bet anyone you would know what happened next.

I fell on him.

He caught me in time before I fell and held me in his arms. He was slightly taller than me so my head rested on his shoulder. I began to lean in... he was so warm... his wolf was warm, but stopped myself and pulled back.

"I'm so sorry; I'm so clumsy." I said and unwrapped my arms from his chest.

"Its okay." He said, but his arms were still fitted around my waist tightly.

"Um, you could let go of me now." I said and he let go quickly, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"I, uh sorry Luna. My wolf was distracting me." he said, straightening his back.

Now he didn't sound like the relaxed, carefree James I talked to a few minutes ago. He sounded like the scared boy when Joseph's was with him. Joseph saw that side of him. But I saw the other.

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A/N: part 15! Okay, I really hope I get more votes; it motivates me. Thank you for the 1000 views. wow, I didn't know how much views this book could get to.

-Rubey😘