I stand alone

Six

I voiced out a thank you to Carl as I hopped off his back after arriving at the pack grounds. I looked around and checked a lot of things, my first time there and all.

Carl cleared his throat and asked "Can we go now?"

I rolled my eyes at him and nodded. He chuckled and lead the way as we walked to the Alpha's residence, a large two-story building standing tall amidst a few surrounding houses with its beige painting. There were a few pack members here and there, some going about their duties as some smiled at me and some...well, just snorted and turned away from me. Not that I cared anyway.

We entered the large mansion and were bombarded by a thousand fragrances as food and wolf scent mixed. A bad combo at that. I noticed some pack members around a large table at the far left corner of the living room, a beautiful woman who looked not a day older than twenty went around handing food out to them. Some were also in their wolf forms laying on the floor lazily and grooming their fur. I felt extreme nausea building up in me as my nose got continuously filled with all those scents, these were one of the times when I hated the acute sense of smell that my family and I possessed.

The beautiful woman approached me with a rather charming smile and held my hands in hers "Oh my, oh my" she gasped "I knew you were handsome and all that but you looked much better in person" she teased wriggling her eyebrows.

I blushed a thousand shades of red and looked in embarrassment "Thank you" I murmured.

"But anyways, you're just in time for dinner" she chirped happily, already dragging me along towards the table "Just try something of mine"

She drew out a chair from under the table at the top of the table, I noticed the chair was one of three chairs and before I could protest after I got why they were  tucked under the table, the lady pushed me into the chair already placing a plate in front of me. Right at that moment, everyone by the table in one big unified stand made a loud thud that frightened the stars out of me. I looked up bewildered and my heart threatened to rip out of my chest.

I looked up to the lady with a confused look silently begging for any kind of explanation but she just shrugged and chuckled but turned to the people who were standing rigidly like tight-screwed robots "Guys take your seats"

"You're like pack royalty now" she whispered as she bent down to scoop a hideous semi-liquid substance from a large bowl on the table, plopping it down on my plate. I made sure to hide my so-visible flinch from her, I bet I did a bad job at that as she slapped my shoulders playfully.

"They won't kill you" she winked at me and left me with about a dozen people who were absolute strangers to me and weirdly giving me scary looks. Sweat beads gathered on my forehead, and my plans were more than sticky at that point.

Just when I looked ready to bolt out of the room, Carl appeared and squeezed my hand as he drew out a chair and sat by me,

"Calm down" He mouthed to me which earned him a nod.

Then the atmosphere turned a bit chilly as alpha pheromones went around and it took no genius to know that Alpha Clent was near and about to have dinner as well. Hurriedly everyone stood up, well except for me and Carl that is, me because Alphas had no command over me especially when I wasn't a pack member....yet and Carl for whatever reason he harbored.

Alpha Clent drew the last of the three chairs that were tucked in and sat down sandwiching me between him and Carl. The beautiful lady from earlier appeared and served him and disappeared again. The moment the Alpha took his first morsel of food, low murmurs broke out, though I caught a few things like;

' Why is he at the head?'

' Why has he taken the Alpha's seat, such disrespect?'

Though I cared nothing about what they were saying because I knew my position in a pack was higher than that of an alpha, it's one of the few reasons our various families and clans don't do pack, but I trust these dimwits were not as wise as I thought and it seemed some two alphas were not the least happy with that as a deep murderous aura seeped out of them. It even gave me the chills as the pack members were cowering in their respective seats, those in wolf form already showing their bellies.