Alpha Cepheus | EBNAB#1

Chapter 4

Alpha Cepheus

The encounter with Callista lingered in my mind long after she had left the packhouse. Her presence was like a fleeting shadow, always at the edge of my consciousness. I could sense her unease, her apprehension, and the fear she tried so hard to mask. It stirred something within me, a protectiveness I hadn't felt in years.

Returning to my office, I found myself replaying the events of the previous night. I had been patrolling the borders, ensuring the safety of our territory, when I saw her in the forest. Her scent was unmistakable, a mix of fresh bread and wildflowers, different from any other. I had watched her from a distance, curious and drawn to her in a way I couldn't explain. When she ran, it was instinctive to follow, but I held back. The fear in her eyes had stopped me cold.

"Alpha, you seem preoccupied," Beta Caxius observed as he entered my office, carrying another box of pastries.

I sighed, leaning back in my chair. "It's nothing. Just a lot on my mind."

"Is Callista a lot for you?" He teased knowingly.

Caxius placed the box on my desk and sat across from me. "Callista is a remarkable young woman, isn't she? She takes care of her Grandma well."

"She's different," I admitted, taking one of the cinnamon buns and biting into it. The sweet, delicious flavor filled my mouth, and I found myself savoring the taste more than I expected, my mate is great baker. "But she's also vulnerable."

Caxius raised an eyebrow. "Because she's wolfless?"

I nodded, feeling a pang of guilt. "It's not just that, she's mine. She have not realize, because without a wolf, she will not get a confirmation of us being mates. It would be like being mated to a human."

"Why am I not surprised? You have been acting strangely around the poor girl, and that changes everything now. Who would have thought that the mate you have been searching for all these years, has been in here all along. Maybe you should talk to her," Caxius suggested. "Help her understand her place in the pack."

"I will, but she seems to fear me."

Caxius chuckled. "Well, you do have that intimidating aura about you, Alpha. Perhaps if you approached her differently, she'd open up more."

"Perhaps," I mused, considering his words. "I don't want her to feel like an outsider. She deserves to know that she has a place here."

"Well you are failing, today you made her feel like an outsider, have you seen her face? She was about to cry. You are a mean bad alpha."

"I did not mean to. I'm just worried about her safety. What if the pack members mistook her for some human stranger in our land and attacks her?" I growled.

"The pack members knows her Alpha, your over protectiveness might push her away from you. If you want your Female, you have to keep her close, take it slow, that girl has been through a lot, ever since her parents accident."

"Her parents..."That reminded me of how they were killed in a car crashed one snowy day, as they travelled to another town, it was a news all over the pack, Callista was young back then, I can only sympathize, and I- I was preparing to take over the pack, I have not paid so much attention to her, she was a child, finding her late would mean I would have to make it up to her, for all the years I missed the opportunity being with her, as my mate, "I don't know if I can take it slow Caxius. I have been searching for a long time, do you think she would be willing to move in with me?"

"Ha! No. Who would take care of her Grandma?"

"Well then, I will build a cabin beside her bakery."

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