The Alpha's Match

1. Boy Meets Girl

Lauren, our heroine...

"I'm not travelling across the globe just to meet up with some man!" I protested for the zillionth time. Chloe just crossed her arms and wore an irritatingly smug and knowing expression.

"Sure." She replied, elongating the word and filling it with sarcasm. I turned my back on her and returned to stuffing my clothes into a bright pink suitcase. "And why can't I tell your parents about this 'oh so innocent' trip?" 

I sighed, ignoring Chloe would not make her just give up. At this rate, I would probably find myself being driven by her to the airport for further interrogation time.  

"They know that I'm going on holiday." My answer was evasive. I tried to move past Chloe to reach our communal bathroom but she put her arm in my way.

"To Venice, not America," Chloe spoke as if she was talking to an extremely slow child. She grinned triumphantly. "Ha! Now just admit the truth, you're visiting some gorgeous sex-god that your parents disapprove of." Her smugness grated slightly and I became half tempted to tell her the truth just to prove to her how wrong she was.

"Yes, you've caught me." 

Chloe let me go and I quickly escaped and began packing up my toiletries in the bathroom. I could still hear Chloe squealing on the other side of the door though.

"Yay! What's his name? How did you meet? And is he rich?" 

I raised an eyebrow at her questions. Chloe was a rather strange romantic. Her last question pretty much highlights how she chooses her men. Her current feller is approaching forty and a retired footballer. I sighed, wondering how much of my life would involve making up imaginary men, first for my mother's sake and now my best friend's...

"His name's Tom and he's from work." There were, in fact, a number of Tom's at the office that she might remember me mentioning in passing. That would make the lie more believable.

"So he's a journalist like you?"

"He's a sport's journalist." I blushed but thankfully Chloe couldn't see me through the door. At this rate, I could find myself making up the names of our children. I hurried past Chloe who proceeded to follow me back into my cramped bedroom.

"So...?" Chloe plonked down on my bed and looked up expectantly at me.

"So I will be gone for two weeks, I'll call you in a couple of days' time." I tugged at the zip of my case, battling against the bulge my clothes made. Chloe pouted but became distracted by my actions.

"It won't shut. You'd have more space if your clothes were neatly folded. Here let me show you." She brushed me aside and began unpacking and then repacking my case. When she was done the suitcase zipped shut easily.

"Chloe, you're amazing."

"I know."

Lewis, our hero... 

Alpha Lewis scanned the territorial maps that were laid out on his table. In the last twenty years the territory of the pack had almost doubled in size and three years ago Lewis had expanded further, giving him control of the largest werewolf pack that history recorded.  For those three years, Lewis had worked towards a dream, a dream of a paradise for werewolves. If all werewolves across the world came together they could populate an area entirely, gently pushing aside the human inhabitants until they had their own real slice of the world. It was only fair - they were creatures of the Earth too. The recent boom in werewolf births was certainly helping, though that phenomenon had come with its own complications.