Alpha's Girl

Chapter One

• Cece's POV •

"Celia!"

I groaned, flipping over in my bed and tucking myself beneath the covers. I checked the time on my phone, ignoring the loud stomps of my brother's shoes coming up to my door. It was only 9:37 am and I had barely slept last night. I didn't plan on moving out of my bed until at least noon today.

My brother clearly wasn't on the same page as me. Knocking hard on my door, he called my name again. "What!" I called from under the covers, huffing in annoyance.

I heard the door open and knew he was standing above my bed. "Seriously? It is almost 10 am. You know the Novak's will be here in an hour?" Owen said unhappily. I didn't respond, instead clicking through my phone and pretending like I hadn't heard him. He growled and I smiled silently, knowing he wasn't messing around now. I wasn't scared of Owen, but I didn't put it past him to force me out of bed. He had done it before.

"What's the big deal?" I asked, peaking my head out from underneath my warm, fuzzy purple blanket. "It's not like I need to dress up for them."

Owen stared at me with annoyance. "Yes, actually, you do. You need to be presentable. This isn't a visit like old times, Cole is about to become Alpha," He said in a tone as if that was supposed to mean something to me. I stared at him blankly, waiting for him to continue. "Cece, please just get ready. You're expected to be at the pack house at 10:45. I would like us to make a good impression." He said the last sentence more pleadingly, and I began to feel guilty.

"Okay, I'm getting up," I resigned, but stayed in place. He stared at me, crossing his arms and waiting. He didn't trust that I would get up and I knew he wasn't leaving until I did. I crinkled my nose and rolled my eyes. "Fine, okay, I'm getting up for real!" I sat up, and placed my phone on my desk. Owen looked happy with this improvement and tussled my hair.

"Thanks, C," He gave me a half smile. "I've got to go. Carlos and Jacob are downstairs when you're ready." He closed my door behind him, leaving me to myself. Owen looked tired himself. I knew today was stressful for him. Whenever a neighboring pack visits, it's a big ordeal. Guards have to be doubled and must be more alert. The pack has to be on their best behavior. Declan, my second eldest brother, is Beta, and I knew him and Owen had been preparing for this visit for over a month now.

But this wasn't just any pack visiting. Red River Pack was the neighboring pack to us that shared our borders. They were our closest alliance, and they were always treated with the utmost respect from our pack. They also happened to be our closest friends growing up, and Alpha Jared and his family had helped our pack in more ways we could repay him for. Owen was forced to take over our pack earlier than expected after my dad's accident. Alpha Jared had helped him step into power, and he was like another father to us.

While this visit was professional, it was also a reunion of sorts. With Owen being pushed into the Alpha position so suddenly, it had been too much to plan a friendly visit between our families. It had been a year since the last time Alpha Jared had come to our pack, but even longer since I had seen him. Now, Cole was about to take over the Alpha position from his father. He was turning 18 in just a few weeks. Although our pack had once knew Cole and his family well, he was here to formally introduce himself as Alpha. It was a way of showing his respects to our pack, and affirming that we would be continuing our alliances with him as Alpha.

My stomach fluttered with the thought of seeing Cole again. I wondered if it would be weird to see him today in such different circumstances. Had the Alpha training changed him, or was he still the same boy I grew up with?

Growing up, we had all been very close. Declan and Cole were inseparable, and being so close in age I followed them around like a puppy dog. I thought Cole and Declan were the coolest kids in the world, behind Owen and my dad of course. In the summer, Cole would come to visit our pack many times. It was unusual for Alpha families to be so close, but our parents had always loved and encouraged our friendships. It wasn't until Cole and Declan got older and gained more visibility and responsibility in their packs that everything began to change.