Six months ago Xander became alpha of Blackwood Pack, the second largest pack in North America. Tired of watching his pack suffer under his father's abusive regime, Xander challenged and beat his father in an alpha contest to the death. Regrettabl...
Xander carefully balanced the load in his arms as he navigated the stairs towards his wing. Even though it normally frustrated him when the pack scattered at the sight of him, this evening he was relieved he could make his way to his mate with minimal interference. Unfortunately pack duties and an obnoxious beta had taken up most of his day. Tomorrow he would need to start integrating the girl into pack life, but tonight, tonight was for them.
Xander cautiously watched the two dinner plates in his arms as he knocked on his mate's door. He may have lied to Zack earlier. He certainly did not give the girl a room expecting a form of repayment, but he was very much hoping to get one thing out of it; a name.
Xander chuckled when he heard three taps back on the door. Of course his mate would not vocally answer a knock or actually open the door. "Hey Little One, it's Xander. I have dinner for us, would you please open your door."
The door slowly cracked open, and his mate's beautiful clear blue eyes popped out to assess the situation. Elsbeth could see that the alpha was holding two, not one dinner plate. More than anything, she did not want to let the alpha into her new room, even if he had every right to demand to be there. Elsbeth had just had the most relaxing afternoon ever. After soaking in a bubble bath, she had spent the rest of the time organizing the things she had found. There was a chance that the alpha might be angry if he saw that she had changed things.
"Little One, I would like to eat dinner with you," Xander informed his mate.
Elsbeth blinked at the alpha, but made no further movement to allow him access.
Xander sighed at the lack of a reaction. "Okay Little One, you have three options. One, you can let me into your room to eat. Two, you can follow me to my room to eat in there. Or three, we can go to the private living room over there," Xander said while pointing across the hall.
Elsbeth couldn't understand why she was being given options. Alphas didn't let others decide. They took and did what they wanted when they wanted.
Xander sighed for the second time, losing patience with his mate for the first time. She still stared at him like he had sprouted a tail out of his forehead. Other than her eyes growing wide at the mention of his room, she had not made any movements. Leaning forward so his eyes were at the same level as his mates, Xander demanded, "Choose or I will choose for you."
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Elsbeth had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. She was sitting on a couch in the living room munching on a slice of pizza while Xander was regaling her with amusing stories of Brexton as a youngster. If she had been willing to talk she would have plenty of things to tease the werewolf about the next time she saw him.
Surprisingly, the alpha had not scared her earlier when he demanded she choose. She could tell that she was frustrating him, but he didn't even raise his voice, much less a fist. Other than seeming relieved when she finally indicated a decision, he did not reprimand her once for irritating him.
Xander had caught the motion his mate had made at the punch line of his story. As much as he longed to hear her voice, he was not disappointed she refrained from making a noise. He was just happy she seemed to be enjoying herself and was relaxing in his presence.
"Little One, you need to eat more of your pizza," Xander commanded as he watched her push the half eaten slice around on her plate. She had not even finished a single slice.
Elsbeth puffed out her belly and made a big motion.
Xander could not stop the growl that erupted, "You are not fat!"
His tiny mate looked startled and vigorously shook her head no. Trying again, she acted like she was going to hurl.
"You are stuffed?" Xander asked.
Elsbeth nodded in response.
"You really do need to eat more if you want to get more energy, but I guess I will let it go as long as you promise you have done your best to eat as much as you can," Xander said while looking intently at the girl.
His mate looked relieved as she tilted her head in the affirmative.
"Okay, well then, I have something for you," Xander said as he pulled out a purple wolf necklace from his pocket.
This time Elsbeth couldn't stop the sound her gasp made. A few wolves in her old pack had been in possession of similar necklaces. They would shift with the werewolves as they shifted between their human and wolf forms. It was the only way to keep something with you regardless of form. The few she had seen before were prized possessions as they were hard to come by and harder to make. Elsbeth didn't understand why the alpha would waste such a gift on her. She looked at him in confusion.
"It is to hold the key for your room. So you never lose it," Xander calmly explained.
If Xander had to guess, he would say that his little mate was familiar with the wolf necklace based on her reaction. He affixed the key himself to ensure it was attached correctly before giving them to the girl. Someday he was going to figure out her wolf problem, so that she actually needed it. 'One step at a time,' he told himself.
"Little One, there is something that I would like to know," Xander told his precious mate. "Do you think you could tell me your name?" he asked while holding his breath.
Elsbeth wanted to tell him, the alpha had been more than kind and deserved to know who he had been helping. However, she just couldn't form the words. It had been so long since she had spoken.
Xander watch the girl struggle for a while before asking, "Do you think you could write it for me?"
Elsbeth pondered the request. She couldn't really read or write, but someone a long time ago had taught her to write her name. She motioned for Xander to wait as she ran back to her room to retrieve a couple of items.
Xander smiled at his little mate's actions. He had expected her to return with the journal he had place on his night stand. While she did have the journal in tow, upon returning she had thrust her hairbrush at him before giving him her back. Clearly hair brushing was more important to her than telling him her name. Slowly he began to pull the brush through her long blond hair. It was already gleaming from the wash it had received earlier in the day. If he paused she would quickly respond with a brushing motion.
Xander couldn't help but be amused at his mate's antics. Evidently, his mate could be a bossy little thing. After about 20 minutes, she finally began to work in her journal. She was crouched over so he couldn't see what she was writing, but he could tell that she was holding her pen in a strange way. He grinned wondering what his mate would do if she knew what he was planning. Tomorrow, in addition to meeting the pack, his little mate would be starting school; with him.
After what seemed like an eternity, his mate finally spun back around. She demanded her hairbrush back in trade for the journal. 'Still not very trusting,' Xander thought to himself. He knew the little she-wolf was watching him intently as he opened her book.
It was the most darling thing he had ever seen. The E's were both backwards and the name was written diagonally across multiple lines. The letters were a mixture of upper and lower case. Xander slowly lifted his head to look at his precious girl. "Elsbeth?" he asked.
