Alpha Female - Book 1 -Under Major Editing-

Chapter 4

The car ride was silent as Aldrich drove them to the nice restaurant he had reservations at. He pulled his car up to the valet, handing them his keys as he walked to open Nicole's door. She beat him to it, opening it up for herself as she stepped out. Aldrich chuckled as she began walking into the restaurant, not bothering to wait on him or walk beside him. Any other wolf would have been put in their place for treating the male like that, but oddly enough, Aldrich found it somewhat sexy how strong willed his female was. She was blunt, and maybe even a bit rude, but Aldrich understood. She had been forced to be that way by the men around her, so he tried to remind himself of that whenever she snapped.

Nicole led them up to the hostess table, where a young hostess was standing. She was a short girl, probably no older than 20, blonde hair, and bright eyes. She looked up from her seating chart as Nicole and Aldrich approached, her eyes immediately looking Aldrich up and down. She smiled flirtatiously, leaning forward on her elbow, her cleavage conveniently on display through her tank top and unbuttoned blouse. "Do you have reservations?" she asked, her voice coming out smoothly as she tried to sound sexy, continuing to eye Aldrich as she ignored Nicole.

"Branson." stated Nicole, her alpha tone pouring out of her like water.

The young girl shot her eyes to Nicole. Her wolf immediately noticed the look Nicole gave her, and a small whine left her throat. Nicole's eyes bore into the girls, her wolf begging to be let out and show the girl that the male beside her was taken.

"Right this way." the girl replied quickly, grabbing two lunch menus and a drink menu as she turned to lead them to a table.

Aldrich chuckled as he followed Nicole, who was making it a point to stay ahead of him. He found it funny how she felt the need to show her dominance around him. Yes, it did anger his wolf slightly, but Aldrich found it both hilarious and sexy, as crazy as that might sound. They were led to a table in the back, on the patio like Aldrich had requested. Their table was already ready with two waters and a basket of steaming rolls. They took their seats across from each other as the hostess hurriedly laid their menus in front of them.

The hostess left quickly as the waiter took her place, smiling kindly as he pulled a note pad out from his shirt pocket. He was a young wolf, probably no older than 18 or 19. "Welcome to Tre Raggazi's, can I start you off with a drink, Alpha?" he asked, flashing an overly excited smile at Nicole. He wasn't necessarily trying to flirt, he just had never seen the alpha female so close before.

Nicole could see Aldrich tense across from her, so to his displeasure, she smiled back. "A mimosa, please." she answered politely, laying her head in her propped up hand.

The waiter blushed as he turned to Aldrich, his smile faltering as he met the cold stare from the male. "And... for you sir?"

Aldrich narrowed his eyes, his voice coming out hard and full of dominance. "A whiskey on the rocks, and another waiter."

The waiters eyes widened slightly as he wrote the the order down, nodding as he turned and hurried to the kitchen.

Nicole rolled her eyes as her hand dropped. She focused her eyes on Aldrich, who looked like he wanted nothing more than to follow the young man and show him who was boss. "Down, Alpha, no one's trying to challenge you." Nicole said annoyingly.

Aldrich looked at her, his eyes softening as he smirked. "You're one to talk, Alpha. That's a nice alpha tone you've got." he replied, his voice full of playfulness.

Nicole rolled her eyes, taking a sip of the water in front of her as she glanced at her menu. "She wasn't acknowledging me. I'm her alpha and she totally disregarded me. My wolf didn't like it."

Aldrich laughed, picking up his own menu as he spoke. "Yeah, it was all your wolf."

Nicole looked up from the menu, narrowing her eyes as she scoffed. "It was. I was having to hold her back from tearing into that girl."

Aldrich smirked, his eyes not leaving the menu as he spoke once again. "Oh, I know. I could practically smell the jealousy rolling off you."

Nicole threw the menu down, her cheeks burning red as her eyes filled with anger. "I wasn't jealous, Alpha Branson. She disrespected me, and I didn't like it."

Aldrich looked up at her, his eyes filling with an emotion she couldn't read. He spoke softly, as if to try and calm her. "You do know there's nothing wrong with you calling me by my first name, right ? There's no need to be so formal."

Nicole scoffed as she picked her menu back up, even though she had already decided what she wanted. "I know. I just prefer to call you by your title."

Aldrich looked her up and down, staring at her with an untested gaze. "You're my mate, Nicole. You have to accept that eventually."

Nicole paused for a moment, pondering on his words. Did she have to accept it? She could always reject him. Her wolf snarled at the thought of rejecting her male. No, Nicole couldn't do that to her. She looked up at Aldrich, her eyes filled with power and determination. "Mate or not, I have a pack to lead. And no male is gonna stop me."

Her words hit Aldrich like a ton of bricks. She wouldn't give up her pack for him. Did he expect her too? He guessed that he did. He didn't realize how selfish it sounded of him to expect her to give up everything she worked for just for him. But still, a small part of him had hoped, even expected it of her. Most females would fall at Aldrich's feet, begging for him to take them as his own. But not her, and it had Aldrich confused. He wasn't used to females casting him aside, and for once, he wasn't sure how to handle it.

Aldrich had heard the rumors about the former Alpha Danielson and his health. All the packs had wondered what the once strong alpha was going to do when his health had gotten bad. He had never had a son to take his place, so who would? Many people had tried buying the pack from Andrew, but no matter the offer, he always refused. When news came out about his daughter taking the position, everyone was shocked. It was almost unheard of to have an alpha female, and many alphas had even tried to stop it. A large number of alphas came together in council, trying to find a reason that the female could not lead without a male. Most of the issue was the men were intimidated of the wolf. They didn't want a girl to show them up. But nonetheless, here she sat across Aldrich. He knew it was just wishful thinking to think she would give up her position for him. But still, he had hoped.

A new waiter came walking up to their table, handing them their drinks and happily asking them if they were ready to order, making sure to show both alphas the same amount of attention. They both ordered their meals, and sat in silence as the waiter walked back to the kitchen. Aldrich looked over at Nicole, who was typing away on her phone, avoiding his gaze. He admired her beauty for a minute as his wolf whined in want. He had heard many alphas comment on the females beauty, claiming she was both beautiful and compelling. Aldrich couldn't help but agree. He wished his mate wanted him as much as he wanted her though. He also wished he could tell her just how much she already meant to him, but his pride wouldn't let him. Why would he show his heart to a female that didn't even want him?

Aldrich's wolf whined, trying to tell him that she did want them. She was scared she would lose her pack, and Aldrich couldn't blame her. As the food arrived, they ate without a word. Aldrich realized then that he would have to win this females heart, him being an alpha would not be enough.