Alpha Loren

December 3rd

Lenny's shift was very exciting. I had never been to any shift party. By the time Connor and I had our first shift we didn't have any werewolf friends and besides our Mom, no family either so my Mom just cleared the furniture in the living room and we had a slightly larger than usual celebratory meal afterwards. Nothing like what the Rosa had for organised for her son.

His wolf was a beautiful honey brown like colour with warm blue eyes- just like a lot of the family apparently. Soon after, Antonio took him for his first run in wolf form and families with younger kids started to leave.

"So what was that thing you didn't tell me earlier?" Leo asked as we sat on the stairs saying goodbye to people as they left.

Damn. I was hoping he'd forget about that.

"Can we talk about this later?" 

"I'm not going to forget, Ells," he replied.

"Sometimes I wonder if you really are a mind reader."

"What can I say? I know you better than most," he said. "So come on. Spit it out."

"No, not here and not now. We're still supposed to be celebrating Lenny's 16th. I don't want to ruin his party," I replied.

"Then let's go upstairs," he said as he stood up and gripped my hand.

"Leo, no," I said pulling my hand away from him. "I'll tell you at home."

"Ella," he said deeply. 

"Please Leo," I begged. "Don't do this."

"If it is important, which I assume it is, I would rather that you told me immediately," he hissed sounding as if he was struggling to remain calm.

"It isn't a big deal," I replied getting up to walk away from him and over to Elena and Bella who were by the doorway in of the kitchen.

Leo grabbed the upper part of my arm and pulled me back to him. 

"Just leave it, Leo. We should be spending this time with your family. Not aruging," I snapped immediately regretting it. 

He looked down at me with a pissed-off expression before taking my hand tightly.

Elena, who had seen the entire thing, was already marching over.

"What the fuck Leo?" she asked.

"Stay out of this, Elena," Leo grumbled.

"Stay out of you roughing up your mate in our house?" she hissed.

"I'm not roughing her up," Leo replied.

"You're being a bastard," Elena said.

Leo clenched his jaw before turning to me, "You are looking awfully tired, Ella," he said, "Perhaps we should head home right now."

I didn't say anything but allowed him to turn his back on his sister nad pull me into the living room where most of the Lorens were.

"We're gonna head off now," Leo announced. 

"It was lovely seeing you all," I added.

"Leaving so soon?" Rosa said pulling me into a hug and then Leo.

"New moon syndrome," Leo explained wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

"Ahh. Of course," she said. "Silly of me to forget. But Leonardo. Where are my twins? They were here for the transformation but vanished before I could get a hold of them."

"They will show up soon, Mom, don't worry," Leo reassured just as Marco and Carlos came through the door

Perfect timing.

"Talk of the devils and they shall appear," Rosa said before marching over to them.

She stood with her arms folded as she stared up at her sons, who were at least a foot taller than her.

"Where have you been?" Rosa demanded.

"The woods," Carlos said shortly.

"With who?"

were here for the transformation," Marco

then

the

me Carlos," she ordered. "You

detto di droga?!" Rosa

What did I

face," she said licking her finger and wiping his cheek. "Please tell me it wasn't one of your cousins. I'm still mortified

cue to leave," Leo said as the family sat awkwardly looking

Antonio, who I had been avoiding. His arms

spotted Elena who was still eyeing

up for me. She

I needed

tell Leo about what Antonio and I were

time to

what not to say but for some reason, I

stated twiddling my thumbs. "I shouldn't have said and especially

long pause. "I perhaps should not

into be, wrapping myself in the thick warm sheets which

gonna tell me now?" he asked taking his shirt off by

a feeble avoidance strategy. "Night, I

then closed my

what," he

I replied before

can't have

Ever heard of sleeptalking?...duh. And you never

even more if you told me the thing that you were gonna tell me when we got home and when I'd calmed down. Well, here we are.

to be mad. In

"Why?" 

can't be tall and intimidating if you sit down," I replied tugging at his hand and he rolled his eyes before climbing

around me like a nun before grabbing another blanket and doing the same to Leo. My hands brushed his skin and he burnt as warm as ever but I enjoyed tucking the

me?" I questioned once

"In most aspects, yes."

trust me when I say it doesn't matter. I should never have brought it up and you just need to let

it doesn't matter then why can't you just tell me?" he asked, "Is it something my

a yes then,"

"How did you guess?"

up the second I suggested bringing Antonio upstairs to help with

groaned and threw myself back onto the

he said pulling me back up and pinning the blanket around me, holding

taking a

we

other night. I already told you that. But he also said he had prejudices based on my father that he places

where I'm going

I submitted makes me feel like I've lost not only a part of myself but a part of my Dad too. My Dad raised me to be independent and brave and fight injustice. But now I'm changing and it makes me feel even more distant from him. I don't want to forget him and I

and looked down at

that wasn't a

deep truth that I hadn't even realised

for a few

a bastard and shouldn't

hear it and I didn't want to repeat it back to you either

up at him,

it," he said, "I haven't told my Dad because I can't be fucked to deal with his response so he doesn't know our relationship and he doesn't know you. So screw him and screw whatever he thinks. You're the first woman to have any control over what happens in this

and closed my eyes, "I'm not strong like he wanted me to be. I thought I was. I thought I never backed down. But until you, no one really tested me. But you did

at me,"

opened my eyes and looked at him

define 'caved'?" he

shrugged, "Giving in, giving up...letting go

are you passionate about?" he

for a second, "...happiness. I

rubbed his thumb along

wouldn't tell what my father said at the party because you didn't want to ruin anyone's evening. You also tolerate Luca's suffocating hugs. You comforted and transformed the life of Polly, the young girl attacked by rogues. You made sure my Dad and I didn't destroy Lia's happiness in a moment of anger. You want nothing more than to help me deal with pack issues. You have also poured your soul into creating peace between your brother and me and whilst we still have a long way to go, I know you aren't

I smiled and blushed.

both ourselves and the rest of the pack, okay? We became

then pulled my face in and kissed me

going to say something nice

I

bundling the blanket tighter around me,

and a few seconds later, he