Her Alpha Mate 26

Freya stood there awkwardly for a few minutes before she awoke from her daze and put down the wooden spoon.

Is it going to get awkward between us again? she thought.

She shook her head and sighed. There was really no point in crying over spilled milk - it was best to carry on as if nothing had happened so she could protect her heart. She did not want to get her heart broken again.

Her she-wolf was silent the whole time, and she knew she did not want to say anything that would hurt Aurora even more. Freya had felt her happiness the whole time they had kissed, and now Aurora seemed disappointed and angry.

Angry at Zack.

"Freya?"

Freya flashed a smile on her face as her eyes met Chance's, "Hey Chance."

He scratched the back of his neck, "Sorry to interrupt your thoughts, but Zack changed the time of the meeting and it's now at eleven."

Her eyes widened and she turned to check the time on the microwave.

It was ten thirty. She only had half an hour to get ready!

"What do you actually wear to these meetings?" she asked Chance, quickly making her way to the front door.

"It's very formal. Everyone wears suits and dresses."

"Great," she muttered, thanking him before leaving the house.

Freya prayed that either Pearl or Georgina were home so they could help her out. She had brought enough clothes to last her until today, so she had next to nothing to wear now, not to mention that her spare clothes were mostly jeans and t-shirts.

When she knocked on the door of his parents' house, Pearl opened it with a smug smile, "I thought you would come. I have the perfect dress for you."

Freya heaved a relieved sigh, "Pearl, you are a lifesaver."

"I know."

She led Freya to her room, where she had two dresses spread out on the bed. She took the black one and handed it to Freya. "I never wore this one because it was a size too big for me, but I think it will fit you well."

Freya's smile grew even wider as she looked closely at the dress.

It was perfect.

"You can change in the bathroom," Pearl said, pointing to one of the doors to her right. Freya slipped into the bathroom and carefully put the dress on, being careful not to pull it too roughly. The last thing she wanted to do was rip the dress.

Once she had it on, she turned to the mirror and adjusted the straps a bit. It was a good thing she had decided not to wear a bra today, because it would definitely show under the dress.

There was a knock at the door, "Hurry up, Freya. Stop staring at yourself in the mirror. We all know you are gorgeous."

She laughed and opened the door, "Look who's talking. Has anyone ever told you that you look like Audrey Hepburn with black hair?"

Pearl rolled her eyes, "Believe me, they have. At one point, some of the pack called me Audrey just to piss me off."

Freya giggled and headed outside, "I'll see you downstairs then."

"Do not forget to be confident. You are the
Luna, so show those she-wolves who are after my brother that they have nothing on you."

"She-wolves are after your brother?" asked Freya slowly, and for the first time that morning her she-wolf straightened up and shook out her fur as if expecting a fight.

'My mate,' Aurora said.

Pearl laughed, "Now, now, no need to get jealous. Zack only has eyes for you. Have you seen the way he looks at you?"

"Not really," Freya muttered, stroking the hem of her dress.

Aurora clicked her tongue and pushed Freya in front of her, "Well, I am not going to explain it to you. You just have to catch him staring and you'll know the look. Now shoo, we only have twenty minutes."

Freya rolled her eyes in amusement and made her way downstairs. To her surprise, Zack and his parents were standing in the foyer, ready to go.

"Well, don't you look beautiful? Kennedy, look, our grandchildren are going to be models," Georgina exclaimed, squeezing Freya's cheeks.

"Thank you," Freya said, but it sounded more like "honk honk."

"Mom, leave her alone," Zack chortled, freeing Freya from his mother's grip. He wrapped his hand around Freya's waist and squeezed. Freya kept the smile on her face, although she was very confused.

What had happened to his cold mood from earlier? Was he trying to pretend it had never happened? Why did he look so good in a suit? Why was his hand approaching my butt, she thought.

Freya quickly clasped his hand to prevent it from getting any closer and turned her head to stare at him. He had a barely visible grin on his face, but he moved his hand back to the middle of her back, where it was much better off.

"Well, Freya and I will be on our way. I'll see you in the assembly hall," Zack said to his parents, interrupting their banter. They nodded to them and Zack gently pulled Freya towards the front door.

Once they were outside, she turned to him and tilted her head, "Are you okay?"

He said nothing and held her hand as they walked down a wide path toward a tall building. She walked silently beside him, but gave him pointed glances now and then to show him that she would not let up.

She wanted answers, and he would give them.

"I want to talk to you after this meeting," he said softly, interrupting the tense atmosphere.

"Okay," she murmured.

He sighed and stopped her from going any further. She blinked and gave him a curious look, to which he gave her a long stare, "Freya."

"Yes?"

He pursed his lips, bent down and covered her mouth with his. She squealed in surprise before clasping his cheeks and returning his kiss. His lips twisted into a smile as he pinched her lip and pulled back.

"What was that for?" she breathed out, wiping her mouth to make sure her lipstick was not smudged. He rubbed the corner of her mouth and took her left hand in his right again.

"I think there's a saying that a kiss is worth more than words," he said, raising an eyebrow.

She looked at him, amused, as they walked back down the empty path, "That's silence, not kiss."

He rolled his eyes, "Shut up, Freya. You are ruining the moment."

She burst out laughing at the irony of the situation, while Zack just watched her, grinning. His eyes had little laugh lines around them, reminding her of Pearl's words for some reason.

'Have you seen the way he looks at you?' asked Aurora.

The way he was looking at Freya right now made her feel like she was the only one who could make him smile like that. Like she was the best thing in the world for him.

His smile brightened her day because it gave her hope. Hope that maybe they were not starting from scratch again and their relationship was finally moving forward. Maybe they were on the same wavelength.

He opened the door to the building and let her enter first, like a gentleman.

"So," he said, gesturing toward the stage where a large podium stood, "you'll be on stage with Chance and Reece next to me. The pack may have questions, and I thought you might like to answer a few yourself."

She nodded, "Sounds good."

Just as they were walking up the stairs, the door opened and pack members gradually poured into the room. Ten minutes later, a large crowd was gathered in the hall, where they took their seats and stared at her expectantly.

Chance and Reece took the stage, nodded to Zack, and straightened their suits.

"Who's the pretty lady?" joked Chance, giving Freya a smile.

She grinned and looked up at the young man next to her, "He's right, Reece. You dressed up very well."

Reece rolled his eyes and unbuttoned his collar, "Shut up, you two."

Freya shook her head with a grin. Whoever Reece's mate was, he had his hands full. He was hard to break. She'd barely seen him smile or laugh more than five times.

"We are going to start," Zack murmured softly to them, at which point they stood up. He stepped up to the podium and cleared his throat into the microphone, whereupon silence immediately spread through the room.

"My fellow pack members, we are gathered here today to discuss a very serious matter. As many of you may have heard, a griffin was on our land yesterday. It has threatened the safety of our Luna and our pack. It is certain that there will be a war with the griffins if we do not give up our Luna, and I am sure you are all against that idea."

Freya expected at least one person to stand up and say that they're going to turn her in, considering that there were about five hundred people in this pack, but instead they all looked at her with concern.

"For that reason," Zack continued,
"There will be adjustments in the pack.
Everyone will now have to train twice a day unless they are pregnant or sick. There will also be twice as many wolves assigned to border patrol. Everything must be reported directly to me, you will no longer report to Gamma Chance. If you notice anything suspicious, report to me and I will be there immediately. However, if any of you mess up or think it's funny to play around, there will be consequences. Pay attention, the next two months are going to be tough. Are there any questions?"

A hand shot back, and a young woman rose confidently. She looked at Freya with a small smile before turning to Zack, "Alpha, I am just curious, what's so special about our Luna that the Griffins want her?"

Zack looked down at Freya as if to ask her if she was okay with him talking about her blessing. She gave him a tiny smile before stepping closer, letting him know that she would be happy to answer the question herself. She cleared her throat softly, "I am sure you all want an explanation, after all, you are all graciously putting your lives on the line for me, for which I am very grateful. As for why all this is happening, I have a blessing. From the moon goddess."

Everyone was quiet as a mouse - even the man in the corner stopped sniffling. She waited a few seconds to internalize her statement before continuing, "Unfortunately, my blessing makes the griffins immortal, and that's why they want me."

She was pretty sure at least two hundred mouths dropped open at that statement, while the rest went wide-eyed. She stepped aside again and let Zack come forward once more.

He cleared his throat, "Are there any other questions?"

Everyone seemed stunned, so Zack nodded slowly, "Alright, thank you all for being here. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to ask. I am dismissed."

The pack members slowly stood up and made their way to the door, some smiling kindly at her and nodding as they passed. Zack's family also came over and gave them a thumbs up as they left as well.

"Well, that went well," Zack muttered, watching his pack leave the building in a hurry. He turned to Freya and held out his hand, "Now if you'll excuse us, we are going to have a little talk."

Freya slowly took his hand and waved to the two men as they made their way off the stage and out the back door.

"What did you want to talk about?" she asked, not wasting a second once they were alone outside.

He scratched the back of his head and chuckled nervously, "That's a lot harder than I thought."

"What do you mean?"

He swallowed hard, "Remember when we first met, I said that I wanted you to meet my expectations before I accepted you."

"Yes?" she interrupted him, trying to understand what he was getting at.

He licked his lips and took her other hand in his as well, making her heart skip a beat. There were so many possibilities running through her mind, but she kept her mouth shut so he could finish whatever he was going to say.

"Well, to put it succinctly, I am an idiot," he said bluntly, making her blink in shock. She had not expected that.

He gave a short snort and shook his head, "I do not know what I was thinking. How could I ask you to stick to a stupid list when you are so much more than that? You are the most wonderful partner I could have ever asked for, and there is not a single crappy list in the world that compares to you. I do not give a shit that you have flaws, because we all do, and I like the Freya I have met. She's sweet, funny, lovable, and extremely patient. I have no idea how you waited so long for my stupid ass to man up."

She did not even notice the tears welling up in her eyes until Zack's face was a blur.

"You are not supposed to cry yet, I have not even asked you the question," he said, noticing the tears that were about to spill over.

She gave him a watery grin and shook her head, "Then get to the point, you idiot."

He chuckled and stroked his thumbs over her knuckles, "I will, but hear me out. I still have a lot to say. But anyway, back to what I was saying earlier. After we kissed this morning, I realized that if anything ever happened to you, I would never forgive myself..." he broke off and swallowed hard, "I would never forgive myself. You are the best thing that ever happened to me, and I fucked it up because I was a stubborn asshole."

He looked her in the eye and gave her a small smile, "I always thought my mate will worship me, but I was completely wrong. You managed to bring me to my knees."

He paused to exhale deeply and clear his throat, "Freya, will you be my mate?
Officially?"

"Yes," she groaned, wrapping her arms around his neck as he engaged her in a passionate kiss.

There was nothing quite like that feeling of euphoria as they lay in each other's arms.