Chapter 33: When the Alpha Calls

Garin stormed out of his parents’ house, enraged. He had never been so close to physically fighting someone in his entire life. His parents had always been a bit fanatical about the Red Hood legacy but for the most part, they had let him live his life.
Now, now that he was finally happy, they thrust some vapid, blonde trust fund girl at him, expecting him to happily dive into a loveless marriage. He grit his teeth together, nearly wanting someone to follow him just so he had someone to unleash his anger upon.
No one came. Everyone else was happy to play their parts. Well, not Audrey but she was subtler than him. She would find a way out of this. His parents didn’t care what their children wanted. Audrey wasn’t even attracted to men, for god sake! And yet, sitting there on the couch, a man for her. They couldn’t at least extend the courtesy to choose someone she could at least tolerate.
He drove faster than usual to the café. He needed to see Willow. She was a cooling balm to the prickly, burning wound that was his family. The front door was locked, the sign twisted to “closed”. He saw Willow behind the bar, wiping down the counter. She looked worried and distracted. He wanted to smooth away her frown.
He rapped once on the door. Startled, she looked up, her frown disappearing when she saw it was him. She hurried to open the door and let him in. He leaned in for a kiss and she stopped him.
“One sec,” she said and pulled the blinds, shutting out the outside world. She turned and fell into his arms, kissing him roughly.
They pulled apart and Garin grinned down at her.
“Not that I am complaining but what was that for?” he asked, toying with the end of her braid.
“I’ve had a day and I missed you.”
“Yeah, I just left my parents,” he said and helped her put the chairs on the tables.
“I can smell them.” She replied, her nose crinkling slightly.
“I guess you would,” he said, distractedly.
“So…was the girl there?” Willow asked awkwardly, staring determinedly at the table.
“Yep. She was as empty-headed as I had imagined she would be. Not that if she had been different it would have changed how I feel about the situation,” he replied quickly.
“What happened?” Willow asked as she dragged the mop from the utility closet.
“I went in, they introduced us. I asked to speak to my mother privately. She refused so I kind of exploded and stormed out of there. Hopefully, I scared off whoever this girl is with my horrible manners.” He replied and took the mop from her. She gave him a look.
“I need to do something with my hands,” he said as he began to methodically mop. Willow watched him, his back muscles taut underneath the thin sweater he wore.
“I should hire you. You do a better job than Caitlin or me for that matter,” she said and hopped up to sit on the counter. He laughed and rung out the mop. He lay his head on her shoulder and she wrapped her arms around him, placing her face atop his head.
“Would you still date me if I were taller than you?” she asked, murmuring into his hair.
“Technically, your other form is much taller than me,” he said, his face in her neck. She laughed, her joy echoing through her body. Garin enjoyed this. He was glad that he was able to just let everything go when he was with her. He didn’t have to be the strongest or the bravest. He could just be himself.
She ran her fingers through his hair and directed his face towards hers, kissing him.
####
“It is as he said,” Keena said over her shoulder, her yellow eyes peering through the crack in the curtains of the café. She turned to her mother, who was staring at her displeased, her lips pressed into a thin line.
“Do you think Loriann knows?” Keena asked as they walked back to their vehicle parked down a nearby alley.
“I don’t know. I would hope that if she had, she would have ended this already, seeing as what happened to Nora.” Rashida replied, scowling ahead.
“Does Willow know? That he is a Red Hood and it is forbidden?” Keena voiced, hoping for her sake maybe she was just an idiot.
Her mother snorted. “Willow knows. She was raised in our ways. She cannot claim ignorance on this. We need to pay Loriann a visit and from there, we shall speak to the rest of the council,” They reached their large, dark SUV. An extremely tall, handsome dark man hopped out of the front and opened the doors for them.
“We will go see Loriann now. Best to get this handled immediately,” she said to her mate as he slid behind the steering wheel. He nodded once, knowing by the hardness in his alpha’s eyes that nothing he could say would dissuade her.
They drove through the darkened town, passing the Brochade estate. Rashida motioned for her husband to slow the car. She closed her eyes and inhaled. There were more than just the Brochade’s there. The place was full of Red Hoods. She looked to her daughter and husband. They had smelled the visitors too.
“This is worse than we thought,” she said, and they drove the short distance to Loriann’s house.
Loriann was waiting on the porch when they got there. She had sensed the alpha as soon as she had come into town. Even though she had been an alpha in her own right, it didn’t compare to the power that emanated from Rashida, the alpha of their clan. Loriann dipped her head in respect as Rashida climbed the porch steps.
“Lori, it’s been a minute,” Her voice was deep and husky, almost sensual.
“It has but I’m guessing that isn’t why you are here,” Loriann replied, her mind rattling over the hundreds of reasons why the alpha was here, but they all pointed to her granddaughter.
“It’s Willow. We received a notice that she has been fraternizing with a hunter, a Red Hood no less,” Rashida replied, her eyes taking in the strong-willed woman before her. While they had never been enemies, there was a time where they had both thought that Loriann would be the alpha over her. It had always created a small distance between them despite the bond they shared.
“I know,” Loriann replied, defeated.
“Then you know what must happen,” Rashida replied, glancing towards the dark moon hanging above them.