Alphy's Challenge

by Tigertalez

  He heard his aunt in her room giving Tom orders. Dropping off his load, he decided to check out what was going on. He spotted his aunt leaning over Paul, trying to get him to drink down some tea. “Come on now. I know it isn’t the best tasting stuff, but it will help you. That’s it. Those lowlife monsters give all us shifters a bad name.” She fussed over him, tucking him in and checking out his bandages.

  Connie joined them, and Betty looked up at the couple. “I’ll have him stay in here, and I’ll take the room across that hall. It will be no trouble putting my stuff in the other room. Take your pick of rooms, or even better, you can have the apartment in the basement or the apartment over the garage. That will give you some personal space, and you can finally unpack and unwind.”

  Connie had a mix of emotion flutter across her face. “Unpack? You want us to move in?”

  Betty regarded the human. “If you don’t wish to, then you don’t have to, but you’re family now and you are positively welcome here.”

  Before Connie could respond, Alphy spoke. “Remember, I have offered you sanctuary in my territory, and if you wish to petition to join us, then I will be happy to accept you as part of our pack.”

  Tom squeezed his mate closer to him. “Thank you, Alpha, we would like that.”

  Connie nodded. Her face crumpled, and she turned into her mate’s embrace and sobbed. Tom looked back at Alphy with barely contained tears of relief himself. “I know it’s only been a few weeks, but it has felt like an eternity since we were able to feel welcome and safe. You have my loyalty.”

  Nodding his head, Alphy turned and headed out of the room. He found his mate sitting on a soft dark brown suede couch, talking with his sister Havana, and watching the tots play and explore in the living space near the wood stove. His brother, Reese, was down on the floor playing gently with them.

  Gale looked up as he drew near and smiled at him. It was a tired smile, but it had no less effect to cause his heart to stutter and his stomach to flip with desire and excitement. This was his family now, and a sense of purpose and pride filled him. As he approached his mate, he looked over at his brother, who looked up at him as he approached.

  “We have cubs in the house now,” said Alphy. “No more potty mouth or the next time you have to clean the chicken coop, you’ll do it with your toothbrush.”

  Their sister started to laugh, and he joined in at his brother’s expression. Reese huffed indignantly. “Hey, it was a flipping spider! You can’t be held accountable for what you say when you see a spider.”

  That got everyone laughing, including Alphy’s mate.

  He turned to Havana. “Would you mind watching the cubs … all the cubs?” He gave an exaggerated look toward his brother.

  Laughter filled the room as Havana eagerly nodded, ignoring Reese’s protest, and Alphy led Gale up to his room. He smelt her nervousness before they even reached his door, so he opened the door but didn’t go in. He stood in the entryway and held her in his arms. “I’m not going to force you to do anything you aren’t ready for. I want you to feel comfortable coming to me about anything. That being said, I also want to be upfront with you. You’ll be better able to make your choices that are best for you without guessing what it is I want or expect. Are you ok with that?”

  Gale nodded, and he could sense that her nerves lessened, but were still there. He continued. “I want to move you into my room, with me.”

  Alphy expected he would have to explain more about how fast shifters accepted their mates. Most humans had beliefs about how long one should take to move in together and fall in love, but those things happened fast with shifter mates. However she surprised him by nodding her head.

  “I trust you.”

  Alphy closed his eyes tight, and he let out a relieved breath. Inside, his bear settled a wee bit but not much. Not until they had their mark on her would he totally be satisfied.

  He opened his eyes and placed his forehead against hers. “Thank you, Honey-bear.”

  Alphy felt the skin on her forehead tug on his as her eyebrows rose up. “Honey-bear? Does that mean I get to give you a pet name? I was always kind of fond of ‘poopsy’.”

  Alphy growled then chuckled. “You can call me anything you want, just maybe keep the poopsies to a minimum. I am an alpha and would hate to have to maul someone because they didn’t take me seriously.”

  Alphy felt like fireworks would explode out his chest with his intense feelings for his mate. She may be afraid, but she trusted him. That alone meant the world to him, and he loved her sense of humor. He figured once this threat passed, she would be trouble, and he couldn’t wait to be a part of it. His bear approved immensely when they watched her start to haul her personal effects into their room and look for places to put them. He may not have had the room long, but his bear had already claimed the space. The rest of the morning was spent unloading.

  Alphy had only had a brief look at the house when he locked things up the night before, but he decided he needed to get acquainted with the whole building and surroundings. He needed to keep his mate and his pack safe, and he couldn’t do that if he didn’t know his way around or wasn’t able to notice anything out of place. So while the others unloaded, he explored.

  He started with the basement that Tom and Connie had decided to move in to. Taking a load down to the basement, he took a quick looked around. It was a comfortable space that had three bedrooms and a kitchen with a closet pantry. The living space was open, much like the main house upstairs and had a wood stove also. To one side, there was a door that led outside.

  Alphy opened the outside door and looked around. The porch was overhead, shading the area, but it was clean and neat with a wooden bench against the wall and hooks and brackets to hang planters on. However, though standing at the bottom of the cement stairs he could stand up straight, the further up he went, the more he would have to crouch. Still, the porch was high enough to allow easy movement, if a little hunched over, underneath. He overheard Connie and Tom discuss adding shade-friendly plants, more comfortable seating, and a perhaps a sandbox for the kids. They were really excited about the space.

  Alphy headed up the stairs and crouched under the porch. He walked out into the sun and around the house to the garage. It was time to find out what Betty kept in there. He had wondered since he arrived what she had in there.

  He opened the side door and cautiously walked into the darkened space and let his eyes adjust. What he saw caught him totally by surprise. In front of him, in the middle of the large space, was a boxing ring. Around the ring were several different boxing bags, weights, all kinds of protective gear in adult sizes and kid sizes, boxing gloves and tape, and sparring gear. Alphy had spent loads of time in gyms strength training and sparring, and he took in a breath and enjoyed the familiar scents. He knew this would be a place he would escape to often, and seeing the kid gear, he felt a twinge of excitement at the idea of training others, perhaps even his own kids.

  “When you open the garage doors, it opens it up further. So you like it?”

  Alphy didn’t jump as he’d smelled Betty was near. “Yeah, the only place I spent more time than the gym, was in the field of battle. This isn’t old equipment, yet I don’t smell you’ve been here recently.”

  Betty waved a hand. “Nah, wasn’t my thing. It was, however, my brothers’ favorite thing. They loved boxing and they could get quite a bit rowdy, so our dad built this and used it to train the boys. It taught them how to defend themselves, and it got rid of their extra energy at the same time. It was even used to settle disputes between the brothers. I actually kept it up-to-date for two reasons.” She walked over and stood next to him as he was inspecting the corner bags. “I did it to honor their memories, for one. And as I told you, your mother couldn’t stop going on about you, and she told me how good a fighter you were. I figured once I died, you would inherit all this, so I made it as best I could. I did a lot of things with both of those thoughts in mind, in honor of my brothers and in prepa
rations for it becoming a sleuth once again.”

  Alphy looked up. “Is that why you have so much electricity set up?”

  “Yep, this was always the central hub, being that it was where the alpha lived. We always had gatherings, celebrations, events, or visitors. There was always something going on. I think I also did it for something to do, something other than feed chickens or weed. I always hoped it would be the hub of an alpha once again, one day.”

  Alphy wandered around looking at the gear. “So you really don’t mind all the company.” He didn’t really ask, it was just affirmation, but she answered anyway.

  “Of course. I never had the urge to leave or travel, but I enjoy having people around. Let me ask you something. You offered to allow them to join our ‘pack’. Why not sleuth? We are bears.”

  Alphy nodded and turned to face her. “I know, but ‘sleuth’ indicates bears. ‘Pack’ is more of a broad term. We may be bears, but Tom is elk, our mates are human, and if all turns out, we may just have wolf, lion, hawk, anaconda, and even vampire, join us. Pack seems to fit more to me than sleuth does.”

  Betty’s eyes went big when her brows shot to her hairline. “Anaconda and vampire?” She puffed out a snort and started for the door. “Ok, pack it is.” She paused at the door and looked back at him with a serious look on her face. “But I better not find the snake’s creepy-ass, shed skin lying around, and the vampire better keep his fangs clean.”

  Alphy gave a tilted smile. He enjoyed her sense of humor … or was she really serious? He continued to explore the garage, then moved on to the apartment upstairs from it.

  The apartment over the garage was a comfortable size. It was built as one bedroom apartment with loads of light coming in from several windows. The place was bright, and without the walls hampering it, it lit up the space.

  It had a decent sized kitchen, a large full sized bathroom, and a walk-in closet. Alphy loved the light. It gave it the sense it was a larger space than it was. He thought about his friends whom he was going to invite and really hoped they accepted. This was a perfect apartment for either his friend who he wanted as his beta, or his friend who was a hawk.

  He continued to roam the space, thinking more about his friends. Just that morning, on his way to town, he had been thinking about how Betty had said he was now alpha. He already had in mind asking some of his friends to join him. One was gay, so no pack wanted him. He was Alphy’s closest friend and could nearly beat him when they sparred, so he was planning on asking him to be his beta. This would be a great space for him.

  Another was a hawk shifter whose family had been murdered, and he was left without a clutch. He was Alphy’s second best friend and a deadly sniper. He would adore this space, with it being higher up and an open space.

  Leaning against the kitchen island that seconded as a breakfast bar, he pulled out his cell. Now was a good time to call in the “pack”.

  Chapter Six

  Enzo’s amused voice resonated through the connection. “Hey, look at that. An apparition. I’m gifted with communicating with the dead. How goes the afterlife?”

  Alphy grunted but kept his voice serious. “Busy, you need to join me, and bring the kids.” Referring to their other friends.

  His best and closest friend didn’t miss the urgency of the matter. His voice lowered in response. “We’ll be there in twenty-four hours or less. Wanna tell me what’s up, or do I get to be surprised?”

  “I found my mate.” Alphy waited for his friend’s wisecrack.

  “Congratulations! So you want the whole family together for a reunion or do you need someone to show you where to put it?”

  Alphy loved his friend, but he didn’t feel like playing along this time. “Some super ass-wipe of an alpha tried to have her brother killed for being gay and claims they stole money from him.”

  “Fuck, you just don’t understand the concept of retirement. You’re supposed to avoid trouble. How’s her brother?”

  “Alive, but he lost an eye and his ribs and wrists were fractured so they’re still healing. Staying on the run is slowing his healing. My mater and her brother are full human, kids from her mother’s previous marriage. A shifter mated their mom, and now they have a pair of cubs. The whole family is being targeted because the stepfather refused to send his gay stepson away.”

  “So he defied his alpha, packed up the kids, and fled?”

  “Yeah, but not before his enforcers dragged the gay son away and tried beating him to death. The stepdad took a shotgun and shot one of them, so now the alpha has other alphas on his side, believing they’re rogues and theives.”

  He heard his friend whistle his expression. “Damn, a stepdad that would do all that for a kid that wasn’t his own? Respect. So you need the family together to fight a great big shifter war? I’ll bring the heavy guns. So, where do you want us?”

  Alphy sighed. “I’m not finished with the big news.”

  “More? You really don’t know how to take a break. What more do you have to tell me? Lay it on me.”

  “I told you I was heading to a relative’s after I picked up my brother and sister?”

  “Yeah, how they doing?”

  “It’s been a bit rough, but they’ll be all right. We got up here, and my bear immediately settled. It’s home, Enzo. My bear claimed the area before I even got out of the truck. My aunt, somehow, kept the area in hopes to rebuild the sleuth. She told me if I wanted to stay here, I could, so I’m now an alpha of a territory.” Alphy huffed into the phone. “We arrived just yesterday. She offered last night and I accepted, and it’s a good thing since I met my mate no more than twelve hours later.” Alphy grunted again and mused how fast life could play out. “Just before I met her, I was thinking about you and the others. I want you to be my beta. Will you think about that?”

  His friend paused a moment, and Alphy knew he was battling his emotions. Enzo was a wolf, a true pack animal, yet he was forced to live without a pack because he was gay and his birth pack and others he had asked to join didn’t want him. Alphy knew what it meant to him to be offered a pack, but to also be offered a rank was something Alphy knew Enzo didn’t think he would ever have.

  After a few moments, Enzo cleared his throat a couple times until he was able to speak. “Psh, no need to think about it, I accept.” Alphy could hear the barely controlled emotion mixed with the excitement in his friend’s voice. “Hot dog! It will feel so good to be a part of something again, and beta? Best friend ever.” His friend said the last sentence like a teenage girl. He always loved to subtly mock a gay stereotype many took him for when they heard he was gay.

  Alphy laughed and spoke a few more minutes as they planned the next events. He hung up and dialed another number.

  “You couldn’t live without me and my dick after all? I’m flattered, and I accept!” Ryker drawled.

  Alphy laughed. What was it with his friends answering first thing with a quick quip? What ever happened to the good old fashioned “hello”? Then again, he wouldn’t want his friends to be any other way but themselves.

  “Hey Ryker, good, get your ass up here and bring Seamus. In fact, make sure Seamus is on the next flight out, if he would, and bring his med-kit.”

  “Well dayum! He’s having flight issues and is stuck in Chicago. I’ll call him right away and tell him to quickly switch flights. Then I’ll call you back and you can tell me what’s going on while I pack.”

  While Alphy waited for Ryker to call back, he headed downstairs and out to the barn. He still hadn’t seen what was in every building. However, before he reached the barn, his phone rang. He checked the ID before he connected the call. “Hi, Seamus.”

  “What the fuck did you do?”

  “I found my mate, and her brother, who’s full human, is really lucky to still be alive. We need a doctor, Sea.”

  “I would say you seriously pissed off fate to have so much trouble all the time, but congratulations proving that theory wrong in finding your mate. Where am I changing
my flight to?”

  Alphy blew out a breath. “Thank you.” He rattled off directions.

  “Got it, new flight leaves in twenty. I’ll reserve a rental car and be there by supper. Then you can explain to me what the hell all is going on.”

  Alphy called Ryker back, who picked up on the first ring, “Hey handsome, I have my flight from PDX booked, and I’m packing right now, so, wanna tell me what’s going on? Are your brother and sister ok?”

  Alphy explained the situation while he paced in the afternoon sun.

  “Man, that alpha is going to get an ugly taste of reality, I am so glad I’m your friend and not his. How long do you think this will take?”

  Alphy saw Gale coming towards him. Keeping his eyes on her luscious form he answered Ryker, “Uh, I don’t know, it depends how stupid he is. But I was hoping to convince you and your brother, while you’re here, to stay.”

  “Hooya baby, I’ll pack my collection. Have someone pick me up at the airport, and I’ll text you the flight info. Hold on, I’m getting a text.” After a brief moment of silence, Ryker announced, “Okay, Sea-salt said he just got word that Kace and Slate are going to be joining up with him. He’s going to wait there for them and be there by tonight. Who all else did you invite? Do I know any of them? Are they as sexy as you?”

  “The others would be Enzo, Matteo, and Nix.”

  “Oh yeah, sexy heaven. See you soon.” Ryker hung up just as Gale reached Alphy. He pocketed his cell and took her into his arms.

  “How’re you doin’, honey-bear? Are you all moved in?”

  “Yeah, everything’s unloaded from both vehicles. Can I ask who you were talking to?”

  “Calling in my buddies. One’s a doctor and will be here in a few hours.” He kissed the top of her head, but even that caused his dick to make his pants uncomfortable.

  “I’m sorry we’re so much trouble. I can never repay him for helping.”