Filed To Story: Falling for the Alpha As a Student Novel
“I…I don’t know…”
Brianna whispered, tears filling her eyes again. “I don’t know how to feel… I’m just so tired.”
“I know,”
my mother said, hugging her tighter. “Bastien is dealing with everything right now. They finally got them to stop fighting.”
“Is one of them going to leave?”
I asked, a lump forming in my throat. I didn’t want Ethan to leave, but if his presence made Brianna uncomfortable, I suppose he would have to. Enzo wouldn’t like that one bit, but he will have to be okay with it.
It’s not like I am unprotected; my father was still here, and I could always get Jack to return. We could say that my father requested it just like he requested Beta Ethan to accompany him while his own Beta, my Uncle Aiden, was tending to the Nova pack.
My mother held Brianna at arm’s length, keeping a hand on each of her shoulders. She looked into Bri’s eyes as she spoke these next words.
“Whichever one your wolf chooses, the other will leave,”
she said slowly. “The decision is yours alone.”
Bri stared at her for a moment longer before her eyes began to glow an emerald, green color.
“Mate…”
My mother smiled and nodded.
“Yes, Amira,”
my mother said, speaking to Bri’s wolf. “Go to your mate.”
Without hesitation, Bri took off from the living room.
I wasn’t going to miss this one and I knew my friends felt the same. We all looked at one another for a moment before rushing out of the living room and following Bri to the front door of the packhouse. There were women and men that I didn’t recognize crowding around the front foyer.
At that moment, I realized the entire foyer smelled like the delicious foods that were still cooking in the kitchen. I was starving and oddly enough, I couldn’t wait to eat.
I mainly just wanted to get this evening over with; but also, I really wanted to eat.
Bri shoved through the crowd of people who then parted for the rest of us, watching with curiosity as she made her way to the main door. She walked with a mission, and I knew her wolf was taking control, but keeping her human form.
Her wolf knew exactly what she wanted; she knew exactly who her mate was. It left the rest of us in our seats, wondering who it was.
Could it be Alex, the mate who broke her heart by rejecting her? The one that Bri spent the past month crying over and isolating herself. She could hardly get out of bed and her wolf could hardly function properly. Rejection was the most painful thing for any wolf, and I hated that my best friend had to experience it.
Or could it be Ethan, her second chance mate? Enzo’s Beta and a fairly decent guy from what I know about him. But Bri doesn’t know him at all; she’s never met him. There’s no emotional attachment to him.
I had a feeling I knew who she was going to choose.
She stepped outside, allowing the cold night air to attack her skin. She breathed in as the wind brushed through her hair.
Ethan and Alex were still growling at one another. But my father had a hold of Ethan and Alpha Jonathan had a hold on Alex. But as soon as Brianna stepped outside, both Ethan and Alex looked in her direction.
Brianna didn’t miss a beat; she walked down the front steps and across the patio until she reached the grassy area the men were fighting on. She glanced at the patch of dirt that was dug up from the fighting and the blood that was seeping through the soil.
I grimaced at the blood, but Brianna didn’t seem to care. She continued to walk with her head held high. She swayed her hips, and I smiled knowing that was all Amira. She has always been a sassy wolf; I admired that about her. Even Val was chuckling.
Alex was still growling ferociously, but Ethan had stopped. His wolf was calm now and he couldn’t take his eyes off Brianna. It looked like there were a million things he wanted to say but refrained from speaking. He wanted Bri to do the speaking.
I found myself holding my breath, bracing for her to choose Alex. I knew it was coming; it was inevitable.She paused in front of them; she looked at each of them. She turned to Alex, just as I expected.
“Mate…”
she whispered, her eyes filling with tears.
A growl escaped from Ethan, but he kept himself under control. I even heard him whimper in distress; my father had a strong hold on him. Brianna ignored him though and kept her eyes on Alex.
“I loved you and you let me down…”
Brianna continued, staring at Alex. “You rejected me… you didn’t want me. You left me broken and confused all month. I felt useless… you used me for higher rank and when you found an even higher-ranking, she-wolf, you left me. What happened Alex? Did she decide you weren’t worth it?”
He growled with frustration.
“I decided I didn’t want her,”
he said in a lowly growl. “It’s always been you, Brianna. You are my mate. I made a mistake.”
“Maybe…”
she breathed, almost sounding bored. “Mistakes can usually be fixed….”
She paused as she watched the relief flood across his face. My heart was breaking for Ethan whose wolf was whimpering and growling inside of him. “But not this one…”
she continued, making my breathing stop.
“What?”
Alex asked, furrowing his brows together.
“This mistake cannot be fixed. I, Brianna Channing, of the nova pack, reject you, Alexander, gamma of the nova pack.”
Lila’s POV
I don’t think any of us could really process what had happened. It all happened all at once and soon howls were coming from the house. Alex looked as if he had been shot in the chest as he staggered backward. Alpha Jonathan had released him, no longer posing him as a threat.
I thought he was going to fall over.
Brianna stared at him without any remorse on her face; tears welled in my eyes. I was beyond proud of her. She had finally stood her ground and stood up for herself. I’m sure a lot of it was her wolf, but Brianna was strong enough to pull through.
She did exactly what she needed to do; she trusted her wolf.
Alpha Jonathan motioned for some of his warriors to come and escort Alex off his property. They did so without hesitation.
My father released Ethan once Alex was out of sight. Bri was now looking at him and I could see the pure fear in Ethan’s eyes. He was no longer whimpering or growling, but his body trembled slightly. I had never seen Ethan appear so weak before; he was a strong Beta and fighter. He fought and worked alongside my mate… an Alpha.
Seeing him weak like this, made me realize that he was also just a man. He was tentative; he didn’t want to speak because I knew he was worried. He was worried that she might reject him as well. ‘
There was a part of me that wondered if she was going to. I think I and everyone around me was holding our breaths, waiting for the second rejection of the night.
She swallowed audibly as she stepped toward him. I knew he wanted to close the gap and wrap his arms around her, but he remained still.
“Mate…”
she whispered, staring up at him. Then her next word changed everything. “Mine…”
With that word being said, she was the one who closed the cap and threw herself into his arms. Ethan seemed to have unfrosted at that point and closed her into her embrace.
I hadn’t realized I was crying until the howls echoed throughout the house and this time, my friends and family joined in on the howl. My vision became blurry, and I blinked away the tears as I too howled my congratulations to my best friend and her mate, Beta Ethan.
I wanted more than anything to call Enzo and tell him of this incredible news, but it was going to have to wait until later when Alpha Jonathan wasn’t around.
I looked at Ethan and he looked as if he never wanted to let her go. I couldn’t blame him; he came close to finding his mate and losing her all in the same day. I’m sure it wasn’t easy for him to see that she was already mated to someone else.
Second-chance mates were incredibly rare, especially when the mate bond was still technically active even after the rejection, but my best friend was blessed by the goddess herself and given her second chance mate. The goddess didn’t want Brianna to suffer anymore and took away her pain by giving her someone else.
Beta Ethan was perfect for her in every way and my heart soared for them both.
Brianna finally untangled herself from his arms and happy tears ran down her face. He ran his thumb across her face to wipe away the tears before kissing her head gently.
“I’m never letting you out of my sight…”
he whispered.
She smiled up at him and sniffled away her runny nose.
“What is even your name?”
She asked, making all of us laugh.
I forgot that Bri had never met him before, and this was their first actual conversation.
“I am Ethan Holland,”
he said, bowing his head slightly at her.
“Ethan Holland…?”
She asked, her eyes wide. She glanced at me, and I smiled, biting my lower lip to keep from laughing at her dumbfounded expression. “He’s Alpha Enzo’s beta?”
I nodded before she looked back up at Ethan. She stepped away from him, causing the corner of his lips to fall.