Filed to story: Sorry Alpha I Am Wolfless Novel
“Not to me. We used to be a closed off society that only bred within our own people. But that will severely limit us, don’t you think? There will never be any new blood and everything will eventually get sullied. We need to bring in fresh faces and fresh genetics so that we can continue to grow and expand.”
“Not to sound rude, but you know about genetics?” He looked confused.
“Several of us have been to college. I have been educated. And the books of the outside world have been brought in here for us to read. I may not have any hands- on experience but I have read medical texts for the last fifty years. It’s fascinating to see how much things have advanced over that time.”
“That is both really cool and very strange.” He was laughing again. “You’ve been researching science since before I was born.” He laughed even louder then. “I have myself a cougar.”
“No, I’m a Dryad not a feline.” How could he ever mix me up with a cat shifter?
“That’s not what I meant.” I don’t know how he managed to continue driving with how much he was laughing.
Cedar then explained what a ‘cougar’ was and I also started to laugh. Well, he wasn’t wrong I guess. I couldn’t help myself, I laughed as well.
We finished the drive through our compound and went straight to the Queen’s castle. Yes she actually lives in a castle at the center of the compound. The castle was the same one that had been in the earth mounds long ago. She had brought it with us when we purchased and enchanted this land.
The castle was large and looked just like the ones out of fairy tales. They really had based those tales off of us. The tall towers and spires. The lovely robins eggs blue. The stained glass that filled the windows. It was all so wonderful and perfect. And I was happy to call that place my home. I had grown up in that castle and I would never tire of seeing it. In there I would find my family: mom, dad, my seventeen brothers and sisters, most of my cousins, not to mention my favorite relative of all, my aunt the Queen.
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Cedar
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Well, at least there were roads and a garage at the castle. There were even a lot of other cars so I know that we didn’t stick out too much. Though, my vehicle was considerably cheap compared to all the others in that garage. And to think, I had not skimped out when I bought the Mercedes. Damn.
By the time that I had parked the vehicle and was ready to get out and begin my walk toward the castle itself I had mostly calmed down. I had worked up the courage for what was to come. Or at least I think I did.
I walked around the car and opened Casey’s door. She took my outstretched hand so that I could help her out of her seat and to her feet. She didn’t let go of my hand before walking off toward the door that led us to my doom, I mean the castle.
She held my hand, slightly pulling me along behind her. I could tell she was excited for this meeting and didn’t really think that there would be any issues. I hoped she was right.
She led me through that side door which entered into a long hallway. She pulled me along that hallway to and into what looked like the main entry way for the entire castle. I tried to keep up with where she was leading me to but it all passed by in a blur. Before I knew it we were in a huge sitting room.
“Mom!” Casey exclaimed once we were in the room. I saw a large group of people and a lot of them looked like Casey.
“Acacia, sweetheart.” The woman who must have been Casey’s mom rose to her feet and the two of them ran to hug each other. “Look at you. The first time you leave home you find your soulmate.”
“Lucky.” A girl who was identical to Casey but had a different smell spoke up. She was smiling but I could sense jealousy coming off of her.
“I’m sorry Willow.” Casey ran to her and hugged her tight.
“She’s not the only one who is jealous.” A man that had the same hair and eyes, even the shape of the eyes, spoke then.
“Birch, you know I won’t forget you guys.” Casey hugged him next.
“You better not.” Another identical man spoke.
“Hickory.” I could hear the love and affection in Casey’s voice when she said the man’s name and hugged him as well. “And I won’t forget you either, Hawthorn.” Another man had walked up for a hug.
After she hugged the third man Casey turned to look at me.
“Cedar, this is my family. Willow, Birch, Hickory, Hawthorn, and I are quintuplets.” I think my mind had just exploded. I knew that Casey had a large family, but she hadn’t told me how large.
“Quintuplets?” I asked with shock reverberating through me.
“Yup. Most Dryads have multiples when they get pregnant. My mother had two sets of quintuplets, two sets of triplets and two sets of twins.” That many every time? Why did she keep having kids? I think I would have lost my mind.
“That’s exciting.” I said as evenly as I could.
“Let me introduce you. This is my mother Lotus, my father Ash, and the rest of my siblings here are Poplar, Sequoia, Redwood, Spruce, Elm, Magnolia, Fig, Bark, Maple, Walnut, Cottonwood, Oak, and Fir.” I can’t remember all of this shit. I would definitely need help keeping them all organized in my head, even though they had all nodded or waved at me when their name had been called out.
“It’s nice to meet you all.” I grinned at them and tried my best to stay calm. I walked over to Casey’s dad, the man named Ash, and held out my hand. “Mr. Aspen, Sir, it’s a pleasure and an honor to meet you.” I was doing my best to be polite and to present the best possible version of myself that there was.
Despite my best efforts though, Casey’s father just glared at me with eyes filled with loathing and other dark things.
“So, you’re the man that is stealing my little girl away from me?” He was acting like I was some predator that was taking away his baby. She’s eighty-nine years old for crying outloud and she was not an innocent little flower. I’m sure her family has to know that she wasn’t going to be a ninety year old virgin.
“I’m not stealing her away Sir, but I do love her and I have mated with her. I intend to be with her forever.”
“That sounds a lot like taking her away to me. You plan to make her live out there in that world with you?” His glare intensified even more. I wanted to gulp, I wanted to fold under the pressure of him, but I couldn’t I was a Gamma now for crying out loud. I was a member of the Goddess Guard. I would not be intimidated.
“Sir, I-.” I was cut off then by Casey’s mom, Lotus.
“Oh stop it, Ash. Can’t you tell you’re scaring the poor boy away. You’ve had your fun, it’s time for us all to get along.”
