Broken Alpha

  Broken

  Alpha

  Book 2 of the Broken Trilogy

  PAULINA VASQUEZ

  Chapter 1 – Leaving

  “Raven hurry up your guests are starting to arrive.” My mother mind linked me.

  “Be right there mom.” I linked back.

  My cousin Clair and I are getting ready for my graduation party. I had graduated from high school as valedictorian and my parents were very proud. My father had promised that if I graduated first in the class, I could attend any university I wanted. I couldn’t wait to leave. The further away the better.

  “You think he’ll bring her with him?” Clair asked.

  “Of course, he will. She’s his mate.” I replied, dreading seeing them together.

  Clair was talking about Zach, our future Gamma at Crescent Moon. He was tall, tan and handsome, and I’ve had a crush on him for as long as I could remember. Zach stole my first kiss last year and I was sure he would be my mate. He was even present when I shifted for the first time two months ago, hoping that my wolf would recognize him as my mate.

  I was heartbroken when he wasn’t my mate. A week later, Dr. Ross’s daughter Sydney, turned eighteen and discovered Zach was her mate. The last two months have been agonizing for me, pretending to be happy on the surface is much harder than it seems.

  We made our way downstairs and out to the back yard where the party was.

  “There’s my girl.” Aunt Payton said and engulfed me in a hug followed by my Uncle Max.

  My Aunt Payton is the best, everyone always says I’m a younger version of her. I was on the short side for a she wolf, standing at five foot, six inches tall and had the same light skin and big blue eyes. Aunt Payton wore her raven colored hair short, while mine was waist length.

  “Give your favorite uncle a hug.” I heard a deep voice call from behind me.

  “Favorite uncle? That would be me!” Max said with a big grin on his face.

  I turned to find my Uncle Ranger and gave him a hug. My Uncle Ranger is the Alpha of Dark Moon pack, he never have any children, so he spoiled us. My oldest brother Knox is the future Alpha of Crescent Moon and his twin, Peter, is the heir to Dark Moon.

  “How are my two favorite nieces?” He said to Clair and I.

  “We’re your only nieces!” Clair giggled and hugged him.

  Clair had two younger brothers, which isn’t as bad as having five brothers! I’m the only girl out of six children. Knox and Peter were my older twin brothers, after I was born my parents had three more boys. I was drowning in overprotective Alpha testosterone and couldn’t wait to go away to school.

  “Praying my father doesn’t change his mind about letting me leave for school.” I told Uncle Ranger.

  “Well, you are his princess and you’re going halfway around the world. I’m surprised your mother was able to convince him to let you go.” He chuckled.

  “If I’m going to take over LaRue Enterprises someday, I should get my business degree.” I smiled.

  “You don’t have to go that far.” Max chimed in. “We could always enroll you in an online university instead.” He joked. At least, I think he was joking; I’m sure my dad had already considered that too.

  “Oh, hush now. Raven needs to spread her wings and is perfectly capable of handling anything that comes her way. There’s nothing wrong with a little independence and adventure.” Aunt Payton told them both and winked at me.

  My father’s voice rang out, “Friends and family, thank you for joining us to celebrate our beloved daughter today and to wish her well on her new adventure to study abroad. Raven has selected to attend the university of Athens, where she will be studying in the city that has produced genius’s like Plato and Socrates. If she fails to video call her father every week, I will not hesitate to drag her back home.” My father smiled sheepishly, and I suspected he wouldn’t hesitate to find a reason to drag me back home.

  “In honor of her departure to Greece tomorrow, dinner will be Greek themed tonight and is ready to be served.” My mother announced.

  Clair and I walked over to the table to find our seats. “I can’t believe you’re actually leaving me tomorrow.” She pouted.

  “You’re going to have a little more to pack,” said Aunt Megan who was standing with our Delta Elliot. She handed me a gift bag from Shari’s Designs. “I had Ms. Hall make a few Greek Goddess worthy dresses for you.” She smiled with tears in her eyes.

  I hugged them. “I love you both.”

  I took my seat next to Clair to eat and looked around at my family and friends. Zach was seated at the other end of the table next to his parents Gamma Zeke and Vannica, his sister Zoe and his mate Sydney. Sydney was a very nice girl and I had nothing against her, but she had Zach and my heart panged with jealousy at the moment. I managed to push my feelings down and keep it together while we ate.

  After dinner, I walked around to speak with our guests and say goodbye. When I had made my rounds, I came face to face with Zach who gave me that heart melting smile.

  “Hey Rave.” He always called me Rave.

  “Hey Z.” I replied, trying to look casual.

  “So, Greece it is?”

  “Yeah.”

  He stood silent for a moment. “We’re going to miss you around here.”

  “Thanks. I’m sorry I’m going to miss your mating ceremony. I’m happy for you and Sydney.” I lied. This wasn’t fair, the Moon Goddess had clearly made a mistake. Zach was perfect for me and had been my best friend since we were pups. I felt a lump in my throat as he pulled me into a hug.

  “Take care.” He whispered and then walked back to his mate.

  I made my way to my bedroom. This was the last night I would spend in the castle for a while. Tomorrow night I would be sleeping in my new dorm. My bags were packed and sitting by the door ready for the morning. I took a shower, put on my pajamas and brushed my teeth and hair.

  I was ready for bed when I decided to go up to the astronomy observatory one last time. This was my father’s favorite part of the castle and I knew he would be there sulking about my leaving.

  I opened the door and saw the back of his large frame. He sensed me entering and took a deep breath before he turned to me. His blue eyes looked like they glistened for a moment and he pulled me into a long hug before he finally let me go. I knew this was very hard on him, but I was of age already and could have easily found my mate and left the pack. He had been hoping that my mate would have been someone in our pack, and I was hoping it would have been Zach. After two months, I still had not sensed my mate at Crescent Moon.

  “I can’t believe my baby girl is leaving me.” He said.

  “Dad, I’ll call every week, visit during the holidays and I’m sure business will bring you to Europe a few times a year. It won’t be that bad and it won’t be forever.” I assured him.

  “Raven, promise you’ll call me if you need anything.”

  “I will dad. Don’t worry.”

  “And be very careful with your gifts, you’re going to be in the human world.” He warned.

  “I know dad.”

  We stood for a while looking out at the view when my mother came in.

  “There you are!” She said and walked over to hug my dad who pulled her in a kiss.

  “Eww, child present.” I said and covered my hand over my eyes. Twenty years later and my parents still acted like lovesick new mates.

  They both burst out laughing. “You know, your father and I had one of our first dinner dates right here in this room and we spent the night watching the Northern lights.” My mother beamed.

  “Someday I hope to be as lucky as both of you.” I said.

  “Not too soon.” My dad said and my mother laughed.

  “Come on, you have a
n early morning flight and should get some sleep.” My mother said and wrapped her arm around me.

  I made my way to my room and plopped down face first on my pillow. I tried not to think about Zach and focused on the adventure ahead. My eyes were heavy, and I drifted off to sleep, next stop, Greece!

  Chapter 2 – Dorm

  After a twelve hour flight, I finally set foot in Athens. My father had hired a private escort to take all my luggage and I to the university dorm. I exited the terminal and was greeted by a smiling man who instantly recognized me. I assume my father had sent a photo.

  “Ms. LaRue, how nice it is to see you again.” He said.

  “I’m sorry, do I know you?” I asked.

  “I’m Kosta, I was your families escort when you vacationed here two years ago and took you to Santorini.” He told me.

  “Of course, now I remember. You stopped to get us the Souvlakia when I was hungry.” I remembered him. He was more than an escort; he was a wolf and built like a house.

  “I have all your luggage on the cart, shall we?” He led the way.

  “Thank you.”

  “Are you hungry, we can stop and get you some Souvlakia?” He asked. I was starving and grilled meat is exactly what any werewolf would like.

  “That would be wonderful, thank you.” I smiled.

  A short while later, we pulled over and Kosta got out to get the food. I sat in the car people watching and he returned. He handed me a bottle of water and a food bag. I pulled out the pita sandwich stuffed with Souvlaki, potato and veggies; it was delicious.

  “Mmmmm,” my wolf Rae purred inside of me happy with the meaty sandwich.

  Kosta continued to drive and pointed out the sights. I was excited to venture through the Plaka district and other points of interest. I could also see the ancient Acropolis in the distance. There was so much history here and so many places to explore.

  “Take my business card and put my number in your phone. If there’s anything you need or places you want to go, you call me. Athens is neutral territory for the five main packs in Greece, but you are no ordinary wolf.” He said.

  “What do you mean?” I asked, did he know about my gifts I wondered.

  “Raven you are a LaRue, largest pack in the world and powerful family. You are practically royalty in the shifter world. You need to be careful.” He said.

  “And our mother is the golden wolf of the century.” Rae snickered in my head.

  “Did you know that Greece is the birthplace of werewolves, legends and the home of Gods? Maybe we’ll learn something new.” I told Rae.

  While both of my twin brothers inherited the water element from our father, I actually received both the gift of water and fire element. No one outside of the family knows this. I had promised my parents not to use my elements, unless absolutely necessary.

  “Here we are. Go ahead and check in with the dorm advisor and I will bring your luggage up.” Kosta told me.

  It was Friday afternoon in Greece, and we were ten hours ahead of home. I sent my dad a text to let him know we had arrived, and I was at the dorm. Then I knocked on the door of the dorm advisor who answered right away.

  “Hi, I’m Raven, I’ve just arrived.” I said.

  “Yes, we’ve been excepting you, I’m Karla, come in.” She said with a thick Greek accent. She was short, warm and in her late forties. She reached for a manilla envelope and handed it to me.

  “Looks like you’re on the penthouse floor.” She teased.

  “Excuse me?” I asked, wondering if there was a penthouse level.

  “The top floor is the single occupancy floor and all the dorms have their own private bathroom. The other floors are double occupancy with shared bathroom facilities and common rooms.”

  I waved to Kosta who managed to bring all my luggage to the elevator. Karla walked with me towards him and pressed the elevator button to call it to the lobby. “You’re on the sixth floor and the laundry facility is in the basement. The most important thing to remember in Greece, you don’t flush anything in the toilet. Not even toilet paper, our pipes can’t handle it.”

  Amazing, here we are in Greece, the cradle of western civilization and yet the plumbing is still flawed. We pulled my luggage into the elevator and Karla pressed the sixth floor number.

  “The stairs are next to the elevator and can take you to the roof top for fresh air. We have a lovely rooftop patio and tables up there.” Karla said and we piled out of the elevator with my luggage in tow.

  “Ah, here we are, six A, as in Alpha. Your keys are in the envelope and the box you shipped is already in the room. If you need anything, you know where to find me.” She smiled and left.

  “Do you think she knows? She said A is for Alpha?” I whispered to Kosta.

  He chuckled. “No, Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet.”

  “Oh, that’s right.” I laughed back.

  I opened the door and stepped inside; it was like a small studio apartment. A queen sized bed, closet, tiny bathroom with shower, a study desk and chair. There was a small kitchen space that had a little refrigerator, microwave, hot plate and sink. It had a few shelves and cupboards stocked with plates and cups; with room to store food.

  “This is pretty nice, once you decorate it. Do you want to go shopping?” Kosta asked me.

  “We already shipped some things from home in the box, I think I’m okay.” I told him.

  “There’s a market on the corner down the street if you want to buy any groceries.” He said.

  “That’s convenient. I’ll settle in and maybe take a walk this afternoon to the market.” I said.

  “I’ll leave you then. Don’t forget to call me if you need anything. I live nearby, okay?”

  “Thank you Kosta.” I smiled and closed the door when he left.

  Classes start on Monday and I have two and a half days to get settled in. I opened my first large suitcase and hung up all my clothes in the closet. I was surprised by how much I was able to fit in it. The second suitcase contained shoes, jackets, a coat for the winter, pajamas, T-shirts and sweats. The smaller suitcase had underwear, socks, toiletries and accessories.

  There was a smaller dresser with three drawers, I stuffed my underwear and other clothes in. I also had a backpack with my laptop, iPad and other belongings. Once I was done with the suitcases, I tucked them into each other like nesting dolls and slid them under the bed for storage.

  We were required to bring our own bedding and towels, so my mom had shipped over a big box. I opened the box and found bath towels, hand towels and wash cloths. I took some to the bathroom and put the rest away in the closet on the top shelf.

  Then I took out two sets of sheets, my favorite blanket and a comforter. I found two pillows at the very bottom of the box and a note from my mother with a framed family photo. I set the photo down on the desk with the note and made the bed. I stored the extra set of sheets in the closet.

  I removed the tape from the box and folded it down to store under the bed, in case I needed it later. Then I set up my laptop and other desk supplies in the desk. I placed the family photo on my desk.

  I tried not to cry when I opened the note from my mom, it said, “We miss you already, Love Mom and Dad.”

  I sat on the bed and debated if I should take a shower and try to nap, but I wasn’t really tired yet, I had slept on the plane.

  “Let’s go have a look around and maybe go do some grocery shopping.” Rae suggested.

  We went upstairs to the roof top and I was pleasantly surprised. There were three propane gas grills to cook on, tables, outdoor furniture and beautiful potted plants up here. The city view was also beautiful. I could see the market from here.

  I took the elevator down to the Lobby but somehow ended up in the basement at the laundry facility. I looked around and noticed a dozen washers and a dozen dryers. There was a young man with blonde hair and brown eyes who smiled at me.

  “You must be new, I’m Leo.” He said.

 
“Yes, I’m Raven.” I extended my hand.

  If I didn’t know any better, I could swear this was a male wolf, but he had no scent. I stood confused for a moment as he smiled at me. I could feel an aura around him, like a ranked wolf. Maybe it was just strong male testosterone?

  “So, this is the laundry facility.” I said looking around.

  “Yes, everyone has a locker on that wall to store their laundry supplies, the key to your locker should be with your room key.” He continued to smile.

  I looked at the keys in my hand and noted the small key. “So that’s what this little key is for.” I walked over to the lockers and tested the key on six A. It was empty and I needed to remember to buy some detergent when I was at the market.

  “You’re in six A?” He questioned.

  “Yes.”

  “We’re neighbors! I’m in six D, as in Delta.” He grinned.

  I couldn’t help but feel he knew and there was a double meaning here. No, I’m probably just paranoid, Delta is the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet after all.

  “Well then I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other again.” I smiled and turned to leave.

  “If you need anything, don’t hesitate to knock.” He said.

  “Thank you, I’m heading to the market.” I said.

  “Well take one of the folding carts with you so you don’t have to carry back all your items. We have several in the closet; right there for anyone to borrow. Just remember to bring it back or Karla will hunt it down.” He laughed.

  “Great, I will. Thanks again Leo.” I said and took a folding cart from the closet. I noticed my shoe was untied and bent down to tie the lace when the elevator door opened again.

  “Leo, did you catch the scent of the new she wolf on our floor?” An excited female voice asked, and I froze in place.

  Chapter 3 – New Friends

  “Something strange is going on here.” Rae said to me.

  Someone scented me as a wolf, but I couldn’t pick up on any wolf scents. I lifted my head up and slowly stood up to look at the female. She had that uh-oh look on her face while Leo had an uncomfortable grin.