Above an Alpha Ch. 01

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When the fight was finally over early the next morning, Opie Larson, head of the Larson pack, headed over to Earlene, who was still supervising the small contingent of betas that Mark had sent to help.

"Thought Mark might be here," Opie said.

Earlene shrugged. "His dad hasn't been gone long, he's not really interested in taking his place yet."

"He's gonna need to get interested. Especially with these women coming in," Opie pointed a thumb toward the truck where some hysterical, some numb, and some unconscious women were being carried. There were six dozen in all. Earlene nodded. She suddenly noticed a woman in purple starred pajamas pants being fireman carried to the truck. --She was snoring.

"Is that one snoring?"

Behind her, four frightened women followed on their feet. One kept saying, "Wake up, Leah! They're taking us!"

Opie chuckled. "I think the snoring one has the right idea."

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The doors opened and the prisoners were escorted to the basement. Lucy stuck her head in the offices saying, "They're here! -Three dozen women and one seriously injured dude." Then, in a conspiratorial whisper to Trent, she added, "Could be gay."

Trent looked at her quizzically. "Er. Okay...?"

A breeze came through the hall then, and hit him -- stunned, he fell backwards out of his chair.

"Trent!" Lucy screamed, rushing to his side. Other wolves quickly gathered around, asking what happened. "I don't know!" Lucy cried. "One minute he was just sitting there, and the next-"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he said, trying to get to his feet and disheveling himself even more in the process. His glasses had fallen off and Lucy grabbed them to put them back on his face. She started to, then paused.

"You know Trent, you're super hot without your glasses!"

"Yes, yes, I know," he replied absentmindedly. Fear was coiling in his belly like a snake. Fear and... need. She was here. And she was human.

Upstairs, Mark and Sarah were asleep on the bedroom floor of his parents' old room. After their father died months before, the two siblings had gotten into the strange habit of watching anime all night every night on their father's old big screen before falling asleep on his floor. Their mother had died giving birth to Sarah fifteen years before, so Sarah and Mark only had each other now.

--This new habit though was kind of annoying to the pack females, as it meant that Mark had pretty much turned into a monk so that he and his sister could stay in their own little world. It was also quite annoying to Earlene, who had to run the pack while Mark slept in.

Everyone gave them a break of course, because they were in mourning -- and when Mark did get up every day, he was pretty good at catching up and doing some basic alpha work.

Usually the two of them didn't start getting up until long after 10AM. But Mark's eyes suddenly shot open at 7:45. He looked at the clock in confusion, then heard the noise downstairs of the kidnapped women being taken in. Then he smelled the reason he woke up --

Sarah woke up to the sound of her brother howling, and crashing out into the hallway. "Mark?" she asked sleepily, getting up to follow him.

Mark was debating turning into a wolf and leaping over the banister to the ground floor. The alpha rooms were five stories up, and he was only on the third floor when he realized his mate was already in the basement.

"Mark?!" Sarah yelled over the railing at him.

"My mate's down there!" he explained, beginning to change.

"Well don't change! She's human! You'll scare her!"

He howled again in frustration and went back to running barefoot through the elaborate corridors and stairwells leading to the ground floor. "Whoever designed this building was an idiot!" he screamed.

"You have your great, great grandfather to blame for that," came the voice of an elderly female, the oldest female actually -- her name was Kate, as she hobbled out of her room with a cane. "I told him this building bit the big one, but did he listen? That's what happens when pups don't listen to their elders."

"You should design the next one, Kate!" said Sarah.

"I think I will!" Kate replied. "Have to do something round here. They won't let me hunt anymore!"

"I know," Sarah sympathized. "Everyone sucks."

Almost to the ground floor, Mark rolled his eyes. Kate was the oldest living werewolf in America. She had been old when she came to America. She was too damn old to be putting herself in danger anymore -- no matter how often she tried to.

Finally! He had reached the ground floor. He realized through the scents that some of the rogues were being led to a separate sub-basement from the kidnapped humans. Good. I don't need them near my mate! ...Luna, what if one of them's hurt her? He put on another burst of speed when-

Out of nowhere Trent came bounding into the room. --They were both moving too fast, they couldn't stop! They crashed into each other, and rolled into a wall!

They both leapt to their feet immediately. Trent bowed his head. "My apologies, Alpha."

Mark nodded. "Don't worry about it, Trent."

Several members of the pack had been standing there, and were now watching the exchange bemused. Both Trent and Mark noticed they had become the center of attention, and embarrassed, tried to walk to the basement with less enthusiasm.

-As a result, they found themselves ambling there side by side. Trent realized in terror that he was daring to walk shoulder to shoulder with the alpha, but he couldn't help it. He had to. He didn't want to want her, but he had to at least get a look now. Besides, his wolf reasoned -- Mark doesn't care.

The moment this happened, Trent nearly tripped again. His wolf never spoke up. Sometimes it wagged its tail. Sometimes it turned on its back. His wolf was always there. But it never tried to do anything other than agree with him. --Never had to explain anything, or suggest anything before. It went with the flow. It remained silent.

-Until now. But with his surprise, Trent heard it continue -- I want her.

They were walking down the stairs now, Mark and Trent, side by side. They soon reached the cement floor of the basement area where the women were kept.

The cells were large enough for six women each -- and there were 20 cells. The walls were opaque, reinforced glass and plastic from the ground to about four feet up. Above that the walls were see-through. There were six bunks to each cell, as well as two small enclosed bathing areas, a television, and lots of books.

There was enough room that the wolves could have put just three or four women in each of the cells. Instead, guided by pack mentality, they had decided to put six women in each -- with one exception.

Leah was lying on her stomach, ass turned slightly up in the air, snoring on a bunk all by herself.

Mark and Trent paused at the sight of her.

Earlene walked over to them, not realizing that she had two males looking for their mates on her hands. "I thought we should put that one by itself. It's weird."

Mark growled at her.

Trent ignored her and walked over to the glass, pressing his nose against it and staring down at Leah.

"It's been snoring loud enough to shatter all the glass in here, and all the men are all acting weird around it!" Earlene pressed. "At first I assumed she was another were, maybe some cat in heat or something -- but that's not a were. I don't even think it's human, except the wolves that had it seem pretty convinced."

"Did they hurt her?" Mark demanded, not taking his eyes off Leah, completely oblivious to the interest Trent was showing.

"No. That's the other thing. They took... her alright -- but the other ones that came with... her, they said that they wouldn't touch her afterward. -Didn't touch them either after she showed up."

Now Mark approached the glass.

She was gorgeous. Solid, with feather soft curls cascading around her, slightly bronzed skin, small hands and feet, and that mouth turned in a snoring O shape... and her rear! It would be her undoing! He imagined her trying to escape his arms circled around her waist, her thick seat and thighs unable to make it through his hold, falling back into his lap exerted, giving up... giving in... to him.

"What's her name?" asked Mark and Trent simultaneously.

Then they each noticed the other was there.

The other was there, staring at his mate.

"They call her 'Leah,'" Earlene replied, confused. They were both acting like dogs in heat, but they both had their eyes on the same girl. "Crap," she said, belatedly smelling the arousal on both of them, and the anger.

"Leah's my mate," Mark announced. Everyone but the confused, scared humans in the cells looked up in surprise.

Trent looked confused a moment before saying, "I'm sorry Sir, but I'm afraid you're mistaken. She's my mate."