Alpha

Annabelle flew down the stairs, her long strawberry blond hair flying around her.

"Mother! Mother!" She exclaimed as she rushed into the lounge room. "Is it true?" Her parents were seated on the couch and reading the paper, a ritual they did every morning without fail.

"Good morning darling," the luna said as she kissed her daughter on the cheek. "Is what true?"

"Alpha Ethan. Is he really visiting?" The name Alpha Ethan screamed dominance. Annabelle had never met him but her father had told her he was the most powerful Alpha alive. Just the thought of him intimidated her. She had heard that he never is seen in public. So, she was very intrigued to know that he had arranged a meeting with her father.

"Yes, he is," her father spoke up, quickly narrowing his eyes at the mention of the upcoming visit. "I don't want you near him, ok? He is very dangerous and he might hurt you." Annabelle's eyes widened and her lip quivered as her happiness immediately soured.

"H-he will?" She hated that she was such a crybaby but she couldn't help it. Her parents quickly rushed forward at the sight of tears in their precious doll's eyes.

"No, of course not!" Her mother said, shooting a glare at her husband. She wiped some stray tears with her thumb.

"I'm sorry, Angel. I didn't mean to scare you. Just stay in your chambers and I won't let him come near you." The alpha soothed his daughter. He wrapped a strong arm around her delicate shoulders.

"Ok," Annabelle softly said. She joined her parents on the couch. A tray of pastries and breakfast meats sat on the coffee table as well as two cups of coffee and one of orange juice. Annabelle smiled as she wrapped her dainty hand around the ice cold glass. She loved juice, especially orange juice.

Her father and mother sat on each end of her as bookends, protecting their only child from any possible threat.

Annabelle had been found on the doorstep of a town hall a couple of towns over eighteen years ago. It was night time when she was dropped off and her crying attracted a couple of werewolves who were on patrol. Unable to have children, the Alpha and Luna welcomed the tiny child with open arms. Their miracle, they called her.

"Can I go to the market place today?" Annabelle asked. She loved cooking and was lacking the ingredients to make today's dessert, chocolate mousse. Her father folded the newspaper up and handed it to his wife.

"Why don't you send one of the cooks? I don't feel comfortable sending you to such a busy place. You know how easily you get lost." Her father said. Annabelle pouted. But, what her father said was true. Annabelle had a horrible sense of direction.

"But it's not the same if the cooks go," Annabelle whined like a small child. "What if Jackson came with me?" She reasoned. Jackson was the pack's gamma and he always had time for Annabelle. The Luna and the Alpha exchanged looks. Annabelle knew they were talking over a mind link.

"Fine," Annabelle's father finally said. "But stay by his side at all times, ok? And come home immediately if anything happens." A huge grin spread on Annabelle's face as she jumped up in glee, completely forgetting about her croissant and half drunk glass of orange juice.

"Thank you, thank you! I love you!" Annabelle said as she ran out of the room, heading straight towards the gym where she knew Jackson would be at this time of the morning.

Jackson, as predicted, was in the middle of a weight set when Annabelle skipped in.

"Jacky!" Annabelle greeted him. Jack smiled at the teenager but gave a slight roll of his eyes when he heard the nickname. He had tried so hard to get Annabelle to abandon that nickname but she was as stubborn as a brick wall when it came to that.

"Hey, Annie. How are you?" He asked as he set the weights down and wiped the sweat off his forehead with a towel.

"Good! I had the best dream last night. I dreamt I was flying with the birds!" Annabelle giggled. Jack grinned at the girl. "And guess what?"

"What?" Jack asked, playing along with Annabelle's excitement.

"Dad said I could go with to the market place if you came. You'll come with me, right? Please come." Annabelle looked at him with bambi eyes. Nobody could resist her bambi eyes, not even the grumpy old housekeeper.

"Alright, I'll come. Just let me tell Sam," Jack said. Sam was his mate and also the Luna's best friend. Annabelle hugged Jack and thanked him at least five times.

The marketplace was bustling as usual which always made Annabelle nervous. She fiddled with her small fingers as she stepped closer to Jack. Jack noticed this and quickly pulled her into his side.

"We need powdered sugar, probably and some whipped cream," Annabelle mused, tapping her chin. Jack smiled at the girl's attempt to be studious. "Do you think the cook has whipped cream?" Annabelle asked.

"You should get some anyway. You can never have too much whipped cream." Jack told her. Annabelle smiled and followed him to a fruit stand. Her mother loved cherries and Annabelle always made a point of getting some for her whenever she visited the marketplace. As the two made their way through the area, many people stared at Annabelle and Jack and cleared a path for them. Everyone was very careful around Annabelle in fear of angering her parents.

This made Annabelle sad at times because it made it harder to make friends. Along with her extreme shyness, making friends, or even friendly acquaintances was near impossible.

Jack ordered Annabelle's supplies for her as he knew Annabelle was too nervous to speak to the shop keepers. Half an hour later, Annabelle's arms were filled with things ranging from a bag of beef jerky (the stray dog that always hung around the back of the house's favorite) to a bundle of sunflowers. Annabelle smiled up at Jax, who towered over her five-two frame.

"Thank you for coming with me," she said, softly enough so just Jack could hear.

"Your welcome princess," Jack said. Annabelle blushed at the name he used. Sam was a lucky man. They continued to weave their way through the crowd.

All of a sudden, a ripple of fear spread through the area. Confused, Jack immediately pushed Annabelle behind him and let out a growl. An unknown presence was near and it seemed to have pushed a mute button on the usually chatty citizens.

"W-what's wrong, Jacky?" Annabelle asked, fear twisting her insides. 

"Stay here and don't move. I'm going to go check something." Jack helped Annabelle set her bags down and rushed off into the crowd. Annabelle whimpered and sank to her knees.

Maybe coming here was a mistake, she thought. 

Ten minutes had passed and people were beginning to hurriedly leave the market. Annabelle wanted to, too but she knew she would get lost on her own. The air grew colder after a while and Annabelle's spine began to go rigid.

Someone was behind her.

"Mine."

Hey anybody who is reading this! This is my first time writing a werewolf story so if you could share your thoughts, that would be great. Remember to vote!

- Hannah