Page 3 of The Brooding Alpha's Mate
My parents had left a house that still had a mortgage on it. And if I wanted to keep that roof over my head, I had to work.
A lot.
They’d been great parents in so many ways, but their planning for the future sucked. They had no idea that one day, their car would get stuck on the tracks and a train would smash them into the next life. How could they? But they had to have known that one day, they would go to be with the goddess. It was the one fate everyone shared.
But nothing about their estate indicated they thought about that even once. They didn’t have a single insurance policy. Not even one to cover their burial.
Worse than that, they hadn’t talked to any of my relatives about what would happen to me if something were to happen to them. Our family had never been close-knit, but there were no hurt feelings between us. Their lack of communication confused me.
What little nest egg they had went toward their funeral, the one I found myself responsible for arranging. Looking back, I spent far more money than I should have, but I didn’t know. I was just a kid. It was wild to me that no one intervened on my behalf at any point in any of that, but to be fair, they were in shock too. My parents were far too young to leave this life.
Suddenly, I was thrust into the world of being an adult, and part of that was partially on me. I could’ve asked one of my aunts or uncles to see if any of them would take me in. They were kind enough. But I was so angry that I refused. How I avoided the human foster care system perplexed me to this day, especially with how I spiraled downward after the accident.
I missed a ton of school at that time, just trying to get by. And when I was there, I was getting into fights, back-talking teachers, and missing assignments. I’d morphed into the complete opposite of who I was beforehand…the top student in every single class.
Thank goddess, I had enough credits built up. My past grades were strong enough that I made it through.
And then came the odd jobs. I worked at the general store. I worked fast food. I even worked as a flagger at construction sites. If it needed to be done, I did it. But I was getting nowhere fast.
When my cousin Tyrus reached out to let me know that he and Sloan had gotten mated, for the first time in years, I felt less lonely. I hadn’t realized I missed my family so much. And lack of communication was on both sides. I decided then and there to make an effort with a text here and a phone call there.
I was so happy for him, finding his fated and starting a family. He was living the life I’d never dared dream of. And I found myself longing for it. I never really understood what his job was, but younger me thought that if I too could do it, then maybe everything would come together.
Finally.
At first, I was so subtle about my desire to work there. I would text him and be like,Hey, how’s work going?And of course, his reply would always be the same,Fine. How’s yours?And our conversation eventually led down a path that gave me no information.
Then I stepped up and asked if he’d heard of any jobs I might be able to take. And my cousin sent me a five-page listing of jobs that I qualified for in response. They were all the same old same go-nowhere positions as what I was doing. But that wasn’t really what I wanted. And really, I wasn’t qualified for anything else.
It wasn’t even like I was looking for job growth. Sure, that would be great, but what I really longed for was the bond he had with all of his coworkers. To him they were family.
The truth was, my bear craved a den or some facsimile thereof. If I was an omega, that would be easy to accomplish. Most dens were open to omegas joining their ranks. But as an alpha, especially an alpha my size…I’d be seen as a threat. A threat that would potentially ruin the hierarchy that was always teetering.
I woke up on my 25th birthday with a sense of now or never. I didn’t want to turn 26 still doing the same thing I was doing. If nothing else, I wanted to go back and say I did the best I could.
And that’s how I ended up at the warehouse with the birthday cake I made myself and the resolve to not leave until I’d spoken with someone in charge and make my desires known.
In my mind, I pictured forklifts going back-and-forth with pallets of goods, the typical warehouse kinds of activities taking place. It was nothing like that.
The place wasn’t filled with goods that were being delivered or stored. My cousin and his co-workers, which really were his pack, took care of people. People who needed it.
I immediately wanted to be part of that far more than I ever wanted to be part of anything in my life. Suddenly, it wasn’t enough to be clear about what I wanted and to do. I wasn’t going to walk out of there without some tiny part to play.
“Not gonna happen.” Tyrus hadn’t even let me finish my speech.
“You’re going to deny me my one birthday wish?”
I wasn’t above pulling the birthday card.
“Listen, Cousin. It’s not because I don’t think you could do the work. I do and you can, but you’re too young and too kind for what we do. It will eat you alive. Just go home.”
And I did go home. But I didn’t give up.
I was persistent, showing up to spoil his kids, but also to show him that I could do it. That I was strong enough.
And one day, I’d had enough, my patience all but depleted. With every last ounce of persuasion I had, I crashed one of their meetings, fully prepared not to leave without a job. I didn’t even care if it was volunteer work.
And by crashed, I meant, I showed up with a whole bunch of pastries, which they all loved. It was Ryan who said I deserved a chance, and when his mate King took his side, as all good mates did, Hammer, their leader, gave his support.
