The Alpha Who Saved Me

Chapter 6

DECLAN

I can hardly believe that tomorrow will be three years since I brought Quinn into my pack. She was just a scared petite young girl at that time, but even then, I could see a fire that burned inside of her. That girl has been through a lot in her young life, but she has overcome it all. She thinks that I am not aware of the reasoning, but the moment she started training, I knew it was for revenge. Quinn Night, daughter of the late Alpha Lincoln and Luna Stacia of the Dark Moon pack, has vowed to seek revenge for the massacre of not only her family, but for her entire pack

Quinn is a strong-willed she-wolf that will make some male an incredibly happy mate. She turned eighteen today and even though I haven’t found my mate yet, at the age of twenty-six, I had no fancy notions of her turning out to be my mate; I was not sure how I would have felt about it at that time. I have watched her grow up in the last three years, almost like a little sister -almost.

Lately, I’ve been seeing glimpses of a different woman when I look at her. She’s the same person, but she’s different, I can’t explain it, but it makes me feels things that I don’t think I should be feeling towards her. It’s one of the reasons I have taken up sleeping with Lila, the pack ****. I know, I know, I sound like an **, but she really is the pack ***, who has slept with every unmated male that is of age in the Storm River pack. I don’t dare sleep with an unmated she-wolf otherwise, because I don’t want to ruin her for her Goddess-given mate.

Quinn Night is the only person that may be able to bring me to my knees if she really tried. I would do anything for that girl, and I have absolutely no idea why. She’s the type of person that would do anything for anybody, but ***does she have a sassy mouth. I chuckle to myself as I think of this last part. Nobody would dare talk to me the way Little Red does, out of fear of my wrath. Just like I don’t dare call her Little Red, out of fear of her wrath.

I think back to when she came to the office earlier today and remember feeling an overwhelming disappointment when I realized that we really weren’t mates.

I was working on the pack’s income ledger, when I lost track of time and the next thing I knew, I was hearing a throat clearing, and I looked up, “Oh, hey Quinn. Sorry, I’ve been super busy today,” I closed the ledger and stood up to go to her, “Happy Birthday, sweetie.” I hugged her tight, lifting her off the floor, “You haven’t met your mate already, have you?”

She rolled her eyes at me, “No, I haven’t, and I doubt I will. I’ve been all around town today and didn’t smell anything.”

“You went around sniffing for your mate?” I asked out of confusion.

“No, Cici pulled me around town trying to see if I’d smell him. I really don’t have any motivation to find them just yet.”

I laughed, picturing Cici doing just that, “Leave it to Cici. That girl is going to give her own mate a run for their money.”

Cici is my Beta, Carter’s, baby sister and best friend to Quinn. She was actually the only one that I could get to come in and see to Quinn when we first brought her to the packhouse after the attack on her pack. The two of them have been tight ever since.

She grinned at my comment about Cici’s mate, “I’ve said the same exact thing.”

I tap my finger on her nose, “That’s because great minds think alike!”

“Oh yeah?” She closed her eyes, “Tell me what I’m thinking right now.”

“You are thinking about what my birthday gift to you will be.”

“Are you serious?”

Shrugging. “That’s what I would be thinking.” I chuckled.

Quinn slaps my chest, “Ha, ha! You’re such an Alpha dork.”

Islap the same spot, “You wound me, Quinn!”

“I’m sure you will be fine in five minutes time,” she joked, “Isn’t that how it is when any female wounds you?”

I sat back down in my chair while Quinn sat in the one opposite and on the other side of my desk, “You aren’t just any woman, Quinn.”

“Yeah, I’m like an annoying kid sister that you have to put up with.” She laughed.

“I’ve never seen you as my kid sister, Quinn.” The more I thought about it and looked at her, I knew that I no longer thought of her as a sister.

“I ran into Lila downstairs, like literally.” She chuckled.

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“Oh yeah? What was she doing here?” I remember thinking, What the hell is that woman up to now?

“I don’t know. It was weird actually: I came flying through the door and she was just standing there with a hand full of condoms. She said that you ran out, so she was bringing some more over.” She paused for a moment before switching topics, which was good, because I was still trying to figure out why Lila

would say that to Quinn. I haven’t been with her intimately like that in a month. So, what time is dinner, and when are people showing up for my surprise party?”

My head had whipped towards her. She is way too smart for her own good, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, a party? I know nothing of a party.” I had no idea how to hold a straight face, so I probably gave it away, “Alright! If you tell my mother that you know about it, though, I’ll give you double the ***!”

She slid her fingers across her lips and pretended to lock them, “My lips are sealed.”

I smiled, “We leave for dinner at five. I’ve had a dress laid out for you on your bed; mom picked it out.”

All of a sudden, Quinn had gotten up and walked around the desk, “Thank you for everything that you and your mom have done for me. You didn’t have to take me in, but you did. You didn’t have to rebuild the Dark Moon pack’s town, but you did. I don’t know how I will ever repay you.” She hugged me, pressing her warm body against mine.

– Just be happy Quinn. That’s all I want is for you to live a happy life.”

Looking at my watch, I figure I had better get her birthday gift out of my safe, so I have it ready to give to her. It’s not the one I bought her, but I know she will love it because they belonged to her mother. What Quinn doesn’t know is that when we cleared out her old packhouse, we kept everything of her parent’s and her older brother, Dylan’s, things, figuring she would want to go through them one day. I even made sure that her old bedroom was packed up. Once that was taken care of, I had a construction crew go in and rebuild the town for her in case she would want to return with her mate, because technically, Quinn is now Alpha Quinn of the Dark Moon pack.

“Hello, Declan, are you in here?” I hear her soft melodic voice call out.

“Yeah, over here.” I close the safe and jump up. I hear a gasp and see her clutch her chest.

“What the hell, Alpha!”

“I’m sorry, I was grabbing stuff from the safe.” I’m surprised that I could get any words out after seeing her. She is ***gorgeous; she’s transformed from a sassy eighteen-year-old to a seductive older woman in a matter of hours. I watch her closely as she does a little spin, noticing that her back is completely open.

“Do you like?” She smiles.

“Uh, um yeah, you look very beautiful,” I take in the whole front of her dress, which isn’t much, since the neckline is completely non-existent, dipping all the way down to her waist. She has two pieces of fabric that attaches to the waist and goes up to cover her perfect hand-sized breasts before tying together at the back of her neck, “My mom bought you that dress?”

She chuckles, “It’s the one that was on my bed.”

“Hm, she’s got good taste.” I fight myself over not sinking my teeth into my lower lip.

“Of course, she does. She’s Amelia Storm!” She walks over to me and starts fiddling with my tie. Her perfume smells divine as she stands this close to me, and I have to look up at the ceiling, so I don’t do something that I’m going to regret, “New tie?”

Her question brings my attention back to her, “Yeah, mom bought it when she bought the dress.” I have to smirk when I realize that it’s the same color as Quinn’s dress. It’s almost as though mom was dressing us up as Alpha and Luna. How I wish in this moment that it was true! I would proudly call Quinn my Luna if I could. She will be an amazing one someday.

She steps away from me. “Your text asked me to meet you here?”

“Uh, yes. I have part of your birthday gift that I thought you may want before we leave.” I hand her the blue velvet box that I had the jeweler wrap it in after they cleaned them for me, “As you will see, they aren’t brand new, but I think you will love them more.”

She glances between me and the blue box as she unties the ribbon. Opening it slowly, then gasps, her legs buckling from beneath her. My reaction is instant as I grab her before she can fall completely. I hold her in my arms as she gazes at the earrings I gave her.

She then looks up with watery eyes, “How? I mean…”

“Quinn, I put all your family’s things into storage, so you can go through it when you are ready. I have everything here, it’s all yours. I wasn’t sure if these meant anything, but they looked like they may have been special, so I wanted to give them to you for your birthday.” I swipe one of her runaway tears away with my thumb.

“They are special. My father gave my mom these for their anniversary just before the attack.” Next thing I know, she has her arms around my neck, “Thank you so much Declan. You don’t know how much this means to me!”

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“I think I did, that’s why I did it.” I reply ****and grin.

She pushes herself away, taking her warmth with her, as she slaps my chest playfully, “You’re such a ***, Alpha!”

I capture her hand and place a sweet kiss on the top of it, “Happy Birthday, Quinn.”

*Thank you, Declan.”

I then send her away to find Cici and freshen up. I probably should have given them to her earlier, before her makeup was done, but I didn’t cross my mind at the time. Picking up the other item that I removed from the safe, and the present that I got her, I tuck them away into my inside coat pocket before going downstairs.

Dinner was amazing as always with the five of us here. We had decided to keep it small with only my mother, Beta, Cici, and myself, along with the birthday girl, of course. Quinn isn’t one that likes to make a fuss about herself, and since we are throwing her a party already, we wanted to give her this.

Just as we are finishing up with the dinner portion, a commotion breaks out just outside the private room that I reserved. Before I could get up to see what was going on, the door bursts open and in walks ***Lila.

“I’m so sorry I’m late! I couldn’t remember what time it was, and my invite got lost in the mail.” The woman has the audacity to lean down and kiss my cheek. I have no words as I watch her grab a chair and squeeze it in between mine and Quinn’s.

“You must be mistaken, Lila,” Mom states, “This is a private birthday party. There were no invites sent out. The only ones invited are already here.”

Lila doesn’t care as she ignores my mother’s comment and sits down anyway, leaving no elbow room whatsoever. She smiles at me as she bats her lashes. How she knew where we were is beyond me, I never spoke of this to anyone, certainly not the ***that I have pleasure me.

*Excuse me, I just need to grab some air quick. I’ll be back in two minutes.” Quinn stands and exits the room.

I am way past being ***with this woman that I have to pull my wolf back in order to protect her from being severely hurt. Duke growls in my head every time I glance at Lila as she sits right beside me, her

strong, **perfume starting to get to me as well. I make eye contact with Cici and nod, indicating for her to go check on Quinn. When I glance at my Beta, he’s sitting there with a smirk on his face, which then earns him a glare from his best friend and Alpha.

After a few uncomfortable minutes of nobody talking at all, the door opens, and in comes both Quinn and Cici. Quinn stands behind Lila’s chair because at some point, I now see that Lila pushed Quinn’s chair away from the table.

“Um excuse me, Lila, but I’m pretty sure that you’re in my seat.”

“Actually, your seat is right there, sweetie.” Lila points to the chair as she sneers.

I’m about to jump in because I know Quinn would *Lila’s **, and I don’t want to see Quinn mess up the gorgeous look she has going on tonight. Quinn holds her hand up, stopping me from saying anything, and I obey, only to watch her walk out of the room once more. She returns right away, though, with two beefy males in security outfits and then points to Lila. I watch amusingly as they each grab an arm and pull her from the chair.

“What the hell! Do you know who I am? Declan, tell them that I’m your girlfriend!” Her screeches are like running nails down a chalkboard.

“Lila, shut up already!” I sigh, “You are not my girlfriend, you’re just a warm body that I use for my own needs. I’ve told you this since the beginning.”

“Declan!” Lila calls out for me, but I ignore her.

Quinn then holds up her hand again, halting the guards and walking up to the woman that is now imprisoned between the two, “I told you this morning that unless he is in your nasty *, you are to call him Alpha! Have some respect, Lila.”

The moment the door closes behind the three, I can no longer hold it in, and I throw my head back and laugh. The others follow suit, making Quinn’s face turn a pretty pink with embarrassment.

“I am so sorry, Quinn. I never thought that she would actually show up here!” I run my hand over my face, “I should have ended it with her a long time ago when I first started seeing the signs.”

“I think you may need your eyes checked son. I had seen all the signs the very first time that you brought her home.” My mother chuckles.

“Come on, Mom, she wasn’t that bad in the beginning.”

“Hm, you have your opinion, and I have mine. Let’s agree to disagree.” She smiles and then holds up her wine glass, “To Quinn, the beautiful birthday girl! May all your wishes come true tonight, and every night after!”

“Here, here!” I join in with the others, forgetting all about the fiasco that just happened, but then other thoughts pop in my mind. Like how

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much I want to hold the woman beside me and give her a real birthday kiss, a thought that I never thought I would have.

“I want to toast Alpha Declan! I wouldn’t be here with all of you had he not saved me that day. Thank you for bringing me home, like a stray little puppy, and giving me not only a new home, but a new family.” Quinn’s toast draws my attention back to her and warms my heart.

“Cheers to the Alpha!” All four of them lift their flutes towards me.

“Actually,” I say, holding back my grin, “a stray puppy would have been cuter and a lot less of a sassy loud-mouth.”

Quinn gasps, but then shrugs and replies, ” At least I don’t get fleas.”

My wine that I just took a sip of goes all over the table in front of me as I spit it out. Leave it to Quinn to quip up something amusing like that. I can never get one over on her because she’s always two steps ahead with that mouth of hers. The thought of me shutting up her sass by having her suck my * has me resituating myself in my seat.