Page 4 of The Alpha’s Chosen Mate

Chapter Two

HARRISON

18 Years Old, September 1990

“I appreciate your concerns, Alpha Michael, but I assure you there is no reason to worry.” Principal Miller turns back to his work, dismissing my father without another word.

Dad is having none of it. “And I think you’re severely underestimating the issue. The altercations between the Lupine River warriors and the warriors of the other three packs have increased in frequency and severity over the past weeks. Tensions are high among all pack members. We cannot risk the possibility of a fight breaking out here at the school—a fight that could expose werewolves to the humans—because you think it will all blow over.”

Principal Miller sighs. He removes his glasses, tossing them onto a yellow legal pad, and rubs his eyes. I’ve always wondered if he’s one of those humans who truly needs glasses or if he only wears them so you think he’s smarter than he actually is.

“Circumstances are already difficult enough for the transfers from Lupine River. We’ll make everything worse if we single them out and change all their schedules just to keep them separate from the other three packs.”

“But in the long run—”

“Alpha Michael.” Principal Miller rises to his feet. His fingertips press into the smooth, polished desk surface, and his voice drops several decibels. “You forget that you are not in charge here.”

My dad’s jaw works. No doubt he wishes to say more on the subject. Alphas are stubborn, prideful beings. They don’t take kindly to their authority being questioned. Backing down is a sign of weakness. But Principal Miller isn’t another alpha. He isn’t even a werewolf. As much as it may hurt Dad’s pride, he knows this isn’t the time to push.

“Fine.” He may have decided to walk away from this conversation, but he’s clearly determined to be the one to have the last word. “Don’t come crying to me for help when this all explodes in your face because you didn’t take my advice.”

Dad turns on his heel and storms out of the office. I walk with him, keeping back several paces to avoid the oppressive aura rippling off him in pulsing waves.

Brad Thomas—my best friend and my future beta—falls into step beside me as we follow my dad through the school and out the front doors, wisely keeping his words to our mindlink. “That bad, huh?”

“Humans don’t understand how quickly things can get out of hand when dealing with pack rivalries like this.”

It’s one reason my dad pushed to have Principal Miller replaced by a werewolf, especially with the Lupine River students joining the student body this year. A werewolf would understand the risks and would do whatever was needed to mitigate them. None of the other board members agreed though, and Principal Miller—one of the few humans who know of our existence—kept his position for another year.

“But if someone gets hurt—”

“Not if, Brad. When.”

That’s why Dad and I are here today. Dad comes on the first day of school every year to wish the students from Crescent Lake good luck. Since I graduated last year, and am one step closer to taking over as the pack’s alpha, he wants me to shadow him more often, to get a better feel for the role I’ll step into once I find my fated mate. But this year, with the shutdown of Lupine River’s on-site high school, Dad’s visit serves a dual purpose: wishing them luck and ensuring their safety.

Unfortunately, Principal Miller is too stubborn—too naïve—to see the damage likely to occur because of his refusal to act now.

“Harrison.” My dad waits for me to acknowledge him before continuing. “Stay in the area. I have too many things on my plate to stay myself, but I need someone here in case—”

“I’ll stay within mindlink range so any Crescent Lake member can reach me if needed.”

“Good.” He turns to leave but pauses once more. “And make sure Brad actually goes to class.”

Brad’s noise of disappointment echoes off the doors behind us. “Damn it!”

A flicker of amusement flashes across Dad’s face, easing some of the tension in his body. It’s not enough to pull him completely out of his rage, but it’s enough to lighten his mood for his drive back to Crescent Lake.

“Do you think he meant it?” Brad asks as we head back inside the school.

“Yes.”

“It wasn’t an alpha command though.”

“Maybe not, but do you want to risk doing extra laps or getting assigned extra chores this week?” I can already sense him conceding, but I use the ace hiding up my sleeve anyway. “Besides, I heard Stephanie Davis is in all the same classes as you this year.”

The panicked expression on his face is comical. “Could you be any louder?!”

I force myself to keep a straight face as I inhale and prepare to repeat myself. “I heard—”