Orphan Alpha novel Chapter 6

The Iron Hide pack house was much larger than the rustic pack house of Silver Moon pack. It was obvious from the size of the place that the pack was both extremely large and extremely wealthy. I felt ridiculously out of place as Tristan led me inside.

He led me by the hand to his office, not bothering to stop for introductions to any of the wolves we met as we passed by. Their stares made me more nervous than I had been since the night I met him in the woods. I didn’t know anything about pack life, but it seemed odd that an Alpha wouldn’t stop to introduce his mate to the pack.

Once inside his office, he gestured for me to sit before making his way to his own seat behind his oversized desk. I felt my face drop at the loss of physical contact. Simply holding his hand had me running on a high I had never experienced before. I was afraid that he was changing his mind about accepting me as his mate.

“When is your birthday?” he asked quietly.

“July second.” I responded quietly, looking at my hands as I clasped them in my lap.

“Hey, look at me.” He encouraged. “You’re underage until July second. Until then, I think it would be best if we took things slow. Get you settled in as part of the pack and get to know each other before we complete the mate bond. Do you understand?”

“I.. Well, I don’t really know what any of that means. I was studying the pack law information from Barb, but that’s all I know about packs.” I blurted out.

To my surprise, Tristan burst out laughing before coming around the desk and kneeling in front of me. I wasn’t sure what he had found so funny, my lack of knowledge about my own species was making me uncomfortable.

“I promise I will teach you everything you need to know.” He whispered, taking my face in his hands. “First, I think we make you part of the pack. You won’t scent like a rogue anymore and it will make it easier for me to keep you safe.”

The sincerity in his honey colored eyes was all it took for me to nod my head in agreement. He rose and grabbed a letter opener from his desk. I gasped as he drew it across his hand, slicing open his palm. Instinctively, I withdrew when he reached to do the same to mine.

“Hannah, I promise it’s ok. In order to make you a part of the pack, I have to mix my blood with yours, ok?”

I nodded and he quickly cut my hand with the letter opener.

“Ok, now repeat after me. I swear to protect the happiness and wellbeing of the pack and my alpha, to the best of my abilities, for the rest of my days.”

I repeated the words as Tristan pressed our bleeding palms together. As soon as the final word passed my lips, my mind was filled with voices of the pack, welcoming me. Sensing it was overwhelming me, I heard Tristan’s voice in my mind telling them to calm down. I looked at him in awe as the roar of voices subsided.