Too Beautiful for the Alpha novel Chapter 34

Many strangers greet us as we make our way inside. Though I am familiar with the building from the gathering, it looks completely transformed. Sure, it was dressed up before, but everything is switched around now. There are fewer tables and instead more room for standing and chatting or whatever leaders do. As my eyes scan the area, I see most people standing with a drink, in groups of two to five people. And unlike the gathering, there are guards at the doors outside and inside. Coincidentally, I spot Theodore with one other guard towards the back, and I immediately make plans in my head to see him.

James places his hand lightly on my back, reeling me back to the current situation. Knowing that we'll have to welcome everyone, his movements towards the grouped people don't surprise me. I take a quick breath before we reach the first one, a set of three.

"Can we interrupt?" James says to the woman and two men, in a friendly way. His free hand gently touches the woman's shoulder as he speaks, causing her to swiftly spin around.

"Alpha Grant," she cheers, the other two facing us as well. "I was wondering when you'd get here. You always keep me waiting," she scolds in a motherly way. "You know I've been dying to meet her."

She turns to me as she says it, and I smile. Oddly enough, the woman gives me a loose hug and I glance up at James. "Rae, this is Renee. She was good friends with my mother," he explains, and I make sure to smile even more when she pulls away. "She is Alpha Alder's Luna."

The man standing next to her moves closer and reaches his hand out, so I shake it and assume he is Alpha Alder. It is difficult to tell who is an Alpha when in a crowd stuffed with them. "It's nice to meet you."

"We won't be Alpha and Luna for much longer, I'm afraid. Our son is taking over any day now, all he has to do is let him," she nudges her mate.

Alpha Alder says, "He's getting there."

"Anyway, when I saw that you were having an announcement party I nearly fainted. I've been waiting for this day, your mother and I both. Oh, she'd be so happy, James. And you," she switches back to me, "you even look a bit like her, so beautiful. Which pack did you come from, dear?"

"The Waters Pack," I say, thankful that's she's asking easy questions.

"And where did you two meet?"

"A gathering at the Waters Pack," James takes over. "I went to meet with Alpha Waters while a few pack members attended the event. We ran into each other."

She looks to me again, the sweet expression sticking to her face and never peeling off. "And he's good to you?"

"Yes, He is."

His hand returns to my back and my heart finally settles. "I hate to leave you, but we have to make our way around, greet everyone, you know."

"Of course, of course," she shoos us off, "it was lovely meeting you, Rae."

"It was nice to meet you too," I say back, my voice light and airy.

We make our way around the room, and I introduce myself to Alphas, Luna's, and Betas, and I wonder how James has so many allies. Maybe it is not so complicated, maybe it is simply because he is a good, smart Alpha who knows what he's doing. I haven't gotten the chance to see him in a action many times, so hopefully after this, when my announcement is official, and when I'll be helping around the pack, I'll get to.

Many of the Alphas we walk up to seem to admire James greatly, and I feel as if I'm being introduced to a new side of him. They are quick to applaud him for fixing the rogue situation, and I wonder if I should have myself. I didn't know it was such a big deal. Maybe that's just another sign of my lack of experience. It's another push for me to get involved with the pack and to learn about my position.

Like a pair of cherries, we stay close, James doesn't leave my side. Whenever I stumble or struggle to find the right words, he takes over and eases me back in, knowing that I am not the most charismatic person. Most of the women I meet come off as confident and powerful, but none of them are rude. None of them point out my lack of Alpha Blood unlike I expect. It is hard to keep up with them, though. It's clear that these women are experienced when it comes to events such as this. But it's when I spot a girl around my age that a sense of curiosity hits me. After we leave Alpha Reynolds and his Beta, I lead James towards her.

"Alpha Grant," a man turns and pats James on the shoulder. "Quite the announcement you got going on here."

The younger girl drifts towards the man, and I notice her pregnant stomach right away. She warms up to him, no longer looking cold.

"It's nice to see you again, Lance," James says back and after going through the normal round of introductions—finding out that the girl is his Luna—James and Alpha York immerse themselves in a deep conversation. I keep glancing at the girl, excited to have found a Luna that can possibly relate to me. We're both likely the youngest Luna's here.

My hand stays caught in James' as my eyes roam over her large belly again. "Hi," she says surprisingly and straight-to-the-point even though it is one word. "I know we kinda already introduced ourselves, but I'm Ava, again."

We seem to separate from our mates, creating our own conversation while they ramble on about the rogue situation. "I'm Rae, again."

She smiles, and out of all the smiles I've been given tonight so far, hers seems the most genuine. "I see you glancing at my belly," she says, relaxed. "I'm pregnant—just in case you thought it was because of some other bizarre reason."

"Oh, no. I know. I'm sorry for staring."

She shrugs, her gold dress flowing from her body with hints of sparkles as it cascades down. Ava looks to be truly glowing. "I don't mind. A lot of the woman in here stare at it and nudge their mates. The men, not so mesmerized, but the woman are constantly asking to feel. So, are you wanting one for yourself or are you just intrigued by the fact that I've been standing for this long?"

A short laugh escapes me. "No, no I'm just intrigued, I guess. I mean, I'm mostly just glad to see someone around my age who's also in my position."

"Yeah, not a lot of young ones right now. Honestly, it's pretty nice talking to someone who doesn't scold their mate for not giving them a baby yet after talking to me. So, you're not Alpha Blood? That's what I've been hearing. The crowd whispers."

I shake my head, happy that someone finally brought it up. Sure, at first it was a relief that no one noticed, but after a few stares and hints, I've been growing impatient. "No, I'm not Alpha Blood, I'm regular blood."

"Well, how regular can you be if you're mated to Alpha Grant?" She asks, not really asking, though. "Honestly, there's no difference besides the whole born with power thing."

"There's the pain," I share, not knowing why I feel so comfortable around her. At this point it can't be her age, it must be her personality. Something about Ava tells me that she's not judgmental.

"It hurt when he marked you, huh?"

I nod. "But I'm sure that's it, though there are not many people to ask. The chance of an Alpha being mated to a non-Alpha Blood is more unlikely than I first thought."