CHAPTER 24
NOAH
I got to the bottom of the stairs and saw people entering the building and heading for the large dining tables in the centre of the massive room.
The tables along the wall on one side were now covered with large serving dishes of food and people were picking up plates and cutlery on their way. Like a big buffet.
It sounded chaotic with so many people in one room but everyone was organised and helping each other. At a restaurant buffet everyone is trying to get their servings first and impatiently waiting for others. But here, everyone was chatting and laughing with wide smiles. Serving food onto their family members plate before their own and there was no rushing.
I had joked that this place was a cult but I could see how everyone treated each other with care, like one big family. There was a warm, welcoming vibe in the room.
Yes, the irony was not lost on me. But in my defence, I'd seen the proof that they're werewolves and not just crazy people hallucinating.
Something tugged my sleeve and I looked down into the eyes of an adorable little boy with the biggest brown eyes.
"Are you Alpha's mate?"
"I am. I'm Noah, what's your name?" I asked him, crouching down to his height.
"I'm Tommy."
"It's nice to meet you, Tommy. I'm Noah," I said, holding out my hand which he tentatively shook.
"You smell different," he said with an adorable look of confusion, "like a human but different to most humans," he leaned forward and sniffed me.
"Tommy, that's rude. You must ask before you scent someone," a woman said as she approached from behind him, pulling him back slightly.
I looked up at her and smiled. "It's quite alright," I said and stood up, holding out my hand in greeting, "Hi, I'm Noah."
"Oh, I know, we all know your name. You're our second alpha, after all. It's such an honour to meet you, I'm Lara," she said with such a warm smile as she shook my hand.
I felt like I was being treated like royalty and it felt odd. I'm just some idiot who got lost in the woods and was fucked by a werewolf. Now all these people were calling me an alpha. How exactly was I supposed to feel about that?
I've never led anyone anywhere in my life. I've been pretty isolated with my small handful of friends and suddenly I'm surrounded by these people of all ages looking to me to lead.
I had no idea how Lucas did it and it gave me a healthy dose of respect for him. I knew enough about him to know that he leads these people with care and fairness, ensuring his pack was always safe and provided for.
My feelings for him grew some more.
I knelt back down to talk to Tommy, he didn't treat me differently and it was refreshing. "Do you know why I smell different, Tommy?"
The little guy shook his head.
"Because I am human, but now that I'm mated to your Alpha, I'm slowly turning into a werewolf too. I'll have my first shift on the next full moon."
"That's so cool! I wanna have my first shift but Mama says it won't happen for… hm," he made a thinking face, "five or six years . That's foreeever!"
Gosh this kid was adorable. He was so excited about something that I was terrified of. Maybe I'd been looking at it all wrong, maybe it was something that could be wonderful.
I chuckled. "That is forever! But do you know what people say about having to wait?"
He shook his head.
"That the best things in life are worth waiting for," I said, giving him a smile.
His little face lit up with a grin.
Another kid approached behind Tommy, this one considerably older. "Hi Alpha Noah," he said with a big smile, "I'm Steven, Tommy's older brother," he said, holding out his hand with all the confidence of a young man, eager to fully grow up.
I took his hand and shook it. "Hi Steven, it's nice to meet you."
"Thanks. I've been talking about my first shift with Tommy a lot so he's really excited for his turn one day."
"Oh, have you had yours recently?" I asked, hoping to get an honest description of what was coming my way soon.
"Not yet but hopefully it'll be the next full moon and we can both have our first shifts together. Ma says it's any month now, right?" he said, looking toward Lara.
"I think so, but that could mean any month in the next year or so though hon, so try not to build yourself up too much every full moon. It'll happen when it's meant to," she said, wrapping her arm around his shoulders and giving him a comforting squeeze.
"I know, Ma." Steven wrapped his arm around her waist and hugged her back.
I was surprised. Most teenagers become ‘too cool' to hug their parents publicly and get all moody but Steven was different. Actually, from what I'd observed, all the teenagers here seemed different like that. Much more open and loving with their parents and siblings, taking care of the younger ones instead of squabbling with them.
I was beginning to see the wholesomeness of the pack. Turned out Lucas was right, it wasn't a cult. Or if it was, I was okay with joining.
"Okay, we've taken up enough of Alpha Noah's time, he has many other pack members who would love to meet him too," Lara said, smiling and leading them away.
"Okay. Enjoy your dinner, Alpha," Steven said kindly.
Lara gave me a sweet smile. "Welcome to the pack, Alpha."
No pressure.