A Date?

The rest of the week passed by with little drama and I was grateful. I spent the week trying to get back on track and spend as little time as possible with Mr. Case, which is funny since he is meant to be my personal assistant. He is a diligent worker and always takes initiative. That is what I like in an assistant, which is why I was unable to fire him immediately. That and the fact that my heart wouldn't let me. My mother has been quietly roaming the pack all week, but I still have Lana keeping tabs on her just in case.

It is Saturday which means it is day one of not being in the office. Well, the office in the human world anyway, since I will have to be in the pack office. I work during the week in the evenings, but I save most things for the weekend. Being the Alpha and CEO means very little, if any, down time for me.

I wake early, as usual, and head to the training area. I run training most days before I go to work with Mondays being an exception. I was pushed into having a day of rest. Well, really they wanted me to rest more than 1 day, but I would only accept the one. I love running training. I get to see the warriors and high ranked members get better at their craft. I also get to show off a bit sometimes which I don't exactly hate. This morning went like the others, we got through the warm-ups and sparring with no issues. Everyone was spent and went their separate ways when finished.

I walk into the dining room with Lana and Gemma close behind me. We sit in our usual spots, but my parents aren't there. They may have decided to dine in, this morning, which they do from time to time. We are served our breakfast and start to dig in. I'm starving having worked really hard during training. As I'm starting to really enjoy the meal, I get a mindlink.

_Alpha you have a visitor._

_I'm not expecting anyone._

_The former Luna met them at the door, though they said they are here to see you. I just thought I should give you a heads up._

"FUCK!" I yell, slamming my fork on the table with enough force to make the plate float in the air for a second and come down with a clatter. Gemma and Lana look at me with concern.

"What is it 'Nessa?" I don't respond to Lana, instead I squeeze the bridge of my nose with my eyes closed. I take a few deep breaths and then open my eyes.

"My mother," is all I can say through gritted teeth. That is enough because my Beta and Gamma exchange a knowing look before looking back at me.

"We got your back," Gemma says while squeezing my hand. I give a slight nod and wait for the crap to start. I don't have to wait long, because a few moments later my mother walks into the dining room with none other than Alpha Kent on her arm. What. The. Fuck.

"Good morning ladies. Morning Janessa. Look who came to see you," my mother cooed while stroking the Alpha's arm. Alpha Kent was taller than my mother standing at 6'2. He is mixed, his complexion being almost white. His hazel eyes look me up and down. He has full lips which are smirking. You can tell he has very curly hair and right now, it was in a braided ponytail with the sides and bottom of his head shaved clean. The Alpha's wearing a basic black t-shirt with his muscles pushing through. His dark blue jeans can't hide the fact that his legs are greatly toned and I do like the black Air Force Ones he is sporting. He has a bouquet of flowers in his hand. I'd imagine this was already known by my mother or they planned it recently. Either way, she dismissed everything I said to her the other night which really pisses me off.

"Alpha Kent. I'm not aware of a meeting we had scheduled, unless it was made through my Beta." I turn to look at Lana knowing that she wouldn't schedule a meeting with him without telling me. "Lana, was there a meeting scheduled?"

"No. I haven't spoken to Alpha Kent or anyone with the Crystal Lake Pack." Lana never disappoints even though I hate to put her on the spot.

"Ladies, enough with this 'Alpha Kent' business. Just call me Jasper." The Alpha's eyes settle on me and I try not to squirm in my seat. "We did not have a meeting, no, but I thought I'd come by and see you. Maybe you'd let me take you out on a date." The double meaning is evident in his voice. Yeah, a simple date my ass. I'm sure if I were to agree, he would try to take every advantage he could think of. There is no way in hell I would ever go out on a date with that man, not now and not ever.

"Well Alpha Kent," I meet his eyes when addressing him so he knows that this isn't going to break his way. He slightly clenches his jaw when I address him formally, but I don't care. He and my mother need to let this crap go. "I have so much work to do today. I can't possibly make the time."

"Now Janessa, you can take a break if you want to. You have Lana and Gemma here to step in for you." My mother, always trying to come up with solutions to give her what she wants.

"Lana already handles pack duties Monday through Friday when I'm at the office. There is no reason for her to have to do the same through the weekends as well. I am the Alpha of this pack and it is my job to complete my duties. That is done when I am on packlands and will not be changing today."

"Janessa," my mother growls. It is Alpha Kent who pats her hand to quiet her. She looks at him and gives him a sweet smile before looking back at me. "You need to have a life as well, daughter."

"I understand the need to give the pack your all, Luna James. Janessa is a dedicated Alpha like we all are. We also need to take a moment for ourselves, Janessa. Let me help you with that." The Alpha looks at me with lust in his eyes and I try my best not to hurl. Goddess is he disgusting.

I stand up and walk from my seat, heading in the direction of the door. I stop in front of my mother and the Alpha. "Mother, we already discussed this and I have no intention of repeating myself." I turn to put eyes on Alpha Kent. "While I appreciate the thought," I motion to the flowers, "and I appreciate the interest…..I am not interested. I don't want a personal, romantic relationship with you. Our professional relationship is quite enough." Alpha Kent didn't expect me to say that and his face shows as much. He is pissed and so is my mother. She must not have expected me to flat out refuse the man. "Lana and Gemma, please meet me in my office when you are finished. We have work to do." I move to pass them and walk to the door. Before I can get that far, Alpha Kent grabs my arm.

"What is so wrong with me huh? Why won't you give me a chance?" He doesn't want me to answer that question. My answer would only serve to piss him off more than he already is. I turn to look him in the face.

"You are not my mate." I push his hand off of my arm and continue to the door. Right as I am almost out of earshot I hear: "You will accept me or you will pay the consequences." I ignore the man and continue to my office. I'm shaking, I'm so angry. I can't believe my mother would pull this crap right after the argument we had. She has no respect for me, allowing this man into my home and making him think he has a chance with me. I walk up to the wall behind my desk and punch a hole right through it. I pull my fist out and it is covered in plaster and blood. I punch at the wall again and again resulting in more holes and some dents. I don't hear the door to my office open and I don't realize I'm not alone in the room until I feel strong arms wrap around me. They pull me to a hard body and I sniff, realizing it is my dad. I turn to face my dad and bury my face in his chest. I unload, crying out my frustrations with my mother. My dad simply rubs circles on my back and lets me cry. I'm not sure how long I cry, but when I start to regain control, I look up at my dad. He has always been a handsome man to me. He stands at 6'3 and has caramel toned skin. He has always sported a mustache and a small afro, both being salt and pepper colored. He always loved when his gray hair would come in saying that it told others how wise he had become over the years.

"Why does she hate me so much daddy? Why can't she love and respect me?" The sorrow in my dad's eyes can't be mistaken. He wipes the tears from my eyes with his thumbs and sighs.

"She doesn't hate you, Peaches. She just never learned how to be soft, especially not with children. Her parents were harsh with her as well. Her ideas about women and their roles came from them too. I'm sorry that you have to deal with this. I have tried to talk to her, but you know how your mother gets." He pulls me in for a tighter hug and I squeeze him around his waist as tight as I can. My mother may have never shown me love, but my dad has always made me feel cherished.

"How did you know to come find me?" Daddy wasn't in the dining room earlier and I doubt that my mother told him of her plans beforehand.

"UH…" a throat clears. I peek around my dad and see Lana and Gemma standing there. I completely forgot that I told them to come into my office. "We told him what happened." Lana looks like she is waiting to be chewed out, but she won't be because she did nothing wrong. I nod my head and take a seat at my desk. My dad sits opposite me in one chair, Gemma sits in the other and Lana stands between the two.

"Maybe," Gemma squirms in her seat. "Maybe you should tell your parents." I give Gemma a look pleading with her to shut the hell up. I don't want my parents to know anything because I haven't even decided what I'm going to do. My dad sits up straight.

"Yeah, I agree with Gemma. You should probably tell them." I stare at Lana dumbfounded. Is she serious? She should not be agreeing to this.

"Tell us what, Peaches?" I swear I could kill those two. I really don't want to have this conversation. Daddy is staring at me with an expectant look on his face. There is no way my dad is going to let this go. I sigh.

"I..." I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I open my eyes again, "...….met my mate." My dad's eyes get big and a smile slowly spreads across his face. He looks genuinely happy.

"Peaches, that's great!! Why wouldn't you tell us that?" The room gets really quiet and my dad is looking at each of us with confusion.

"Tell him the rest," Gemma adds. Damn her. I swear she is killing me this morning. I look at my dad and sigh again.

"My mate…..he…..he's human." I wait for his reaction. There is nothing, just silence.

"Peaches, I don't understand. I know you have no issues with humans. I don't either. Why does he, being a human, matter?"

"Daddy really? I am a woman Alpha in a world of men. So many people don't want to see me in this position, including mother. Challenges are always in the air. What if he gets challenged as my mate, as a human? How would he survive the challenge? How will it look, the female Alpha with a human mate?" Dad seems to really ponder what I'm saying. He crosses his arms over his chest and he closes his eyes. After a while, he opens his eyes and sits up straight in the chair.

"I understand your hesitation and you are making good points. The problem is, he was paired with you by the Moon Goddess. She knows that he is human, yet she feels that he would be the best match for you. You need to remember that when you are considering what you should do in this situation. The Moon Goddess rarely makes mistakes." Daddy is right, I know. I just can't wrap my head around the prospect that he will be okay in my world. I truly have nothing against humans, I just want him to be safe.

My thoughts are interrupted by Gemma's phone ringing. She picks up the phone and starts to look at me. Crap, what's going on now? Gemma gets off the phone. "We have a problem." Crap!