The Reluctant Alpha (The Cresta Chronicles)
Author:© WebNovel
Chapter 1: Chapter 1: A New Alpha
*A/N: This story picks up right where Book 2 in the series left off.*
Jiro POV
Despite the joyful mood of the Harvest Festival, Jiro Cresta breathed a sigh of relief when he slipped into his family’s home, Cresta House, for a moment of solitude.
His brother Kyon and his mate Azandra were the talk of the festival, and everyone focused on them. They deserved it. Azandra was an excellent sister-in-law. Jiro felt a thrill seeing them dance together, being surrounded by the pack, and enjoying the festival together.
He knew that if he found his fated mate, these sorts of scenes were in his future … he was a Cresta. So far, he had plenty of time to prepare himself.
Garnet Sinsworth’s face swam through his mind. The beautiful sister of their enemy Cyran was nothing like her twisted brother. Since they started writing to each other over a month ago, he’d seen her face everywhere, including at night in the dreams that made him blush in the morning. He hoped to see her at the festival when she arrived and talk to her more.
Life was good. He had his brothers and his family and a few close friends, and loved being of service to the best Alpha the Evenhide Pack had had in recent years, his oldest brother, Dane … and that list of alphas included their father. Jiro was a part of the best pack in the world and loved his work as intelligence chief.
He made his way through the quiet, serene corridors to steal a few moments of peace in the library, his favorite room. Ahhh. Just a few minutes, and then the meat and the butternut squash pies were calling his name. He opened the door to the library and sighed in bliss at the smell of the books.
“There he is,” Dane said from behind him.
Jiro whirled around to see his blue-eyed, fatherly brother Dane, the Alpha of Evenhide Pack, his Luna, Lilia, as well as the mountain of a wolf, Kyon, and fiery healer Azandra whose hair nearly matched his own. The smaller bundles of energy, his brothers Patch and Dirge, had also gathered, as well as Lilia’s powerful and wise mother Ravyn, the Pack Mother. Tulaska, the gray-eyed force known as the Evenhide Pack Wise Woman, watched quietly, her gaze knowing. Aunt Ilya and Cousin Reinald also had joined them.
Solidly built Acting Alpha Barrett Malone of the Crimsontail Shadows and the beautiful, refined Garnet Sinsworth stood with his family, both looking at him with expectation. He took a step back, his face growing hot. He hadn’t expected Garnet yet. The Crimsontails had been in the middle of choosing a new alpha. They were taking their time after the disaster when Cyran, the previous alpha’s son, led the pack into darkness and war for his own gain. They must have made their choice.
“Alpha Barrett. Miss Sinsworth,” he said. “A … a pleasant surprise.”
He sounded less than smooth.
Garnet’s amber eyes widened and she murmured, “He even smells like books. My favorite.”
Her smell hit him like the sweetest wine. She smelled like starlight and moonlight. He’d always been fascinated by the stars.
Alpha Barrett stepped forward with Garnet, both still staring at him. Alpha Barrett cleared his throat. “We have something important to tell all of you, and it concerns Jiro.”
Immediately, Dane’s energy changed. Emotion swirled in his eyes. “Alpha Barrett. Do you mean what I think you mean?”
A wild, impossible notion entered Jiro’s mind and quickly disappeared.
Kyon, Lilia, Patch, Azandra, Ravyn, and Dirge all exchanged confused glances, but he could see light dawning in their eyes.
Patch, predictably, was the first to react. “He can’t! Not that I blame him. The Crimsontails have great taste … I mean, look at the hair. Tailor-made for them.”
Azandra elbowed him, her hazel eyes full of certainty. ”QUIET.”
Jiro rarely felt speechless, except when he faced a crowd that waited to hear from him. But he couldn’t move his mouth. He knew two things at that moment.
One, whatever Alpha Barrett and Garnet said in the next few minutes would change his life forever.
Two, his wolf, Connery, was going wild when Jiro looked into Garnet’s eyes. Connery repeated over and over again, “Mate.”
Garnet Sinsworth, his mate?
His hesitation didn’t have anything to do with her brother and everything to do with his long-held conviction that he just wasn’t meant to have a mate. The Moon Goddess couldn’t be so generous as to give him someone as sweet and intelligent and knowledgeable as Garnet, who wrote such lovely letters. Even being a Cresta didn’t make up for feeling different.
Jiro swallowed, brushing his wave of tumbling red hair out of his eyes. His turquoise gaze was fixed on Garnet, who unconsciously tucked back a lock of blonde hair. She looked so delicate, though he knew she had a strength of character that made her move forward when many people would have just crawled into a deep, dark pit after her brother Cyran’s betrayal. Talk about being different!
Alpha Barrett cleared his throat several times. “The council and I and Garnet debated long and hard over this decision. That’s how we know it’s the right one. As you know, we asked your help in evaluating candidates to succeed Cyran and heal the absolute nightmare he left, because I know that I’m better suited to being the Crimsontail Beta than the Alpha.”
Jiro nodded, listening quietly. Kyon winced in sympathy. Neither of them had any desire to be Alpha, but they would step into Dane’s role if they had to.
Alpha Barrett continued. “Even after you helped us expose many of Cyran’s supporters, more climbed out of the shadows. Unfortunately for them and for the pack loyalists, we had our eye on one candidate very early on because he distinguished himself in the battle against Cyran and showed compassion to our people after.”
Garnet added, her eyes calm and wise, “In fact, knowing that this choice would make people howl throughout the territory, we quietly evaluated this candidate by asking him to help test the others. And it doesn’t hurt that I’ve come to know him more personally in the last few weeks.”
Jiro didn’t want to look at Dane at that moment, but he did. Dane’s eyes were huge with shock and wonder.
Garnet continued in her melodious voice, “In addition, I know that he’s my fated mate, and that makes all the difference, especially for our pack.”
Jiro nearly couldn’t hear her because his heart was pounding in his ears. She could not be saying what he thought she was saying. Barrett could not possibly be suggesting …
He reminded himself of his thoughts a few minutes ago. He was intelligence chief to the Alpha, surrounded by loving brothers, an adopted mother, two sisters-in-law, and a few cherished friends, as well as his pack. His life was blessed by the Moon Goddess, except for missing his mother and father. He’d never wanted anything more than this, except possibly that special mate. He didn’t need anything else …
“What are you saying, Alpha Barrett and Garnet?”
Her eyes widened, and she smiled. He got the sense from her letters that since Cyran had been dethroned, she hadn’t had much to smile about.
Alpha Barrett reached out to shake his hand, and Jiro took it, politely. Alpha Barrett looked him in the eye. “I’m not the Alpha anymore. You are. Congratulations, Alpha Jiro of the Crimsontail Shadows Pack. Congratulations to you and your Luna.”
His heart dropped into his feet and his knees buckled. He clung to Barrett’s hand to keep him upright. He tried to speak, but no sound came out.
Barrett looked utterly sincere. Garnet nodded with a shy expression on her face and clasped his other hand. There seemed to be no chance they would reveal that this was an elaborate prank.
As for everyone else, stunned silence filled the room.
In a fog, Jiro searched everyone’s eyes to see if they knew. If they even had a hint. But no, Dane and Lilia would never keep something so important from him. Patch couldn’t keep the secret to save his life. They all gawked, clearly hearing the news at the same time he was.
Alpha Jiro of the Crimsontail Shadows Pack, with Garnet as his Luna.
The very sentence filled him with a sense of awe, because of the respect and honor they showed him. Yet his stomach lurched and twisted itself into knots. His heart had returned back where it was supposed to be, but it kept hammering.
“It’s … an honor,” he said in a quiet voice, still clinging to Garnet and Barrett.
“I’ll continue to serve as your Beta if you wish,” Barrett added and bowed. “I would be honored.”
Dane slowly bowed, and so did Lilia.
No! His brother couldn’t possibly agree with this madness, could he?
Jiro looked at the others. Kyon’s eyes were gentle and soulful. Patch and Dirge had awed looks on their faces, although Dirge’s teenage face looked sorrowful. Even Tulaska looked thrown, but also as if she knew way more than everyone. Ravyn’s eyes were wise. Azandra nodded quietly. He expected her to protest, but she was in training to be the next Tulaska.
Dane said in a soft voice, his steadying hand on Jiro’s shoulder, “Well. Congratulations, Alpha Jiro. I think I speak for everyone when I say we’re all very proud of you.”
Lilia sounded breathless. “And congratulations to you and your fated mate. Looking back, I felt the beginning of the bond between you two after we defeated Cyran.”
Garnet’s smile was wistful. “That may have been one of the only bright spots on that dark day.”
Ravyn said, with a motherly look, “I see the bond now in this room.”
Tulaska guffawed. “I could see it in the air all these weeks, stretching from here to Red Crescent City.”
Dirge muttered, “Somebody pinch me. Is this real?”
Kyon put an arm around him, with a gentle look. “Oh, it’s real, pup.” Those deep brown eyes locked on his.
Kyon wasn’t the only one. All eyes were on him, expecting him to say something that fit the occasion. To express the joy that so many would feel in his position.
It hadn’t been that way for his brother. Dane hadn’t wanted to become Alpha so soon, not if it meant losing their parents. Their pack had been in mourning but united. He himself was ill-equipped to lead a pack that was so wounded and broken. The people were wonderful and deserved far better than the abuse they suffered at Cyran’s hands, namely being drawn into a war because of his insane vision that Lilia was destined to be his Luna.
The Crimsontails needed someone who could lead and inspire them from day one. Garnet needed someone to love her. That he could do. It would be a dream come true. But to lead?
He swallowed, feeling that his sanctuary had become stuffy and confining.
“Do you accept?” Garnet asked softly. “Being Alpha, I mean. If you do, we need to leave as soon as possible and return to Crimsontail lands before the situation explodes. The council gave us a week, maybe a little longer, to come here and bring you home. We need to leave in the next two days.”
Everyone gasped. Jiro’s head spun so fast he felt dizzy. Two days?
He accepted her. But being Alpha was another matter, and he couldn’t have one without the other.
His voice sounded like a frog’s croak. “Excuse me, but I think we may have left the fires burning too hot in the kitchen.”
And before anyone could say anything, he bolted from the library to find another quiet place to think now that his life had been turned upside-down.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone