Game On Alpha

Chapter 19: A Not So Perfect Valentine's Day

Alina POV

Over the weeks that followed, after the Moon Goddess had dropped an unbelievable bomb on us and Colton's arrival, we had begun to train the packs harder than ever before. Colton had started to teach Xavier and I how to harness our abilities but we haven't been able to control it properly as yet. It was harder than we thought it would be.

We all tirelessly sought to find more answers to the whole Viper situation, slaving over dusty old books in the councils archives but didn't come up with much. All they seemed to indicate was that they were creatures of death and destruction, telling tales of how they wiped out villages and communities of all kinds of supernatural beings. They told us nothing about their strengths and weaknesses or if they even had any. They gave us no real idea of what we would be facing.

Our biggest help came from Colton. As The Oracle he had been around for a millennium and had witnessed these beings over the years and watched them disappear as if they were never there to begin with.

Colton had explained to us that they were snake-like beings, hence the name. One bite from them can leave your body paralyzed, unable to defend your life or those around you. If the bite is not treated within twelve hours of receiving it, you have no chance of survival. The only problem was, no treatment had ever worked effectively in the past. No antidote was ever created.

It's a whole new species that none of us had come across before and we would be fools to take this threat lightly. And it is a threat not only to us but the whole supernatural world; Vampires, witches and warlocks, fae folk, elves and werewolves alike. We would need to travel to the depths of these beings' dwellings and form alliances to even stand a chance and this was a mission in its own right. Although we had stopped waging war on each other, the hostility against each other had never faded over the years and there have been lives lost in all communities due to this.

We had been in communication with the leaders of the different species. Xavier, Jason and a few other Alphas would be leaving in two weeks to approach them to make good on the alliance while the rest of us man the front and oversee training. Hopefully we see eye to eye on this matter and put aside our differences for the sake of our survival. So far we are finding the fae folk and elves more approachable and cooperative with the situation than all the others but hopefully they come around when they meet. At least we have a shot at creating an antidote to the Vipers venom as the fae folk are the greatest healers to exist. Perhaps they would find something.

"Hey guys do you know what day it is today?" Thea asks us as we gather around the breakfast table taking a much-needed break and enjoying a snack that Reece had prepared, which was surprisingly good. "Uh, it's Saturday. " Alex answers around a mouthful of a three bean and steak burrito. "No I meant like the holiday. It's Valentine's Day!"

"We're all so preoccupied with all that's going on, we totally forgot about it." I shrug, not really bothered about it.

I look over to the guys to see them glancing at each other with a look of slight panic while Colton, Jace and Reece try to stifle their laughter at the guys current situation.

"I'm so glad I don't have my mate as yet. I won't have to go through all this stress of making it a perfect day" Reece chuckles at Jace and they snicker.

"Shut up you toad." Aiden growls and bares his teeth in annoyance.

"Guys it's not a big deal. We're all exhausted anyways." Riley reassures them and Thea and I nod in agreement.

"Absolutely not. This is our first Valentine's day as a mated couple and we totally forgot to plan anything." Xavier looks at me a little forlorn at the fact.

Jason jumped up saying he had an idea and rushed out the room to sort out whatever he needed to while the rest of the guys sat talking amongst themselves in hushed whispers at the other end of the table. Colton speaks up, casually leaning against the doorway surveying their conversation while munching on crisp potato chips. "I have an idea for you guys."

They instantly perked up at him as he sighed, sat down and mumbled his plan to them in hushed voices. They announce their leave, letting us know they'll be seeing us later and to enjoy a few hours of girl time. Okay...

The girls and I lounge around the rest of the day, enjoying the time off, watching movies in the entertainment room and talk about random things when Xavier walks in a few hours later and whisks me away.

"Where are we going?" I ask as he leads me into the forest.

"That my dear, is a surprise." He says with a smile. We walked towards the clearing and I could make out a faint glow emitting from the area. As we broke through the foliage I gasped in admiration at the sight before me. Under two connecting oak trees was a white silk curtain gazebo with a wooden table and chair setup. Lanterns were hung up all around us, casting a warm glow across the clearing, enveloping me in a safe embrace. It was breathtakingly beautiful, simple, yet beautiful. Xavier always manages to surprise me with these sweet gestures.

I turn to see him looking at me hopefully. "So, do you like it?" I throw my arms around him and he stumbles with surprise before managing to catch his balance and holds me tightly. "I absolutely and positively adore it." I smile and press a hard kiss on his lips when someone clears their throat loudly causing me to pull back in surprise. We both look to the side to see Colton standing there in white crisp button-up and black pants with an apron thrown over.

"Alright lovebirds, take a seat." Colton ordered us and we moved to sit down. I burst into a fit of giggles when Colton reaches forward and slaps the back of Xavier's head. "Ow! What was that for, you ass."? Xavier says clutching his head, glaring daggers at him.

"Have you not been raised with manners? You don't just leave the lady to seat herself. You were supposed to pull out the chair for her." He admonishes him.

Xavier mumbles out an apology at me, rubbing at the back of his neck sheepishly as Colton hands us a homemade menu in what looks like Xavier's handwriting and takes our orders. I thought about how sweet all this was and the food, oh wow the food was fantastic. We gobbled down the delicious looking spread like there's no tomorrow as soon as it arrived and fell into light banter.

Once our plates were cleaned spotless we leaned back into our chairs with a groan. "Gosh! I was so famished and now I can't even look at another morsel of food without feeling sick. I need to walk around to digest it a bit." I chuckle at my position.

"Same." He groans out his agreement. "But fear not, I have one more surprise that I'm sure will help us out with that problem." A cheeky smile pulls at his mouth.

I raise my eyebrows in a questioning manner. "Really now? What could that possibly be?" I playfully tap my chin in wonder.

"Yup, we're going to play hide and seek." He gets out of his chair and bursts into a run, but not before screaming "You're it."

I laugh at his childlike behaviour, putting my head down on the table and start counting.

"1...2...3...4...." I count to thirty and run into the forest to start my search for him, feeling excitement take over.

I catch his scent not far off sniffing but lose it as he backtracks and traps me in an endless loop. I growl in frustration at his games and walk around for a while, looking for his trail. I hear the familiar sound of a nearby waterfall and I eagerly run towards it, feeling my throat quench in thirst. I cup my hands and take a long sip of the clean, fresh water when I hear the rustling of bushes behind me.

I turn around sharply, alert and cautious, not recognizing the scent as a wolf. Suddenly a very familiar figure makes itself visible. "Jordan?"