Alpha's One Night Bride
Alpha’s One Night Bride – Chapter 37

At the young age of 16, Jess proved to be a curious young girl. It’s only been a few months since her first transformation and since her birthday, she’s been wanting to find out more about her family and ancestry.

Her mother has always been secretive about their lives. Jess grew up never knowing any of her mom’s family.

Initially, Jess was born in the small city of Riverside. When she turned 5 years old, her father left her mother for another wolf. It broke the family and sent her mother spiraling down into a depressive state. Jess, being so young, couldn’t comfort her mother in her time of need.

Since her father left, his entire family decided to cut Jess and her mother off. They disowned the two and acted as though neither of them existed. Jess’s mother packed them up and moved them. They lived on the road as lone wolves.

For about 5 years they were by themselves; making new friends in different packs. Though no friends ever stuck around long enough; plus, Jess and her mother were never around long enough to maintain the friendships.

Eventually, they found Ironclaw where they met Gannon, the Alpha of Ironclaw. He had a beautiful luna, Taya, and their daughter Emlin. Gannon was kind enough to allow them to stay in Ironclaw permanently if they desired. He became almost like a father to Jess, and Emlin became a wonderful friend.

It was Emlin who had put the idea into Jess’s head that maybe her mother was hiding something about her family. They were having a sleepover when Emlin brought it up.

Jess had just turned 16 and Emlin was 15.

“Have you ever heard the story of Benjamin Davis?” Emlin asked.

Her big pale green eyes laced with curiosity as she grabbed another slice of pizza. Jess sat cross-legged on the living room floor and pulled her knees up to her chest.

Benjamin Davis wasn’t a name she was familiar with; however, her name was Jess Davis so the fact that they shared the same last name, piqued an interest in Jess.

“He’s one of the 6 original Alpha’s,” Emlin went on to say.

Jess never thought of the idea of original Alpha’s. She never really thought about how Alpha’s came to be or who was the first Alpha.

“He was a lone wolf for a long time. This was before we had territories for our packs. But Benjamin never followed under a specific pack. The 5 original Alphas only cared about getting access to more hunting grounds and conquering more land. They ended up starting a territory war,” Emlin explained.

“A territory war?” Jess asked, in awe.

“Yes, they fought for the territory. To rule over as much of it as they could,” Emlin answered. “Benjamin watched the war taking place from afar and decided he couldn’t stand it anymore. So, he went to each pack and tried to talk sense into them. Making speeches and stuff. He even got some werewolves from each pack to follow him and help him end the war. They ended up making him their pack leader.”

“They made him the 6th Alpha?” Jess asked.

Emlin nodded.

“Yup!” She answered. “As Benjamin and his pack grew stronger and bigger, he was able to win the war by killing the other 5 Alphas. Making him the only Alpha left.”

“Woah…” Jess breathed.

Jess was amazed by this Benjamin person.

“Once he became the sole Alpha, he figured it’d be easier to break the land up into different territories and break the packs up into smaller groups. He appointed new Alpha’s that have proved worthy during the territory war. He created laws to keep everyone on track and safe. But not all werewolves were quick to follow Benjamin. Worried that another territory war would break, Benjamin knew he needed to keep a close eye on everyone, and he couldn’t do that if he was focused on being an Alpha to his own pack,” Emlin continued.

“So, what did he do?” Jess asked, leaning forward as Emlin continued the story.

“He appointed a new Alpha for his pack, and he went on to be the overseer,” Emlin answered.

“The overseer?” Jess asked, never to hear the name or title “Overseer”.

“He oversaw all packs; he had eyes and ears everywhere. He was the lawmaker and punished those who broke the law. Alphas were to report to him for everything and anything. He even had spies in each pack that would give him daily reports. He spent his days traveling to each pack to check on everyone randomly; sometimes he would even do it in disguise. Bottom line is, there was nothing anyone could do without Benjamin knowing about it.”

“That’s amazing…” Jess breathed.

“Eventually, he fell in love and got married. They had a couple of children. Benjamin made it a point that his firstborn son would take over as Overseer once Benjamin dies. Then his son’s son, and so on,” Emlin explained.

“What happened then? Why don’t we have an Overseer now?” Jess asked.

Emlin frowned as she thought about it.

“Nobody knows,” she answered, sadness lingering in her words. “I mean, they did such a good job at keeping the laws in place that it’s almost like we don’t need an overseer anymore. Plus, now that the Grey Howlers are around to protect us and keep the law in place, werewolves would be stupid to break them. There are so many wolves that are for these laws that they outnumber the ones that aren’t.”

“But nobody knows what happened to the Overseers?” Jess asked.

After a beat of silence, Emlin spoke again.

“Of course, there are theories. None of them really make sense to me though. Except for one,” Emlin said, eyeing Jess carefully. Jess waited for her to continue. “Benjamin had said that his firstborn son would be the next overseer and then so on. But what about if his kins stopped having sons and only had daughters?”

“I would imagine she would become the next Overseer,” Jess answered, thoughtfully.

“Times were different, Jess. Women weren’t allowed to be rulers. We couldn’t do much of anything,” Emlin told her. “What if once they stopped having sons and only had daughters, they dismissed the Overseer role altogether.”

“I guess that’s possible,” Jess said.

“Your mom has never mentioned anything about this to you? Or anything about your family?” Emlin asked.

“No. She doesn’t talk about her family,” Jess answered.

“Do you think there’s a reason for that?” Emlin asked; her eyes widening.

Jess knew where Emlin was getting at. Jess had never thought too much about her mom’s side of the family. She grew into never speaking about them. Jess always assumed it was the same ordeal as her father’s family and that her mother’s family just disowned them. It made her sad knowing that both sides of the family didn’t want them in their lives, but Jess had her mother and that was all that mattered to her.

Plus, now she had an actual home. Gannon was nice enough to give them a house and allow them to reside in Ironclaw and be part of a pack. They spent so long as lone wolves, that it felt weird having a pack to call their own. It also felt weird to have actual friends.

“Don’t you think it’s weird that you have the same last name as Benjamin?” Emlin asked in a high whisper.

“I guess so,” Jess agreed.

She stared down at her hands and began fidgeting with her fingers. She supposes this was something she needed to speak to her mother about. She just hoped her mother would tell her the truth.

Emlin was extremely smart, very observant, and outspoken. It didn’t surprise her that she would bring something like this up and start asking questions immediately. She’s known Emlin for about 6 years considering they moved to Ironclaw when she was around 10 years old, and she had just turned 16.

Jess didn’t want to disrupt her newfound family and what they are trying so hard to build due to asking questions about the past. She wasn’t sure how her mother was going to react, and it worried her.

However, she also wasn’t going to be able to sleep unless she found out the truth.

The next morning, Jess went home. Her mother was home and preparing some meals for a dinner party they were planning on having that afternoon. She loved when her mother hosted these parties because she always got dressed up nice and made the house smell delicious.

Jess’s mouth was watering almost immediately after entering the house. Typically, her mother would invite Gannon and his family, along with most members of the pack. She would host these parties once every few months and it was always during the full moon so they can strengthen and rejuvenate their powers altogether as a pack.

This was the first of the dinner parties that Jess would be able to participate in the full moon ceremony. She was excited to be able to transition and strengthen her powers with the rest of them.

To celebrate the occasion, her mother was making some of Jess’s favorite dishes, including mac & cheese.

“Mom, can we talk for a minute?” Jess asked as she entered through the kitchen door.

Her mother, who was just finishing making potato salad, glances up from her tasks and gives Jess a small smile.

“Of course. But do you think we can talk while you peal those boiled eggs? I’m making deviled eggs,” she answered.

Jess nodded as she went over to the bowl of hard-boiled eggs.

“This might be weird, and I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Jess began softy.

“What’s wrong?” Her mother asked.

“I was talking to Emlin last night, and she brought something up that got me curious,” Jess said. She was hesitant before continuing. “Are we related to Benjamin Davis?”

The spoon her mother was holding fell from her hands and landed on the granite countertops, making a clattering sound as it found its place on the counter.

One look at her mother’s shocked expression and Jess already knew the answer.

“So, it’s true,” Jess said softly.

She watched as her mother blinked a few times; gathering her thoughts she grabbed the spoon off the counter and continued to stir into the dish she was making.

She swallowed hard before speaking.

“I knew it would be a matter of time before you heard that name,” she said; her voice sounded distant and unfamiliar. “It was something I was going to tell you eventually.”

“Why keep it from me, to begin with?” Jess asked.

“For a long time, the men in our family ruled as Overseers. Then a few generations ago, the men stopped being born and it was only daughters,” she answered.

So, Emlin’s theory was right.

“People found that disgraceful. Including the people in our family. They disowned almost any female born and kept trying to have a son. But no sons came from it. Eventually, they stopped trying. But by then it was too late; our family was already broken up…” her voice trailed off.

“Mom?” Jess said, she could tell her mother was pushing back tears.

“I was the last attempt,” she finished; her voice sounded broken. “I was disowned by my family because I was born female. My parents told me I was disgraceful and sent me away to live as an orphan. I was abused and beaten for a long time because of my ancestry. They blamed me, along with any other female in the family, because there was no more Overseer.”

“Oh my god,” Jess whispered; she had no idea her mother had to go through any of this.

“Once I was old enough, I was able to leave the orphanage and live on my own. I went to Riverside where I met your father. I made it a point to never tell anyone of my ancestry, afraid that the abuse would happen again. I didn’t want that for myself or for any future daughters I may have. I just wanted it to be over. Nobody outside of the family understood why there was no more Overseer, but they blamed our family for destroying that role. By the time I got to Riverside and started my own life, most werewolves stopped caring. The Grey Howlers were founded, and the laws were still in place, so nobody batted an eye about the Overseers. I wanted to keep it that way.”

“So, nobody found out that you came from the Davis bloodline?” Jess asked.

“Not exactly,” she answered. “I met your father, and we married a year into me living in Riverside. I took his family name and we had you,” she said softly. “I thought I could trust him. I loved him and wanted him to know everything about me and my past. I didn’t want to live in secrecy from my husband.”

“You told him?” Jess asked, in a whisper.

She turned to her mother and saw tears streaming down her face.

“I told him,” she confirmed. “He acted like he was fine with it. I thought I finally found someone who could handle my past. But then he met someone else and chose her over me. He ended up telling his family about me and our ancestry.”

“They disowned us because of our ancestry?” Jess asked, shocked.

Her mother nodded as more tears fell from her eyes.

“We were on the road for a long time, getting rid of the hate and the abuse. I never wanted to subject you to that. We got far enough away where people don’t know who I am. Now when they ask about my last name, I tell them it’s a coincidence,” she explained.

“So, Gannon doesn’t even know?” Jess asked.

“Nobody in this region knows. If I were to go back North, I would be recognized. But here, it’s like we are finally able to start over and not worry,” she breathed.

She wiped away her remaining tears.

She turned her gaze to Jess, who had stopped pealing the eggs to focus on her mother’s stern features.

“Jess, you need to promise me that you won’t say anything to anybody about this,” she nearly begged.

Jess frowned; this was huge.

“Telling people of our ancestry is dangerous and will result in more abuse and hate. I can’t be subjected to that again and I can’t have you be subjected to that.”

“Times are different now. Do you think they’d have the same reaction as they did in Riverside?” Jess asked.

“I thought times were different then too. I thought I found people I could trust. It turned out I was wrong,” she said slowly. “As much as the people here have gained our trust and our understanding and vice versa; as much as we find them to be our family and friends and we love them; we can’t be too careful. This must stay between us,” she warned.

Jess’s eyebrows creased as she thought about Emlin and how it was Emlin that brought it up in the first place. She didn’t seem like she would be angry if it was true, she was more curious and in awe. She almost seemed excited. Jess didn’t want to keep this from her; Emlin was the closest thing she had to a best friend and Gannon was the closest thing she had to a father.

It felt weird keeping this big of a secret from them; especially since they reside in the Ironclaw pack, in which Gannon is the Alpha.

“Jess?” Her mother’s eyes were pleading for her to agree to this secret.

She didn’t want to disappoint her mother and she didn’t want to put her in danger.

Jess sighed.

“Okay,” Jess finally agreed.

A flood of relief washed over her mother’s expression.

“That includes Emlin. Please promise me that you’ll never speak a word about this to anyone. Ever. Which means your future mate and any future children can never know,” she pleaded.

After a beat of silence, Jess answered.

“Okay, mom. I promise.”