Author's note: Now that my two long-term stories are completed, this story will be my next main one! Sorry for the long wait 😊 Alsooo special thanks to  MIRACULOUSNESS  for making my new cover! Check her awesome graphics out guys!

[16] Alpha Favors

The first time Mia had a discussion about submission, she realized she hadn't known as much as she thought. It had been a typical day after school doing homework. Only, instead of doing homework, Sammie had been making a list, 'The Ideal Mate List' she called it.

"That's a lot of things you're including." Mia noted, poking her head to better inspect.

1. Must be taller than me

2. Generous

3. Kind

4. Affectionate

5. Will not have meaningless sex with girls he doesn't plan to mate with

Mia raised her brows on number five. If that wasn't a direct hit against Michael she didn't know what was. As she kept reading though, she found it quite funny how some of the other things on her list actually ended up pointing towards Michael regardless. Interesting.

She clucked her tongue. "What if he doesn't meet all those requirements?" Mia asked this because as much as she was all for a girl getting what she deserved, it wasn't realistic for a male to fulfill every dream desire. Especially if you're like Sammie whose list went way past thirty. People had faults, it was inevitable.

It appeared Sammie had also taken this into account, for she merely shrugged. "I don't expect him to, but he should check off many of them. The wolfman I mate must be worthy, I can't just submit to anyone."

Mia made a face. Even though she played submission pranks on Samuel, the truth was the very word made her cringe. "Sammie, why on earth are you looking forward to submitting to anyone. We're independent women. We don't need any man to make us happy. And I certainly don't want to be any man's servant that he can order around."

Sammie gaped at her as though she said the most foolish thing. "That's what you think submission is?!" she shook her head, not letting her even response. She pulled away from her desk and straightened her back, clearing her throat in the process.

Great. Now she was about to go on a spiel. Mia could feel it, these were her warning signs, and sure enough she went off.

"First of all, as independent as we may be it is a natural desire to want to be with someone. No one ever wants to be lonely. Even people who don't marry have friends they spend time with. Second, yes I don't necessarily need a man to make me happy, but why would having one not make me happy? Especially if I choose the right one. Statistics show that most people will get married by the age of thirty, therefore, its clear that just as females want males, males want females too. It was never one-sided, so no need to get defensive. And lastly if I want to get pregnant I can't do that on my own."

Mia was about to protest but Sammie held her hand. "I don't care if you can get artificially inseminated. You still need sperm. And guess which sex that came from? That's right, a male. We need each other to reproduce no matter how much technology shapes it."

"Fine Sammie," Mia said, grudgingly returning to her work.

"No, I'm not done yet." Sammie continued, making her groan. "Humans have an incorrect view about submission. They think if a woman is submissive to her mate she loses all her rights and becomes a carpet for him to walk over. That's not what it means at all. Although the male takes the leadership role, its also one of great responsibility. You know how in my culture it means he's choosing to provide and care for his mate. He has to protect her. It's not a dictatorship, but a relationship that culminates around love, trust, and respect." When Sammie finished she lifted her chin as though she were an ambassador for her people.

Mia giggled. Her friend could be so extra sometimes but she loved it. "Yes Sammie, I agree with you. And since this mate of yours needs to do all these things, go back to making sure that list of yours is perfect."

Her best-friend nodded. "Exactly, I can't just pick anyone to submit to. He has to be the right one." Sammie ripped out a blank piece of paper from her notebook. "Here. You should make one too," she prompted.

At first, Mia was ready to ignore it. What was the point in making a stupid list? However, the empty lines swirled around the page with words yet unwritten. It enticed her, to have her desires scribbled on paper. What the heck, why not. With an willingness she didn't know she had, she began to list the things she wanted in a partner.

A leader. Someone who saw strength in those others often overlooked. A man who cared not only for himself, but others as well. A person she couldn't easily sway. Mia was surprised at that last point. It took her a moment to recognize that while she did want someone she could get along with, she also didn't want a weak reed she could bend in every direction. He needed to have a mind of his own, yet not be so unyielding he never compromised.

When the time for doing schoolwork ended, they headed to Sammie's room to watch a movie. On her way out Mia crumpled her wish list and threw it in the garbage pail.

Sammie gave her a face. "What's the point in making it if you were just going to throw it out. You had more than twenty on there."

Mia pulled on the straps of her bookbag, indifferent about her actions. "I want to make a new one that's much neater. Besides, even if I never end up remaking it, the things I want are imprinted in my mind. It won't ever leave there."

The girls were too busy bickering about the differences between having it written and having it in mind that they didn't notice the one remaining figure in the study watching them acutely. He had become a statue, remaining deadly still until they shuffled out. Not a move did he make until his alert ears picked up that they were in fact in his sister's room.

Only then did Samuel Pierce stand up. He made his way to the trash bin and picked up a particular crumpled sheet of paper. He smoothed it out, hasty to read the handwriting. His eyes, which were usually repressed around a particular human were now sharpened, actively memorizing every line in detail. And even after he had it in his mind, he still folded the paper and shoved it in his pocket. For some reason, this was something he wanted to keep.

Present

The werechildren stood in a straight formation. Though young in years, they looked like absolute strict soldiers. At least, they did while they were in training. Mia wasn't surprised. The pack had higher expectations for their young ones. They were never told 'you can't do this' or 'you're unable to do that'. Rather, they were often encouraged to explore their boundaries and test their limits.

What Mia didn't understand, is why Samuel chose to train them instead of the older folk. He left that to his Beta—Michael. Being a fierce Alpha, many would assume his status would make him want to train the adults. Instead, he focused more on training the youth. A generation often overlooked. Perhaps he figured that a pack was weak without the youngsters carefully trained? They were the future of the pack after all. Either way, it was clear he often prioritized them.

For this reason he stood in the field with a group of them. Based off the hollering she heard from him, today they would work on endurance and teamwork. He apparently had a handful of activities planned to mature these traits.

"I will separate you into random groups of three. Remember your number." He began pointing at them individually. "One. Two. Three. One. Two..."

Some ways to the side a group of werewomen watched him with bated breath, Mia included. Samantha was next to her, more focused on the book she was reading than the view of her brother training others. Mia wished she could feign the same disinterest, but the truth was the truth—Saurus looked positively hot.

He was shirtless, having just returned from a workout with his older weremen. His glorious muscles were out in display for all to see, and my oh my were they watching. His athletic shorts stopped right at his knees, leaving his strong calves for admiration. Every move of his arm brought attention not only to his biceps, but his broad shoulders.

Mia wrinkled her nose. Gross. How dare she be so awed by that dinosaur. While his outer appearance had him looking like a model, his inner being was a dark mess. A mean, rude mess.

"You're going to get premature wrinkles if you keep your face like that." Samantha warned, flipping to the next page.

So her best-friend had been watching her reaction. Did she only see her repulsion or did she notice the admiration that came beforehand?

"Remind me why we're here."

"Because after the children train you're having them decorate the wall."

Oh, right. She did have a purpose in being out here after all. Sammie had volunteered to help her manage the sheer amount of werechildren who would be participating. Once the other werewomen (who had previously refused to join in part of the help) caught whiff of them going outside while Saurus trained them, suddenly Mia had an abundance of aide in managing the kids afterwards. How convenient.

Not wanting to focus on Samuel for too long, Mia gave attention to her friend. "What are you reading anyway?"

"A book about sharkmen."

Sure enough, the outside cover had a picture of a sharkman on top of a swimming shark above the water. Of all the things she expected Samantha to read, this was not it. "Why on earth are you reading more about them?"

Sammie shrugged, putting the book down for a moment. "Well, in about a week Saurus and I are heading over there to discuss some things with their Shark King."

"Excuse me, did you just say 'king'?" Mia verified. Then, she was taken with another discovery. "Wait a minute, you're flying over to their spot in Everglades but you didn't tell me? How come I'm not invited?"

Her best-friend winced. "Yeah...about that. I tried to get Saurus to agree but he was very adamant about having you stay here. As for your other question: according to this book the leaders of sharkmen are called shark kings. A type of alpha so to speak. Look, read this page here..." Sammie opened to a particular spot and held the book out.

Mia's eyes narrowed. She could tell her friend was trying to distract her with the other information. "Don't care. And why exactly is Samuel not letting me go? So I'm just suppose to stay here all by myself while you guys go have fun with the rich folk."

"Gosh Mia." Samantha drawled, rolling her eyes at her excessiveness. "It's only for three days. Probably less with the way my brother handles things so quickly. He didn't say why. I was going to bring it up to you later after we finished the stuff with the kids, but since you brought it up you already know there are ways to convince him. Especially now that – you know." Sammie wiggled her eyebrows.

Mia blinked slowly, feigning obliviousness at her suggestiveness. "Whatever. Go back to your book."

She knew Sammie was referring to how the past few days Samuel held the power of alpha over her, so technically she did have more sway in the decisions he made concerning her. It was strange. She expected his new hold to make him more callous and overbearing. If anything, he was actually the slightest bit kinder.

The past few days she had been mentally plotting the set-up for the kids. She had only mildly complained about the work it would take her if she wanted to avoid a long clean up, when suddenly this morning all the jars of newly-bought colorful paint had been taken out of the garage and set up around the wall. Samuel had apparently done all the work for her, going as far setting the area with a huge plastic on the floor for their messes, obtaining paint brushes and paddles, and even setting up a cooler with drinks for the kids.

When she had gone up to thank him, he shrugged it off with a mere 'I did it for the children, not you.' And sauntered off without another word. Mia would have also assumed that, except two days prior she had complained of forgetting her coffee while studying. Next thing she knew, Samuel left and returned with two cups. One for him, and one for her. When she had joked about him being nicer, he rolled his eyes and said 'I only did it because I was already there'. And that's when she realized this power of alpha was not so one-sided after all. While there were downsides, there were definitely perks. Mia just hadn't fully explored those yet.

Mia went back to observing Saurus in trainer mode. He was naturally a great leader. His authoritativeness could not be hid, its probably the reason why the children took the training very seriously. There wasn't much jostling or wasting time. Despite their training usually lasting a little over an hour, Saurus actually ended it earlier.

One moment Mia was calmly leaning against Sammie's chair, the next she was clamored with kids around her. It took serious maneuvering to gear them all to the general direction of the activity. She thought they would have naturally gone there, but it appeared they were all thanking her first. Apparently, they assumed she convinced their dear strict alpha into letting them out early (which she had nothing to do with), so basically anything generous their alpha did they just alaudid to her.

Mia took it all in stride, not bothering to correct them. Their positive view of her made them easy to manage as they went about filling the wall with various different drawings that ranged from sports cars to barbie houses and (of course) wolves. Sammie – ever the faithful one, stayed with her to the end. Once the younger females saw Saurus retreat back to his office they suddenly were busy with other things and could no longer stay to help for the clean up. Again, how convenient.

"Luna! We left an open spot just for you!" One of the kids yelled out.

Small hands grabbed onto her and led her to the very center of the wall, where sure enough there was a blank space that looked off in the midst of many creations. Pairs of numerous eyes all watched her, curious at what she would draw. Mia scratched the back of her head, feeling slightly off at all the attention. She was ever so glad the other werewomen had scuttled off, lest they hear the children saying this and start gossiping about this 'luna' title they gave her.

"Oh, um, you didn't have to! I hardly know what to make. My skills aren't good anyway." Mia said as an excuse.

Suddenly, dainty fingers clutched her hand ever so sweetly. It was a tiny girl, with eyes so big and soulful they made Mia pause. The little child gave her a sweet smile. "Its okay Luna. I don't draw good either. We promise not to make fun. Alpha made a rule for no bullying."

The others quickly agreed and ushered further to the wall. One even gave her a paintbrush. Red paint it had. And so Mia painted, her own drawing not much better than that of the kids. There's a reason she preferred photography. There was just no talent for her in this area. Nonetheless, she couldn't deny it was certainly fun.

"Oo! Pretty flower!" Amy complimented.

The others easily agreed, and Mia became red at all their gushing. Children were really so sweet. Once the activity was over her three little mischievous leaders (which consisted of the ones who had ruined this wall many days prior) set about in ordering the others to clean up. Amy, Allan, and Jason seemed to be excellent in telling others what to do, but it was Mia who had to exhort them to join in on the 'fun' as well.

"Because leaders lead by example." Mia pointed out, herself picking up abandoned paintbrushes left on the side.

The three had sighed before heeding her charge and doing just as much. With such teamwork the clean-up was done in no time, and Mia realized she hadn't actually needed the other werewomen anyway. Sammie and the eager werechildren had been more than sufficient help. Once everything was pristine, Sammie led the children back inside the packhouse. Surely the parents would want to bathe them now that their arms and faces were dotted in paint.

"Hey, Luna." Allan said lowly, staying back along with the two others. "Its been sometime. Shouldn't we check the alpha's present?"

Jason looked around them cautiously, as though making sure no one overheard them. It was suppose to be a secret 'surprise' after all. Mia hadn't thought to check on the merridin flowers they planted. However, now that they mentioned it, she figured why not.

"Alright, but lets be quick about it!"

No one noticed as their group ran into the forest instead of heading inside. As usual Allan took the lead, scouring through the territory with relative ease. But it wasn't the run that made Mia lose her breath, rather, it was the view of two full grown flowers that awaited her there. Deep blood red and almost fully blooming.

She was speechless, slowly circling around them and blinking to make sure she was not dreaming. "Oh my gosh, we did it!" She screamed, jumping with glee at the results. The others soon joined in at seeing her pleasure.

It was Amy who seemed unconvinced. "Aww, why did the one I watered die?" she asked, frowning at how the third circle had a wilted brown flower.

Mia rubbed her back. "That's because I used a bad seed. It wasn't meant to grow."

Of the new flowers she planted, she plucked one of them off and opened it to double check her theory. A myriad of seed came out, totaling about fifteen. She pulled out her last remaining seed of the one Lisa gave her and compared them. Its just as she assumed. The one Lisa gave her was light brown and duller in color, not black and smooth like the other one despite its similar shape. She had a theory that the fertilizer they used had an allelopathic effect on these flowers. Over time, it inhibited the function of the herb and made it so that the seed was no longer able to produce viable seeds. She wasn't one hundred percent sure, but there was only one way to found out if that was the case and possibly fix the large grounds of merridin the pack grew.

"Absolutely not." Samuel negated, leaning back on his chair with his arms crossed. "We have enough issues as it is not growing enough plants. That you think I would order my workers to stop using fertilizer based on a theory is absolutely ridiculous."

Mia groaned, crossing her legs on his desk. She was surprised he hadn't told her to get off this entire time. His attitude in regards to her request, however, was going no where. "Listen to me, I'm more than fifty percent sure that's the problem. The fertilizer you guys use is great, but it has too much nitrogen. The ground is oversaturated at this point and while it may seem good because the flowers grow shiny and fast, the seeds inside the herb are being negatively affected. That why now that you guys try to plant the seeds from those flowers it doesn't work."

Samuel yawned, seeming to not fully believe where she was coming from. "Wonderful. So all we need to do is just find outside flowers and plant their seeds?"

There was a pen beside her that Mia was really tempted to throw at him. The wereman had not been paying attention at all. "No. I just told you, even if we use good seeds the plants grown on your ground will bear bad seeds because the root of the issue is the ground not the plant you moron."

"Listen, even if that was the case, we will have to face a couple months of loss while we try your little theory. If in the end it wasn't the problem, how will I answer to all those beastmen battling the Zazevi virus without a remedy? Lowering the production is more than just monetary loss, its others physically suffering."

Mia pursed her lips. She had considered that. "I get it. But, in the long run it will be worth it. Think about it, your production will more than tenfold! You'll have more than enough to give to these people rather than only managing to help some of them."

"If it works." Samuel emphasized.

"It will work." Mia huffed. Perhaps if she sounded more confident it would convince him. Even so, she almost shied away from doing that because he was right, if she was wrong it would be all for nothing.

"You said fifty percent, that's not very reassuring." He pointed out.

Mia twiddled with her pen. A sense of foreboding welled in her stomach, causing her to begin doubting what she learned. What she was asking was a big risk. "How about a compromise?"

"No, thank you." Samuel replied. His black eyes were impenetrable as he crushed her objective. "If you excuse me, I need to get back to my work."

Mia hopped off his desk. She got that he was hypercautious about all the things he did, but there were times where it was worth it to take risks. Her first intention was to fume away to her table and grumble annoyed comments throughout the night (he always heard them, though he acted like he didn't) yet there was a gut feeling that wouldn't leave her. Last minute she swooped down and kissed him, right beside his jaw like last time.

Samuel growled. The arms that had previously been crossed on his chest were now gripping the handles of his chair very tightly. "What do you want?" He hissed.

Dotted gold appeared, and it took a moment for Mia to recollect herself. "I understand you're unwilling to risk trying my plan on the entire merridin grounds, but how about you only give me a section. A small one. That way if my idea doesn't work its not much of a loss. Please Samuel." She begged.

This idea was reasonable, he shouldn't deny her in this. Mia didn't know why she cared so much. Originally her intentions had been to show off by figuring out something his pack hadn't. Now it was much more than that. She actually cared about having more merridin grow for healing, and ensuring that Samantha and Samuel's business didn't struggle to keep up with the demand.

Samuel breathed before saying one word. "Fine."

"Yes! Thank you, thank you!" Mia was so elated she actually reached out and hugged him. Her heart soared within her; that he would trust her this way and allow her to follow through with her theory made her very happy.

She heard him have an intake of breath at her proximity. The muscles of his shoulders became rigid. This was the first time since she came back that she hugged him genuinely, without the usual motives of angering him. Slowly, his arms came around her, warm and heavy around her back.

He was so compliant Mia figured this was the perfect time to bring up the other issue. "I have another request." She brought up. "I want to join you and Sammie when you guys go to Everglades."

Samuel pulled back, however oddly enough his arms stayed around her. "Absolutely not," he intoned, sounding ever so serious.

Mia kiss his jaw again, but rather than change his answer Samuel pulled her hair. "Quit that. In this I will not budge."

Mia pouted. That was suppose to be her awesome weapon, shouldn't it always work? Samuel's features were marble hard. It made her wonder why he was so adamant about this. "But that's not fair! You took your ex-girl friend there when you guys were dating. I'm Sammie's best-friend for years, how come she got to go but I don't?!"

"Because I said so." His arms fell from around her waist. No more nice Samuel. He pointed to her homework behind her.

Trying it one more time Mia went to kiss him again. Before she could he held her by the neck, stopping her inches from his throat. Mia grabbed his shoulders to steady herself. "What are you going to do, choke me?" She taunted.

"Not a bad idea." He played along, squeezing slightly for extra measure.

Mia couldn't believe this. He was more serious about not letting her go to Everglades over trying an experiment in his own lands? It didn't make sense. "But why? I only want to go so I don't stay bored here. I don't even care to go to the meetings with you guys. I'll stay in in the shared room I'll have with Sammie most of the time!" she debated.

Samuel remained resolute. "No."

Mia pulled back to make a whining noise. Then, she paused, willing to explore all options. "Is there another place I could kiss you that would make you say yes?" Could his chin be the place? His shoulder? She knew the neck was a huge no-no. That was purely for mating.

Samuel's nostrils flared in irritation, however, he couldn't hide the slight blush that went on his cheeks. "No. There isn't," he snapped.

Mia highly doubted that, and he sounded so defensive. She was just about to bother him further when he used the power of alpha over her. "Go back to your desk."

Her legs moved beneath her. "Ugh! You're so annoying!"

.
Author's Note: I totally made some things up in regards to the plant thing so don't go researching stuff for 100% accuracy this is a fiction world!

Also, for those of you who wonder why Samuel is the way he is (i.e he acts like he doesn't like Mia but clearly does and has a difficult time accepting it) it's because his character was inspired by a Japanese anime stereotype—more particularly the tsundere prototype. If you read a lot of Japanese anime there are typically four main types that you often see in many stories. The Internet best explains it:

The word is derived from the terms tsun tsun, meaning to 'turn away in disgust', and dere dere meaning to become 'lovey dovey'. If a character ever utters the phrase "it's not that I like you or anything," he or she is pretty much guaranteed to be a tsundere.

So there you have it. I made him this way on purpose because I think it's fun af xD I loveee tsundere, because pushing their buttons is the best! Btw, next chapter will be one of my favorites, get ready!