CHAPTER 4: BULLY'S DEN

Ryder’s POV

“We’ve been invited to the Dark Moon Pack, boys,” our Master at the Alpha Training Academy announced, his voice neutral but firm. “You’ll introduce yourselves as my temporary students. Say you’re visiting from another pack for the holidays and will return once the vacation ends.”

“Is it really necessary for us to go?” I asked, anxiety creeping into my voice.

“The Alpha wanted his daughter to join the academy,” Aunt Nyssa’s grandfather admitted sheepishly, “but I refused, saying I was already hosting foreign trainees. He didn’t take no for an answer and insisted I bring you both for dinner.”

“But what if San recognizes us?” I whispered, panic flaring in my chest.

“You won’t be wearing those ridiculous suppressants,” the Master said dryly, like it should’ve been obvious.

“They still might recognize our faces,” I muttered under my breath.

“No one will,” Great Grandpa said confidently. “Believe me, no one would expect those ‘chubby disguises’ to hide such sharp, handsome features.” He winked, clearly trying to lighten the mood. “And your scent will be masked like wolves, so don’t worry.”

“Fine, but if someone figures it out, you’re explaining everything to Mom,” I grumbled, half serious.

“I’ll take that risk,” he chuckled, gently patting my shoulder before leaving us with our Master.

* * * * *

Later that evening

“Try to keep your wits about you, Chester,” I reminded as we drove through the dark woods. “And don’t blurt out their names—ask first.”

Chester rolled his eyes dramatically. “You act like I’m an idiot. I’m more mature than you give me credit for.”

“Yeah, just like when you challenged the Draven twins to a duel. Real mature,” I teased.

He groaned. “You’re never letting that go, are you?”

“Never, my dear Beta.”

We both laughed, tension breaking for a moment.

“How about we prank them a bit?” Chester smirked.

“Of course. That goes without saying,” I grinned. “Let’s see how Dark Moon handles a little chaos.”

We pulled up to the pack border and were greeted by uniformed guards.

“We’re with the Master of the Alpha Training Academy,” Chester said in his authoritative Beta tone. The guards immediately bowed and stepped aside to let us in.

As we drove in, I couldn’t help but admire the pack grounds. “This place is huge… and so organized. The houses look like they were designed by architects.”

“San’s in charge of public works,” Chester replied. “She runs the day shift and trains with their Great Master at night. Hardly sleeps.”

“No wonder she kicks our asses without breaking a sweat,” I laughed.

“Not funny,” Chester muttered.

We parked in front of the massive pack house, where Great Grandpa and our Master were already waiting. As soon as we stepped out, a loud collective gasp echoed through the crowd of wolves lounging outside. The scent of arousal was unmistakable.

Chester and I were used to that reaction—people didn’t expect to see this much hotness walk in unannounced.

We approached our elders, who quickly introduced us to a large, burly man with a warm smile.

“Welcome to the Dark Moon Pack, boys. I’m Alpha Adolf, and this grump beside me is my Beta, Reed,” he said, clapping us both on the back.

I liked him instantly—his cheerful energy was contagious. But the Beta? He looked like someone had stolen his puppy. His vibe screamed bad news.

“These are my students, Ry and Mac from Diamond Heart Pack,” Great Grandpa introduced us using our alias names.

“Pleasure to meet you, sir,” we said politely.

“The pleasure’s all mine,” Alpha Adolf said with a hearty laugh. “You boys have barely been here a minute and half the pack is drooling. If we stay outside any longer, there’ll be a riot.”

We chuckled, already feeling at ease—well, mostly. That Beta still had a thundercloud over his head.

As we stepped inside the pack house, Chester mindlinked me:

“Let’s drop the rats and snakes near their rooms.”

“Where are their rooms, genius?” I shot back.

“Upstairs, obviously. Say we wanna go wash our hands or something.”

“They’ll just point us to a guest bathroom downstairs, dumbass.”

“Fine. We’ll sneak upstairs during dinner when everyone’s distracted,” Chester planned.

“Now you’re thinking like a true troublemaker.”

As we lounged in the living room, waiting for dinner to be served, Beta Reed excused himself and disappeared upstairs.

“He’s such a downer,” Great Grandpa muttered under his breath.

“He’s been acting like that ever since I announced San as my successor,” Alpha Adolf explained with a sigh.

“Why? Doesn’t he support her?” Great Grandpa asked.

“The rules here are different,” the Alpha replied. “Most packs pass down the title through family, but we have to earn it.”

Our curiosity piqued instantly. “How does that work?” I asked.

“The current Alpha names a successor,” he explained, “but any pack member who disagrees can challenge them in a duel—a fight to the death. The last one standing becomes Alpha.”

“Damn,” Chester murmured.

“Exactly. Reed doesn’t want to challenge San. Quite the opposite—he’s worried she’ll die. He’s practically raised her and sees her like his own,” Alpha Adolf continued.

“That’s complicated,” Great Grandpa said carefully.

“Tell me about it,” the Alpha muttered.