“Have they suspected you?”
“No. I’ve been sneaking around during the day when no one is home,” I reply, sipping my bourbon.
“We can’t let Colin meet his mate. He’ll be stronger, and we can no longer overthrow him.”
“That boy is the worst excuse for an Alpha I’ve ever seen. A mate won’t change that.”
“He’s my nephew.”
“I don’t care! He’s weak. This pack needs a strong, ruthless Alpha. They need me.”
Growing up, Colin was always wishing and hoping for his mate. It’s disgusting. An Alpha must be an Alpha with or without a woman behind them. The Alpha is the strength, not the mate bond. Colin could never understand it from my perspective, could never understand why I hate the mate bond. Of course, he can’t. He was born into rank. He and his parents are the most protected in the pack. The rest of us aren’t so lucky.
I was born to a pack warrior and an Omega. One night, a rogue broke into our house. My parents hid me in a cabinet, blocking my view of the rogue, but I could hear them. They begged for their lives. When that didn’t work, my father fought to protect my mother, refusing to let his mate perish. But it didn’t matter. The rogue slit my father’s throat and dragged my mother off. Her screams still haunt me. It took them three days to find her mutilated body.
I keep thinking that if the mate bond didn’t exist, they’d still be alive, and I wouldn’t be alone. Their death left me orphaned at eight years old. Alpha Charles and Luna Nicole adopted me to grow up alongside their only child, Colin. I hate them. Colin was always so doted on, while I was left to fend for myself. The memories turn my blood to an angry lava.
I was sent over the edge when Colin disrespected me by asking me to be his Beta. I be a Beta? Never. I was never meant for second place. I down my drink and slam some money on the table. Nolan raises an eyebrow but keeps his mouth shut. I leave quickly, needing to let my wolf out to blow off steam. I shift and let my heavy gray paws carry me to the border. Just as I hoped, a rogue I recruited is waiting for a chance to attack Onyx Moon. The rogues have been attacking Onyx Moon for years, but their attacks increased as more and more rogues joined my plot to overthrow Colin.
They attack Onyx Moon to keep their wolves at bay until I say otherwise. I’m going to invade Onyx Moon after I take the Alpha throne. The fewer wolves there, the better it is for me. He hears me coming from behind. He growls but relaxes when he realizes who I am.
We pass a nod to one another. He turns back around to watch the border, hoping for a wandering pack member. He doesn’t even notice me getting closer to him. I want to kill Colin, but for now, the rogue will have to suffice. I don’t even bother to stalk my prey or sneak around. My bloodthirst needs to be quenched and quickly. I lunge at the rogue, grabbing his throat and shredding it. His lifeless body falls with a loud thud as I toss him over the Onyx Moon side. I don’t want Colin to be suspicious about rogues on our land.
I shift once I reach the tree line and walk home, bidding my time until I get Colin out of the picture.
Paige
I make my way to the training room just as the sun begins to repaint the sky. Pulling the glass door open, I’m met with stares. Great, I guess everyone knows that Cory dipped his stick in Amber’s crusty cave. The thought makes me cringe. Cory and I had never gone all the way. I wanted to wait for my mate. I guess I’d hoped it would be him. I’m glad it wasn’t. I think. I keep my head down and make my way to the blue mat.
“Are you okay?” Tasha asks.
“Um, I’m alive, I guess.”
My father clears his throat, commanding the room's attention. “Today, we need to work on hand-to-hand combat. Tasha, Paige, you’re up first.”
We’re always paired together. Tasha is a strong pack warrior. One of the strongest. She gives her male counterparts a run for their money. After having beat all her opponents, my father realized that my Alpha blood would be a good challenge for her. He’s the type of Alphas that is always pushing his warriors (and his daughter) to be the best. Dad worried about how small our pack numbers were, so he thought having strong warriors would earn us respect, and he was right.
“Not going easy on you today just cause Cory is an idiot.”
She lunges into her first attack, almost kicking my ribs. I move just in time for her to make a full turn and face me again. This time I lunge before she can get her footing, tackling her and pretending to throw punches.
“Wouldn’t dream of asking you too.”
I jump off Tasha and help her stand. She pushes her chocolate waves out of her face and launches again. Tasha and I spar the entire class, even after my father moved on to pair up others. She won some. I won some. It was a productive class. My frustration melted away with each move, leaving me physically and emotionally exhausted by the time I pulled myself into bed. The week was a blur. I’ve completely ignored Amber and Cory, though they sure like to pack on the PDA at school. Funny how he can be all about my forgiveness when we’re alone but all about Amber in public. Asshole. Tomorrow is Peyton and I’s birthday. The nerves emerge at the thought. Something just feels so important. I know we’re turning eighteen, but it’s more than that. I just feel like my life could change tomorrow.
I awake in the morning to my mother yanking me out of bed. “Paige, you’re going to be late for your hair and makeup. Get up!”“Ugh. What if I don’t want to get my hair and makeup done?”“Then, you can explain to your father and Alpha Colin of Aurora Flame why you aren’t looking your best on your big night!”Like I’m the one who asked for this party. My parents insisted on it. Peyton and I are turning eighteen, and they want to go all out for it. I’d rather hang out with Val. Why would Alpha Colin care what I look like anyway? I only remember meeting him once a few years ago, but he didn’t pay me any attention. He was following his dad around like a little Alpha puppy.I groan and push myself out of bed. Every freaking muscle in my body hurts. I guess I’ve been overdoing it at training. With that thought, I push through the soreness and open my bedroom door. I call out for the she-wolves and my mother. They are quickly up the stairs and into my bedroom. My mother paces around while the
The world stops. I can’t hear anything over the loud pulse in my chest. Relief and excitement wash over me at the same time. I finally found her. I can’t believe it. She’s more beautiful than I imagined. All my restraint leaves my body, and I run to her. I pick her up off the ground and hug her. Touching her feels like lightning is pulsing through my veins. I feel so alive. Just hugging her feels amazing. I can only imagine what mating with her would feel like.Much better than your hand. Dom laughs.I’m betting you’re right.“I’m Paige.”“I’m Colin.”“Could you put me down?”I put her down quickly but grab her hand. I look down at my mate to see a hint of fear in her eyes. My thoughts begin to swirl as I try to decipher her body language.She’s not going to reject us, human.You don’t know that.Our parents are staring at us in disbelief, the Beta’s daughter is seething with jealousy, and there’s a boy standing next to her who looks like his world is crumbling. For a second, I wonder
I inwardly groan. Colin has met Paige, his mate. Our plan for the Alpha just got a lot more complicated. He’s head over heels for her too. I could see it the second he saw her. I need to talk to James. The plan needs to be changed. This girl is innocent and doesn’t deserve what we have planned for Colin. I’m not so sure Colin deserves it either, if I’m being honest. The nerves are getting the better of me. I just need to remember that this is the only way to get Charles out of the way.“You okay, little brother?”“I’m fine. It’s great that Colin has found his mate.”“I don’t know. She seems to be opinionated and strong-willed. You know submission is needed in a good Luna,” he says, taking a big swig of his whiskey sour.The anger boils in my blood again as the memories of Charles breaking Nicole’s spirit. She, too, was once opinionated, but as time went on, Charles made her submit. He violated the mate bond in the way he treated her. He sleeps with other she-wolves to keep Nicole in l
My mother decides to stay with Tasha’s family to help them plan a memorial while the rest of us head home. Each of us trying to wrap our brains around what just happened. As we reach the house, my father resigns to his office, slamming the door hard enough to knock a picture from the wall. Peyton to his room. Colin walks me to mine. “Stay, please.” I ask as Colin turns to leave. You do like him! Ash barks. I just don’t want to be alone. I lead him into my large bedroom. Mentally high-fiving myself for making my bed this morning. “Did you know her?” he asks. “We trained together. She’s a pack warrior, though we weren’t close outside of that.” He wipes my tears from my cheek, and his warm hand sends shocks to my skin. He feels so good. I’m not sure I have the restraint to avoid kissing him. I stand up from the bed, trying to put some distance between us. “I’m, uh, going to change. I just realized that you have nothing to wear to bed. So run to your room and grab something.” “W
Our first night wasn’t the magical one I had hoped for. But waking up next to her almost makes up for it. Dom hounded me all night to mate her, but I resisted. Paige wasn’t ready for that, and I want it to be special. I wrap my arms around Paige as she stirs next to me, wanting to feel her as much as I can before she pushes me away. She opens her giant green eyes and inhales a deep breath, breathing in my scent. I wonder what I smell of. “What are you thinking about?” she asks. “What my scent smells like to you. You smell of vanilla with a smidge of cinnamon.” “You smell like a rainy spring day.” She laughs. “More specifically, it’s mint and cypress.” Her laugh sounds like a perfect symphony. I lean down to kiss her lightly on her lips, pulling away to resist deepening the kiss and making Paige feel pressured. I find my way out of bed, not missing the glimpse of sadness in her eyes. Dom tries to push me back, but I fight him. “I’m sure you’re getting hungry. I’ll go change, and t
I wake up with a heavy mind because of last night’s events. I waited all night for Claire to show up, but she never did. She never responded to my texts or calls, either. I was drowning my sorrows when I first heard the howls. Following my father to Tasha’s body, I sobered up exceptionally quick. The sight of Tasha’s body made my stomach churn. I stood frozen, just staring at her.My father and Colin went into Alpha mode, my father ordering everyone to do something, including ordering me to find a sheet to cover her with. I also accompanied him to tell Tasha’s family. The entire night left me feeling even more unprepared to be Alpha. I’m just an eighteen-year-old kid. My wolf is worried about the position, too. Neither of us feel like an Alpha.A light knock on my door pulls me from my bed. The scent of the person behind the door has me throwing the door open with more force than I meant to.Mate. Mate. Mate!Claire stands before me, her eyes cast down as she tries to explain herself.
It’s lunchtime before I push myself off the bathroom floor. My face is still puffy from my pain. I was considering skipping lunch when I hear a knock at my door.My father pops his head in. “Meeting in the dining hall.”“I’m not feeling well. Save me the cliff notes.”“It’s mandatory,” my father orders.He never speaks to me that way. Something must really be going on. Announcing Tasha’s murder wouldn’t have him so angry. Curiosity pulls me out of my bed and out the door. Following my father to the dining hall, almost everyone has gathered, but I don’t see Colin. My father pulls me to the front of the dining hall to join my mother, brother, and Claire. I smile at them. I knew they were mates. I’m glad that is working out for one of us. I swallow the hurt that pierces my chest when I see Peyton and Claire looking so happy. My father waits for Colin’s family to enter the room and settle. His body tenses, but his eyes never meet mine. I guess the guilt is eating him alive. Good.My fathe
Paige blew me off this morning and then proceeded to ignore me at the meeting. My annoyance builds with each second that I’m away from her. This girl is destroying me little by little. I’ve been waiting outside her bedroom for ten minutes when I see her walking up the stairs. She stops when she sees me, and I feel her rage flood into me.“We need to talk,” I say.“Go talk to Amber.”I raise an eyebrow. What is she talking about?“What? Why would I want to talk to her?”“Why wouldn’t you talk to the half-naked girl you took to your room right after leaving mine?” She sheds one tear before she opens her door and slams it shut.My heart hurts, partially because whatever Paige thinks I did is hurting her and partially because she