Chapter Six: James

“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.