BRAYDEN
“Come on, son. It is time.” My father barges into my room with his head held high. However, my stomach sinks at his words while dread washes over me.
I can’t do this.
I look up from my phone and shake my head. “I don’t want to.”
His calm expression instantly disappears as he grinds his teeth and glares at me. “Son, we have talked about this. You are going to sign the alliance agreement today and the three of you have all agreed to the terms of it.”
I shake my head and tuck my phone back into my pocket. “No, dad. You didn’t even ask me. You went ahead and decided for me. I have never agreed to anything.”
When I was younger, I always did what my father wanted. However, now that I’m about to turn 18, I know better. I’ve seen what he really wants.
A low growl fills my room as he marches towards me. His feet pounds against the floor and echo against the walls, almost as loud as my pounding heart.
I’m not afraid anymore. But I still find myself sliding backwards on my bed against the headboard while my heart races.
Through gritted teeth, he growls, “You WILL COME to the meeting, and you WILL AGREE to the terms of the alliance contract. I will not have you disobey me. Not now. Not ever.”
Disobey. This isn’t disobeying. This is sticking up for what’s best for me, which is something he isn’t doing as my father and the alpha of the Moon Earth pack.
Before I can throw back a rebuttal, he lunges at me and grabs my arm. Pain shoots through me as his jagged fingernails dig into my soft skin, but I don’t say a word as he yanks me off the bed and out of my room.
My eyes sting as I fight back the tears. I’m not going to let him see me as someone weak. I must always look and appear like an alpha, and alphas don’t cry.
I repeatedly try to rip my arm from his grasp, but he only clamps his hand tighter around me as additional waves of pain shoot through me.
He finally loosens his grasp a little when his office comes into view. Unfortunately, it is already too late. I’ve lost.
My heart twists as the alliance agreement swirls around in my mind. Did the other two really agree to these crazy terms? Granted, we have been friends since we were young, but this goes so far beyond our friendship. If they go through with this, we will cross a line which we can never come back from. Do they really want that?
As we get closer to his office and the meeting room, right next door, my father hisses, “You WILL go through with this agreement. There is NO choice. This will not only secure your safety, but it will allow the pack to grow and prosper.”
His two favorite words. Grow and prosper.
When I don’t respond, he tightens his grasp around my arm again and growls, “You WILL do this. There is NO other way to keep your secret.”
I instantly tense.
I can’t have anyone finding out my secret. It will put not only myself at risk, but the pack too.
Reluctantly, I stop fighting and let him guide me to the meeting room. He pauses briefly outside the room and quickly runs his hand through his short black hair with specks of gray, trying to comb his hair back into place.
I, on the other hand, stand there and stare at the door.
Everything will change after the document is signed. My life will never be able to go back to what it was, nor will my friendship with my two friends.
My heart aches while my stomach sinks like a lead balloon. A cold sweat breaks out across my back, as I wish there is another way.
My father plasters on a smile and opens the door. As he pulls me inside, the others turn towards me while my father chimes, “Welcome, everyone. I hope everyone has read the contract.”
I try to hold my head high and proudly walk beside him. However, pride isn’t what I’m feeling right now.
I glance at my friends, almost begging them to refuse to go along with this. But they don’t pay attention to me or my pleas. Unfortunately, I’m not able to tell whether it is because they want this agreement or their fathers won’t let them refuse, just like mine.
I politely nod to the two older men as I’m pulled down to the chair beside my father. The conversation turns into incoherent mumbles as I sink deeper within myself. After some time, my mind finally clicks and starts working again when my father asks, “Does anyone have additional clauses they would like to be added to the document? We can handwrite them at the bottom.”
Heck, yes. I do.
I bolt up out of my chair and look at my friends. With a conviction I didn’t have earlier, I confidently reply, “We can’t mark each other until we are 30 and haven’t found our true mates. If we find our mates, this contract relationship is void and ends immediately.”
A wave of heat flows off my father as his fingers tighten around his pen.
I quickly look at my friends and, with my eyes, beg them to agree.
Luckily, the other alphas nod and in unison say, “I agree.”
I rejoice is my only victory for today. The low growl rolling out of my father says he isn’t happy, but I have a feeling everyone will thank me for this later.
Even though there is no chance for me to ever find my mate, I can’t live with myself if I know I’ve blocked my friends from finding and claiming their mates.
Reluctantly, my father adds the clause to the multiple identical contracts and grunts, “Is there anything else we need to add?”
The corners of my mouth curl slightly upwards, but I quickly stop myself from actually smiling. It will only enrage my father more if he sees it.
I slowly sit back down in my chair. Within minutes, I’m signing my life away. My heart aches, but if this is the only way to keep my secret and to protect my pack, I will learn to live with it.
I breathe a sigh of relief when my father puts his pen down on the table and announces, “The alliance agreement is finalized.” He looks at the other two alphas and adds, “Why don’t we leave our kids to talk out some of the finer details while we go discuss some pack business?”
The three older men get up and leave the room. As soon as the door shuts behind them, I push myself away from the table and stand up. I have nothing to say to them right now. I still can’t believe they didn’t try to stop this.
As I turn to march out of the room, my feet stop and my breath hitches.
“Bryanna. Why…”
I whip back around and glare at them. “You aren’t to use that name in public. Only when we are in private and alone.”
Jacob flashes me a crooked smile. His eyes sparkle as he waves his finger around in the air. “We are alone. It is only us three in here.”
He rests his arm on the table and gives me a cheesy grin, almost daring me to slap it off him. His t-shirt stretches tight against his broad chest and accents his well-defined muscles. He has a true alpha body.
The sparkle in his light brown eyes shimmers as he leans forward. In a deep, husky voice, he adds, “We know all your secrets. Plus, we can see your true self. The one nobody else can see because of the magic spell. Should I go on?”
My heartbeat echoes in my ears as I stumble forward. How could he act like this?
Hunter slides next to Jacob and rests his arm on Jacob’s shoulder. His t-shirt also stretches tight and clings to every muscle. Just like Jacob, he gives me a cheesy grin while something mischievous swirls in his dark brown eyes.
He points to a copy of the alliance agreement on the table and, in an almost seductive voice, he adds, “We were the ones who suggested to add the contract relationship to the alliance agreement. It wasn’t our fathers.”
I stumble forward again and fall back in my chair.
What? How could they do this without asking me first?
Zack Jacob walks into my office. “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be outside with all the pups? Why are you still in your office?” I look up and give him a look like he knows exactly why I’m still here as I motion my hands above my desk and all the papers. Hunter marches through the door, shaking his head. “We have stacks of paperwork sitting on our desk too, but we are here for your pup’s birthday party. I still can’t believe he is 10 already. It seems just like yesterday we were fighting with Bry’s father and throwing Alpha Trevor and his son in the dungeons.” I shake my head. “Why would you even bring up that time in my life? I was worried what that idiot alpha and his son were going to do to get my mate, while also trying to stop Bry’s father from executing his horrible plan. That is a part of my life I don’t want to remember.” Jacob plops down in a chair in front of my desk. “But that is also the time you made your pup, Zane. Why would you want to forget about finding
Bryanna“UGHHHH!!! I HATE YOU!!!” My face contorts in pain while I put all my might in smashing Zack’s hand. He is the reason for this and why I’m in this much pain. He needs to feel a small portion of what I feel.The doctor reaches up above her head and tilts a light. She looks at my face while she stands in between my legs. “You are doing good. It won’t be much longer now. The pup is crowning.”Crowning? I want him out! NOW!!!Another contraction slices through me like it is ripping me apart. I throw my head back on the bed and dig my feet harder into the stirrups. “UGHHHH!!!! I’M DYING!!!!!”I tighten my grip on Zack’s hand, my only chance of relief. He winces and rubs the back of my hand. “You are doing so good, honey. Our pup will be here soon. You can do it.”His calm voice irritates me, and I whip my head around to the side and glare at him. “NEXT TIME, YOU ARE GIVING BIRTH! WHEN YOU PUSH A WATERMELON OUT YOUR DICK, THEN YOU CAN TELL ME I’M DOING GOOD!!!!”A
BryannaI move around in my hard chair, trying to find a comfortable position while I rub my growing pregnant belly. My focus is on the various council members behind the raised wooden ‘judge’s’ bench. The court room is full of people anxiously waiting for their decision. I don’t know if I should be happy or sad my father survived. It was touch and go, but in the end, he pulled through. It delayed his trail until he was healthy enough, though. Zack wraps his arm around my shoulders and whispers, “Are you alright? Do you need something?”I shake my head. “No. I just need to find out their decision. I can’t see how it could be anything other than guilty.” My gut twists, and I know it may not be that easy. He still has some very powerful connections, but if he finds a way out of this, I will do all I can to make sure he pays for it the rest of his life. Zack kisses the side of my head. “It will be over soon.” I take a deep breath and let his amazing, woodsy scent fill my l
ZackMy heart hammers against my chest as a mix of fear and hatred consumes me. My eyes lock on Bry and her father, and my gaze snaps to her arm where blood is trickling down. A small pool of red liquid forms on the floor in between them. No! He is hurting her!A growl rumbles within me, but before I can bolt forward, Blake grabs my arm and whispers, “Not yet. This is a battle she has been building to for most of her life. She needs to do this on her own first. If she stumbles or her father gets the upper hand, you can then step in, but let her fight this by herself first.”I don’t want to, but I know he is right. She might resent me if I interrupt them now. My wolf jumps forward and claws at the front of my mind, trying to take over and not wanting to obey my brother. He doesn’t care if Blake is right or not. He just wants to protect our mate. I take a deep breath and push my wolf to the back of my mind while I keep my eyes on Bry and her father. Every move her father ma
BryannaAnger courses through my veins. How could my father do something like this? I know he is behind the attacks, but knowing he is here after getting the top-secret intel about the new recipe has my blood boiling. It is to be expected, but seeing him leaves no doubt about him. Nothing is going to stop me from being there either when my father is captured and punished for his wrongdoings. Not even my pregnancy will stop me. As I run through the forest towards the factory, I rub my belly and silently pray the little one will work with me on this. I’m sure the baby would agree with me if it knew what my father is doing. My lip twitches up into a snarl, and I grind my teeth together. A wave of anger rakes over me, and when it reaches my feet, the ground rumbles. I ignore it though and continue running as fast as I can. My mind is consumed with my father and what he is doing and has done to Blake’s pack. And for what? Money? No. He did it for power. It is as simple as t
JacobHunter and I march through Bry’s pack house towards the meeting room, where several of the attackers are being held, waiting for us to come and handle them. Who in the world would have the guts to do this to her pack? It takes a lot of nerve to attack any of our three packs. We have the best trained warriors, and they are evenly spread across all of our packs. My lip lifts into a snarl when we turn the corner, and the room comes into view. Hunter remains silent beside me, but he is far from being quiet. His feet pound against the hard floor and echo down the hallway, expressing his true feelings without saying a word. We burst through the door, and our feet stop right inside. My eyes widen and my mouth falls slightly open at the captive people as I stare at the last two, who I didn’t think would do something like this. Hunter’s steps falter, but his rage doesn’t allow his shock to overcome him. He balls his hands into fists and stomps his feet forward. Through gritted