4

Thrustmond Pack,

Ivyon Mansion.

Alpha Grey’s POV

I watched with sick satisfaction as the man before me dropped dead, his blood splattering on the ground. I was a bloody Alpha and had become altogether unaffected by happenings such as this.

I scoffed. Attacking the Alpha in his mansion, right on his bed, and believing you could go scot-free? That was a joke! People needed to understand that as an Alpha, my senses heightened. I sensed him coming from a mile away, knew his intent, and knew this was exactly where he was heading.

The thing was, quite a number of people were after my life, holding on to the fact that I wasn’t a good Alpha. My ways were very unpredictable. I didn’t care who I killed or tortured as long as the person wasn’t innocent.

I looked at my blood-stained hands and nails and laughed.

Messing with me was only going to lead to death. This man lying dead here was proof.

The smell of blood filled my nostrils, making me hungry for a good meal. And no, I wasn’t going to have the man for breakfast. Just like myself, he was a werewolf.

My beta entered my room, his expression not changing even as he took in the body on the floor. He understood me even better than I did myself. So when he saw things like this, he was never surprised because he had an idea of what had happened.

“What’s the news?” I questioned.

“Orion Pack are still insisting that you marry their daughter for an alliance.”

I yawned. “So, they’re relentless about it?” I asked rhetorically, my face not giving away what I was thinking.

“They're getting more insistent on their request. If you turn it down, I believe it could cause a clash between the two Packs.”

I chuckled at my beta’s statement and then turned around to him. “Are you worried about something?”

“Well...No, Alpha, I’m not, but for the sake of the Pack, why don’t we consider this alliance?”

I cocked an amused brow at him. Didn’t he say now that he wasn’t worried?

“I’m worried about the Pack, Alpha.”

With a movement of my head up and down, I replied, “Hmm, I understand. But I’m not getting married for the sake of the alliance. Turn down their request.”

“But, Alpha..”

“I said, turn it down!” I reiterated firmly, leaving no more room for discussion.

Lewis said nothing and exited the room.

Crossing over the body, I went to the sink to wash the blood-stain off my hands, then undressed so that I remained only in a pair of boxers. I needed to feast, preferably on something raw with fresh blood running in its veins.

Sure that before I returned, Lewis would have taken care of the dead man, I stepped out of the mansion, shifted into my black wolf with a growl, and dashed into the woods.

The breeze brushed against my fur as I ran, the trees becoming a blur as I sprinted past them. It was a liberating feeling. Sniffing the air, I stealthily approached and moved through the bush until I came across a herd of antelopes feeding on grass.

With mastered patience, I kept watch, confirming they weren’t aware of my presence. At the right time, I pounced and, with ease, caught one of them while the others sprinted away in fright. I didn’t need them anyway since I had gotten the biggest one of the lost.

Feeling my deer squirm in my mouth, I bit down until I tasted blood. I couldn’t wait to feast on it. Dragging my prey, I went to the back of a tree where the sun wasn’t hitting and began to feed. When I satiated, I walked to the river to quench my thirst. Then I sat down to watch the sunset.

I couldn’t ask for a better life than this.

Getting married was the last thing on my mind. I didn’t like the idea of having a mate. But then, the moon goddess was quite unpredictable. I didn’t know what she would do, but I knew one thing for sure, having a mate would ruin and weaken me.

From what I had witnessed, the mate bond turned strong men weak. Their attention became divided, and they lost sight of what needed to be done. I didn’t need any woman asking me when I would be home or calling to check on me. I was good on my own. I had so many responsibilities and didn’t need any more.

My thoughts shuffled from the present to the past as I thought of my father. He would have never consented to me getting married or having a mate. Before he slept with my mother, he made her sign a contract with the conditions he came up with. That was the reason I grew up without my mother. I chuckled at the thought.

He, my father, had only wanted her to bear him as a son and then let her go. He never cared about or loved her either. So no, I’d never once set my eyes on my mother up to this day. And I didn’t care to see her either.

After signing the contract from my father, she never stepped foot into the house again. Following in my father’s footsteps, I adopted a nonchalant attitude toward women. Getting married would be a violation of my rule. It would risk all that I worked hard to build.

Upon re-entering my mansion, I shifted back to human form and went to my room. It was just as I expected: The dead body had been taken care of.

Sitting at my desk, I saw I’d received letters in the mail. Of course, I laughed. It was from the Orion Pack.

They were getting more insistent, but what did I care about? My Pack was immediate in ranking to theirs, they being first and mine second, and I intended to get ahead of them someday, but not this way. I didn’t need their daughter. I opened one of the letters, and as expected, it was a threatening message from them. I threw all of them into the fireplace next to me and laughed dryly. Did they think I cared about what they said?

Just then, there was a knock on my door. “Come in.”

“I cannot believe Stephan,” my best friend, Leo, said as soon as he walked in.

“What’s going on?”

Honestly, I had no idea how Leo and became best friends. I was supposed to be a lone wolf, but he messed that up.

“He found his mate.”

At the mention of mate, I made a face and continued with what I was doing.

His forehead squinted in frustration. “I know you’re not interested in having a mate, Grey, but at least hear me out.”

Heaving out a sigh, I looked up. “Alright. I’m listening.”

“This girl is the epitome of beauty.” If one looked closely, one could almost see stars in Leo’s eyes. “But it was obvious that she wasn’t being treated right.”

He hadn’t been able to catch my attention yet. So what, a girl was getting maltreated? It wasn’t news to my ears anymore.

“Guess why Stephan didn’t choose her.”

“Well,” with two fingers on my chin, I acted like I was thinking. “She’s the outcast. That means she doesn’t blend in. Then that means he’s disgusted by her and feels she doesn’t suit his taste.” I raised an eyebrow at the last statement.

“Exactly! How’d you know?”

Another sigh. “You’re acting like we didn’t meet Stephan together.”

Leo laughed at that. To be honest, I wasn’t a big fan of Stephan. He annoyed me.

He stopped laughing and got a serious look on his face. “I just wonder how the poor girl would be feeling.” And that is what I disliked about my best friend. He was too compassionate. Leo continued, “And when I tried helping her, she got frightened and shifted away like I was going to hurt her.” He touched his heart dramatically. “I remember the first time I saw her. That day she fell into my arms, I was like, damn, she’s so light and fragile.”

I said nothing even though I was not interested in the conversation anymore. Although I didn’t feel like listening, I still did. Leo was talkative, and I knew it would be a long night.