Chapter 3 - Don't Want.

Wyatt

I enter my hotel suite, almost tearing the door off its hinges, and angrily growl. Who the fuck do they think they are to order me around like I am some pup?!

I am a motherfucking Alpha!

When it comes to who's in my bed, who should be my Luna, when I have pups or how many, it’s my fucking business!

That bullshit council can go fuck themselves for all I care. I don’t get into their business, mostly because I disagree with it, so stay the fuck out of mine.

I will choose who should be my Luna, and forgive me for not wanting some spoiled brat who only knows how to open her fucking legs or spend money like the fucking whore she is.

I’ve just thrown a lamp into the wall out of aggravation when my loose door opens, and in comes my so-called father. More accurately, my adoptive father and councilman Isaac Campbell, and behind him is Rue, his chosen mate and my so-called ‘mother’. I use that term loosely as she is a right bitch, and I don’t fucking like her, let alone respect her. She can get fucked for all I care.

“Wyatt, honey, stop your tantrums. It’s really beneath you.” Rue tuts, entering the room.

“Mommy dearest, do me a favor: shut up or, better yet, get out,” I say with fake sincerity, not giving a rat’s ass about her opinions or approvals.

“Wyatt, that’s no way to speak to your mother!” My father scolds.

“Do I look like I give a fuck?!” I snap back, punching the side table, snapping it in half.

“I told you before that I want my fated mate, and I will not accept anyone else but her!” Axel and I say, my voice becoming deeper and my aura slipping out.

“Yes, we know, but it’s been years. How long are you going to search for her?” Rue asks while checking her nails with a huff, pretending my aura doesn’t affect her.

She’s one of the few high-ranking she-wolves who doesn’t make a fuss, does as she’s told, and basically accepts her role in life. Then again, she has a cushy life and gets away with almost anything due to who she is and her family connections.

She’s an older version of Kimberly Cook, Alpha Liam’s sister and the whore they want me to take as a chosen mate. Not fucking happening.

To be fair, from a she-wolf’s perspective, things were never great, depending on who took her as a mate. However, in the last few years, even I’ve noticed shit has really gone fucking downhill, and I hardly left my pack grounds until recently.

In that fucking respect, I can partially understand the council’s panic as the number of she-wolves is dwindling faster than ever. Of course, rather than change, they are stamping down harder on us Alphas and other high-ranking wolves to start reproducing and to take anyone as a mate.

They can get fucked if they think they can order me around.

I may be a brute, but I am a traditional brute, meaning I want my goddess-given mate and not some suppressive breeding machine who obeys my every little whim. I want my mate to challenge me, have a fire within her, and stand next to me like a true leader, not below me like she's a pretty doll without a brain cell.

Alas, it seems like I am the only Alpha that wants that.

We don’t follow the fucking laws in my pack, and my pack members seem better for it compared to others I’ve heard about, which is why my pack members have started calling me the Rebellious Alpha, as I refuse to enforce bullshit laws that I find fucking immoral or ridiculous.

I also find that title fucking ridiculous, but whatever.

All I know is that if this shit carries on, we’re going to go feral or, worse, extinct. The death toll among females has skyrocketed, as well as the disappearances or runaways, depending on who you ask, in recent years.

We've also begun hearing rumors about she-wolves aborting their pups or outright killing themselves for no reason, even when pregnant, at least according to the reports.

At first, we didn’t really believe it until we heard that Dean’s sister, who's my Beta and best friend, was one of them.

I will never get the image of Dean’s little sister, visibly pregnant, dead beside the window that she threw herself out, her spinal cord shattered in several places, with her pup half-born, its head and torso could be seen from between her legs, covered in blood, dead as well.

We later found the note she left, and it read, ‘I’m sorry, but I refuse to bring his son into the world after he killed our daughters.’

What did she mean by ‘after he killed our daughters’?

Something wasn't adding up, and this is why we, as in myself, Dean, and Lucas, who is my Gamma, began investigating, discreetly, of course, but by the time we get the fucking alert, the she-wolves are already gone, or we find bodies instead, much like Dean’s sister.

However, that is not the only reason.

Recently, as in the last few years, she-wolves from my pack have also begun disappearing, and as their Alpha, it’s my job to protect them, and that's what led to me slowly coming out of my pack because what the fuck is going on out here? There’s just too many things that are not adding up.

Isaac clears his throat to get my attention.

“What?” I bark at him.

“Are you going to answer your mother or, better yet, the council?” He scowls.

“You know my fucking answer. I refuse to mess with fucking nature, especially for someone like Kimberly Cook.” I scowl right back.

I crossed my arms over my chest, looking at them dead in the eye.

Mommy dearest frowns and pouts. “Why? She’s a lovely girl and knows about the responsibilities of being Luna and running a pack.”

“Oh yeah, I bet she learned a lot in between whoring herself out to every dick she sees and spending almost every dime she gets from her brother and her latest fuckbuddy, Xander.” I scoff.

“Wyatt! She’s a high-ranking wolf who can give you strong heirs. That’s what every Alpha wants.” Isaac says while rolling his own eyes at his mate’s pouting.

“No! That’s what you and the rest of the idiot council want because you think it gives you power.” I scowl.

Fucking morons.

“True power comes from the fated mate bond. Plus, I don’t want to be mated to a whore who will most likely cheat on me and weaken me. No wonder we are going downhill.” I mutter the last part out.

The she-bitch lets a gasp of disbelief. I guess they heard me.

“That’s not true. What if your mate is an omega?” He asks in horror, and I roll my eyes.

How he and others like him are part of the so-called council is beyond me.

Again, fucking morons.

“Really? Then, explain the disappearances or deaths, even when they're pregnant. Something pretty fucking severe must be going on for females to want to off their pups.” I say, watching their reaction.

Interesting.

Looks like they know something. It's a good thing I stopped seeing them as my parents a long time ago because once I find out the truth, everyone is going down, including them, if need be. I may be an asshole but only to those who deserve it.

“And I don’t care who my mate is, and you seem to have forgotten that the goddess pairs us up for a reason.” I scold them like children who should know fucking better.

Rue scoffs while Isaac gives me a stern glare.

“As I said, you and that fucking council can run shit how you like in your packs, but in my pack? I run shit how the fuck I like and keep that in mind, ‘father.’ It’s my pack now.” I say with emphasis and let out my aura as a warning.

I flash them a smug smile when I hear the soft whimper from Rue and the grunt from Isaac.

Another reason I knew from a young age I wasn’t their biological son is that I shouldn’t have that kind of hold over him since he is an Alpha himself.

“That fucking Corinna Woods is to blame. If I ever get my hands on her…” Rue angrily snarls under her breath once I pull back my aura.

“Why is she to blame?” I ask with a straight face.

I know snippets of the story from Alpha Xander's testimony to the council, but something about that always felt suspicious. However, Rue does have a point. The epidemic of she-wolves running away has been happening for decades, but ever since the story of this particular luna, it’s been taken up a notch.

“Because she is.” She sharply said and abruptly left the room.

Perhaps I should investigate her disappearance as well.

Isaac sighed as he watched his mate leave, then turned back to me, his gaze less stern.

“Son, as Alpha, it’s your responsibility to have heirs, and with limited ranked she-wolves, you don’t have many options. Kimberly is the right age, has Alpha lineage, and, more importantly, knows her place.” He says, this time, gentler.

If he thinks his change of tone will make a difference, he is sorely mistaken.

“Dad, I know my responsibilities, but I refuse her, and she’s not a full Alpha. Her mother was an Omega, and if rumors are true, a wolfless one,” I point out.

I will speak his language if power and status mean that much to him.

“At least she’s something! Unfortunately, most of the ranked females are gone! The ones that haven’t are either underage or too old. The old ones are good for fucking, sure, but you have fucked around enough.” He says, raising his voice again.

I swear to the Goddess, the next thing I throw across the room will be him.

I rub my forehead and sigh. “Okay, first, please don’t say that 'cause that’s just disrespectful, not to mention gross. Second, it’s weird that you know about my sex life. That shit is fucking private.”

“It’s not exactly fucking private when they brag about it out in the open for everyone to hear like the whores they are. Yet another reason why males are the leaders, and the females should stay in the house.” He says, shaking his head.

I roll my eyes but don’t say anything.

I don’t care if they want to brag because, well, obviously, I am a beast, but the rest of his statement? I disagree since I just made it pretty clear I don’t fuck whores, and I actually have some respect towards females.

I’m so fucking tired of having the same old fucking argument, and I just want to be left alone now. The old fucker needs to go before I hurl him into the fucking wall just to get him to shut the fuck up.

“Yeah, yeah, is there anything else? Because we are not getting anywhere, and I want to go for a run.”

“Yes, actually. We recently got reports of more females deserting their packs. One is a 19-year-old gamma from Klaus’s pack, and the other is an 18-year-old delta from Damon’s pack. The council has released an all-out alert for these two to be returned immediately.” He gives me a pointed look, and I nod my head.

This idiot actually expects me to hand over two females to these assholes?

Klaus and Damon are one of the few Alpha assholes I don’t do business with, shit, even talk to if I can avoid it. They are sleazy bastards, and I don’t deal or associate with slimeballs who think they are better than everyone else.

“I also expect an answer soon. We need more females. The only way to do that is for you and others to get on with it.” He spits out in frustration, and I snort.

“Here’s an idea: tell the council not to restrict female births. That may help.” I sarcastically say.

“Oh, hell no, one is enough. We just have to find these goddamn females and put them in their place. Your mother is right, that fucking bitch is to blame for this bullshit. Her ‘vanishing’ act has cost us greatly.” He angrily mutters, and I shrug. Nothing to fucking say.

Again, we won’t agree, so I never told him I had been harboring and helping hide some females in my pack.

I’m lucky my pack members see things the same way I do. This is another reason my pack grew when I took over, and it is now one of the largest in the area.

Until recently.

Not long after, Isaac finally left and took his whiny bitch with him. Yeah, I have no love for her. I know I should, but I don’t. Something about her has always rubbed me the wrong way, even as a pup. Well, that and her scathing comments growing up.

Whatever. Thank Goddess, they moved closer to the council headquarters when I took over, and not long after, I moved the pack, the ones who wanted to stay with me, closer to the mountains. That is why it’s easier to get away or hide shit from the council.

A few hours later, half a bottle of bourbon down the hatch didn’t work on relaxing me entirely, so a run it is. That should, hopefully, help me burn off my frustration and anger enough so I can sleep tonight, as that’s another thing I've been struggling with lately.

As I lean down to drink from the lake, I sense another wolf close by, but I instantly relax when I smell it's Jax, Dean’s wolf.

‘The whole point of me being out here was to be alone, so why are you following me?’ I say via the mild link as I drink.

Dean comes out from behind the tree and joins me at the lake.

‘I wouldn’t be a very good Beta if I left my Alpha alone, especially when he's pissed. Your temper is legendary, after all. I'm actually surprised your parents left unscathed.’ He snickers, and I snort.

We run for a little while until I feel a little calmer, and then we go to a nearby diner for a quick beer.

I'm instantly hit with a few scents when I open the door. Shifters have passed through here, but the one that gets my attention is a strong raspberry cheesecake scent. Raspberry cheesecake is the most delicious thing on the planet to me, but there's none on display, which means….

‘Mate!’ Axel roars in my head, coming to the forefront.

I found her….Finally!