Chapter 5 - Disowned

Before I could react, the leader of the border patrol jumped over the six-foot-high barbed boundary line.

 The scrambling of the other pack warriors follows him, but I can barely understand what they are saying. Arci stood in front of me with his right hand twisted backward, pinning me between the car and him. His knees were slightly bent, ready to shift in a fly to fight if need be. 

 The leader stopped barely three steps away from Arci, but his predatory eyes never left mine. The rest of the group caught up, and Arci spread his arms for the barricade, ordering me to get inside the car and drive as fast as I could. 

He was ready to sacrifice himself for me. There was no way any of us would survive this fight. But what kind of Alpha would I be if I ran away with tails between my legs at the first sign of trouble, leaving my driver behind? I stood tall, not breaking my gaze on their leader, who just cleared his throat. 

 “I want to speak with him,” the leader tilted his head slightly to the left as he shifted his eyes from me to Arci and back. He is instructing my driver to move aside. He raised his right hand in the air to signal his men to move back, and so they did. I put my hand on Arci’s shoulder before stepping sideways. “It’s okay, Arci,” I whispered and tilted my head to the side. He was hesitant to move away, but he eventually obeyed.  

“I won’t be far, Alpha!” he stated in finality. I admire Arci’s dedication to his job. He did not break his gaze at the pack leader before taking a couple of steps to the side. 

“So, you are a young Alpha!” It's a statement as he stole a glance at the Silver Mountain Pack’s emblem on my car. He was confirming what he had heard. 

“Future Alpha!” I clarified. “No need to get too excited. My death will not affect my pack, someone else will take over if I don’t make it today!”

“Who’s talking about death? I just want to meet you.” 

He took another step forward, “Can’t you feel it?” he asked. 

I know where this is going, but my mind was so jumbled. Maybe I just refused to accept Six’s chanting. “What are you talking about?” 

“Really? Are you f*cking serious right now?”

“What  the hell?” I growl. He is being disrespectful. “And who the hell are you? You are such a coward to declare war against my pack, so you decided to f*cking ambush me?” I tried to brave myself against the battle that we had already lost if this was indeed an attack. “Do you think my pack will take this lightly?” I added.

He moved two steps forward until we were facing each other, inches apart. He looked me straight in the eyes with furrowed brows. “I am Nathaniel Simons, the Alpha of the Riverbed Pack, and you are my mate!” 

*****

It’s been three years since I found my mate. This has been both a blessing and a curse. How can the Moon Goddess be so cruel as to pair me with another man? She connected me with my mate and cut me off from my family….. 

My parents taught me and Aleck to respect the mate bond since we were pups. The idea of turning 18 always made us antsy because then, we could scent our Goddess-given fated mates. The anticipation sends an uncanny frenzy and weird excitement. I was also shit scared to find out who the Moon Goddess paired me with. Dad said there would be a strong pull, but what if there’s none? Should I reject them?

I wonder how she does it. I mean… Does the Moon Goddess use something like the ball-drawing machine used in the lottery for pairing? Or something that resembles a casino roulette with a wheel full of werewolves or she-wolves’ photos spread across the slots to be paired with the one on the 22mm ball spin? It must be because it sure feels like a gamble relying on the mate bond if you ask me. 

On the second thought…..

I am grateful for the mate bond my parents shared and their parents before them. They were like the nagging reminder about the blessings the mate bond brings and how it can strengthen the pack…. against the chosen one, at least for Alphas. 

I equally respect werewolves who choose their mates. Not everyone is lucky to meet their fated mates, or so I heard. Many tales circulate that only a third of the werewolf population gets to meet their Goddess-given mates. The rest were chosen. That’s like a twisted joke that only a third of the population is blessed by the goddess, and I’m not even laughing. 

I am the firstborn and the next Alpha of the Silver Mountain Pack. We are one of the biggest packs in the region, but strangely lesser-known. My father, Herod Black, was not a fan of outside collaboration and did it only when it was necessary to improve the lives of our pack members. This means it has to be the only option available. My mother, Lilian Black, supports my father fully, blindly even.  

The pack survived abundantly for many generations through the meticulous effort of my grandfather and my great-grandfather in developing and utilizing pack-produced resources. We are self-sufficient, to say the least. Pack members are highly skilled in agriculture and aquaculture. With half the pack borders attached to the sea or water streams, fish and other aquatic products are our staples. Our factories and manufacturing sectors are on a steady rise, providing what the pack needs and selling some surplus to neighboring territories and allied packs. 

Not long ago, my parents bravely founded a pack-owned tech company that worked with several private firms owned by pack members with deep pockets. This helped our revenues steadily rise and kept us abreast of the latest trends. Technology keeps our pack borders well-monitored. It is equipped with motion sensors and a scheduled drone surveillance system from five towers located in sensitive and hard-to-monitor areas, including the perimeter line separating us from the River Bed pack. This keeps our pack secure and members safe. 

It is boring, though. Although we are safe and well-provided, people are mostly laid-back, doing only what they are tasked to do in their routines. They do an excellent job but lack the challenges or motivation to level up.

“You are not going to accept that mate bond with another Alpha Seb, I forbid you,” Dad roared angrily. For some unknown reason, he always despised River Bed Pack. I knew this reaction was coming. 

“Dad, the moon goddess paired us.” 

“NO! IT’S NOT HAPPENING, SEB!” He was panting, and his hands were trembling. I fear he will shift into his wolf. Mom came to rub his shoulder to calm him, and it worked for a while.

“I swear Seb, if you accept that mate bond, forget you have a family at Silver Mountain Pack. I will give the position of the head alpha to Aleck and you will be dead to us.” Mom wept loudly, her lips quivered, and tears streamed down her face to no end.  

Father was true to his word. He didn’t even flinch. He didn’t even bat an eyelid…. 

“I, Herod Black, Head Alpha of the Silver Mountain Pack disown you, Sebastian Black, as my son and next head Alpha of the pack. I sever all ties between you and the Silver Mountain Pack and strip you of all the privileges. You shall leave the pack, and from this day forward live as a rogue.”

My father’s words echoed in my head over and over again. 

He disowned me. 

I’m a rogue.