Goddess, my uncle and Carla are so happy it's becoming annoying sometimes. I mean it's a bit weird to see them all in love like that, almost like teenagers, whilst I'm still in a messed up situation with my own mate. I'm basically treated like I'm the Alpha couple's daughter here, and I don't exactly mind it. They even enrolled me in the Alpha Academy that Jason and Brian attended, and I graduated a few days ago. The training there was brutal, and because I am Bolder's niece, they went even harder on me. Most of the pack members and kids at the Academy don't know about what happened in England, or about me having a mate in Crescent Moon pack, and I like it that way. I am so much stronger now compared to how I was half a year ago.
The thing that urged us to leave for the States as soon as I could physically carry myself was the fact that Marie completely disappeared from the face of the Earth. She is still out here, plotting her revenge and we all know it.
My uncle and Jason's dad had a meeting the next day after they rescued me. Both Carla and I were nervous wrecks thinking Bolder would kill Alpha Jaxon, but he didn't. Truth be told, I'm not resenting Jason's parents anymore, even if I tried to. I have reflected on it over the past six months and I understand where they came from, and forgave them. I honestly think that Bolder is the only one that truly understands me about that, because it must be the same for him. I often wonder if my real father was like that. I imagine him to be similar to Bolder. I often ask him to tell me about them and he happily complies.
I remember when I arrived here for the first time, Ming's wailing all the way here because we were far away from Jason. I'm only sorry I didn't get to see him before I left, because then we could have properly rejected each other and get it over with. But the arrogant bastards left after I called him out for jumping to conclusions about me, and I haven't seen him since. I'm rambling again, my mind seems to do that a lot lately. I think this is some sort of coping mechanism so I wouldn't go completely nuts. I get off the chair I'm sitting on and walk toward the mirror. Seeing my face makes me groan. One letter, one letter from England bringing all the memories of Jason along with it and I look like this. I am no Alpha, I look like a heartbroken little girl.
Talking about the next Alpha of the pack is a touchy subject nowadays, because my uncle, not so subtly, keeps pushing me towards that role. He keeps hinting at how he would love to have less responsibility so he and Carla can spend more time together and catch up for all those years they didn't know each other. He is trying his best to guilt trip me into accepting to be the next Alpha, and I sometimes allow him to. Like right now. Right now I'm thinking how badass would it be if I showed up at Jason's Alpha ceremony, and when all those horrible people that bullied me approach me to ask with fake politeness about how I'm doing, I can just casually say: 'Oh, you know, I'm only the next Alpha of one of the biggest packs in the world', like it's not a big deal, and just watch the smirk fall of their faces.
Oh, I need Tyler. I quickly text him before plopping myself on the bed.
Sam 'SOS'
Tyler 'On my way.'
Oh, thank Heavens for Tyler. I found my soulmate (different kind of soulmate than love interest) in Beta Tison's son. We clicked instantly with a connection unlike anything I've ever felt. My uncle explained that it's the connection an Alpha and his Beta feel, another bond forged by the Moon Goddess herself. I liked that explanation. Tyler is the sweetest and most adorable and handsome man ever. He looks all mean and has that heartbreaker vibe that makes all ladies panties moisten, but he is so gay that he farts rainbows. I basically adore him and he adores me and we decided we are soulmates, practically joined at the hip since I've arrived here.
Not even a full minute after I texted him, the door to my bedroom opens with a dramatic bang and Tyler storms in.
“Just tell me who I have to kill.” I laugh at his first words.
“Hello to you too, Ty.”
“Oh, Goddess, it's worse than I have though. OK, Sam, where's the body? I know the perfect place where we could dump it. They will never know it was us.” He whispers that last part, putting his index finger over his lips. I chuckle loudly. He's already made me feel better, how can I not love him?
“I think you've watched too many true crime series, Ty. You need to stop, it's becoming unsettling.”
“Fine, but the offer still stands, you know? Now, what happened, where's the fire?” He plops onto the bed next to me, not noticing the scroll. I reach under him and pull the invitation out, placing it over his face.
Tyler jumps up, holding the scroll carefully and thoroughly inspecting it as if it were to explode. I signalled him to read the damn thing and he complied, getting angry with each word that he read. Well, at least now I know I'm not crazy, it's only natural to pe pissed of by receiving an invitation to that ceremony. I mean the audacity!
“I see.”
“Really, that's all you have to say?” I quirk a brow at Tyler. I was expecting revenge ideas to be flowing out of him, and for me to dismiss them one after the other, because they involved dead bodies and disposing of dead bodies. But it would have been fun. That's why I called him, to cheer me up and not let me feel like a loser.
“I was thinking.”
“Oh, sorry, I'll give a few minutes, I know that's challenging for you.”
POW! A pillow hits my face squishing my nose.
“OK, you know you deserved that. But on a more serious note, start packing the fanciest shit you own because we are crashing an Alpha ceremony.”
“Wait, what?”
“Yeah babe, I've always wanted to have tea with the Queen. I'll go tell our dad, and organise the jet.”
And he just left, another loud bang on my door as he closed it after him. At that rate, he'll make cracks appear in the walls. Wait no, Why am I focusing on the walls right now? I need to stop that fool. I can't go back to England, my uncle sure as hell won't agree to this with Marie still out there plotting ways to kill me, and him for that matter.
By the time I've reached my uncle's office, Tyler was already there and judging by their faces, I would guess he told his dad and Bolder that he wants to go with me to England for Jason's ceremony. Do I even want to go? This is such a terrible idea. I am fully prepared to hear out the dozens of reasons why this is such a bad idea, and I agree, but what I hear instead, shocks me.
“Tyler told us you guys want to go to England to visit your friends and attend Jason's ceremony.” My uncle says, amusement dancing in his eyes. The one thing I could never figure out by uncle, nor I dared to ask him directly, is whether he likes or dislikes Jason. To be honest, more than once I saw him looking at my mate as if he was looking at his son, some sort of weird admiration vibe going on. It's confusing and infuriating as fuck.
I'm still waiting for then not to agree to our little trip, when Bolder finally speaks again.
“I think that's a wonderful idea, you can take the pack's jet. When are you leaving?
I'm too shell shocked to respond, but Tyler is quick as a cat.
“We're leaving tomorrow morning. We need our beauty sleep first.” Both my uncle and Tison burst out laughing, while I just smile awkwardly, already overthinking this whole trip. OK, If I have to be 100 percent honest, there is a tiny part of me that's excited, as is really excited.
“Text your girl Jennifer and tell her to put the kettle on. This bitch is going home!” Tyler decrees in the worst British accent I've ever heard, earning himself a smack over the head from his father for his choice of words.
34 - Alpha
Jason
She's here, she has to be here, I can sense her, Luder is going crazy, and I can barely contain him. She is here, I just know it. Oh, Goddess, how I've missed her. I can't believe she left without even looking back.
Torture. Pure and slow torture. That's what it's been like for the past six months without my mate. Every other member of our pack thought my grumpy behaviour was because of Marie's acts of treason or because of the pressure of taking over as Alpha. Far from it. Althoug
h it wasn't the most comfortable thing to have happened, the situation with Marie is not the cause of my uneasiness and tendency to snap at everyone who dared to breathe the same air I did. No, it was because I didn't have my mate with me, but I couldn't tell anyone that. So many times I almost went to the States after her, prepared to beg for her forgiveness and ask for a second chance, but Bolder told me to be patient and give her more time. For some reason he's the only one that can calm me down in moments like that. It's so weird, he became almost like a father figure to me after kicking my ass in royal fashion. So I always listen to him, because I would give Samantha anything, so if time is what she needs, that is what I will offer, even if it slowly kills me.
I see my mom peeking from behind the office door.
“Honey, it's time for you to go out there.”
I just nod and raise from my chair. I smile a sad smile. MY chair. It sounds weird, I'm officially the Alpha after the ceremony, responsible for a very large pack. I've never doubted or second guessed myself, but since Sam left, nothing seems right, nothing makes complete sense anymore. I feel empty and like I'm missing the second half of myself. I really hope my senses aren't playing tricks on me, and she is actually here. I need her to be here so badly it hurts. I have no idea what I'll do if I see her, any speech I may have prepared I'll surely forget the moment I have her in front of me.
I walk outside to the large area where the ceremony will take place. There are a lot of people here, almost all pack members gathered to see their new Alpha come to power. I climb up and take my place on the stage next to my father, just as he is giving his final speech as Alpha of the Crescent Moon pack. Everyone has tears in their eyes. He was a great leader, loved and respected by the whole pack. It will be hard to follow in his steps, although I can think about a few things I will immediately change or do differently.
Brian takes his rightful place next to me and the ceremony begins. All the time I keep glancing around, scanning the crown for any signs of Samantha. Her scent has become stronger over the past few minutes, so I know she is in fact here somewhere. Strawberries, that's all I can think about when Brian nudges me not so gently, signalling it's time to say my vow to the pack. I clear my throat before addressing the pack and saying the words every Alpha before me has said.
I finally spot her among the huge crowd that has gathered. Her eyes sparkle like fireflies and her is a deep chocolate brown, her natural colour. I like her with the pink hair also, but somehow she looks more sophisticated like this, more grown up. I realise that I'm actively staring at her and our eyes meet for a brief second, making all kinds of feelings explode deep inside me. She smiles at me softly, a polite smile, but I return I full on grin with all my pearly whites on display. An arm snakes around her shoulders and I stifle a growl. There's a man with her. Fuck! Is she with someone? Well they just answered my question, he holds her to his chest and kisses the top of her head.
My wolf is going mad, I can't risk letting him lose now, have all the pack seeing the new Alpha lose his shit for no apparent reason.
I don't remember much of the rest of the ceremony after that. For me if was just a series of breathing exercises, holding onto control for dear life, fighting the urge to murder the guy that Sam brought with her. I said and did my part mechanically and as soon as the Council declared me the new Alpha and the surge of new power radiated through the whole pack, I ran from the stage. I ran and shifted shedding my clothes not giving a crap.
Luder took full control and, by the time I came back to it I was standing exactly in the same spot I saw Samantha after the Ranking ceremony a year ago. Fitting, right? I have come full circle in a weird way.
The rustling behind the trees startles me a bit, as I'm suddenly presented with a pair of shorts being thrown in my face. I take them and get dressed, thinking it's Brian or a Sentinel from my pack. The scent is familiar, so I'm not initially alerted, but in the split second that it took me to figure out exactly why the scent was familiar, I see none other than Marie approaching me. She too looks different, feral in way, but not in the sense of a rogue. She's sporting a pixie cut and is dressed in all camouflage clothing.
I growl loudly, lunging for her, but I stop a few feet shy from reaching her face. It's like I've hit an invisible shield and I can't get through it. I circle her, trying to attack from another angle, but as I do, I'm left slamming against that same shield. Getting more and more irritated by the second, I try to mind link Brian and tell him we have company, but it soon dawns on me that I can't. My ability to mind link is gone, blocked somehow. And that's how it came to me. She must have a witch helping her, putting up those shields. I scoff remembering the lies she told me about Samantha working with a witch.
“Well, long time no see, Jay. Did you miss me? Or better yet, did aunty and uncle miss their favourite child?”
“I can't say we did, Marie. What are you doing here?”
“That's a rather stupid question, Jason, don't you think? You're the Alpha now, you need to start acting smart.”
Luder is begging me to shift and claw our way through the shield and maul this conniving little she-devil and her witch, but I know that won't work. We need to somehow take the witch down first, and then come for Marie.
“Why the fuck are you doing all this? Getting fucking witches involved? Can't you just move on?” I openly yell at her, partly hoping that someone would be close enough to hear me. I know the chances are slim, this is a very remote area of our territory, but it can't hurt. “Just do everyone a favour and go crawl back into whatever hole you dug yourself from. It's not like this can end well for you. Neither my parents nor the pack will not be welcoming you back with open arms.”
I immediately see I've struck a chord there, and I smile, hoping to enrage her more. As predicted, she loses her calm composure and I see the anger flash in her eyes.
“Don't you see I don't care about any of that? I just want all of them dead. Complete the circle, avenge my parents and make them proud. It's as simple as that, it really is.” The shield that is keeping Marie safe from me flickers, giving a little. The witch must not be happy to learn there's a chance she joined a suicide mission. If Marie already paid her enough, I have a feeling the wretched creature with bail on my disgraced cousin very soon. I decide to work on that, give the witch more reason to doubt Marie's chances and reconsider her position.
“And what will happen after, huh? Say you succeed, what are you going to do next, take your chances at living as a rogue? Because you've broken so many laws that no pack would ever allow you anywhere near their territory.” Surprisingly the she-devil smirks at me. She has something up her sleeve, I know it.
“Oh, but that's not entirely true, is it? The Sang Noir pack in Normandy would welcome me with open arms, as I am my father's rightful heir. I already contacted my father's Beta. He's the one that has been running the pack until now, you know? They literally refused to have another Alpha until I came of age to take over. Something that my dear uncle kept from me. He always told me Sang Noire had a new Alpha who rose after my father's death, and that I am a fully fledged member of Crescent Moon, but that's not exactly true, Jay.”
Well, shit. Nobody thought that she might have a pack. Marie becoming Alpha of Sang Noir is bad, really bad. The French always had a thing for pissing off the Brits, and vice versa. That's why no pack in England has any peace treaties with any pack in France. Things have been civil so far, but Marie might just be deranged enough to start a literal war, and it wouldn't be just between Crescent Moon and Sang Noir, that's for sure.
“Get ready, Jay. I'm coming for that bitch's head and I won't spare anyone that gets in my way. I saw she was stupid enough to come back here. By the way, it must suck to see her with her rebound guys, doesn't it?” I lose it. As soon as she mentioned the guy that was with Samantha, I saw red. Luder partly took over and forced me to shift. As my eyes were changing I looked to my right and saw a human figure not too far from me and Marie. It was dressed in camouflage c
lothing and I smiled wickedly, already knowing who that was. Marie hadn't noticed that I spotted her witch, she was too busy spitting profanities about my mate. I look Marie in the eyes just as I was pretending to pounce again on her. She was fully expecting me to hit the shield again, and just stood there unfazed, but her eyes widened the size of saucers as soon as she saw me flying past her, heading for the witch.
They did not even have time to flinch. I jumped on the disgusting creature and snapped her neck with my bare hands, knowing very well, that I need to quickly remove her heart in order to make sure she truly dies and stays dead.
Seeing as Marie didn't come to stop me, I plunged my fist into the witch's chest and pulled out her black heart. I wrinkle my nose in disgust at the smell of rotten flesh oozing from the heart I just crushed.
I start looking around but there is no trace of Marie. Luckily, since the witch is dead, my ability to mind link works again, so I quickly inform everyone that my cousin is here and that there might be more with her.
35 - Tense
Samantha
“Wow, I mean, your mate is... intense.” Tyler looks at me with a weird face stuck between amused and disgusted. “Don't get me wrong, he is smoking hot. I wouldn't mind going there if, you know he wasn't you mate and he was gay... “A low, threatening growl escaped my throat before I could stop it. “Alright, I guess I'll just shut up now. Geez, tough crowd.”
I just roll my eyes at his childish comments, but I have to agree with him. Not about Jason being hot Alright, fine, I agree with Ty on that also, but I will just keep this information to myself. It was a bit weird how Jason hurried off the stage as soon as the ceremony was over. Could it be that he was pissed off to see me here? Surely he must have known about the invitation, about me coming, even.
After he took off, I followed him with my eyes, and could have sworn I saw him running to the woods. It instantly reminded me of the ranking ceremony and how my nightmare started. Ming tried to convince me to make this poetic and go look for him like he found me that night, but I just ignored her. She's just a lovesick puppy that would forgive him for everything, she doesn't get it.
Fight For The Highest Wolf Rank Page 17