Rise of the Alpha (The Rise Series Book 1)

by Helen Dhanoya

  “Well, you know I care about you. This is all about the plan—” The phone call was cut short by a loud sound coming from the back of the cabin.

  That was my cue. I breathed slowly, backing up a little and preparing to ram into the door. The rain fell against the roof, making a plop sound.

  I heard shuffling inside as the man scrambled to gather whatever it was he needed.

  I ran up the stairs, heaving myself as hard as I could against the door. The door frame busts underneath my weight, forcing the door to open and slam against the wall with a thud.

  Inside, light smoke filled the area, as a large pile of files began to engulf in flames.

  I looked around, seeing sudden movement from the shadows. As soon as I saw the blonde hair and sickly skin, I raised the gun and quickly fired, hoping I aimed right. The bullet flew toward him, hitting him in the shoulder and causing him to scream “fuck” and stumble forward as he ran down the back stairs.

  I put a hand over my mouth, to avoid inhaling any more smoke, as I made my way to the back door, ignoring the burning pile because whatever he had put on there, it had ignited almost instantly, so there was no point in trying to save anything.

  At the back door, I watched as he fled on foot through the darkness.

  I stepped down the stairs, putting the safety back on the gun before shoving it back into my jeans as I heard a loud thump ahead of me.

  Moving forward, I watched as Nathan and Alaric chased him down. He was brave and yet, so stupid. On foot you couldn’t out run a werewolf, but he tried. They let him run as far as he could, which was a good forty-fifty feet, before he collapsed face first into the earth as a result of the excessive bleeding from his shoulder wound.

  Nathan raced toward him, too fast for the wounded man to get back onto his feet, as Nathan used a paw to push against his injured shoulder, making the man scream out in pain.

  Blood continued to gush from the wound as Alaric shifted back to move toward them, roughly gripping his wrists behind the man’s back.

  Finally getting closer, I pulled the gloves from the bag and put them on before grabbing the silver handcuffs. I undid them, standing over the man, as he tried to scream and kick his legs at me. He was getting weaker with every failed assault, so I hurried to handcuff him before pulling out a wad of gauze from the bag and wrapping his wound in order to stop the bleeding.

  I couldn’t have him bleeding all over the rental car.

  Alaric forced him up onto his feet; our captive had a blue shirt on that now was covered in a mixture of blood, mud and rain. The side of his face was littered with dirt and leaves as he gave me a murderous look. Alaric forced him back toward our small make-shift camp, so that we could grab our stuff.

  The rain pelted down, harder this time, as I pulled out our gear and stuffed the radios and the small black bag back into the first bag. Handing Nathan three bags, I took the rest of the equipment.

  As they started down the mountain side, I stopped and turned around to watch the cabin as the flames grew higher on the inside. Despite the rain, the fire continued to rage inside the small cabin. I shook my head, quickly heading to where Alaric and Nathan had stopped to wait for me.

  Back at the Jeep Cherokee, I watched as the sun began to rise, slowly peeking through the clouds to shine down on the earth.

  Nathan and I had packed the back of the Jeep, as Alaric had the man and was trying to get him into the vehicle.

  “Hey,” I said, causing Alaric to pause at the door as I came forward to stand in front of our struggling captive, my rage getting the best of me. The man smirked, and was about to say something smart, when I sent my right fist into his face. I heard a loud crack from his cheek bone, causing blood to splatter all over the back seat. Oh well, so much for keeping the rental clean.

  My knuckles burned but I looked up into his dark eyes and muttered, “That’s for that last fight; you had me in the hospital for three days. And you killed my pack members. So, I’ll make sure you are barely recognizable when I’m done with you.” I hadn’t realized that Eva had come to the surface with those last words.

  His cheek was already swollen, as was his left eye. I knew it’d be a black eye before long. He spat blood my way, evilly grinning as he stated, “I don’t care about you, bitch. That old bitch deserves to rot in the cell we have her in. Your kind will burn in hell once we’re done with you.”

  Alaric and Nathan stood there, watching silently.

  My anger grew more, as Eva took completely over before giving him a right hook to the abdomen. “Say one more thing, human, and I’ll make sure to rip your throat out.” Upon exhale, he had spewed blood everywhere while droplets landed on my shoes as well as the mud between us.

  I breathed slowly, calming myself. “Enough, we’ll continue this back at Liam’s. Let’s get going.”

  I took him from Alaric, shoving him roughly into the back seat as he groaned while hitting his head against the roof of the Jeep. Making sure he was settled, I pulled the seatbelt over him as Nathan took it and carefully buckled him in, making sure to avoid the handcuffs.

  Shutting the door behind me, I climbed into the passenger’s seat and got comfortable as Alaric started the vehicle and pulled away.

  I HAD MADE sure to call Liam as soon as we left the mountain side, to let him know we were on our way back. The rain continued to drizzle down until about halfway through our trip, when the clouds disappeared and the sun came out to bring light into the world again.

  It was early afternoon when we pulled up to the gate of Liam’s territory. The drive had been quicker than I had expected but by the time it had begun, I was already exhausted.

  The guards waved at us, opening the gate. I nodded at them as we drove through.

  The closer we got, the more nervous I became.

  Would we find anything out? What would we have to do to get any information from him?

  Liam, Terry and Eric stood outside of the pack house. Their faces were full of exhaustion and curiosity as we pulled up and came to a screeching halt with dust and leaves whipping past us in our wake.

  We climbed out of the rental car as I rounded the car and greeted the Alpha and his Beta. “Good afternoon, Alpha, Beta. We’re ready to bring him down to the holding cells, so if you would lead the way, I’ll have Alaric grab him.”

  “Gamma.” I smiled at Eric, who wrapped me in a hug before I turned back to Liam, who nodded in response as Alaric pulled the man from the back of the vehicle. His cheek bone and left eye were now a dark purple, still swollen from my punches earlier.

  Liam instructed an Omega to grab our things from the back, as he gave me a glance.

  I shrugged, following them toward the hospital. “He disagreed with some stuff I said. I couldn't help myself.”

  He grinned, shaking his head as Eric and Terry followed behind Alaric, carefully watching to make sure the man didn’t try anything. Nathan had stayed back, not saying anything, as we made our way behind the hospital and to a door that led to an underground unit; what it contained, I did not know.

  Terry handed Liam a set of keys, as he started to go through them to find the right one for the padlock. He cleared his throat, as he unlocks the lock and removes it before handing it to his Beta. “This is where the holding cells are. We keep them securely hidden and guarded at all times. No one goes in or out without my approval.”

  Hmm, that answered my question.

  He pulled the door open with ease, as he carefully stepped over the threshold and walked down the small flight of stairs into the underground holding cells. I went next, coughing as the dust from Liam’s shoes flew up and around the room.

  Liam moved over to the right side of the room, where he flicked a switch, illuminating the area to reveal two rooms. The one on the right side was neatly organized, with a cot in the corner, a makeshift bathroom in the other and a small rectangular opening for the food trays to be passed through or to access the prisoner’s handcuffs. The other room was an interrogation ro
om. It had a lone folded chair and four pairs of chains hanging from the ceiling and attached from the wall.

  Liam tossed me the keys and said, “Take him to the interrogation room, chain him up and get him prepared for a good beat down until he is willing to talk.”

  I nodded, going to the door on the left side of the room and searching through the keys until I found the right one to unlock it. Pulling the door open, I watched Alaric and my Gamma walked the man inside, each taking an arm to lead him to the chains. Chaining his feet first, they each held an arm as I unlocked the cuffs on his wrists, nicking the side of my right hand by accident. It burned from the slight contact but otherwise was harmless.

  I saw the red outlines on his wrists, knowing he’d tried to escape.

  Alaric and Eric hooked him in place, and I moved from the room to go stand beside Liam, who glared at me with an eyebrow raised. “So, you wanted to talk to me?”

  “Yes, but not here. In your office preferably. I’ll be having Nathan, my mate, my Gamma and my stand-in Gamma attend. But I’d like to talk to you alone first, if I may,” I said, following him out after he instructed Terry and my Beta to interrogate the man to see if they could get any interesting information out of him.

  Even though Nathan was emotionally unstable, he was useful for this instance. We found him standing outside the pack house, a frown attached to his face, as I watched him before telling him to go down and assist the others with the interrogation.

  Back into the pack house, I greeted Amy, who gave me a hug before following Liam up to his office. An Omega offered me a coffee, which I gladly accepted, adding in some sugar and creamer before taking my seat in front of Liam’s desk.

  “So, what’s on your mind?” he asked, taking a sip of his own coffee, which sat in front of him.

  I sighed, running a hand over my face while thinking of how to explain this interesting topic. “So, um...” I bite my lip. “Alaric and I were kind of making out in the forest this morning while we waited for Nathan to continue making his rounds around the house in order to gather information. Eva had taken over and bit down on Alaric’s neck.” I moved my hair and shirt away from the area where I marked Alaric, to show the Alpha. “This is where the two little holes are. What the fuck did I do? Is there a way to reverse it?”

  I hadn’t noticed Amy, who listened quietly as she walked in and pulled up a chair to sit beside her mate. Liam had closed his eyes, deep in thought as we both took a sip of the hot coffee, before he reopened them with a soft yet serious expression. “Dahlia, what Eva did was mark her territory. She completed half of the mate bond. In order for it to be complete, he must mark you and then you must mate. You two are bound forever. You can’t reverse it; it’s permanent. He also can’t mark you until you make him your Alpha male, since he’s still a rogue. You’ll start to feel your emotions overwhelm you and soon you’ll begin to hear his thoughts; they’ll be weak but you’ll still hear them.”

  I thought about what he said, contemplating, before his next question startled me from my internal reflections.

  “What else is bothering you? I can tell there’s more that you want to say.”

  I told Liam about what my Omegas had told me a few days earlier, and that he and I were the only ones to know. That it was better that way.

  I wrinkled my nose, sighing heavily before stating, “Before Alaric had left, Nathan’s gaze held a sudden crazed look. It sent chills down my spine. I think it’s time to forcibly strip Nathan of his Beta title. I have someone for the position. I am planning on initiating Alaric and his sister into the pack before that, though.”

  He tilted his head, holding his coffee mug up as he blew on the hot liquid. “I was beginning to question Nathan myself. The breakup really shook him to his core. I’ll ask one of your Elders and one of mine to join in for the initiation ceremony and the Beta demotion.”

  I nodded, mind-linking my Elder and asking him to meet me at Liam’s place and to bring the ceremony knife and the chalice.

  Thirty minutes later, my Elder had arrived.

  Eric, Rylan, Wyatt, Nathan, Alaric, Terry and Liam’s Elder walked into the office, making it pretty crammed in the area even though it was the size of a master bedroom and a half.

  “Greetings,” I said as they all took a seat in front of Liam’s desk, where he and I both stood. Everyone’s attention was focused on me as I spoke. “We are gathered here to initiate both Alaric and Rylan in—” I cleared my throat. “The Alpha male and the Gamma female. Any objections?”

  I looked at each of them. When no one said anything, though I knew Nathan had wanted to protest but had decided against it, I motioned for Rylan to come stand by me. We had set everything up on the desk, allowing everyone to remain comfortable in their seats. It was also easier to arrange it that way.

  Rylan looked at Eric nervously as she came to stand beside me.

  I placed a hand on her shoulder, saying, “It’ll be fine. This won’t take but three seconds.” My words relaxed her slightly as I uncovered the knife, causing her eyes to widen as she continuously looked between me and her mate.

  I smiled, holding up my left hand while instructing her to do the same with her right. When our palms were side by side, I began the chant. “Do you, Rylan, promise to protect this pack with your life? To follow all our laws and traditions? To give your life to your Alpha, to trust their judgment and to follow their every command? And to help lead this pack as my Gamma female?”

  She smiled brightly, her nervousness gone in an instant as she immediately stated, “Yes, Alpha, I do.”

  “By the authority of my rank in Alpha, I welcome you as the Gamma female of the Miller pack.” I slit my hand, and then hers, joining them together as the blood from our hands dripped into the gold chalice.

  Amy opened the wine bottle as she came over to us to fill the chalice.

  Rylan looked at me warily, before picking up the chalice with her left hand and chugging the liquid down. She then handed it to me; I watched as her face transitioned from blank to eyes filled with tears as she sobbed and pulled me into a hug. “I didn’t think I’d ever join a pack again. I’m so happy. Thank you.”

  I smiled as she wiped her tears and headed back to her place beside Eric, who wrapped her in his arms and comforted her, as Alaric came to stand in front of me. The look of love shown all over his face; he wasn’t even nervous.

  Amy wiped the knife, handing it back before standing behind me. I looked up at Alaric, who smirked, making me hide a blush.

  “Ready?”

  He gave a sexy smile, holding out his right hand for me. “I’ve always been ready, love. I’ve just been waiting until you were.”

  I rolled my eyes, holding my hand up beside his. Beginning, I stared up into his blue eyes, completely sucked in by how beautiful they were. “Do you, Alaric, promise to protect this pack with your life? To follow all our laws and traditions? To help run this pack by my side, to be my partner?”

  “I do,” he said confidently, as I sliced our hands. Joining them, we watched the blood spill into the chalice.

  Amy poured the wine into the glass, as Alaric took and drank it in one go.

  I watched as he closed his eyes, bracing himself for the mind-link and pack bond to hit him.

  When he opened his eyes again, he smiled big as I finished the last of the initiation. “Alaric, welcome to the Miller pack. We’ll have to make your status official later on.”

  I winked at him, quickly turning to the small group before addressing them once again. “We will celebrate their initiation when we get back to my territory. Now, onto the other important topic I gathered you here for today.” Amy had cleaned the knife, rewrapping it before handing it to my Elder, along with the chalice, as Alaric took his seat again.

  “And what might that be?” my Elder asked, a look of confusion on his face.

  I sighed, staring right at Nathan and waving him to come up and stand beside me. Liam had shown me how to strip a wolf of their rank, and the
proper channels to go through. We had the Elders present, and the other witnesses, so we were all set.

  Nathan looked at me confused, as I held my ground and stared him in the eyes.

  “I, Alpha Dahlia, hereby strip the Beta position, and his place here in the Miller pack, from Nathan Abernathy and hereby banish him from my territory. He’s too unstable, both mentally and emotionally, to lead and I feel he’s a harm to me and my pack.”

  The look of horror, and realization, showed all over Nathan’s face, as he felt the impact of his rank and the mind-link be stripped from him; he wept and fell to his knees, holding himself in pain.

  I immediately felt as the ties were cut off; though I did not show any emotion as I looked at Eric and Wyatt, who rose to their feet.

  “Eric, Wyatt, take this man and escort him from the territory. I’ll be right behind you to see him off.”

  They nodded, moving to forcibly get him up.

  He elbowed them, screaming, “Don’t touch me. I can take myself.”

  With that, he stormed out of the office.

  I looked at Eric and Wyatt, who immediately went to follow after him.

  Everyone began to pile out of the room. As the Elders started to leave, I stopped them. “Thank you for coming all this way. I know you guys are pretty busy.”

  They smiled back at me. “It’s not a problem, Alpha.” I excused myself to follow after the others.

  OUTSIDE, WE WATCHED as Nathan crossed over Liam’s territory.

  I yelled after him, “Don’t bother going to get your stuff! If anyone catches you on Liam’s or my territory, we will kill you.”

  He looked terrified as he shifted and ran off.

  I sighed, turning back to Wyatt and the others.

  “Wasn’t that a bit extreme?” Amy asked; her eyebrows raised as she came to stand beside me.

  I shook my head. “No, I had other pack members come to me expressing concern and I have seen it myself. What if he went back and harmed anyone in the process? I can’t take the risk.”