Broken Alpha

by Paulina Vasquez

  “Come on Alec! What the hell is taking him so long?” I huffed and paced back and forth. Dimitri and I have been waiting in the woods for nearly an hour.

  “These things can be delicate. We don't want her to alert the pack that we're here, alone.”

  “Should we go down to the river and check to make sure he hasn't been caught?”

  “He hasn't.” Dimitri said.

  “How can you be sure?”

  “Because he's right behind you.” Dimitri pointed and I turned around to see Alec, walking with his arm around a beautiful curvy woman.

  “Alpha. Luna.” He greeted us. “This is Helena. Her father is the Delta of this pack and was thrown in the cells a few days ago by the new Alpha.” He informed us with an emphasis on new Alpha.

  “New Alpha?” I asked.

  “Stefanos.” Alec responded.

  “What happened to Hades?” Dimitri asked.

  “No one has seen him since Alpha Eros died. We believe that Stefanos killed Hades because he's claimed our pack. Our Beta challenged Stefanos for the pack and was also killed. My father tried to step down from his position and Stefanos threw him in the prison.” Helena said.

  “Is Stefanos planning to attack Olympus Blood Moon tonight?” Dimitri asked.

  “Yes. Our pack has been overrun with rogues who are very loyal to him. They're planning on attacking and forcing three hundred of our fighters to join the rogues.” She said.

  “How many rogues would you guess there are?” I asked.

  “Maybe four hundred.” She said.

  That would make about seven hundred fighters combined for Stefanos. Olympus Blood moon has about seventeen hundred pack members total, but only twelve hundred live in the main pack territory, the rest lived on the three islands that belonged to us. We have about eight hundred fighters, which would make the numbers almost even. Stefanos was the previous Alpha of Olympus Blood Moon, he would know just how many fighters he would need.

  “Do you know if a young she wolf, Odessa Theodorus, is being held here.” I asked.

  “There was a female they brought in recently. One of the guards is a friend, he's been helping me sneak into the cells to check on my father. I scented a female who's not from our pack down there.” She told us.

  “What did she smell like?” Dimitri asked.

  “Strawberry sorbet.” She said.

  “That's her!” Dimitri's fists clenched.

  “Is there any way we could sneak in? Is the prison heavily guarded?” Alec asked

  “There's normally two guards on duty, the bars are made of silver, so it makes escaping difficult. Everyone is busy preparing for the attack, with so many unfamiliar scents around, you should be able to get around unnoticed.” She said. “Well, except maybe you Alpha. Your aura is very strong.” She added and bowed her head.

  “We need a plan.” I said.

  “The cells are in their own building, near the forest tree line.” She told us.

  “Maybe we can create a diversion.” Alec suggested.

  We crept down low behind trees and boulders near the tree line. The building that contained the prison cells was just ahead and Dimitri moved a little closer to scout the area out. Alec had linked the three scouts we had sent earlier to our location to help keep a look out. A few moments later, Dimitri returned.

  “Do you have your lighter with you?” He asked me.

  “Yes!”

  “There's a building near the training field on the other side. Do you think your flames could reach it?” He asked.

  I wasn't sure about the distance from this far, but I would certainly try. “I think so.”

  I pulled out the lighter from my pocket and flicked it on. The flame seemed to send energy pulsing through me. I willed a ball of fire into my hand and it did as I wanted. I focused on the target building and took a few nervous deep breaths.

  “Remember, your emotions control the level of energy. Focus your emotions into the energy.” Dimitri mind linked me.

  “We can do this!” Rae assured me.

  I closed my eyes. I thought about Odessa and the pain she must have been suffering because of her worthless mate. I thought about what happened to Kosta and about Leo’s death. I thought about Stefanos beating a young Dimitri. The ball of fire was practically glowing blue, it was so strong and hot.

  I opened my eyes, walked closer to the edge of the tree line and took aim at the building. The fire landed on the roof and I willed it to spread across the entire rooftop. Total chaos broke loose and everyone seemed to be running in the direction of the fire.

  “Bullseye!” Rae yipped.

  “Quickly now!” Dimitri said and we ran towards the back of the prison cells. Alec, Helena, Dimitri and I, stood with our backs pressed up against the building listening for footsteps. Helena looked around the corner and told us the prison guard at the front door ran in the direction of the fire. We made a move to the front door; Alec pulled the door open and we stepped inside. A set of stone steps led down to an iron door. Judging by the foul smell coming from below, the cells were definitely down there.

  Helena opened the iron door at the bottom first, we heard a low voice growl, “I told you, if you want to see your father, you'll have to suck me off first!”

  “Actually, someone else wants to speak with you David.” Helena said and swung the door wide open to reveal Dimitri and Alec.

  “What the fuck!” He managed to say before Dimitri shoved his elbow into David's nose. The guard fell back with blood sputtering out of his nose and mouth.

  “If you try and mind link anyone, I'll rip your throat out!” Dimitri growled at him and he nodded his head.

  “Where the fuck is Odessa?”

  David's eyes moved down the hall and Dimitri grabbed the back of his neck, leading him in that direction. We looked into the cell all the way at the end and found Odessa. She was chained with a silver collar around her neck to keep her from shifting. Her eyes were closed, and she was sitting on the floor, near the corner of the cell.

  “Odessa!” I called out and she lifted her head up.

  “Unlock the cell.” Dimitri growled at David who didn't move. “I SAID, UNLOCK THE FUCKING CELL!” Dimitri pressed David's face against the silver cell bars and he howled in pain.

  “Give me the keys!” Helena reached at his belt and removed the keys from the clip. She unlocked the cell door and we rushed inside.

  “Quick we need to hurry.” Alec said.

  Helena unlocked the collar from around Odessa's neck and Dimitri quickly engulfed her in a hug. “Thank the Goddess. Are you okay?” He asked. Her neck was burned red from the silver collar.

  A growl ripped from the wolf in the cell next to Odessa. She smiled at him. “It's okay, this is my brother.”

  “Who’s this?” Dimitri asked, feeling a strong aura coming from the wolf.

  “I'll explain later, we need to bring him with us.” She insisted.

  “We don't have time for this.” Dimitri said.

  “I'm not leaving without him!” Odessa protested.

  “FUCK, HURRY!” Dimitri eyed Alec, who moved quickly to unlock the cell next to Odessa and remove the silver collar from him. His neck had also been burned by the silver and would take time to heal.

  “He looks familiar.” Rae said to me, but I couldn't place him.

  Helena grabbed the keys and ran to her father’s cell. She unlocked him and helped him out. He had been beaten pretty badly and the silver collar prevented him from healing.

  “Are we ready?” Alec asked.

  “Let's get out of here. We need to get back

  to the pack before Stefanos does.” Dimitri said.

  Alec grabbed David's head and snapped his neck; we couldn't afford to have him alert anyone. We made our way back up the stairs and Helena thanked us for our help. She and her father decided to hide until Stefanos left for the attack. They planned to get her mother and north north into Albania, to seek refuge with her mother's old pack. Alec hugged her go
odbye and we headed in different directions into the woods. The fire was still at a full blaze and the smell of smoke would hide our scents.

  We continued running deep into the woods before Dimitri stopped. “We're going to have to shift, the car is about ten kilometers away, just outside the territory. It will be much faster.” He said.

  We all stepped behind a tree and removed our clothing to shift. I picked up my clothes in my mouth and stepped out. I heard a low growl and saw that Dom was ready to attack. He was looking at the other big black Alpha wolf with brown eyes and circling him. Another low growl was heard, and I looked to see Odessa. Odessa was Alpha born and her wolf, Olympia, was an average sized black wolf with a white bib. She jumped between the Alpha males and bared her teeth at her brother to protect the unknown wolf. What the hell was going on here?

  Dom stopped for a moment and was also shocked at his sister’s behavior. “Can we get moving please, we're still in someone's territory.” I reminded him through the mind link.

  Dom picked up his clothes and ran east towards the direction of the Jeep. We were almost to the pack boarder when a group of rogues jumped out to attack us. There was five of them and five of us.

  The unknown black Alpha immediately lunged at them and started snapping and biting. Dom also jumped in and immediately tore out a rogue’s windpipe. One of the rogues jumped at me and Dimitri sent a big boulder sailing through the air that crashed right into the rogue. He fell at my paws and Rae sliced her claw right through his neck. Dimitri used his element to open up a hole in the ground and Alec pushed the rogue bodies in. A few seconds later, Dimitri had filled the rest of the hole up with dirt.

  We made it to the Jeep and shifted back on different sides of the car to get dressed. Odessa and the unknown Alpha stood hugging. Actually, it looked like he was resting his head in her neck, scenting her.

  “Who are you?” Dimitri growled.

  “Can we talk about this in the car? We really need to get the hell out of here!” Odessa said.

  “He's an Alpha! Who are you?” Dimitri demanded.

  “I'm Hades Kappas.” His gruff voice said.

  “YOU'RE EROS’ SON!” Dimitri's eyes flared and the ground shook beneath us. He was struggling to control his emotion.

  “It's not what you think!” Odessa said.

  “I’m no threat to you. My father hardly ever had contact with me. My mother was a chosen mate, he never loved her or treated us well. I could care less about him or the pack. I just want my mate!” Hades said.

  “Oh Fuck!” Alec whispered.

  “Your mate?” I asked.

  “Yes, Hades is my mate!” Odessa happily grinned at us.

  Chapter 39 – Race

  The sun was setting as we raced back in the Jeep to our territory. Dimitri was at the wheel and his eyes kept glancing in the mirror at the occupants in the back seat. Odessa was seated in the back, between Alec and Hades. The tension in the car was thick.

  “What the hell happened Odessa? I thought Georgios was your mate?” Dimitri asked and a low growl came from Hades at the mention of Georgios.

  “It's kind of a long story.” She replied.

  “We've got time. No one is leaving this car for a few hours.” Dimitri said.

  Hades spoke first, “My mother was originally from Georgios’ pack, Zeus's Howlers. When my father claimed her as a chosen mate, she switched packs and joined Moon Warriors. He wasn't very good to us and took little interest in me. Growing up, I spent a great deal of time visiting with my grandparents at their pack. Georgios’ father had the pack then, he was good to me, let me come and stay whenever I wanted to. My grandparents were wonderful people and I enjoyed visiting them every chance I had. They lived next door to the Delta couple, and I became good friends with their son, Leonidas.”

  “Leo!” I whispered as realization set in.

  “Yes, Leo. He was one of my best friends. When I heard what had happened, I wanted to kill Eros myself. I went to Zeus's Howlers to attend his funeral and pay my respects to his parents. I caught the scent of my mate and followed it, that's when I found Odessa. Georgios wasn't too happy that Odessa found her mate. He asked me to join him in his office and when I did, I discovered Stefanos and his men waiting for me. I don't really remember much else, they drugged me and left me chained in the dungeon until after the funeral. At some point, I was moved to Moon Warriors in a cell next to my mate where you found us.” Hades told us.

  Odessa continued, “Georgios told me to play along and pretend I was his mate, so that Stefanos wouldn't hurt me. He told me he had an alliance with my father. I knew he was lying and overheard him speaking about the plan to lure Dimitri in by using me. I don't think he had expected for me to find my true mate. When Raven's parents showed up, he told me he would kill Hades if I didn't convince them he was my mate. I wasn't sure what to do, I thought I could get a message to Raven's parents somehow, but he never left me alone with them.”

  “It's a good thing Georgios wasn't your mate! Raven's mother killed him and claimed the pack!” Alec told her.

  “That's fantastic! Stefanos had agreed to wipe out Georgios’ debit if he sent his warriors to help with the attack.” Odessa informed us.

  “So, does this mean that Hades is the next Alpha of Moon Warriors?” Alec asked.

  “Yes, once we take out Stefanos, Hades is the rightful heir.” Dimitri growled back.

  “I don't want my father’s pack.” Hades said.

  “It's not your father’s pack, or my father’s pack, it's our pack. Those wolves deserve to finally have a good Alpha. We can turn things around.” Odessa said.

  “Spoken like a true Luna.” Hades whispered to Odessa and kissed her on the side of her head. A low growl rippled in Dimitri's throat and I placed my hand on his leg to help calm him.

  The look in Hades’ eyes when he looked at Odessa was enough to convince me that she was the center of his universe. He had the same thick dark brown hair as his father and soft brown eyes. He also had the same sharp facial features and jaw which gave him a unique but handsome appearance. I tried to read Dimitri's thoughts and he was struggling in his own mind. This was Eros’ son and Eros was a bad person, he wanted to dislike Hades. But, if anyone can relate to the situation, it would be Dimitri. The same had been said about Dimitri because of his terrible father, Stefanos. He knew he couldn’t judge Hades based on who his father was.

  “You're absolutely right.” I mind linked Dimitri reading his thoughts and he smiled at me.

  “I guess I should be happy Georgios isn't her mate after all.” He linked back.

  “Hades seems better matched for her and she looks so happy.” I told him through the link.

  “She's barely eighteen, still a pup.” Dimitri protested.

  “Did you forget I'm only a few months older than her?” I linked back and Dimitri didn't say anything else.

  “The sun is almost down, Stefanos and his warriors will be moving at dark.” Alec reminded us.

  “The run should take them at least three to four hours. We'll reach the pack in about two hours. Alec, call Niko and let him know to be ready.” Dimitri said.

  We had been traveling in silence over an hour. We were almost to our pack boarder when Dimitri suddenly slammed on the breaks. I looked out the window and dozens of red eyes circled around us and blocked the small bridge we needed to cross.

  “Rogues.” Dimitri growled.

  The front of the Jeep was being lifted up by six rogues. They were trying to flip the Jeep over. The ground started shaking and the rogues dropped the front end of the Jeep back down, stunned by the earth quaking Dimitri had created. I looked at the bridge and willed the water beneath it to rise up and knock into some of the rogues with so much force they fell over into the river.

  “Our back tire is going flat; we’ll have to get out.” Alec said.

  “Raven, can you put a ring of fire around the Jeep so we can shift before we are attacked?” Dimitri asked.

  I took my lighter
out and flicked it on. “Open the sun roof.” I had witnessed my mother create rings of fire in so many sizes before. I focused on the fire and it grew larger. I closed my eyes and pictured it completely surrounding the car with enough room for us to get out. I pictured it at least ten feet high. My arm lifted up and the lighter was sticking out of the sunroof.

  “You can do it.” Dimitri said to me.

  He had so much faith in me and believed in me. It gave me the confidence I needed. The fire ripped up with a roar of its own and then circled the Jeep. The rogues jumped back, and someone screamed “witchcraft.”