Yours Truly, Alpha Dante.

2.

DANTE

"So when do you think you'll be back, sweetheart?" My girlfriend, Laila's voice asked sweetly over the phone. I sighed wearily, she wasn't going to miss me, she was going to miss waking up in my apartment and not seeing me right beside her to fulfil her biddings.

"I dunno, Laila," I replied honestly, my hands gripping the wheel tightly. I was actually quite fond of my blonde girlfriend just that I could see past her high pitched girlish voice and drop-dead body to know she was with me because of the money. Most of them always were. "My father is really bad."

"I hope he gets better," she said, quietly. "I really want him present at our wedding."

"Right," I murmured offhandedly, knowing fully well I couldn't marry Laila. My parents believed I would still find another mate one day, I believed I would be better off unmarried. My mate, the love of my life had died back when I was twenty, almost four years ago. She had been killed during a very violent brawl when I wasn't around.

I closed my eyes, the image of the day crossing my mind, causing yet another bout of self-hatred. Guilt.

I should have been there that day. I could have prevented her death.

The image of Lola's dark hair and wide smile was interrupted by Laila's voice and I suppressed a groan, irritated. "Dante, baby can I use the jet this weekend? The girls are hoping we can fly to Paris to see that leopard couture I told you about."

"Yes, Laila." That's why you're with me anyway, because of what I can offer.

"You're the best!"

"You too, Laila."

A notification popped up on my screen, another call was coming in. This one was from my sister, Ash. I frowned at the phone, hoping it wasn't bad news about our sick Dad. I couldn't afford for anything to happen to him, that made me automatically the new Alpha. I wasn't ready for that, our pack didn't need an Alpha that couldn't even summon his wolf.

Ever since Lola died, I hadn't been able to transform completely. I felt weak, like a loser, a former shell of myself. Working hard helped me forget I was such a big disappointment to myself sometimes.

I stepped harder on the accelerator, willing the car would move faster. "Laila, I'll call you back, my sister is calling."

"Um, okay. Bye, baby. I love you."

"Bye, Laila."

I heard the phone click off, then automatically picked Ash's call, adjusting my AirPods. "Hey, Ash. I'll be home soon. How's he doing now?"

My sister's dry voice came back slowly. "He's a bit better, I think. The doctor is here now, she thinks it would be better to fly him out. That he needs a break after he gets better."

"So he's going to be better?"

"She says so." I heard Ash pause as if wanting to say something. "Dante, I'll not lie to you, you're going to need to stay this time around. You know what I'm talking about."

"I'll see you soon." I ended the call. I knew fully well what Ash was trying to tell me, I was supposed to take up the role of the new Alpha. It was my duty, something I had tried running from, knowing it was inevitable.

I ran to New York to start managing our family business, all in a bid to avoid the fact that I wasn't ready to take up the role. I couldn't even summon Bruno, my wolf, he wouldn't appear. My last phone conversation with my father replayed in my head slowly, like a tape winding over and over again.

"When are you coming, Dante?"

"I don't know, father. There's a lot I can't leave here at work."

"Here is where you should be, leading the New Moon. You can't continue putting this off."

I had succeeded thus far, I was pretty sure I could continue. I laughed mirthlessly. "The Pack doesn't need a leader that can't even transform successfully."

"That's not your fault," the old man told me quietly. "You've been hurt. Such things take time to heal."

"The fact that my mate died? I probably will die alone."

"Don't say that?"

"I shouldn't tell the truth?" I laughed, louder this time knowing it sounded nothing like normal laughter. "Whoever heard of getting another mate?"

"It happens."

"Right," I agreed, sarcastically. "I'll talk to you later, Dad. I have a meeting in the next few minutes. My regards to Ash and mom."

I clicked the phone off before he could speak.

I pushed the thoughts, reaching to turn up the music in the car and racing on the dark road.

Dante, slow down.

You might crash. Maybe I wanted to.

Bruno was whispering and I blatantly ignored him, he regularly came at times like these when I was in the middle of doing something stupid. I had learnt to ignore him well.

Asides from that, I felt odd. Like I was being signalled like I was being summoned. It was like I was being yelled at through a mind link, only it was only loud noise. No voices.

I shook my head when something, or someone caught my eye in a second, it seemed to have appeared out of nowhere and my Jeep was now on a direct collision path with it. I slammed on the brakes, knowing deep in my gut that there was no way I wouldn't hit it. I was going too fast to stop that easily.

I heard the sickening sound of a body colliding the car and jumped down immediately. The odd feeling of being summoned multiplied by a ten and my head felt like it was about to explode. I made my way to the body on the road.

It was a girl, dressed in scanty, dirty clothing and bleeding heavily. She looked like she was dead. I really hoped she wasn't.

In a second, my head exploded with pain once more and I felt myself involuntarily change into wolf for the first time in a very long time. I stood there in the middle of the road, completely transformed without caring if humans were around.

Bruno was back, howling and moving towards the unconscious girl.

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