Alpha's Curse

Chapter 3: Starting a Fight

I lick my own. "Sorry." I say, and look back up at him. His eyes are a bright.

He leans foreword, and I grin to myself, stomping on his foot and dancing out and away from him. When he straightens from his doubled-over position, his eyes are alight with anger. I blow him a kiss. "At least I apologized this time," I point out. He glares at me.

"You're asking for it," he growls. "Don't let me catch you alone. You start a fight, you better be willing to finish it."

"Oh honey," I say, "you better believe I am."

*~*~*~*

"Dude what the hell got into you?" Josh asks, and the Alpha tries not to radiate anger and order in waves. Drew slams himself into his desk and glares. 

"That bitch left marks," he growls. "Look at this, Josh!" He racks up his jacket sleeve, where five crescent marks sit neatly in his skin, pink against tan. "Fuck this, man. This is bullshit. I can't mate to her, but if I don't find someone in the next few months, I forfeit my Alpha rank to you or your brother. This is--."

"Bullshit, I know," Josh finishes. "You act like forfeiting to me or Tyler would be that bad. You've taught us everything; I'd think you have more trust in us than that." He sulks a little in his seat and Drew groans, frustratedly pulling at his hair. 

"Josh, come on. It's not--you n' Tyler both are my betas for a reason. You're as trustworthy as they come okay? That's not the problem. Do I seem like a beta to you? An omega? A hunter?" His mouth spits the words like poison. "No, I don't. I don't take orders, Josh. I give them. I can't  sit back and watch someone else run my pack; I have to be at the front-lines. I don't-this is who I am. I can't function if I'm not Alpha. I've done fine since I first shifted--why does is it matter if I mate now?" His hands clench into fists under the desk and his teeth grind so hard they creak. 

"Do you really need that answered, Drew?" Someone asks behind him, and he looks up. Jared is standing at his shoulder, wire-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. "If so, come talk to me after class. I've excused you if you need to leave."

"No--I mean, yeah, but...shit, Jared, I can't..." He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"Mr. Rodel? Can I speak with Drew outside for a moment? I'm his guardian. I have a visitor's pass if you'd like to see it," Jared offers. The teacher doesn't even look up, just waves them away. They go into the hall. Jared gives a heavy sigh. "You need to rein yourself in. You reek of anger. Any shifter in the school would cower around you."

"Really?" Drew growls. "Any shifter? Because that bitch didn't, J. She tried to sock me in my face!"

"I'm aware--I was only in the next room. I had full visibility over you. You're lucky no one else did.  You really did not notice anything while you were busy fighting, did you? As I understand it, you antagonized the entire thing. While that was a good idea to get her to hate you--and probably succeeded, as well--you need to watch yourself. I underestimated your Alpha hormones. You don't have seven months, Drew."

His stomach drops. His fists clench tighter. "How long do I have to find a mate then?" He demands. 

"You have one month to drive her away or claim her. I was there the entire time. You were fighting that bite instinct already."Jared eyes him carefully. "Weren't you?"

He looks away. "I had a handle on the situation."

"Mm. And how is your foot, then?" The council member raises an eyebrow. "I want to help you, Alpha. I do. You asked why you need a mate and here's the answer: you're coming into your final shift. That doesn't mean you can't go back and forth, but that does mean that you'll be at your full power. Having a mate means sharing that power--it levels you out. If you're not mated and all that power develops, you're at risk of going rogue."