Hey guys! So, I had originally planned to rewrite this book. When I finish the sequel and the new book I'm writing, I may move forward with rewriting this if you all would interested in it. I think the rewrite is waaaay better than this version, so I really hope some of you would be interested in reading it. I wanted to post this chapter from the rewrite that I never finished or published. It's Aldrich and Nicole discussing how his dad died. I didn't really elaborate on that in this book, and I really wish I would have. So, without further ado, here is the how Aldrich fought and killed his father to become alpha. Enjoy!
(This is from the rewrite, so certain things may have changed about the characters. Aldrich is a lot younger I'm the rewrite, I believe he is only 3-4 years older than Nicole. This is Aldrich and Nicole though.)
It had been a few hours since Nicole and Aldrich had finished, and instead of going multiple rounds like most newly mated couples would do, they found themselves laying together, talking. Nicole had just finished telling him about the time her dad had taken her camping in the mountains of Tennessee. They had laughed through the story, mostly at how Andrew wasn't able to start a campfire like he had boasted about or set up the tent. They had ended up sleeping in their wolf form to keep warm that night. It was easily the last camping trip Nicole went on with her dad.
Aldrich had told a few stories, most of them about the good parts of his childhood before his mother had died. She seemed like a sweet woman, and Nicole was sad she wouldn't be able to meet the late Luna Alice. Aldrich's mood had shifted though, and he sat up and took on a serious face as he pondered on what to say.
Nicole noticed his mood, and her eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Aldrich, what's wrong?" she asked, sitting up behind him and wrapping her arms around his neck.
He glanced back at her, a distant look in his eyes. "I want to tell you about my father. About how I killed him. I'm sure you've heard stories and I can't bear to think of the horrible things you've probably heard about it."
Nicole laid her head against his back, her arms still around him. "All I've been told is your dad went mad after your mom was killed and you had to fight him for the pack. My dad told me that's what would end up happening before it even did. He knew you were going through a lot."
"That's an understatement." he said with a laugh. "My mother died when I was ten, and up until then, Arvin had been a great father and man. But, when the rogues came and killed her, something changed. He became angry, bitter, and full of hate. He also became distant. It felt like I had not only lost my mother, but him too that day. I guess I sorta did in a way." His tone was quiet and full of emotion.
She wondered who all he had told this too, probably not many. Josh was the only one she could think of that he would open up to about it.
"He became mean, and it got to where he was so obsessed with getting me ready to lead, that was all I was allowed to focus on. You're gonna be alpha one day, you need to grow up. You need to worry about the pack and less about yourself. It was never ending." He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath.
Nicole sat up and rested her head on his shoulder, kissing the mark on his neck lovingly. "You don't have to-"
"No, it's fine. It's just been a while since I've talked about it."
Nicole nodded, encouraging him to go on.
"When I turned sixteen, his deterioration reached its peak. He began turning on our allies for no reason, declaring war on random packs. My grandfather told me it was time, and the pack agreed. I didn't wanna do it, but I had to. No one else in the pack could beat him, not even my grandfather." he said solemnly.
"Why did he lose it like he did? When my mom was killed, Landon Richards told me that my dad came close to a partial shift. He was able to pull it back in and move on. Can all alphas not do that?" She hoped she didn't offend him. Her questions were legit and she couldn't seem to help but ask them.
Aldrich began rubbing his hand up and down her arm, something she had noticed he did when he was nervous. "Not all can. It honestly just depends. Arvin was a good man and good father, he just couldn't handle having his soul split in two. That's essentially what happens when you lose your mate. Part of you dies with them, and for some people, they take the good part of you. That's what happened with Arvin. She took every good part of him with her when she died and only left the bad."
Nicole felt her heart ache at his words. She pitied his father, and she hadn't even heard the full story yet.
"I tried to speak with him, tried to reason with him so I wouldn't have to take the pack by force. He still had a few warriors loyal to him, and he sent them to try and kill me in my sleep. I woke one night to find five men standing in my room, and that's the first fight where I killed anyone. They had all rushed at me, attempting to stab me with silver laced with Wolfsbane. If I hadn't shifted, they probably would have succeeded. I killed them all, and then I went after Arvin."
"He met me in the field out behind the pack house. He had called the entire pack out to watch. He told them that I was conspiring against him and I had to be put down. They all knew better though. We fought for an hour. It was the longest fight I'd ever been in with one single person. When it got to the end, we were both exhausted and hurting. He began crying and begging me to send him to the Moon Goddess so he could be with Mother. It was the hardest thing I'd ever done." His voice broke slightly near the end, as if he was fighting tears.
Nicole tightened her arms around him, nuzzling her face into his neck where his mark rested. "Go on. I'm not going to look at you any different, Aldrich."
He took a deep, ragged breath before continuing, a sarcastic smile on his face. "It's not hard to kill when you've been raised to do it. You have men who will look you in the eye as you do it and not falter. Then you have those that will piss themselves and beg for their lives. It doesn't bother me. If you're my enemy, I can do it and sleep like a newborn pup that same night. But he wasn't my enemy, not really. I think that was the hardest part."
Nicole hung onto his every word, kissing the mark on his neck every couple of sentences. He was struggling, but she was here to hold him together and urge him on. He needed to let it out, genuinely let it out, so he could move on.
Aldrich turned to face her, caressing her check with his hand. "I don't want you to see me as the monster the rest of the world does. I did what I had to, and deep down, I think Arvin wanted it too. He knew his time as alpha was over, but that one part of him that wanted control wouldn't let him give it up. I killed him, but I think he had been dead long before that."
Nicole leaned forward, planting a gentle kiss to his lips. "I don't think you're a monster, Aldrich. Being a leader is hard, and sometimes we have to do things that we really don't wanna do. I respect you for putting your dad out of his misery. Someone needed too, because from what my dad told me, he was living in hell. I just hate that you had to live through it too."
Aldrich smiled, resting his other hand on her waist. "I'm fine. It toughened me up and taught me how to lead."
Nicole smiled back, leaning forward and resting her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight as he buried his face in her hair. Her scent was intoxicating to him. It was one of a kind, and he couldn't find words to describe it. He just knew he never wanted to let her go and never have the chance to smell that scent again. "I can't imagine losing you. It terrifies me, more than anything."
Nicole kissed his right pec, running her hands up and down his chest. "You won't lose me." She looked up at him, her of her hands caressing his cheek. "I won't put you through it. Just as long as you don't put me through it."
Aldrich smirked, bending down and pressing a kiss to her lips. He pulled back, running his thumb over her bottom lip. "You can't get rid of me that easy, don't worry."
Nicole giggled and kissed his thumb that still rested on her lip. After a few moments, he laid them down, Nicole tucked tightly into his side.
"I love you." she mumbled, her drowsiness beginning take over as her eyes fluttered.
"I love you." he replied, kissing the top of her head as he got himself comfortable and closed his eyes.
Nicole held onto him the whole night, getting one of the most peaceful sleeps she had had in a while.
The next morning the two alphas got up and dressed for the day. Aldrich had agreed to take Nicole sightseeing, and possibly let her wolf out in the mountains. To say she was excited was an understatement. She stood in the bathroom, marveling at the numerous bruises that covered her neck and chest. They hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, not because they had stayed up all night screwing each other, but due to the fact that neither one stopped telling stories of their childhood and experiences running a pack to each other. They had laid in bed for hours, exchanging stories, both good and bad, some of them being things they hadn't even told the people closest to them. Aldrich has opened up about his father, which was a big deal to Nicole given his reluctance to talk about it with other people.
She understood why he felt the way he did about going to other packs. They all judged him, thinking him to be some monster that killed his own flesh and blood. Sure, they respected him, in a weird way. But under that respect was a sliver of fear. Not the good kind of fear. Not the kind that made people want to work with you because they knew you were a powerful man. No, the other alphas feared him for a whole different reason. If Aldrich Branson, a sixteen year old boy at the time, who had lost his mother young to rogues was able to kill his own flesh and blood; what would he do to them? Men and woman who meant nothing to him. They were scared of Aldrich, because they all believed him to be some heartless man who couldn't feel love for anyone. Nicole had never thought of him that way, even before talking to him about it. Her dad had been sympathetic towards him, even going as far as to prepare to send warriors to Nightshade if the young man needed it. Andrew had thought of Arvin as a best friend, someone he trusted and wanted to see succeed. He always knew Aldrich would be a good alpha. Too bad he didn't know what it took for him to get to that point.
As she stared in the mirror, pulling her hair into a high bun, Aldrich stood outside the bedroom, watching. She had put on a simple pair of jeans and a tank top, opting not to wear makeup due to the heat outside. He felt pride as he stared at her, silently thanking the Moon Goddess for blessing him with her. She didn't care about the love bites covering her skin. It showed that they were mated, and she wasn't ashamed of it. Josh had called him a few minutes before, telling him that the pack was eager to meet her. News had traveled through the country of them being mates, and the people of Nightshade were excited to talk and get to know her. Nicole was nervous to meet them, but excited nonetheless. They would be her people one day, and she needed to let them get to know her before she assumed her role in the pack.
Once she finished looking over herself, she turned to Aldrich, a small, nervous smile on her face. "I'm ready."
He nodded and led her out the house. They walked to his Jeep, him opening the door for her and waiting for her to climb in before shutting it behind her. He then took his spot in the driver seat, starting the vehicle up and driving towards the pack house. Nicole glanced around at everything as they passed, seeing how different his pack looked compared to hers. It was more flat than her land, which was a combination of valleys and mountains. Montana was more plains, hills, and river valleys. It was different in ways, but also similar. His lands were beautiful, and she could see the mountains in the distant and felt her wolf practically begging to go up there. Aldrich chuckled, feeling her wolfs excitement. "Soon, I promise."
Nicole smiled and nodded, going back to observing. They pulled up at the pack house, which was much larger than the one in her pack. It was huge, having Goddess knows how many rooms and floors.
"Wow." Nicole mumbled, gazing at the large house. "How many rooms is that?"
"A lot." chuckled Aldrich. "It's been added onto over the years. The more the pack grows, the more the pack house does. We'll begin renovating it again soon due to the expansion."
Nicole huffed. "How much bigger do you need it? Seems like Nightshade is compensating for something." she said jokingly, getting out of the Jeep and waking to the front of the house.
Aldrich rolled his eyes, but smiled nonetheless and followed. "Believe me, there's nothing to compensate for. You should know that." he joked, wanting a slap on the arm from
Nicole.
They walked in together, Nicole immediately noticing how busy and alive the house was. Different wolfs were moving around, doing their assigned tasks to keep up with the upkeep of the huge house. Nicole felt herself feeling stupid as she called it a house. It was a mansion for Goddess sake. Aldrich led her into the main room, smiling at Josh who was sitting on the couch, waiting for them. He stood, nodding his head respectfully at them both. "Good morning." he greeted.
Nicole smiled. "Good morning, Josh."
Aldrich placed his hand around her waist, glancing at a few wolves who watched her nervously. He nodded to them, giving them permission to approach her. One woman stepped first, walking slowly to Nicole. She bowed, showing her neck to her in submission. Nicole smiled kindly to her, holding her hand out for the woman to touch. It symbolized that she accepted the woman and allowed her near her. Her pack wasn't as formal as most, so it felt funny for a moment. But when the woman raised up and looked to her, her wolf felt a strong surge of power. The woman had tears in her eyes, why, Nicole didn't know. But she knew they were for her.
"Don't cry, please." she said gently, her hand still held out for the woman to take.
Slowly, she lifted her hand and placed it in Nicole's. "My names Alana, Luna Alice was my sister."
Nicole grasped the woman's hand, a sign she was family. "I'm so sorry for your loss." She glanced around at the others in the room, seeing a similar look of overwhelming joy on their faces. "I'm sorry for all of your losses. I wish I could've met her. She was an astounding luna from what I've heard."
Alana smiled, removing her hand from Nicole's gently. "She was. She would have loved you, I already know it."
Nicole felt her face heat up. She didn't usually do well in front of so many people, but she felt at ease and calm surrounded by Aldrich's people and family. An older man walked up, looking strikingly similar to Aldrich. He must be his grandfather. The man wore a kind smile, and he stood by Alana, placing a comforting hand on her back. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. My grandson hasn't stopped talking about you since he got back from your pack."
Nicole laughed and glanced at Aldrich. "The pleasures mine." she replied, turning back to his grandfather. "I'm Alpha Nicole Danielson of Silent Ash. It's amazing to meet you Mr.Branson."
"Call me Alton. I've heard so much about you. How is your father, Andrew, isn't it?"
Nicole nodded. "Yes Sir. And he's doing good. He's helping my beta and gamma watch over the pack while I'm here. So he's enjoying playing alpha for a while."
Alton laughed, his deep voice carrying through the room. "I'm sure he's enjoying himself. I know it got awfully boring once I retired."
Nicole chuckled. "I'm sure it did. Running a pack this big had to be quite the job, and especially during a civil war."
Alton smiled at the praise from the woman. "I like you." he commented, a playful glint in his eyes.
Nicole's face heated up once again. "Thank you, Sir."
Aldrich cleared his throat from beside her, laying his hand on the small of her back. "I'm gonna show Nicole around. We'll see you all later."
Alana and Alton nodded, both smiling kindly at Nicole. She let Aldrich lead her up a staircase to the second floor. There was a long hallway with doors lining either sides of the hallway. They turned and walked down it, stopping at the last door on the right. He opened it, leading her into his office. The first thing Nicole noticed was how it was set up very similar to her own. He had a mini fridge in the corner, filled with bottles of water. There was a mini bar set up over by the desk, and Nicole rolled her eyes at the numerous different alcohols to pick from. He caught her glancing at the bar and chuckled. "It can get stressful sometimes. I like to come have a drink every once and a while."
"I'm not judging." she said, shrugging. "My dad never let me drink, so I'm just not much of a drinker."
Aldrich chuckled again. "He doesn't let you drink?"
She rolled her eyes, taking an exaggerated seat in his chair behind the desk. "I didn't say he didn't let me drink now, I'm just not a drinker cause I choose not to be."
Aldrich smirked and shook his head, leaning against the desk. "I could see you having a glass of wine every once in a while. I'm surprised."
"Nope." she said, popping the 'p'. "I hate wine. I've never liked the taste." She casually propped her feet on the desk, beside where Aldrich was sitting. "I love this desk by the way. It's more... spacious than mine."
"It was my dads. He was picky about his desk. He would roll over in his grave if he saw you with your feet up on it."
Nicole's eyes widened slightly, and she quickly removed her feet. "Sorry. I didn't know." she said with a sheepish smile.
Aldrich smiled and shook his head. "It's okay. I was just messing with you." he said as he stood from the desk. He walked over to a cabinet, opening it and pulling out a drawer. "These, I would probably go off about. This is all the things of his I kept after he died."
Nicole's interest peeked as he began pulling out different items. She stood, walking to stand beside him. He was holding a watch, which she could immediately tell was old and expensive. "He always wore this. Grandpa bought if for him when he took over as alpha. He stopped wearing it after Mom died."
Nicole peered at the watch in amazement. It was old, but still a nice watch. The band was a dark leather, and the inside of the watch was engraved with a wolf. The background was a map, and it had different lakes named. "What is the map?"
"A bit of our territory. Grandpa had it made for him as a present. It was handed down to me, but I can't make myself wear it." His voice was full of emotion as he gently handed her the watch.
She softly flipped it over in her hands, inspections the old piece of jewelry. "It's gorgeous. I can't imagine how much he paid to have it made— not that it's my business anyways."
Aldrich chuckled. "He won't tell me, but it was a lot. It's real gold, so it has to be expensive."
Nicole smiled and handed it back to him, watching as he carefully laid it back in the drawer. He pulled out a large ring and wedding band next, and Nicole assumed it was his mothers. He gently laid it in her hand, allowing her to inspect it. "This is beautiful." she mumbled, in awe at the ring. "Your moms?"
Aldrich nodded. "It's aquamarine and white gold. The blue reminded Dad of her eyes. He bought it for her and gave it to her at their ceremony."
The ring was beautiful, and no doubt expensive. The band and simple, with aquamarine diamonds going around the sides. The actual ring itself was similar, but a large diamond sat in the middle. "My mom wasn't much for jewelry, according to my dad. He bought her a car for their ceremony." she said laughing.
Aldrich smiled and took the set back when she placed it in his hand. "What type are you?" he asked in a joking tone.
Nicole shrugged. "I like cars, but jewelry is fine too. I have a few necklaces I like to wear at court."
Aldrich nodded, taking note. He pushed the drawer back in, closing the cabinet and locking it. "Speaking of court, will you be going this year?"
She nodded. "Sadly. I need to make alliances, so dad has been pushing for me to go without him. I'll probably take Lance and let James stay with the pack and Meg." She turned her head and looked at him. "You aren't planning on going I assume?"
Aldrich heard the hope in her voice, and he felt his heart ache slightly. "No, I wasn't. I kind of have a reason to go this year though."
Nicole chuckled. "And what would that be?"
Aldrich rolled his eyes, waking over to the love seat and couch set up the by window across the room. He took a seat in the velvet love seat, Nicole sitting beside him, half in his lap. He rested his arms around her waist, squeezing softly as he pulled her into him. "Well, I didn't have a mate last year, or any year before that. What kind of man would I be staying in my pack while my mate does her duty and travels up north?"
Nicole smiled and blushed. "Not too good of a man I would think."
He nodded, agreeing. "I'll suck it up and go this year. Josh can go with me, and Grandpa can watch over the pack."
"Why don't you appoint a gamma?" she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck and settling into his lap. "It would make things so much easier. I know it does for me."
Aldrich sighed, leaning back. "I had a gamma picked out when I took over the pack. He lasted about a week and he decided he was too good to be a gamma. He challenged Josh, Josh beat him, and I just decided to leave the position alone."
"Who was it? What happened after he beat him?"
"He was banished. They found his body a few weeks later. He had wandered into a pack and they killed him."
Nicole raised her eye brows. "Wasn't that a little much? To make him rogue?"
Aldrich shook his head. "I didn't kill him. He knew what would happen if he wandered into a pack and showed his ass. I don't tolerate disrespect from my people. They don't fear me, but they do know what will happen. He tried and lost, so he was banished."
Nicole understood his way of thinking. If it were her, she would like to think she would've given the man a second chance to stay in the pack. It was tricky though. You never could fully trust someone like that again, so sometimes the easier option was banishment. "I understand."
Aldrich smiled and placed his head in the crook of her neck, where her mark laid. She felt a shiver go down her spine as his warm breath hit her skin. "When is court?" he asked a moment later.
"The end of the month. They always hold it near the middle of the year."
He nodded, his arms tightening around her once again. "Do you wanna let your wolf out in the mountains?"
"Of course. When can we go?" She knew he could hear the excitement in her voice.
"Let me get up and file some paperwork and we'll go. About thirty minutes?"
Nicole nodded, standing up from his lap and lying on the couch. "Okay. Get to it, Alpha."
A chuckle left Aldrich's lips as he stood also and made his way to his desk. Sitting down, he began filing his papers for the day, rushing so they could leave for a few hours.