Howl Packhouse above
Julius POV
The packhouse is full of people.
The annual celebration of Natasha being chosen as an Alpha is a tradition started by the late Thomas Howl, Natasha's mate. Natasha always says that she was ascendant into her Alpha position, not the traditional way and that she is right.
Basically, after the fire which killed Thomas's older brother, Thomas was about to ascend to this position, but for whatever reason, he didn't want to and felt not strong enough. An old friend of his father came to our pack to discuss the problem with him and brought his daughter Natasha. She and Thomas weren't true mates, but they were already at the age when you basically give up looking. It's customary that if werewolves don't find a true mate until they are 24, they can mate with whoever they want. And Natasha and Thomas did it; I know that for them, at least at the beginning, it was a business deal. Thomas didn't want the Alpha position and needed a strong mate to ensure peace; Natasha, who was wounded in rogue attacks when she was a young girl soon after her first shift, couldn't have children because of it, so no one was interested in mating with her. The werewolves put too much attention to having offspring of their own in general.
Thomas accepted being an Alpha, and Natasha instantly challenge him for the position, and he instantly yelled down and gave it to her. I still remember all the gasps the pack made at that time. No one saw that coming. Half of those who were planning to challenge Thomas instantly decided not to, Natasha was very famous for her fighting skills, and the other half was, well, let's say that Natasha made sure they understood their place. The same night she and Thomas mated and marked each other. And it was clever; Alpha's position was in the hands of a strong alpha wolf, and inheritance through the bloodline of Howl's family was also secured. Even though it started as a business deal, I know that they were both happy in this mating until Thomas's death.
I sit in the dining room, still admiring Danny's work; I know I'm not the only one astonished.
"It's really beautiful," I hear Alyssa's voice as she sits next to me. "I had a very good idea."
"Yes, you did!" I say, smiling, I feel a warmth inside of me; even talking about Danny gives me this feeling.
"I just wonder how he knew," she says, and I look at her, not understanding what she means.
She points in the direction of the corner of the mural, and I see a waterfall with a wolf howling near it. I guess I didn't notice before, but this is a waterfall in the woods on the edge of the territory, the place my brother, Alyssa's mate, and Natasha's mate died. I gulp; I've never taken Danny there. Maybe Brandon did. But somehow, I also know that the wolf he painted is very similar to Drake, and that wolf is in despair. It can be a coincidence, but I don't believe in coincidences. How would he know?
"How is your wolf?" Alyssa asks.
"Closer every day. I know that our connection is getting stronger. I lost hope years ago, but now I dare to hope again that he will be back with me. Do you think I'm naïve?"
"The connection between wolf and men is essential; we have a tendency to disregard our wolves' mental state. You knew the risk of rejecting Madison, and Drake was in grief because he lost her but also because of Luke and everything Madison has done. But he managed to preserve, weak and wounded but alive. I think somehow he got back his will of life, I don't know why now, but he did, so I think you are not naïve Julius. Drake is getting stronger, and you should cherish it."
She gently pats my arm, and I smile at her.
"Go and drink something; it's a day of joy," she says.
I do as she asks, I move around and talk, say jokes, and I indulge myself, or at least I try. And I try to spot Danny in the crowd. Earlier, when his mural was officially presented to the gathering, I could see how happy and, as always, beautiful he was, smiling so brightly. Brandon was holding his hand, and I really wanted this awful sensation inside me to go away, the sorrow after something I will never get, no matter how much I want it. And yet I still keep looking for him, even if anything I can ever have is only to look at him. When the fuck did it happen when I let myself to fell so much in love with him?
Alexa is standing next to the window; she seemed deep in thought. Earlier this evening, the names of the possible heirs to the pack were listed. Three of them: Gamma of the pack, Brandon, and Alexa. I wasn't surprised I've already known that Natasha made her choice, she just has to convince the rest that her choice is right, and Alexa has to stand up to the expectations to do so.
I come closer, and she gives me a glance.
"What do you think?" she asks
"I think you will be a great Alpha one day." I honestly believe it.
"Really? Do you think I have qualifications, or is it because of something else?"
I frown; I'm not sure what she is talking about.
"If I get that title, it will be because I earned it, not because of anything else," she says in a stern voice which makes me even more confused.
"I don't understand what you are referring to?"
"I have two secrets, Julius, and now when I was chosen as a possible Alpha, I may have to reveal them one day, and honestly, I don't want to. I want to be an Alpha, not because of the power but because I think I can take care of this pack."
"I think that too, Alexa. Are your secrets bad to reveal?"
"No, my secrets will only help me, will help my claim to the Alpha. It's just that they're mine; I don't want to share them no matter what. You are a Head Warrior, Julius. Are you in my corner?"
"As long as I see you fit to support you, yes, I'm in your corner," I say sternly.
I value our Gamma, but I don't think he has better qualifications than Chen. And Brandon, Brandon won't do no matter what; he is not a leader material. The only reason he was considered is because of his father's reputation and Howl's blood in his veins, distant but still. People feel loyalty towards the blood, and nothing can change that ever. Alexa was born here, but she isn't from a strong family with traditions, not like Gamma or Brandon. Plus, she isn't mated, and Brandon has his true mate, who everybody in the pack likes and who, without any doubt, would be a great Luna.
Alexa pushes my wheelchair; we pass people in the hall and step outside, talking about patrols and training. From the porch, I can finally see Danny as he stands in the garden in front of the opened door to the basement we keep wine, with his hand still on the door's knob.
"Danny?" I shout to get his attention, and he looks at me; I see fear and shame in his eyes, and I don't know what to do. What the hell happened?
Alexa jumps from the porch and is next to Danny in seconds. I see the disgust and fury on her face as she screams:
"Brandon, you fucking jerk!"
The hell breaks loose!
Danny POV
I should feel something, shouldn't I? Anything at all? I think as I look at Brandon fucking Fiona on the stairs to the wine cellar.
The evening was so good so far. I felt pride when people were praising my work, I could feel Julius's eyes on me, and it made me happy. And I was sure that today among all these people, Brandon won't be able to do anything, and yet I was wrong. Natasha asked me to bring the bottle of wine because she wanted to make toast for Alpha's candidates.
I should feel something, shouldn't I? Jealousy? Humiliation? And yet I feel nothing; I'm empty as they pant hard, indulgent so much in each other that they haven't noticed me yet.
It's when Julius screams my name they look up and see me. Fiona looks scared and ashamed, and Brandon... I don't have time to think about him because Alexa jumps into the cellar and literally rips Brandon off of her sister.
She drags him upstairs and starts punching him, he starts protecting himself, and they don't hold back. They both are furious and want to hurt each other without any doubt. The commotion is so big people come from the packhouse. Fiona is sobbing at the entrance to the cellar, screaming that she loves him, that she loves him so much. And no one seems interested in stopping what is happening.
"Enough!" I hear a raspy voice, Alpha's voice of Natasha, as she stands on the porch angrily.
Branon and Alexa stop; she is in better shape than him, meaning she bleeds less. She snarls and walks in the direction of her sister, grabs her, and drags her somewhere else. Preston and Brandon's friends rush to help him; I stay in my place; I feel so tired. But Preston screams for me to go with them, so I do. We take Brandon to one of the rooms in the packhouse, he looks rough, and Alexa managed to put a lot of damage on him. It's the first time he looks at me, but there is no guilt on his face; he is angry.
"How fucking stupid you are!" Preston screams. "You had to humiliate yourself exactly today! Have you got any idea how damaging it will be for your reputation in the pack? Loyalty is something Alphas must have, and you've just shown everyone that you are the cheating bastard!"
I gulp as Preston looks at me:
"It's all your fucking fault! You are such a weak bitch that you can't even keep your mate's attraction!"
I feel my lips trembling; I don't want to cry here in front of him, so I run. I run downstairs and away from the packhouse. I don't care where I run; I just want a way out; I want it to be over; I want to be left alone. I can't stand it anymore; that's not right; nothing between Brandon and me is right anymore. Has it ever been right?
I understand that I was smitten with him, with his strength, with my romantic vision of true mates, with connection to his wolf. He wasn't like that at the beginning; he cared at the beginning. It's almost as if he stopped caring the moment he marked me.
I'm so tired; I'm so tired of walking on eggshells around him, waiting for another hit or another round of emotionless, forced sex, waiting for another humiliation. And I don't care, I don't care if he fucks Fiona or anybody else; it doesn't matter now. Has it ever mattered before?
When I no longer have any strength, I fall to my knees and start crying.
"Danny?"
I look around and see naked Julius sitting close to me; he must have looked for me in his wolf form. I keep sobbing as I throw myself in his arms, wrapping my hands around his naked chest. He is so warm; he feels so good. He gently pats my back and moves his fingers in my hair, whispering sweet nothings, repeating over and over again that it will be better, that everything will be fine.
I don't believe him as I cry on his shoulder, holding to him as if he was the only exitance in this world, and that's when I do something I shouldn't, no matter what. I look at his face, his eyes full of sorrow and compaction, and I lose control. I reach to his lips and kiss him, hard and desperate. At first, he seems shocked, but it doesn't take long as he interacts with me. I gladly welcome his tongue in my mouth, on my cheeks, and neck. He pushes me on my back and presses his body on top of mine; we are making up like crazy. I don't care about anything at this moment; I only don't want ever to leave his arms, no matter what.
He is the first one to get his senses back as he suddenly stops and moves away.
"Danny, we can't; you are just upset with what happened with Brandon."
I bite my lips as tears keep coming from my eyes. I yearn for his touch, but he is right. We can't, he is just kind to me, and I can't use it against him.
"I'll take you home. You will sleep today in Chen's house," he gently says.
Julius POV
I would kill him if Alexa weren't quicker than me. For a brief moment, when she was holding Brandon on the ground, I wished for her to do it. Brandon would be gone, and there would be no more problems.
I brought Danny to Chen's house and sat with him until he was asleep, exhausted from all the crying. Drake stirs in my mind as if he wanted to hunt Brandon down, and I understand him because I want it to.
I look at Danny curled under the blanket; that's not how it was supposed to be; he didn't deserve it any of it. Trist knocks on the door and enters the room.
"Can you sit with him? I must go back to the packhouse." I ask, and Trist nods.
The packhouse is empty, everybody has come back to their houses or rooms, and I'm not surprised. After all, no one was any longer in the mood for fun after that disgusting scandal. I find my wheelchair, which is still on the porch, shift, put my clothes on, and move into the house. I pass some omegas as they are cleaning. I knock on the door of Alyssa's apartment.
Alexa is sitting in the corner of the room; her eyes are shifting, so I'm sure her wolf is still very agitated. Fiona is on the couch, still sobbing, and her mother is next to her, Alyssa looks at me, and I know she is as pissed off as I am.
"Chen and Natasha?" I ask
"They are talking with Brandon and Preston; they will be here soon. How is Danny?" Alyssa asks.
"I found him; he is in Chen's house now," I say.
"I'm sorry!" Fiona says, crying, "But I love him; I love him so much I can't live without him."
"Danny is Brandon's marked true soulmate. Wake up! Breaking the bond between true mates after marking is practically impossible!" Alexa snarls," And Brandon doesn't love you; he is incapable of it!"
I don't like what she says. Brandon must love Danny because that's the only way for Danny to be happy, and I want Danny to be happy no matter what. Fiona sobs harder as Natasha and Chen enter the room.
"Brandon and you, Alexa, will leave in two days for the Ravenswood pack under the command of Gamma. Their Alpha suggested a treaty, and I want both of you to check it. And after that, you will check two more packs; Gamma is your superior," says Natasha sternly, and the dead silence comes around.
"This will be punishment for the brawl. As possible future Alpha, I must be sure that two of you can work even with those you hate, so consider it as your first test." She finishes in a dead tone. "Fiona, I could use an Alpha Command on you, but I don't want to humiliate you more than you already did yourself. But this is the last warning. If you want to avoid being considered a pack slut, you better behave. And stay away from Brandon for your own sake."
Chapter 18 is up :)
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