Finian POV
Back at the Western Pack, for a few weeks, the call comes late in the afternoon, while I'm overseeing the training of the newly shifted wolves. They're unpredictable this soon after shifting, a danger to themselves and others if not handled properly.
"Hello."
"Fin, are you sitting down," Grey asks over the phone with a hint of nervousness.
"No, why?"
"Sit down for a minute, take a deep breath in."
"Stop it, Grey, just tell me."
"I have some news for you."
"Please tell me the wicked wolf of the East died today." Grey's silence drags on in a boring few minutes before I make a yawning noise telling him of my boredom.
"No, not the news you want something different. Something you would never have expected."
"Stephanie's pregnant."
"Who?" Starting to laugh at what he's saying.
"Grey, I'm not sure what you're smoking over there but I did not put myself inside any of the North Packs females for a very long time maybe a year. Besides, I don't do that when they're in their heat. Wrong wolf Grey, she's lying." Still laughing.
"Fin, I believe her."
"That's where you and I are different, you shouldn't trust females they are all liars. How come you can't understand this simple thing I keep trying to tell you. All of them lie."
"Not Meela." Grey comes back at me hard. "Meela doesn't lie and neither does a lot of females Fin. You're just-"
"What am I, Grey?" Blowing out the air in my lungs, my day was going so good.
"Listen to me Finian." Irritation starts to build up inside me with the use of my name. I hate when he uses my full name. It's as if he is better than me, throwing it around as if it holds no power.
"So when Victoria comes for her should I let her have the female that has your pup inside her?" It's hard to control the rage growing, spreading inside me.
"Why is Victoria coming there?"
"She won't let the pup live." That vile female, she has no right to interfere with my life. She lives her life, I live mine.
"I'm coming Grey."
"You better bring your warriors Fin, she's upset. I have never heard her cry like that before.
"She cried?" Good let her be upset, I've cried over her too. It's her turn.
"What do you think Fin, she wants nothing more than to be with you. All she wants is to make things right with you but you won't let things go."
"How do you want me to let things go when all I picture is her down on her knees pleasing you. How do you think I can even think of kissing her mouth? Don't you think it's important to be able to at least kiss your mate? Touch your mate? I can't do any of those things with her. I can't even look at her without wanting to throw up with how disgusting she is." I can feel the claws coming out of my nail beds, agonizingly slow.
"If she even thinks that she can take what's mine from me, I will-"
"Don't kill her Finian, she's your mate and you would never forgive yourself. Don't Finian." Grey's voice sounding strong, trying to teach from mistakes of the past.
"I'm on my way Grey, I won't kill her if she attacks me. But I will teach her a lesson, a hard lesson. I will make her appear so weak in front of her pack that she will forever be shamed in their eyes." Hanging up on him, it's time for a real fight from my warriors.
Pulling up to the Northern packhouse, it's surrounded by warriors looking strong. Grey expects a small war to break out.
Who side does he choose his brother's or Victoria?
Getting out the car Grey is there to greet me, a handshake, pulling him in for a hug. "I don't know that female." Saying it low in his ear. Looking over at her, she's hidden in her overly sized sweater, her tears have stained the edges of her sleeves darker in color.
"Her name's Stephaine," Grey whispers in my ear.
Walking towards her, sniffing her for signs of the lie. I have a nose to sniff through lies of females, they play their games with me constantly, I'm a master.
"I'm sorry Alpha Fin." Her voice low, pulling her into a hug smelling her neck. I do recognize her. Leaning into her ear, "what did you do when you went into the bathroom?" Her sobs are enough to have me understand what she must have done. I won't be able to tell if it's really mine for another month or so.
"Are you sure Stephanie?" Smelling the air between us. I have to keep my teeth hidden from her.
"I'm sure Alpha Fin. I've only been with you...ever." Well, that's not true because I know for a fact she was on her knees for my brother before Meela came. That doesn't bother me the way my gut clenches at the thought of Victoria on her knees for my brother.
The slamming of the car door, makes my eyes close slightly, she's here.
Her strides are confident, shoulders back, looking around at all the warriors assembled, not impressed by the display. Without a care in the world, she goes to Grey first. Embracing him to her, my canines are descending, jealousy warming my body with it's hate.
A mutt following behind her like a dog, his eyes are on all the males, looking them in the eyes. He's bristling up, putting on a show.
She embraces Meela next, whispering words that I can't make out, while her eyes are challenging mine. Her morning glory blue's changing to light aquamarine eyes that bore into me, not looking away.
Hate
Pain
Rage
That's what I'm seeing from her. Pulling Stephanie against me, she can't even think of taking Victoria on. No female wolf can stand a chance against that thing.
A filthy abomination of nature...the moon laughs at me with who she paired me with.
"Fin, why all the warriors? Afraid that I would bring mine?" I'm a little speechless with the amount of contempt she's flinging out. Her confidence is alarming to a fault.
"Finian the difference between you and me. I need no army behind me to beat you." She starts laughing evilly at me, this vile female is laughing at me.
"You were always the weaker little brother, weren't you Finian, always in your brother's shadow." Snarling towards her my teeth have descended, she's shaming me in front of my warriors.
Tunnel vision, only her and I exist in this moment, everything else falls away.
"The truth is, I'm glad this happened, it's a relief actually, my wolf wouldn't be able to stand to be around a male so unworthy of us. You are unworthy of me, Finian." I can feel everywhere her eyes rake up and down my body. Her face holds the disgust I feel when looking at her. It's shocking slightly to feel that from her.
"Victoria stop this." Grey takes a step towards the raging female. Her eyes are black now, losing herself to her nature. She's going to try to fight me. Meela pulls grey back into her.
"You want the truth Finian, I prefer your brother over you." She takes a step towards me, getting closer and closer and I let her because I am going to punish her for this.
"Isn't that what you always wanted to know?" I hate this female with my entire soul, I think I could kill her myself.
Just get it over with end her, leave her for the crows to feast on.
She's looking at my warriors now with a sneer that shows fangs. "They look pathetic all them, weak males for a weak leader." My warriors now have been insulted I have no choice but to teach this female a lesson in the art of dominance. The wolf in me is excited for a real challenge her wolf poses to us. Muscles twitching, nails descending I'm just on the verge of a shift, trying to control it.
Just mere inches separate us. The aggression of Alpha's crackling the air, power knows power.
Her skin is quivering with the need to shift yet she holds herself better than me. The control she has is something to take note of. The snarl she gives out actually shakes my body with the ferocity of it. My warriors quiet down, without really understanding why she has turned from me until it's too late.
The female that holds my future inside her, lays dead at my feet, gurgling noises bubbling out of the throat that is no longer there. She did that with one hand.
Going towards the female holding her so someone is holding her until she ascends to the moon, no one deserves to die alone, without anyone holding them.
I can see the blood dripping from her claws that are still out, one slow drip at a time hits the dirt.
"You might not want me, but I will never allow another female to carry your pup, never." Her words spit on me as if I am meant to be spit on.
The darkness of the wolf descends through me, uncontrolled years of rage makes itself known in this moment. We seek out something that will hurt her, that will tear into her soul like she did mine. The mutt of a wolf smiles towards me as if he has been wanting this fight for a very long time.
"Charlie, this isn't your fight." Victoria claws in his neck pulling him back, drawing blood trying to pull the male wolf away. Her eyes lose some of their fierceness, mine don't. If I kill this wolf I will hurt her soul, I never knew she had a soul.
"I've always loved you, Victoria." He actually kisses her in front of me. He changes from skin to fur with the art of the Old Way.
Fast, very fast, just a shimmer of power before I feel him plowing into me, toppling me, rolling over each other trying to get the underbelly, the soft spot to open up. His will is to try to end me, my will is what makes the ending for other wolves, he just doesn't understand that yet but he will.
Let him meet the wolf, let Victoria see who she is calling a weak little wolf. I give the wolf absolute control over me.
Domination is what he was born to do, what his bloodline demands. He does not concede, he does not bow down, and never will he tuck tail.
The blood of his body coating our fur feels euphoric.
"Enough Fin, stop." Victoria is not powerful enough to command my wolf.
Tearing flesh, shoulders with deep chunks of meat missing. The wolf now just playing with this male who is no match for us. Yet he continues his noble fight, not trying to go belly up, not asking for mercy.
He continues his path towards death, the moon will embrace him soon.
With teeth clamped into his neck, I make sure I ascend slightly so she understands this is me who is doing this, bones crushing in a jaw that was made to crush bones. We tear out his life, letting it spill at her feet.
She's on me, just as fast as Grey is. Just as strong as Grey is except she doesn't know how to fight against me. This is the only reason why we will win against her, she doesn't have the skill to beat us.
Lunging, teeth snapping she can't get a hold of our fur. Each bite to her body draws blood but we don't want to cause great damage.
Wear her down.
She's all brute strength as she comes for another lethal snap of jaw that wants to end me. Biting her, drawing more blood we don't go as deep as we should, lots of mixed bloody paw prints create a beautifully painted mural of life and death.
Victoria backs away from me, she back steps towards that mutt who is dead already, no one is holding his body, he's already ascended with the hazy film already over his eyes.
She's actually whining for him.
Without thought, the wolf springs towards her clamping his jaw into her throat marking her as his. He has just won an Alpha challenge and claimed his mate. It's drunken power that spills into his body, our body. Pure power that's making us high.
Shifting out of fur, the power is
Consuming
Controlling
Seducing
"Shift!" When she does, the female in front of me is too much for my resolve.
Grabbing her by the back of her neck that has my wolf's mark on it is incredibly desirable, one need takes over.
Take what's your right to take.
"I claim all the Eastern Pack land for Tribute of my pups death, I claim Victoria as mine." My voice booming over all warriors to hear. Sinking my teeth deep into her neck, holding her there. The soul of her is starting to expose itself to me.
What have I done?