It had been a couple days since Samantha and I met with Jamie and Stacey. My wolf kept begging me to return, but I refused. It was lucky we weren't caught that night, so I couldn't risk it. We had returned after covering ourselves in the perfume again. For some reason, Ian had been on patrol near my mother's house, so it was difficult for us to sneak back to the window.
It was now the day of my Alpha ceremony. I was mostly ready, wearing casual, but nice looking clothes. I chose not to look too fancy, as I wanted the pack to see who their future Alpha was.
I exited the bathroom, only to be pulled into a kiss by Kyle. What? I fought to get loose, but he pushed me against a wall.
He finally pulled his head away, "Ready for today, baby girl?"
"Did I hit my head?" I asked, "Why are you acting so different?"
He chuckled, leaning down to plant kisses on my neck, then murmured, "Am I not allowed to show my Alpha the respect she deserves?"
I pushed him away, "Oh, so you're just sucking up to me before you take over."
"Look, Jade." He placed a hand under my chin, "I never meant to become the person I've been lately. I truly love you, and I want to make it up to you."
I couldn't tell if he was being serious or not, "How will you do that?"
"For starters, you don't have to sleep with me when the week is up." He leaned back in, letting his breath wash over my lips.
"Really?" Thankful for the wall, I started to feel weak with him so close. Not this again! It suddenly felt like high school all over again.
He then moved to my ear, leaving my lips cold, "Secondly, I won't tear those foxes to shreds."
I instantly pushed him with more force, causing him to stumble backwards, "How do you know about them?"
He smirked, "Ian caught you trying to sneak back to your mother's."
"I thought we managed to avoid him!" I hissed.
"You might have avoided him without that horrible perfume. Every good hunter knows to use mud and dung to mask scents." He laughed, "He informed me, then I tracked the scent to that pickup."
"Did you hurt them?" I clenched my fists.
"Relax." He mockingly rolled his eyes, "I had Ian and a few wolves escort them to the dungeon, where they'll be mostly taken care of until they rot."
I thought for a moment, "We have a prison, not a dungeon."
His smile widened, "Your father never showed you the dungeon? Perfect, then I don't need to worry about any assisted escape attempts."
"You're a monster, Kyle." I spat, "Where is the baby?"
"She's safe and sound with them." He replied.
I took a breath to calm myself, "Let them out. I'll tell them to leave and never show their faces here again."
"We tried that already, didn't we?" He tried to put his hand on my cheek, which I swatted away.
"No, my father tried." I growled, "I'll warn them that if they come back again, they'll be killed."
"I'm sorry, baby girl, but that's not happening." He turned away, "Make sure you're ready. The ceremony's in ten minutes."
He then left, leaving me fuming in the living room. I felt like punching a hole in the wall, but forced myself not to. Instead, I raced outside and ran in the direction of the small clearing. I was hoping to pick up their scent and locate this dungeon. Reaching the abandoned pickup truck, I sniffed around. It seemed like Kyle was one step ahead of me, as coyote dung littered the area, masking all other smells. Even Jamie's enhanced scent from the bond was impossible to catch. I tried to use the dung as a guide, but it was scattered in too many directions.
Giving up, I realized I only had a couple minutes left to be at Kyle's old house. We really need a better place for important pack gatherings. My priority would have been rescuing them, but if I wanted to take Kyle down, the pack needed to know they could at least rely on me as Alpha to be on time.
I ran as fast as I could to the ceremony. A lot of the pack was already there, ready to see their new Alpha. I stopped to catch my breath, before stepping up to the makeshift stage. Ian was standing by the microphone, waiting to start his part of the speech.
Once everything was ready, I tuned out most of what Ian said. My mind was focussed on the trapped foxes thst needed my help. I could only hope Kyle wasn't lying when he said they'd be cared for. I had no idea how I was going to find them.
"Welcome your new Alpha, Jade!" Ian stepped away from the microphone.
I stepped up, shaking the thoughts from my mind, "Thank you Ian. I know how many of you feel about having a female Alpha. I promise to give my all to make sure this pack is well taken care of."
"What about your husband?" Someone called.
"My husband will be acting as sort of a second Alpha, as he calls it." I replied, cringing at the stupid title, "I promise we won't let you down."
Everyone started cheering as Ian stepped back up to finish. It was eventually over, and the wolves started to disperse. Now that I had been recognized as Alpha, I could mind link anyone in the pack. I heard a few congratulating voices through it, while others were uncertain.
"Samantha?" I tested the mind link.
"Yay, it works!" Hearing her voice eased my mind a little. Now I might have the upper hand on Kyle.
As if on cue, Kyle headed in my direction, waving to get my attention. Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to smile at my husband. He wrapped his arms around me, making it difficult for me to not slap him.
Before either of us could say anything, I heard a pride filled squeal from behind me, "My baby!"
I pulled away from him, "Hey, mom!"
She was quick to take his place hugging me, "My sweet baby!"
I laughed, rolling my eyes, "Mom, I'm not a baby anymore."
"Oh, yes you are." She scolded, "You're always my baby."
Kyle placed a hand on my shoulder, "If it's alright, may I take my wife to celebrate?"
She looked slightly offended, pulling away and stepping back. As she was about to reply, I quickly mind linked her, "Please say no, mom!"
"Actually, as former Luna, I'd like to be the first to celebrate with the only Alpha." She huffed, grabbing my wrist to pull me away from him.
Once we were out of earshot, I smiled, "I didn't say you needed to be rude, but I'll take it."
"I can't believe I went along with your father to force that thing into your life." She growled, still pulling me as we headed to my old home.
"What's with the hostility towards him all of a sudden?" I asked, happy but confused.
Sighing, she let go of my wrist, "The other night, I was heading to the bathroom when I overheard you and Samantha talking. I... got kind of snoopy and stopped to listen."
My heart started pounding harder with every step. Of course I trusted her with any secret I had, just like Samantha. I just didn't trust her safety if she got involved with this, "What did you hear?"
"Enough to know I want to rip that man's head off!" She snapped.
"Mom, don't get yourself into trouble over this. I'm going to find a way to fix it." We stepped inside the house, and I headed upstairs.
She followed me, "Not without me, you're not."
Sitting on my old bed, I looked at her, "I'm not going to let you get hurt. I didn't even want Samantha to know anything."
"Speaking of which, get her over here." She commanded, "We need to talk about this."
"Mom-"
"Now!"
Sighing, I started mind linking Samantha, "Come to my mom's place."
I explained why I was calling her over, then told my mother how long we'd have to wait. She sat beside me while I picked up the hat and stared at it. The memory of the other night flashed through my mind.
As Jamie and I talked about Kyle, he had cut me off. He placed a finger over my mouth, before leaning in to kiss me. Sparks shot through my body as what started as a sweet "I've missed you" kiss, turned into my body being pressed to the seat. He had pinned my arms to the leather, and started nibbling on my neck. At that moment, I wanted to run away with him. I was angry when we had to leave.
My thoughts were cut off by a bang on the door from downstairs. I stopped my mother from getting up, and mind linked, "Door's open. We're upstairs."
A moment later, Samantha stepped into my room and closed the door, "What's this about?"
"It's about getting that thing away from my daughter." My mother spat.
Chuckling at a confused Samantha, I clarified, "Kyle."
I sat out of it while my mother explained what she knew, and Szmantha filled in the rest. I quickly noticed that I had been absentmindedly playing with the hat again, before placing it on my head.
Once they were caught up, I asked, "Mom, do you know where the pack's dungeon is?"
"The pack has a dungeon?" They both exclaimed.
I growled to myself, then persisted, "Dad never said anything?"
She shook her head, "He did keep sort of a journal about important pack business. Maybe there's something about it there. I'll go find it."
With the, she left, leaving Samantha and I to ourselves, "What makes you think we have a dungeon?"
I filled her in on everything Kyle told me, then muttered, "I guess Stacey was wrong about the perfume."
"Found it!" My mother rushed back in with a book in her hand, "If this dungeon exists, this should hold some information on it. Who's the fastest reader?"
They looked to each other, before looking at me. I hesitantly answered, "I guess me?"
My mother passed me the journal, and I started skimming through it. I ran my eyes over each line quickly, only looking for the word - or words that could relate to - dungeon. I eventually stopped near the middle of the journal, on a page talking about the pack's jail, then started reading.
This is not normal. The pack's crime rate is through the roof. In all my years as Alpha, we have never had more than a couple thefts, or small acts of violence at a time. Now, the jail is becoming over crowded with robbers and murderers. I would have never expected the latter of any of my wolves, but something needs to be done. I've considered building another jail, but I'm afraid that won't be enough.
The entry ended there, so I stopped to ask, "What's this about crime rate being through the roof?"
My mother thought for a moment, "It was a few years after you were born. A lot of robberies were being reported, which soon became bodies being found torn to bits. I... I always hated your father's theory on why, but he thought it was because nobody liked the idea of their future Alpha being female."
I skimmed the next few pages, before finding a continuation.
I have decided against the new jail, as I can't risk murderous protestors escaping and harming my child. Reese's family has agreed to fund the excavation of an underground dungeon, but I must keep this a secret from everyone. Even my mate. Again, I can't risk my child's safety. It's going to be out of the pack's boundary, deep in the forest to the south. My daughter is the key.
The entry ended, and I quickly informed my mother and Samantha, "Jamie's truck in at the southern border."
"Maybe we were close to it!" Samantha squeaked.
I placed the hat safely back in my closet, "I'm going to find out."