Alpha, Do I Know You?

Chapter 3: News

Iwould have loved to say hours passed after my heart and expectations weredestroyed and I had been mooning around, trying to rebuild myself together.Maybe if I was the heroine in some cheesy book then that’s probably what I’d bedoing. But I’m not that lucky. As soon as the couple pranced off to their everafter with his friends following suit, Elizabeth came and tore me a new one fortaking a long time cooking because she still had a lot of errands for me.

SoI trudged off with a heavy heart I tried to ignore and carried the food I made outside.My eyebrows raised in surprise when I saw that there were humans alreadysetting the backyard into a themed soiree. White flowers were placed in themiddle of the black velvet covered tables, emphasizing the glossy silverware.

Amakeshift stage was set at the far end of the yard, designed with black velvetcurtains interlaced thin ribbons of white lace. And in bright silver cutoutswere the words Better with Two on astring in the middle of the curtain.

Decoratingthe center of the yard was a huge statue of two wolves leaning towards eachother with closed eyes. Even from far away I could see the finite detail andheart put into shaping art like this. The pure unadulterated love that thesetwo wolves have is so obvious that I couldn’t help imagining for a second thatone wolf is as dark as the night and the other as bright as daylight. Me andhim.

Afinger snapped me out of my daydream. “Are you gonna stand there or are yougoing to help with the setting up?” Elizabeth’s green eyes lookeddisapprovingly at me before glancing a few times at the two huge trays of foodI had in my arms.

Myhead moved in accord to the direction of the people setting up and I saidwithout talking, “Didn’t look like you need more help?”

Elizabethraised her hand, getting ready to slap me silly like she always does when Idon’t act the way she wants me to, when she stopped and closed her eyes. Shetook deep breaths for a few seconds before opening it, putting her hand down toher sides, and looking visibly calmer than before. Her following words werevibrating with anger as she bit out, “Be glad I don’t have time for this todayotherwise you would be begging for mercy now.”

Ilowered my head, looking and exuding the scent of being afraid for her to thinkthat her threats worked. Years of death threats and intimidation has taught mehow to hide and fake my emotions. If I hadn’t learned from the first few yearsof almost being killed because I wasn’t afraid of their silly little threats,knowing without fail that I will be able to survive anything they throw at me.Maybe it’s false confidence that will harm me in the future, but there’s thiswarm comforting knowledge that I wouldn’t die in their hands—no matter howworse the beatings got. I always bounce back.

WhenElizabeth nodded her head for me to get away from her sight, I headed towardsthe banquet tables, comforted by the knowledge that I won’t be here forever. These guys will know who I am in the futureand they will regret everything they ever did to me, I thought, feeling thesubtle shift of my skin to turn into a wolf because of the ice cold fury I wasfeeling. But I breathe deeper as I set the food and went back to the kitchen tograb the rest. Don’t let your furycontrol you, I thought¸ they’re notworth it.

Gettinginto the rhythm of setting the food, I felt the subtle shift of my skin come toa stop and the fierce fury I felt went back deep into the cave of emotions Ikeep hidden, to wait until the time is right.

Afew more plates of food later and I was done with setting up the party food.The two long tables were filled to the brim with plates of food ranging fromthe meat variety, vegetarian, fruits, and desserts. Satisfied, I looked over atthe makeshift stage to see Elizabeth talking with a human wearing an ear mic.

Shedidn’t look like she needed me anymore so I started walking back to my cottage.The forest at daytime was brighter and more vivid, a different kind of etherealbeauty that makes you want to spend hours with the person you love, frolicking,and talking about nothing and everything at the same time.

Theemotional wound Tate left on me earlier felt raw and exposed as I sat under theshade of a massive oak tree. The warmth of the sun felt like it’s burning meinside and the soft breeze that moved my jet black hair with its windy throeswas a sharp stinging that would never leave me. I couldn’t do this. I neverexpected that losing a mate would feel this way. This is above and beyond myexpectations.

Maybeit would have been simple if what I imagined it to be is true. He rejects meand I go about my way, searching for the Rosewood pack that has been hauntingmy memories ever since I could remember. That’s still my goal, and even thoughit sucks horribly right now, I know in my heart that I would rather find thispack I feel like I belonged in than tie myself to a guy without completelyknowing who I am—without achieving my goals first.

This is better, I thought as I hugged my legs andclosed my eyes, but it still hurts sodamn much to see Tate and Trisha together.

Slowlyas minutes passed, the lyrical chirping sounds of birds, the distant gush ofthe flowing river a few miles from here, and the warmth on my skin, acted likea balm to soothe the wounds in my soul. I could breathe a little easier and theemotional storm I was in earlier felt like a dream.

Ileaned back on the tree trunk, eyes closed. With the peace that nature offeredme in the past few minutes, came the slow dawning realization that I couldn’tstay here in this pack any longer. If I want to chase after the shadows of afamiliar pack in my memories but know nothing about, I have to leave soon.

Myeyes snapped open as I heard in the distance the quiet deep rumble of Hans’voice, the leader of the Alcatrozz pack. “There’s been news of our ally in thesouth, the Reons pack. They have been attacked.”

Aflurry of concerned chatter rose in the crowd of voices of wolves. Shit, what’s happening? I thought as Iran as quickly as I could to where they were gathered and realized that theywere all in the backyard. I slowed down once I was a few miles away from them,treading quietly. I calmed my racing heart and took a deep breath, inhaling myhuman scent and leaving no discernible smell. It was as easy as breathing,keeping in my human, wolf, or removing my scent completely in order to leave notraces of me anywhere—scent-wise. And with living with wolves whose sense ofsmell are a thousand times better than humans as they could detect anything,anyone from miles afar, it’s a pretty useful thing to be able to do.

Atthe back of my mind I tried to ignore the feeling of being more out of place.Knowing that even if I’m finally able to truly be who I am, I would still standout of a crowd of wolves as the odd one out because of the oddities I have. Ignoringthat prickling feeling of being different, I quietly climbed up the tallest treenear the edge of the forest and settled onto its highest canopy to get a bettervantage point of their meeting. I only pushed apart an inch between thecloister of leaves in front of me so I could see them but they wouldn’t be ableto see me.

Hanswas standing on the platform, facing the twenty werewolves in his pack who areall sitting on the chairs. Elizabeth was on the platform with Hans, sitting onthe chair behind him, leaning on her knees with her hands in her head. Herchocolate skin looked pale with a hint of green.

Ilooked at the rest of the crowd to see that they were also looking too sick forwear. Trisha was near the front, her left hand covering her mouth, looking likeshe might vomit any second. Her right hand was on a familiar shoulder. My eyesunconsciously followed her arm leading up to the face of a guy I won’t everforget. He was tense, the veins on his arms visible as he gripped his fistshard, eyes dark, and looking like he will snap in any second to murdersomebody.

But who? What happened?

Iturned back to Hans who spoke in the next second, “The rogues are workingtogether, we don’t' know exactly how many they are but their numbers haveoverwhelmed the Reons pack. Daniel…” he looked to the side, his brows knittingtogether and his hands knuckling into a fist before looking back at the crowdand saying with a voice strained with anger, “lost a lot of his men in thefight. They were massacred.”

“Daniel,his wife Lilian, their son Train, and five more people are left alive becausemost of his wolves sacrificed themselves for the good of the others.”

“Fatlot of good that did them!” yelled a guy whose massive body could compete withWWE fighters and his bushy red beard, garbled his speech a little.

Myeyes narrowed in annoyance at Gustav. He was a few months new recruit toAlcatrozz, adopted from a northern pack who kicked him out because of hisunruly behavior of picking fights with everybody, trying to prove he was thebigger man, even with the alpha there. He was the paramount of all balls and nobrains.

“Arewe heading there now?” a quiet but strong voice said. It was my foster father,Samuel Lewis, sitting near the statue, his figure easily recognizable becauseof his signature sensible shirt, earth-colored pants, and loafers.

“No,we won’t help them,” Hans’ voice was firm, ending the arguments and questionsbefore it began. He looked each wolf in the eyes until they all lowered theirheads, and in my point of view, their pride and dignity for not speaking upabout the need to help the Reons pack. “We do not know if the rogues are stillin their territory, lying in wait to trap anyone who will help them.”

Trap my ass, you’re just saving yourass in case you come up short against a rogue, I thought, the rumble of a growlstarting deep in my throat as I stared hard at the coward. He knows the Reonsneed all the help they can get right now and he won’t get off his ass to savethem?

Myhands that were holding onto the bark of the tree gripped them hard until mynails digged deep into it, imagining the joy of ripping the coward to shreds.

Suddenly,I felt somebody staring at me. I slowly stopped digging my nails into the barkand turned my head into the crowd like a deer facing headlights. My eyes wentwide when I saw who was looking up at me, hidden behind the wall of leaves in atree.

Itwas Tate.

He couldn’t possibly know I’m here,right?

Sweat trickled down myforehead to my chin as I held my breath and tried not to move. It’s notpossible if he can see me because I don’t even have a scent right now and I’mcovered by the lush dense leaves. But I couldn’t help the underlying cold fearin my stomach as Tate continued to stare at the part of the tree where I am.

If he knows I’m here, Ibelieve his suspicions about me would raise. No human climb trees this high,hides themselves in the foliage, and watches the pack she’s serving from afarfor nothing. And doesn’t have a scent he could discern. Either he’d questionthe truth of my ancestry—which is highly doubtful considering these guys haveknown me since I was young—or it would make him wonder if I have been recruitedas an informant for another pack. Hopefully if he thinks it’s the latter that Iam not working for the rogues. I mean it’s such a simple thing, but of all thethings to ally me with, I wouldn’t want to be connected to rogues especiallyduring this time.

My eyes widened as Tatestarted walking towards the forest, in the direction of the tree I was on. Istarted looking around for trees I could jump on to escape this slowly turninginto a nightmarish situation. My heart was thudding fast every time I glancedat Tate who was nearing the edge of the backyard, a meter from the group oftrees I was on.

A familiar sharp nailed handgrabbed Tate’s shoulder. “Where are you going baby?” whispered Trisha in a hightune, glancing at her back to see a red-faced Hans. Tate, seeing his father,slowly went back to his seat, but not before glancing a couple more times atthe tree I was on.

I heaved a sigh. Never thought I’d be saved by Trisha, of allpeople.

Upon checking that myscent was truly nada, I turned backto look at Hans whose red-face was turning pinkish. “After the party tonight,no one will go anywhere alone to make sure we won’t be picked off. We don’tknow how the rogues managed to overwhelm Reons but we’re taking no chances.Combative trainings will be scheduled tomorrow. For now, enjoy the party.Dismissed.”

The twenty wolves inHans’ pack all scattered like confused and scared ants immediately, heading to theirrooms to get ready for the party in an hour. Once I was sure nobody was around,I slowly climbed down the tree and steadfastly walked back to my cottage, withonly one thought in my mind: If they won’t help the Reons pack, then I will.