My Ruthless Alpha

Jazmine

Ezra's pov

Four hours of sleep and I was still tired, but there was nothing I could do about it. This pack needed our help, desperately, and I had no desire to prolong our stay.

We had to work hard, and fast; we didn't have time to sleep.

“It's starting to look like we're going to be here for months!” Max groaned, and I couldn't agree more.

“They have a long way to go, and two weeks just isn't enough time” Brody sighed while Lexie sat down, watching the Warriors of Red Moon train.

And honestly, it looked more like pups play fighting.

“We didn't come here to train them, we came to hunt” said Dom, shaking his head as he watched the defenders of this pack play around.

“We should just get on with our mission and leave them to deal with… that” Matt said, his head tilted to the side as he exermined them closely.

“Leaving this pack defenceless wouldn't feel right and you all know it” I said, holding back a sigh of my own. It was looking a lot more hopeless the longer I watched.

“f**k!” Max groaned again, joining Lexie on the ground. I heard Matt and Dom growl and turned to see Alexis approaching, her face looking a little red.

“H.. hi” she said meekly, giving us a little wave; looking nothing like the fierce fighter she was last night.

“Sup Lex” Lexie greeted back, using her nickname for the other girl.

We stood silently for a while, watching grown men and women run around the field like headless chickens.

“It looks bad, I know, I think we all do. I heard one of the elders say my dad was never really good at his job, the barrier only made it worse” Alexis sighed, moving her eyesight from the disaster in front of us to me.

“But we can do better, I know we can. I've been trying to get my father to make some changes, although he always dismisses me because I'm not his heir. And my i***t brother couldn't care enough” she said, clenching her fists.

“I will get through to him one day!” She growled, the strong Alpha from last night resurfacing.

“I guess that's what your brother meant when he said you should inherit the pack?” Brody asked, turning his gaze to her.

“He doesn't want to be Alpha, he's said it multiple times. Dad won't listen though, he doesn't want a woman to be the Alpha. He's old fashioned like that” she said, the pain in her eyes visible to everyone.

“More like sexist!” Dom growled lowly, grabbing her waist to pull her close.

“Misogynistic!” It was Matt's turn to growl and be all possessive.

“It's fine you guys, I've made peace with it. If I become my brother's advisor, I'll still be able to look out for the pack” Alexis said, making me look at Matt and Dom in question.

Were they staying here with their mate? It didn't look like she was leaving her pack.

It was silent for a little while as we all turned to look at the twins, wondering what they'd do when the time to go back home arrived.

“You fight really well for a girl who's pack is literally untrained, how did you get that good?” Lexie asked, probably trying to fill the silence before it got awkward.

“I have a friend from a neighbouring pack, I try to get as much training with him as possible, since I wasn't allowed to attend Alpha training” she shrugged like it was nothing, but we could see how much it stung.

“Appointed heir or not, you're one baddass lady, those idiots are lucky to have you” I said with a small smile, nodding towards the three of them.

“Yes, yes we are” Matt said with a smile as he looked at her lovingly, lost to the mate bond.

I remember what that felt it, that constant pull, the way your insides just melt when she's near.

Being able to feel them, feel their heart beating as if it were your own. That comfort of knowing you're never alone.

And I craved it.

“Well, your highness, what do you think about my warriors?” Alpha Derrick asked proudly from behind us, having been too lost in thought to hear him coming.

“They need some work” I said, trying to be as polite as possible, the man seemed to think his pack was great and I didn't want to be the one to break it to him.

“Ah yes, a tweak here and there should have them fighting like your team” he said with a big smile and I resisted every urge to scoff.

“Yeah right” Lexie scoffed under her breath as if reading my mind and I almost rolled my eyes. The man clearly heard her and was now frowning slightly.

“Right then, I'll leave you to it” he said with a small bow and a smile so fake, plastic couldn't compete.

“Alexis, Take them to the diner afterwards for breakfast, I've already spoken to Judy and she agreed to open for our guests” he instructed his daughter and left before she could even respond, seemingly a lot more upset than he let on.

“I don't like him” Lexie clicked her tongue as she watched him go.

“Yeah, nobody really likes him” Alexis said, making me look at her, and her expression? Completely unexpected.

It was as if she were looking at a piece of gum that'd been spit out and stepped on a few times.

“Looks like her and her father don't get along well” Max linked, his gaze on Alexis as well.

“Mhm, something about that man doesn't sit right with me; and I'd get to the bottom of it if we had the time, but we don't, so let's just do what we came here to do and leave. I'll let mom and dad handle this” I linked back, deciding to prioritise our mission over matters that weren't mine to look into yet.

“Okay, enough of this s**t show, I've seen enough to come up with a new training regiment” Max said, turning to face Alexis fully.

“Madam, please escort us to this diner” he said with a broad smile and hand gesturing for her to lead the way while bowing slightly; making Dom and Matt glare at him as she giggled.

“Very well” she responded in kind, giving him a big smile.

We piled into our Suv's and quickly left packlands into the town, sighing in relief the further we got from that place.

There was a heaviness I couldn't explain, something familiar yet foreign lingering in the air and it unsettled me.

I breathed in deeply as my heart suddenly started beating wildly, making me think that I might be having a heart attack.

There wasn't any pain, it was somewhat… pleasant. Like for the first time in a long time, I was looking forward to something good, something amazing.

I had no idea what this was, I'd never experienced anything like it before. It left me breathless and lightheaded.

“Are you okay? Do I need to take the wheel?” Max asked, looking a bit concerned.

“No, I'm fine” I tried to ease his worries but my words came out a growl, my Alpha aura so intense, everyone in the car whimpered and growled.

What the hell was happening to me? Was I drugged? Am I dying?

“No” a low, yet intimidating voice echoed in my head, causing a blood rush and leaving me a little disorientated for a few seconds.

“Whoa! Ezra pull over!” Lexie yelled from the back seat, making me realise that the car had swerved as I tried to regain my sanity.

I did just that, not wanting to risk the lives of my team, quickly getting out of the car as I pulled to a stop, needing a bit of air.

“Alpha, what is going on? Are you okay?” Max asked cautiously as he came out to join me.

I didn't know if I was hallucinating, but if I were to guess, I'd say my Lycan tried to push forward.

“My Lycan, he's fighting for control” I managed to slip out without exerting my aura on him, pushing back against the tug in my head.

“What?! But it's early! I mean, it's not uncommon for a beast to push forward when nearing your shift, but it needs something to pull it forward, mostly a mate bond” he said, making my chest flutter.

It wasn't possible, Rowena died two years ago, a mate bond was the last thing that could ever happen to me, but again, my heart fluttered at the thought of a mate bond.

Shaking the thoughts from my mind, I got back into the car, on the passenger side though.

“Let's just go, we'll figure this out later” I said as I closed the door, taking deep breaths to try and calm my racing heart.

I couldn't reel my Alpha aura in, and the silence in the car wasn't helping, I needed a distraction, I needed to get my mind off of… whatever this was.

Thinking about it seemed to make it worse, I was almost erratic, like I was losing my mind.

I was barely breathing by the time we pulled up to the diner and couldn't understand why. Was I having a panic attack?

I couldn't say, but this was beyond anything I knew, or could control.

“Go, I'll be inside in a minute” I tried to be as calm as possible but I failed to suppress my aura going wild.

Everyone except Lexie quickly got out of the car and went inside the second they heard the command.

“Ezra, what's going on?” Lexie asked gently, putting her hand on my shoulder. I knew she meant well, truly I did, but the second her hand touched me, made me want to rip her hand clean off, how dare she touch me!

“You should go!” I growled low, her touch like fire, igniting a spark of rage I knew I'd take out on her if she didn't leave. Hurting her was the last thing I wanted, and Brody would kill me if I ever lay a hand on her.

She took a few seconds to finally leave and I sighed in relief as a low hum at the back of my head became a fierce growl, blocking all thought from my mind.

I could feel my Lycan clawing at the corners of my mind and it was driving me mad.

“What the hell is the matter with you?! It's not yet time to shift!” I growled, growing more and more agitated every second I was sitting here.

It felt like I was confined in a metal prison.

I felt an urgency burn within my veins, I needed to be somewhere, find something, someone!

“Go!” My Lycan growled in my head, making me want to bang my fists on the dashboard.

“f**k you mean go? Go where?” I asked, holding my voice back so I didn't scream. I didn't want to look like a lunatic.

Maybe I was losing my mind.

“Go inside, now!” He growled louder, making me jumped out of the car.

My legs moved without permission, taking long strides towards the entrance of the diner.

The sweet, mouthwatering scent of peaches, with a hint of lemon and strawberries slapped me in the face the second I entered the diner, pulling at the strings of my heart to go find the source.

“Alpha, over here” Max called, turning my gaze to him to find them sitting in a booth, all waiting for me.

I shook my head and decided to put a stop to this madness, using all my strength to shove my Lycan to the back of my mind, and made my way to the booth.

Every step felt like a betrayal, to whom? I couldn't say.

A waitress quickly made her way to our table and took our orders, but all I could think about was that sweet scent, so strong and almost tangible.

“I'm so sorry about her, the service here is amazing. I think she might have a crush” Alexis’s voice broke my train of thought, and I wondered what she was talking about.

“Might? She definitely has the hots for our Alpha” Brody laughed… still lost.

She came back quickly with our drinks and set them down on the table, bending forward as she put mine down, bringing her cleavage to my eye level.

I felt disgust and anger pool in my gut, causing me to clench my fists.

“Leave!” I growled, making her jump back and run off to the back of the diner.

My Lycan used this opportunity to push forward, and I could feel him pound against my head.

“That was embarrassing” Lexie said as she drank her coffee, and the others laughed.

But I couldn't bring myself to care about what they were talking about, my Lycan was now frantic, fighting for control, even though it shouldn't be possible.

“Jazmine, I need help!” A voice from the back called and I felt my heart leap.

Jazmine, sounded like the name of a siren who's song I'd listen to like prayers to the Goddess.

The doors opened and my head snapped in that direction as the most beautiful girl I'd ever had the pleasure of laying my eyes on walked through, turning her gaze to meet mine; dulling the world around me until only her green eyes were all that mattered.

“Mate!”