Chapter 2: The Alpha of Death

Bailey

I can only hear my pulse when my eyes open. My head had a heartbeat and I instantly know I overdid it last night.

“Well about time you woke up!” Someone says.

I peel my eyes open and jump wide-eyed realizing I am in a moving car. It is mid-day from the position of the sun.

I look to my left and realize the voice belonged to my mom. She reaches over with a bag and I snag it immediately puking my guts up.

Mia and her mom snicker in the back. “Hey you’re not looking so hot either Miss hoodie and shades.”

“Hah, you’re right but at least I can keep my dinner from last night down!” Mia cackled.

I did not even remember going home. How did we get home? I’m sure Mia took care of us. She’s good like that, always the leader. But the fact I’m in different clothes means someone changed me.

“You are a wreck, some werewolf you are not holding your liquor,” Sam my wolf sneers.

I roll my eyes. “Do you even KNOW how much we had to drink last night?” I answer my wolf.

“Enough to kill a human that’s for sure. Hope you had fun because that’s enough for a year for me.” Sam retorted.

She has a point but I need her to see my side, “Well get used to it, this is the only summer Mia and I have before adult life starts. We start training in August so we’re living it up until then.”

“Whatever sis, get it out of your system but just know I think you are nuts,” Sam quipped before yawning and receding to the back of my mind for a nap.

“Can we stop for some food?” I ask.

We pull up to a drive-through and get our order before heading back on the road. The breakfast sandwich and coffee washing away some of the grogginess.

Now that I was more alert to my surroundings I took a look at the GPS. Four hours until home. I’m sure Mia is counting down the minutes like a time bomb. I would be too.

Her dad has to defend his title at the next full moon. Unfortunately that happens to be at the end of the week on Saturday. He has held his own over the years but decades of battles have left him worn down from the spry young wolf he used to be. Even still he is the best of us in every way. A fierce warrior but also a role model in our pack community. His family has the held the title of Beta since our pack’s founding which I’m not sure how far back that is but it’s at least 5 generations.

Most packs let the title Beta fall down from father to son and our pack has always operated this way as well. Austin challenging an older Beta is disrespectful not only to Beta Daniel’s sacrifices for our community but to his bloodline. His son will be ready to challenge his father for the title of Beta in a year or two.

In my opinion I hope Beta Daniel takes Austin down and based on the swish of Sam’s tail she agrees with me too. He has been a real prick since Mia dumped his ass in ninth grade. Mad that for once he couldn’t have what he wanted he picked on her, and even dated other girls on our team so he had an excuse to show up to our games. Not to mention always pairing Mia with the bigger trainers to make it more difficult for her, but all the better for her. It only proved to make her a better fighter and pissed Austin off that much more.

His tricks are old and we see right through him. Thank the Goddess Mia never wanted him back. I’d have to slap her silly if she did but the fact he started messing with her dad I’d say his days with her are long gone.

I slip my hand behind the seat finding Mia’s knee and give it a reassuring squeeze.

————-

Mia

We are barreling down the road towards home. Home. Home should feel peaceful, welcoming like an old friend. And it usually did. I had a wonderful childhood and two parents more in love with each passing day. Almost too much…like the barf get a room level. Dad still remembers not their annual anniversary but their monthly. He counts the months since they first met. And my mother adores him more with each passing day. It’s enough to make you sick…I’d never admit it but I secretly hoped my mate was that wonderful. Memories of baking lessons with Mom and Grandma over the years, Jason and I with our years long prank feud that will probably go for the end of time. Yeah life has been pretty good, but driving in the direction of our town makes my stomach churn and my skin crawl. Instead of warm fuzzy thoughts, the notion of returning home fills me with dread. I look over and Mom doesn’t seem too worried as she’s taking a nap already. After eating my breakfast sandwich and coffee I was feeling much better than when I woke up this morning.

My thoughts began to drift, I wonder how dad’s training is going. Austin can pick on me all he wants but scoffing at pack tradition was out of line. Dad hadn’t texted back after I asked him how the meeting went and what terms he and Austin came to for the fight on Saturday. Dad is usually talkative so his silence is troublesome.

After Austin and I broke up in ninth grade I decided to focus on my school team and training. Being a Betas daughter meant something to me and I had to live up to that. I was smaller than anyone else in our family so I had to make up for that somehow so I threw myself into training. Dad seeing my dedication even hired a private trainer from one town over to meet with me twice a week. It was utterly brutal. My trainer Zeke was lethal and he did not go easy on me. Which is exactly what Dad wanted.

“Perfect practice makes perfect” was Zekes motto. Anything less warranted punishment and probably tossing up my guts. Gosh I miss that man, miss those days. If only I could turn back the clock. Back when I thought waking up at 5am to train was horrid. I’d prefer that to now wondering what the future of this week held. Practice I could control, the outcome of this week I could not.

“When we get home we are going to bed,” I say to my wolf.

“Sounds like a plan to me!” She hums back.

About an hour out my phone vibrates in my gym bag. I reach down and glance at the screen and smile.

“Let’s hang tomorrow, lake 10am.” It was from Hudson. He is a year older than us and wrapped up his year of training. He will be joining the pack warriors at the end of the summer.

“Bailey is out cold but I can say for the both of us we’ll be there.” I reply back.

“See ya then and bring food!” Is his response. Of course that’s what he is thinking of! Always hungry! Then again I can’t blame him training all day probably boosted his metabolism. Growing up with Hudson he had been one of the smaller pups in our class and he used to get picked on until Bailey or I stepped in to stop the other kids. That changed over the last couple years because he’s grown to be one of the tallest and largest among our pack members. Training this year has definitely helped him.

I look up and see we are driving through the mountains and about to hit the tree line where our pack lands begin. It’s not the largest pack by any stretch. To be more accurate we are probably one of the smallest packs in the country. As we get closer I can see the town come in to focus. It is a small town in the middle of a clearing with the dense forest on either side. Some people reside on the outskirts of town like Hudson’s family but for the most part pack members reside in the town. We turn down main street passing the pack house and a lump forms in my throat as we pass. I force myself to look away, shoving my thoughts to the back of my mind.

“Control your emotions and breathe.” I tell myself. The last thing I need is for Austin to see me looking distraught or even looking at the pack house. Not after he’s spent the last few years hating my guts.

We turn left and head down the road to our house. Bailey and her mom help us unload.

“You gonna be okay?” Bailey asks giving me a hug, her hair a knotted nest.

“Yeah I’ll be fine but not sure about that wolf mane you got going on. On a different note, Hudson wants to meet up tomorrow at 10 at the lake.” I hug her back.

“I’ll be there, don’t sleep in and miss it!” Bailey shouts walking to their car.

“Yeah yeah yeah, see ya tomorrow!” I shout back.

Mom and I grab our bags and head into the house. Dad and my brother must still be training as the house is quiet. We make our way down the hallway to our bedrooms. Mom stops briefly to give me a hug and says goodnight. “Don’t worry sweetie, they’ll probably be getting in late if I know them. Get some sleep and don’t wait up.”

I nod and head to my room. Collapsing on the bed. I’ll have to remember to thank Bailey tomorrow for how sh*tty I feel right now.

I walk across the hall and hop in the shower, washing away the worries of the day and letting the warm water massage my muscles. “At least tomorrow would be fun and we can ease back in to pack life…” says my sleepy wolf.

I agree, turning the shower off and reach for a towel. Wrapping myself in it I step out of the bathroom and hear the front door close. “Guess the boys are home and it’s time to investigate” Ava perks to life. I roll my eyes knowing she’s right. I’d probably get better answers tonight with dad alone than with mom around. He worried about her like that, always trying to keep stress out of the home and protecting her emotions. I dry my hair and throw on a pair of shorts and a hoodie before making my way down the hall.