Game On

{ Jae }

I'm used to my dad trying to control me, but he should know at this point that he can't do that so easily. He never has been able to, but he keeps trying.

The fact that he got me a wife without consulting me is a surprise, but it shouldn't be. He has been pushing me to 'settle down' and 'be more serious' for a year now, which I have completely ignored because that is simply not in my plans. The last thing I want is to settle down at twenty-two and completely ruin my life while I'm in my prime.

I don't give a shit what people think of me, I know I'm going to win the competition to be the Alpha anyway, who cares if I have a fucking wife or not? What does that have to do with me being a good Alpha for the pack? I'm going to protect them and that's all they should care about.

"Anya and Channey, I'm so sorry," my father apologizes. Little Anya is still shaking after I threw the glass and her stupid mother is clenching her fists in anger, but I know she won't do anything because I can feel how weak she is, in spirit and mind... unlike her daughter, "I promise you this will never happen again. My son doesn't take well when someone makes decisions for him, even if it's for his own good, but he's not a beast."

I roll my eyes, but I can't say anything else because he reaches over and pulls my arm to lead me away from the dining room.

I've said what I had to say, so I wrench my arm from his grip and simply follow him into the living room without causing trouble, away from our female guests.

"You're crazy if you think I'm really going to accept an arranged marriage like this is the past century," I scoff, shaking my head, "It's stupid and even more so that my wife is a girl who probably hasn't even gotten her period yet. It makes me sick just knowing you orchestrated this."

"Shut the hell up and listen for once in your fucking life," he growls, rather angrily. As if he was seriously expecting me to just accept this shit like a good little boy, "Anya is the only female Red Wolf left in the pack. It's either her or her mother. Or a man, if that’s more your thing. Which do you prefer? You have those three options."

I scoff.

"No one," I answer easily, "A wife is the last thing I want."

"Wrong. You're getting married before the competition and that's an order I'm giving you as your Alpha," he blurts out, making me clench my fists in anger, "She won't be seventeen forever, you don't have to touch her yet if you don't want to, as long as she's your Luna and has your mark on her neck when you're the Alpha. That’s all I want. I have no doubt that you will win the competition, I know with complete certainty that you will win. What I want is to avoid people voting you out of the position."

I snort and shake my head. If they do that, it's their loss. I'll go get me another pack and come back to conquer this territory just to piss them off.

"What the fuck does that have to do with me getting married?"

"Everything. Your image needs a drastic change," he insists, as he's been saying for a while, "People are scared of you and with good reason. You're an impulsive, reckless fucking brute. Having a wife will make you look softer… Having a child would be ideal, but you've been evading my advice for a whole year so now that's impossible. That's why I arranged this situation for you. Anya is a pretty and popular girl, she's never been in trouble, people will love her."

"I won’t."

"I don't care," he spits through his teeth, the vein in his forehead beginning to pulse with anger, "This arrangement is for your benefit. She can be your wife just for show, just in front of the pack. In private you can be complete strangers if that's what you want, no one cares."

"You don't think they're going to think I'm a pedophile?" I ask, raising an eyebrow mockingly, "Why does it have to be specifically a Red Wolf? I can marry a woman my own age, regardless of her race."

"No, she has to be a Red Wolf and that's not up for discussion," he says in a firm voice, "You'll marry her and that's that, Jae. You can growl and make a fuss, but don't you dare lay a finger on her again. I could kill you right now, what the fuck is wrong with you? Is this how you treat every woman you're with? It's no surprise everyone hates you."

"I don't care. If Anya wants to be my wife that bad, let her get used to it," I smile with gusto. Maybe they're putting my back against the wall, but I'm never going to accept defeat that easily. If I go down, I'll go down fighting, "I don’t want this, dad. My answer is no.”

"Jae..." my father growls, but I've already called the conversation over so I just walk away and walk to the door to get out of here before I do or say something I might - or might not - regret. I jump in my truck and drive straight home. I know Rogan is here because his car is parked, so I head straight to the yard and find him in our gym, lifting the biggest barbell with no safety at all.

"Are you trying to make your head explode?" I tease as I approach. Rogan grunts but does one more repetition just for show before gingerly lowering the weight without waiting for my help and looking at me with a raised eyebrow, "Idiot."

"I got tired of waiting for you," he grumbles and gets up from the bench, "Where the fuck were you?"

I close my eyes and groan as I remember what just happened. I take my turn on the bench and I tell him everything that happened.

"Nah, bro, not everyone hates you... just like half the pack, maybe," Rogan says once I finish my sad story, as if he wants to make me feel better. I snort and let him take the weight off me before I stand up.

"So you think my dad's right? About having to clean up my image?" I ask with a grimace. Rogan is the person who knows me best and I trust his judgment, so I'm a little more open to his opinions than I am to... anyone else’s.

"Uh, yeah," he replies with a grimace matching my own. I close my eyes with stress, "It's not ideal for you, but your father is smart and you know it. It wouldn't hurt for you to do something to soften your image. You can earn the position of Alpha by being the strongest, which you are, but the pack has the right to kick you out if they don't want you as their Alpha. I think your father is just being overly cautious, he doesn't want them to have a reason to do this. He's doing this to protect your future."

"Hmm, I know," I mumble listlessly, "I guess I'll agree to this shit... at least until I'm the Alpha. But trust me, I'll make sure that little bitch hates every moment of being married to me."

"Jae… keep in mind she's a kid," he adds in his serious voice that he only brings out every now and then, pointing a finger in my face, "Don't do anything you're going to regret just for the sake of pissing her off. She's probably just as upset as you are about this situation, if not more. Poor kid, she's most likely just following what her mother tells her to do."

"I'm not really going to abuse her, asshole, I'm not a fucking monster," I blurt out and shake my head, "And no, I don't think so. She may be young, but I can feel her strength. Her mother is nothing more than a dumb bag of meat and bones, but I can feel that Anya is more than that. She said she wanted to get married and she challenged me, holding my gaze with balls of steel. So why the fuck would I let her win?"

Rogan takes a stressed breath that makes me laugh, but he simply shakes his head and we keep working out for a good while until my muscles are sore and crying, just the way I like it.

I don't want to stay still because I know I'm just going to spin the whole thing around in my head, so as soon as I'm done and Rogan goes to lock himself in his room, I take a quick shower and leave the house once again to get in my car and go find Sophie. She never asks any questions and is always willing to see me when I show up at her place.

"Hey, handsome," she greets me as soon as she opens the door to her apartment for me to enter. It's messy, as usual, but it's not like I care, "What are you doing here on a Tuesday afternoon? It's not our usual schedule."

"I'm stressed, I need to decompress... are you up for it or do I have to go get me someone else?" I ask, even though I know the answer. Sophie hates to share me.

"Next time you ask such a stupid question I'm going to bite you," she threatens, making me let out a deep laugh.

I don't waste time, I simply end the distance between us and pick her up to carry her to her room.