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Scott’s POV

I cracked my apartment door open and frowned when I heard voices coming from the inside. I pushed the door and found the TV on some news channel.

My poor memory, I was away for two hours and forgot I left the TV on. If I wasn’t in a rush, I could’ve saved some from the electric bill.

I was running out of supplies, so I went to the supermarket downtown and brought things I needed. I carried the bags and stepped inside the apartment, but dropped them as soon as I entered.

My hand grabbed my chest as an intense chest pain plastered through. I fell on my knees, then crashed into the ground, trying to inhale air, but nothing came in.

What was happening to me?

The pain became worse. It felt like my soul was leaving my body. Soon, the darkness engulfed me, welcoming me with open arms.

I don’t know how long I passed out, but I opened my eyes, staring at the white ceiling. The noises of the TV reached my hearing, then my eyes began ringing. I grabbed my head as I sat on my knees.

Something was wrong with me, and I didn’t know what it was.

After a few minutes, the ringing sound stopped, and I lifted my gaze weakly to the clock, noticing I was out for five hours. The pain in my chest was minimal but still hurt me.

I got up, clutching my chest as another wave of piercing pain came through. “Something is wrong,” I whispered as I leaned on the wall for support.

A knock on the door caught my attention, and I glanced at it, taking a few hesitant steps.

The knocks on the door became heavier, and I stopped in my place, looking for the metallic baseball bat. I strolled towards the counter and brought out the bat, walking towards the door.

The banging on the door suddenly stopped, and the doorknob turned, opening the door. I swung my bat at the intruder with all the energy I got, but his hand reached out for the bat and stopped it in mid-air.

“Kevin?” I mumbled when I noticed the stranger. I dropped the bat to my side.

“What are you doing here?” I hadn’t seen him for ten years, so what was the occasion?

He rubbed his neck, avoiding my gaze. “... I have bad news,” he mumbled.

I knitted my eyebrows in confusion. Then everything made sense. The blackout and that sudden feeling of grief inside of me.

My dad died.

I shook my head, not believing it. “No, he can’t be dead, Kevin. I know the old man, he’s a survivor.” My eyes stung as I fought the tears from coming out.

Kevin lowered his head, not knowing what to say.

I was sure he didn’t die. He was just doing a prank on me to make me return to the pack.

“I’m sorry, Scott. We tried to help him but we were so late.” He glanced at me, looking sorry.

I ran my hand through my hair, feeling a set of mixed emotions weighing me down. “Take me to him.” He nodded and held the door for me to leave.

I didn’t bother to gather the groceries from the floor or pick up my phone. I just left, passing Kevin, who patted me on my shoulder. Then he closed the door after I left and followed me to the stairs.

The grief I felt was now intense once I knew the truth. I was lost in my own thoughts, letting guilt wash over me. It was my fault he died if I just stayed back in the pack.

I closed my eyes, clenching my fists, then unclenched them when I felt Kevin’s arm around my shoulder. “Everything will be fine, brother,” he tried to comfort me and I sighed, opening my eyes and walking with him to his car.

We reached his car, a black mustang 1969. Kevin removed his arm and opened the passenger’s door for me. “You know, Kev. No matter where I go or what I do, I end up fucking up again,” I muttered as I held the door.

“That’s not true,” he objected. I ignored him and hopped inside the car, hearing him sigh desperately before going to the driver’s seat.

“It was never your fault, Scott,” he said, glancing at me before starting the car and driving out of the town.

The alpha is gone. A voice in my head said.

The voice I ignored for years.

For the first time in a while, I could feel my wolf’s presence. He was in pain, his feelings were intense. So I built back the barrier and put my wolf behind it, feeling a slight relief afterward.

I broke the silence after two hours of the drive. “How did it happen? How did he die?” I turned my gaze to him.

“I was on patrol this morning and saw that horrific scene.” He sighed then continued, “turned out that the pack was attacked on their ground by the rogue king and-”

“Was there a reason behind that attack?” I cut him off, and he shrugged his shoulders.

Kevin’s eyes focused back on the road as he continued, “your father wanted to protect the rest of the pack, so he drove the rogue king to the forest. Only two of the pack’s warriors made it alive.”

That was something my father would always do, put his life in danger to protect the others.

“How’s mom?” That was a stupid question. She just lost her mate. She must be devastated.

“She was in great pain, so the healers drugged her to ease the pain,” he mumbled.

It was like what happened ten years ago in the first war when my sister Megan died.

The same rogue king took two people from my family and dozens of my pack. The rogues will never stop until they have another war.

“You know why I left?” He shook his head.

“I wanted a way out. Out of this crazy supernatural world. Dad trained me to be the next alpha until I was fed up, then the war came.” I closed my eyes, remembering when I heard the news of her death.

“We lost Megan and I couldn’t do anything, so I left and never went back to the pack again.” I sighed and opened my eyes, setting my gaze back on the road.

I hated being a werewolf and part of this crazy world. It only brought pain to me.

“I know the war brought pain to you and your pack the same it did to mine, but Scott the pack now needs you.” He glanced at me, then continued. “Haley can’t take care of two packs at the same time. You need to be the alpha of your pack.”

I felt my breath become shallower, and a growl escaped my lips. I clutched on the door’s handle with the hope to stop my wolf Ambrose from coming out.

He was angry that I trapped him.

“Scott, how long has it been since you shifted to your wolf?” Kevin asked, concern drawn in his tone.

“Over two years.” Another growl came from my mouth. I felt my canines grow longer.

I was fighting to stop the process and stay in dominance.

"Alpha died, let me out and take our revenge," Ambrose growled, fighting his way over the mind wall.

“Are you stupid Scott? why would you trap your wolf inside?” Kevin hissed, looking at me with disbelief.

I shut my eyes, trying to control my breathing, but failed when another growl escaped my lips. “He wanted me to search for our mate, but I didn’t want to.” I opened my eyes and stared at my hands.

My fingers turned to claws, and I realized I lost my control. I opened the door and threw myself out of the car.

I groaned as my body crashed on the cement road. Then I felt every bone in my body crack. After an extensive set of minutes filled with agonizing pain, I finally shifted to my wolf form.

Ambrose was now in full control, trapping me behind a mind wall as I did for the past years. He lifted his head and howled at the crescent moon, hearing a couple of howls in return. They weren’t far from here.

He sniffed, inhaling deeply a familiar scent, the scent of rogues and death. Another howl escaped his lips and his gaze snapped to the trees, seeing dark figures running in the forest.

“Hey there, buddy.” Ambrose lowered his head and sneered at Kevin, getting in position to attack him.

“He’s a friend, jackass,” I shouted over the mind wall, trying to gain back control.

“I know he trapped you in for a long time, but don’t run away, please. His mother needs him. The pack needs him.”

“It’s your luck, jerk, I can’t stand to see the poor woman suffering alone, and the pack is relying on us,” Ambrose growled at me, then faded behind the mind wall, forcing me into control.

I shifted back to my human form, sitting on the hard cement ground on fours, panting. I gathered my strength and pushed myself up, standing naked in the middle of the road.

“Kevin… I need clothes.” He ran to the car and brought out a red duffle bag, then threw it in my direction.

I caught it and brought out the extra clothes. I wore the clothes and heard another howl as I tied the shoes.

“Do you think those were loners?” I asked Kevin as I strolled towards him.

His eyes were focused on the dark forest. “Maybe, let’s just get out of here.”

I nodded, and we got back in the car again. “Thanks for talking some sense into Ambrose,” I muttered, and Kevin snickered, shaking his head at me.

He pulled away and drove, glancing at me before chuckling. “You are stupid for locking him up, and let me guess you can’t even control him,” he asserted, and I rolled my eyes, looking outside the window.

“No, I can control him, he’s just pissed off because of the mate thing,” I muttered, looking at Kevin in the corner of my eye.

He cocked up his eyebrow before breaking out into laughter. I ignored him and kept staring out of the window, narrowing my eyes at a welcoming sign to a town called Hingston.

The pack was just a one-hour drive now. And in that hour Kevin filled me with what I missed the past ten years.

“So, you are a beta to a female hybrid alpha...” I muttered, repeating what he said a few minutes ago, and he nodded silently.

“Is she hot?” I asked in a playful tone.

He rolled his eyes at me, leaning on his hands while he held the steering wheel with his other hand. “I forgot you were a player.” He shook his head, and I chuckled in return.

“Wait, isn’t your alpha the daughter of the vampire princess?” I asked suspiciously.

Before I left the pack, I remember my father telling me about the hybrid from another pack. He met a lot of hybrids in his life, so he was a better mentor to her.

I never met her or even went to the moonrise pack. I knew Kevin as he always came to our pack because of beta duties.

“Yes. Alpha Tyrone is also her godfather, so he took care of her and her brother when her parents died in the war.”

I guess he didn’t mention being her godfather.

“So, basically, she is a vampire princess,” I mumbled.

“Yup,” he answered, glancing at me with a hesitant look.

How much I hate vampires. They were selfish creatures, just like dragons. You can’t trust any of them because they’re all the same and they’ll betray you.

I didn’t dare to say that out loud in front of Kevin, because whatever hurtful words I say may trigger his wolf into defending his alpha.

Silence fell again between us. I gazed into Kevin’s eyes, noticing a misty cloud. He was talking to someone in his pack over the mind link. He blinked and his eyes went back to hazel.

“We are close,” he announced, his worried voice breaking the silence. I didn’t ask why his voice changed, but kind of knew it was related to the attack.

“You know, Kevin,”

“What?”

I glanced at him as I confessed, “I don’t want to fill his place and be the alpha. I’m not fit.” He looked at me, then focused back on the road.

“I don’t know, Scott. Your father wanted you to take his position.”

“The pack is broken now. We didn’t find your dad’s beta or gamma, their mates are also nowhere to be found, so their kids tried to mind link them, still no words.” I looked out of the car’s window to notice that we reached the moonrise pack’s territory.

After a lot of thinking of what Kevin just said, I had no other choice except to step in and help my pack. I was their last hope.

“We will see about this problem now,” I said as he drove past the buildings.

This pack was nothing compared to mine, but then I remembered I left ten years ago. A lot has changed for sure in those years.

“Are you sure this is the pack? It’s more like a town.” He chuckled.

I wasn’t exaggerating. It was exactly like a normal town, but the people in it were werewolves.

Kevin passed the light traffic and headed to the big house that laid at the beginning of the forest. “Welcome to the moonrise pack.” He said as he parked the car in front of the enormous mansion.

He got out of the car, and I followed him. I stared at the huge building in front of me with amazement, then turned to look at Kevin.

“I’ll be right back. Stay here,” Kevin said, offering me a warm smile.

“Okay,” I said, staring at the mansion. He entered the packhouse, leaving me by the car.

A group of teenagers gathered behind the low grass fence, staring at me. I could hear them whispering about me. I waved at them and they smiled.

Their expression changed to terrified when a guy in his twenties showed up from the forest. He had dirty blonde wavy hair and a pair of forest green eyes.

They scurried away, leaving that guy glaring at them. Then he turned to face me. I gulped down my saliva nervously.

"Is he the alpha’s mate?" Ambrose asked.

I don’t think so. Kevin talked about so many things in his pack, but he didn’t mention his alpha having a mate.

"Why are you talking now?" I asked Ambrose, with obvious annoyance at his sudden presence.

"Don’t forget, I still control you," he said before disappearing again behind the mind wall.

The blonde guy walked towards the entrance of the house, then stopped. He lowered his head as if someone were talking to him.

“Follow me,” he said as he set his foot inside the house.

I followed him, hearing a couple of whispers as we passed the omegas. With one glare from the green-eyed guy, they all ran outside the house, leaving us alone. He suddenly stood in front of a locked room and glanced at me.

"Can you smell that?" Ambrose exclaimed, jumping around excitedly.

I focused on the scent he caught. A smell of roses mixed with molten chocolate broke in my nostrils.

“No,” I mumbled with horror when I noticed who I was supposed to meet.

The door opened, revealing the alpha of the pack, Haley Blake. She had long, light brown hair and a pair of bright hazel eyes.

My eyes widened as the word escaped my lips. “Mate.”

The person I tried to stop my wolf to find was right in front of me, the last thing I wanted. A mate.