Chapter Three ~ Other plans

We were in my dad’s car heading towards the Soulcrest pack. I’d asked my dad to stop off at a mall on the way so I could buy a new phone. Aubrey and Bella had been blowing mine up all night, so the thing went for a swim in the toilet. I needed to focus on the plan. It was about time I started acting like an Alpha, not a lovesick teenager.

I’d bought a new cell and texted Connor. He was the only one I could trust with anything. Arabella made it clear that her loyalty laid with Aubrey. I understood, it was the way of the werewolf sorority. Werewolf girls needed to stick together. When any of them went into heat, it was brutal. Male werewolves from miles around became aggressive and fights broke out regularly.

The sorority was set up many generations ago. It was a safe haven for all un-bonded she-wolves in the territory. They all stuck together and had plans in place to hide away the she-wolves while they went through their heat. Without complete trust and loyalty, the system wouldn’t work.

In the old days, when a she-wolf went into heat, male werewolves would compete with each other, the winner taking the girl for himself and marking her. The poor girl didn’t have much choice who she ended up with. So, I completely understood her reasoning. She didn’t want to let her sisters down, but that meant that I couldn’t trust her to have my best interests at heart.

I let Connor know that I was heading out of town, and I would contact him when I’d be returning. I didn’t know how long I’d be away for, but I would keep him posted. I placed my phone back in my pocket and sighed. I knew the plan, knew what I had to do, and I was ready.

We finally pulled off the main road and onto a private drive. Once we were outside the giant house, we all got out of the car. Standing at the door ready to greet us was a large man with dark hair. I could smell that he was an Alpha. Beside him stood a small blonde-haired woman. I guessed they were Olivia's parents.

My mom and dad walked ahead and greeted the pair. It was all pleasant handshakes and hugs, and when they were finished greeting each other, they all turned their attention to me.

Well, that’s fucking creepy, I thought while they all stood there staring at me with cheesy grins on their faces. I awkwardly cleared my throat and held my hand out for Alpha Stonefeather to shake.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alpha Stonefeather.”

He smiled widely at me and as he shook my hand, he pulled me into a hug. With a chuckle he said,

“You’re virtually family. Call me Charlie.”

My face was squashed up against his chest. The guy was surprisingly solid for his age. Our culture was a strange one. By the time I got used to this guy, built up some sort of relationship, it would be time to fight him to the death. I didn’t understand how old traditions like this were allowed to continue in this day and age, but it was what it was.

After a rough pat on my back, he finally let me go. He held onto my shoulders and pushed me away from him slightly. After a quick scan down and back up, he smiled and patted my shoulder, before turning away and ushering my father into the house. I kinda felt like a piece of meat, or a second-hand car being given the once over, but it was the way of some packs.

Not all packs allowed their Scion daughters the chance at a normal human childhood. Most Scions knew exactly what they were and what was expected of them. A lot of packs, tribes, and broods still had arranged marriages. It was pretty barbaric really. Basically, the Scion went to whoever offered the father the most.

Luckily for Olivia, her parents cared somewhat about who they wanted for their daughter. They were a wealthy oil industry pack from what my father had told me, so money wasn’t of concern for them. Our family made our money in property development, so money wouldn’t have been an issue if we needed it as an offering.

Charles and Theia were more interested in making sure their daughter married an Alpha. They didn’t like the idea of her marrying another type of shifter. Some leaders didn’t care. Money and power drove their decisions. For Oliva's family, it was important to keep their bloodline pure. That was a concern for my family too, they wanted a werewolf Scion for me.

After greeting Theia, I was escorted into the house. It was very grand and beautiful. They had maids and pack members everywhere, but after an hour of pleasantries, there was still no sign of Olivia. I knew this was an arranged marriage, but I still needed to see the woman I would be spending the rest of my life with.

I was trying to change and do the right thing for my pack, but I was pretty shallow as a person. Some people say that its personality that counts, and I agree somewhat. You can be attracted to someone’s personality, but I’ll be honest, you still need some sort of physical attraction, or at least I do.

I sat there picturing what she would look like, but all my mind could picture was Aubrey. I sighed and stared off into space as my parents and the Stonefeather’s worked out all the details and plans for mine and Olivia’s marriage. I couldn’t help it, but my heart was hurting so much, all I really wanted was Aubrey, she was the only person I could picture myself with.

Then there she was. Her scent hit my nose, long before my eyes met hers. She was nervously standing by the door, twirling a curl of her golden blonde hair around her finger. When her eyes met mine, her cheeks blushed. I couldn’t deny the girl was an absolute stunner. Maybe this could work? I thought while clearing my throat.

“Ah, Olivia. Nice of you to finally grace us with your presence,” her father said while standing and ushering her over to us.

I swept my hand through my hair expecting her to blush again, but she didn’t. Out the corner of my eye, I saw a woman slinking towards the front door. She was a beautiful mixed-race woman, with dark hair that was dyed purple at the ends. It swept over to the side and loose curls framed her face, while the other side was shaved short.

When I sniffed the air, I could tell she was a rare human shifter. She glanced over toward Olivia and smiled sweetly, and while her cheeks blushed, it dawned on me that she was the reason why Olivia was so flustered. They were an item. I was sure of it. I’d seen that look many times before, it was one of love and adoration.

The woman noticed me staring, and no sooner had her eyes met mine, she pulled the door open and hurried out. As soon as the door clicked, Olivia cleared her throat and confidently made her way over to her parents. She kissed her father and mother, then sat down beside her mom on the couch. Her parents hadn’t noticed the woman leaving and continued to chat away with my mom and dad, and after a while they excused themselves, saying they had business to discuss and that Olivia and I needed time to get acquainted.

I watched silently as my parents left the room, followed by Charles and Theia. Olivia escorted them to the door and gently closed it behind them. I casually stretched my arms across the back of the couch and rested one of my legs on top of the other. This should be good, I thought as I prepared myself for whatever bullshit Olivia was going to spin me.

She sighed while facing the door. I was expecting her to play along with the shenanigans, but she didn’t. She spun around, placed her hands on her hips, and began to ramble.

“Right, I’m just gonna lay it on the line. I’m not interested in you. I will never be interested in you. So, you might as well just tell your parents that it didn’t work out. We don’t get along, and I’m not the girl for you. Got it?”

My brow raised, and I couldn’t help it, her little speech and the dominance she tried to show was adorable and beyond comical. I burst out laughing, and when her face twisted into a look of pure anger, I folded over as my laughter hit an all-new high. I could hear her gasp in shock, and I guessed I looked pretty silly to her, but I couldn’t believe what was happening.

I had spent the last few days convincing myself that I needed to let Aubrey go, needed to move on, and now, well now that didn’t look like it was going to happen. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was a weird twist of fate. Olivia was clearly in a relationship with that shifter, and there was me thinking that she was going to be the one to help me get over Aubrey. I guess the universe had other plans.