Chapter One

"Raise your glasses to the making of history!" A powerfully built man chanted on the podium, facing a sizeable crowd of people seated inside a hall. 

Feets shuffled as members of the crowd got to their feet. 

"To success and future of Brighton pack!" They thundered simultaneously. 

Seated in the far left corner beside one of the many white pillars that decked the hall, was a dark-haired, surly and uninterested looking young man. His eyes darted around furtively every now and then. Beside him wash a row of empty seats and at his back sat a horde of huge terrifying men, watching his every move.

He shifted uncomfortably, crossing and uncrossing his arms and legs, pretending to listen to the man on the stage. A phone chimed behind him, causing him to smirk. 

"Yes Laura." The owner of the phone said.

His smirk died down but the mischievous spark remained in his amber green eyes as a voice recited instructions into the ears of one of the men behind.

"Alpha Andrew." A voice said gripping his shoulder from behind. "You're to head down to the basement, the your father wants to see you briefly before the ceremony. " 

Every inch of mirth slipped away from Andrew's face as he craned his neck to face the owner of the voice. He looked like a petulant kid who was about to throw a tantrum.

Andrew sighed, murmuring as he got on his feet and sauntered towards the doors leading to the basement, then turned abruptly to face the horde.

"Alone?" He asked, the mischievous glee dancing in his eyes.

"Yes." The man replied, clenching his jaws.

"I wonder why?" Andrew quipped, swaggering away.

The horde watched him, each of them struggling to sit still. They huffed and puffed, the veins on their face bulging and their faces looking blotched.

They had only one instruction for the ceremony. 

"Never let Andrew out of your sight." The old Alpha had commanded steely. "You go where he goes until the ceremony has come to a successful end."

Yet the same person, according to Laura, one of pack's most seasoned warriors and closest to the old Alpha, had instructed Andrew to head to the basement 'alone' through a phone call, instead of mind linking them.

It felt wrong, everything about it felt wrong. But if the old alpha instructed it they had to obey no matter what.

Andrew's heart thudded as he swaggered, more like pretended to swagger towards his freedom. It was too easy, so easy that when he'd first come up with this plan two days before, it seemed stupid. There was no way the horde (the pack's best guards) would fall for a prank call, when they had been instructed to be on high alert. 

"Andrew and Nicole's mating ceremony must come to a successful completion." His father had said. "This is an important step towards his ascension to the Alpha throne, so watch him closely, we may have captured him but we all know that Andrew is currently cooking a mischievous scheme to wriggle his way out of this one. Be on high alert. Do not fall for his dumb tricks."

 But they did and now they watched him walk to the door, swing it open and step into the long hallway that led to his freedom. 

"Dumb jocks." Andrew muttered immediately he was out of sight.

Out of sight, but not out of mind. His wolf warned. He gulped, remembering that though they couldn't see him, they could sense him and knew his every move at least until they were sure he was safely tucked in the basement. 

With that in mind, Andrew dragged his feet, mumbling curses and complaints as he normally did when summoned by his father .

"Shit" he cursed as soon as he entered the basement. The doors he'd double checked hours before the ceremony were firmly locked, trapping him in. Andrew grunted in frustration, wiped sweat off his face and began searching for anything that would help him pick or break the lock that kept him away from his freedom.

"... In a few moons, the coronation of a new Alpha would strengthen our pack's bonds. Together with his mate, my daughter…." The man on the stage boomed away.

Time was running out. He scattered boxes and pushed down cabinets and cupboards. Getting engaged meant accepting the responsibilities being pushed to him, and he wasn't about to let that happen. 

"... Alpha Andrew?" The man on the stage called. "Can Alpha Andrew come to stage and give us his opening speech before we proceed with the engagement?"

"Shit." Andrew cursed, immediately overwhelmed by the worried emotions of the crowd upstairs. Taking a step back, he ran into the heavily enforced steel door before him. The impact created a loud thud that combined with the sound of the sickening crunch of his left shoulder blade. 

He winced, massaging his shoulder to ease the pain that shot through it. Andrew looked around the dimly lit basement he was standing in. The only means of escape was through that door.

"... Andrew…." He heard the call of someone above, thundering footsteps and the banging of doors. 

"Shit, shit, shit." Andrew cursed again, running his right hand through his dark tresses. His eyes swept past the room again, hoping for a miraculous means of escape. He didn't find any.

He sighed and rushed up the flight of stairs leading out of the basement, roughly shoving people out of the way and ran into the hall. He crouched behind a large pillar and searched for exits while scanning the crowd of people, too distracted by their search for him to notice him. 

They had shut all the doors and windows with at least two burly men guarding them. Andrew hissed, if he didn't find a way out soon, one of the many people in the room would pick up his scent. 

Someone gripped his shoulders, lifting him up from his position. It was the man who answered the call.

"Alpha Andrew…" the man on the stage called out, gesturing towards him. Immediately, heads snapped in his direction. "... Please climb the stage and give your speech." He instructed firmly.

Andrew grinned, freeing himself from the man's grip and swaggered towards the podium, with his left arm hanging limply at his side. When he arrived, he snatched the microphone from the host's hands and cleared his throat.

"It's really a great day." He stated flatly, then paused, trying to recollect what they had been celebrating.

"I mean, it's been a whole one month since I made that heartfelt announcement." He continued.

"You guys remember, right? The one about me denouncing and relinquishing my position and your pack?" He sneered.

The crowd gasped.

"Well, since you guys choose to remain delusional I'll say it again. I reject Nicole and denounce my position as the Alpha of Brighton!" With that, he quickly flung the microphone away, darted to the unmanned door at the side of the stage, and jumped out.

"Andrew!" someone screamed!

"Oohf! " He fell face first into the ground. He didn't let the pain coursing through his veins stop him. He jumped up in milliseconds and darted into the forest that surrounded the Pack Hall.

Andrew! A female voice screamed in his head. Get back here this instant!

He heard her panting, felt her frustration and anger. 

Andrew? She called out, instead of the rage he expected, she heard her panick. Run! Caleb's coming after you!

Andrew stumbled to a stop. If there was anything worse than an arranged marriage plus being forced to become the Alpha, it was the entirety of his older brother, Caleb.

Idiot. She said to run, not stumble around like a fool. Your father is furious and has given your brother full authority to do what he pleases with you. Another voice said into his head.

He sprinted off, increasing his pace. If he knew that Caleb was attending the ceremony, he would have found another way to disrupt the engagement. His running away was Caleb's perfect excuse to get rid of him. Goosebumps scattered all over his body as memories of the gruesome punishment he'd suffered whenever Caleb was sent to retrieve him flooded his mind.

The surrounding trees thinned out, signaling that he was almost out of the forest and closer to a human dwelling. His lungs were on fire and his body exhausted but his legs couldn't stop, they were more afraid of Caleb catching them than dying of exhaustion.

Something slammed into him, pushing him onto a rock. It grappled his neck, wrangling it like it was squeezing out water from a wet cloth. Andrew's hand flailed, scratching, punching and kicking as he struggled to get free. 

Andrew gasped for breath, his eyes watering and vision blurring. 

"Brother" A toneless voice murmured, heaving. "I warned you, didn't I? 

Andrew chuckled or tried to because it sounded like a dying cow. 

"Caleb." He managed to spit out. 

A heavy smack landed on his face, followed by punch after punch after punch to his gut. 

Caleb grunted heavily, pausing for a minute to spit on his face. He then unsheathed a dagger and raised its glinting edges in the air 

"Brother," Caleb began, "I'm tired, we are tired of your senseless cat and mouse games. Your reign ends today. It's my turn to shine."

He plunged the silver blade into Andrew's throat.