Chapter 6

The ceiling fan was on, a low buzzing filling the room, the silence of my surroundings almost consuming as I stare into the brilliant green eyes of Alpha Axel.

“We are going to go through a series of questions of which you should answer with complete truthfulness and transparency, I’ll know if you lie. It’s easiest if you choose to answer in the simplest way possible unless I request further detail or data. Am I clear?” Alpha Axel said, legs crossed as she sat across from me on a plush, brown arm chair.

“Crystal,” my voice was low as I lean back, my arms stretching across the back of the couch I sat on.

“Good. Let’s start then. Your full name?” A notebook sat in her lap, her hand hovering over the pages with a pen latched in between thin fingers.

“Arden South Soulen,” I watch her scribble down my answer.

“And which pack are you from?”

“The Trackers.”

“And you left, you weren’t exiled, am I correct?”

“Yes.”

“This question will require a bit more explanation. If you will, please be as explicit as possible in your answer. Why did you leave the Tracker Pack?”

“After the death of my parents I took up their joys and their passions in the pack. I trained and I became a part of the Trackers Team One Unit One. It was my highest accomplishment, but my Alpha, my Beta, and my other leaders and teammates refused to acknowledge my accomplishment. I was treated the same why I had been since birth. I wasn’t asking to be decorated, I was asking to be treated as an equal warrior, and when I wasn’t, when I was done with their mistreatment, accepting that not matter how far I excelled, no matter how much I did, no matter how much I surpassed my peers, I would never be acknowledged. I dressed, I packed my things, what little I had, and I left. I ran until I could no longer feel the weight of their disdain and judgement on my back. And I never looked back,” I hold her eyes as I speak, being as clear and precise as I can.

“I see,” she, again, writes down my answer, her hand moving quickly across the off-white page.

“Who was the active Alpha when you left the Tracker Pack?”

“Alpha Carver Haze.”

“And who was his successor?”

“Helena Soulen,” I swallow thinking.

“You and Alpha Haze’s daughter share the same last name?”

“My mother was married before her death.”

“And whom did she marry?”

“Race Soulen,” I swallow again.

“The past Beta of the fallen Beast Pack?”

“Yes,” I could feel my throat tightening, the anxiety building. This wasn’t how I planned for her to learn I was a mutt.

“And the first and last names of your parents?”

“Helena and Race Soulen,” I sigh, finally looking away from those hypnotizing eyes.

“The next questions will be a yes or no question. Understood?” her voice remained level, her pen scraping against the paper as she wrote.

“Yes,” I raise my head again, looking at her.

“Are you the son of Helena Soulen and the grandson to Alpha Haze?”

“Yes,” I hold her eyes.

“Are you the heir to the Tracker Pack?”

“Biologically, yes.”

“Yes or no?”

“Technically, yes.”

“Yes or no, Mr. Soulen?”

“Yes, Alpha Axel,” she hums, writing my answer down.

“The following questions require more than a yes or no answer. What pack or packs did your parents come from?” regardless of her knowing the answer, she asks, just to verify her conclusions.

“My mother was born and raised in the Tracker Pack, my father was born and raised in the disbanded and absorbed Beast Pack.”

“Does that or does that not make you a mutt, Mr. Soulen?”

“Yes, it does,” I clench my teeth and flex my jaw as I look at her, hands tightening on the back cushion of the couch.

“Of which two races do you and your temperament most resemble?”

“Myself, both, my temperament, the Beasts.”

“Of which to races do you share the most characteristics with?”

“Both.”

“This is a one or the other question, Mr. Soulen. Both do not apply.”

“A child is a mixture of its parent’s combined genetics. I share equal traits of both. Strength, all of my senses, temperament, stealth, the list could go on. There is no one or the other, Alpha Axel.”

“Of which two characteristic are you most familiar and good with; combat or tracking.”

“I excel in both.”

“One or the other, Mr. Soulen.”

“There is no one or the other. I am more than skilled at both, surpassing high warriors and high ranked guards and surprisingly every member of my tracker team including my teacher. Stop asking me to choose between them,” I snarl, teeth clenched tightly and lips twitching to bare my canines.

“Watch your tone.”

“If you’re going to be ignorant then this interview is over,” I growl.

“You don’t decide that,” she snarls in return, standing with her notebook at her side.

“I decide when and when not to use the mouth my mom blessed me with. Maybe if you were lucky, you’d earn it,” I stand, towering over the small Alpha, teeth bared, the flash of a bright blue flashing against her pale skin, her golden eyes flashing back.

“I’ve nothing to earn. You’re in my territory, my rules,” her elongated canines flash at me as a growl bubbles from her throat.

She looked so pretty like this.

“You gonna try and put me in my place, Alpha?” I arch my brow as I flash my teeth back, eyes still flashing back at her.

“Do I need to?”

“Why don’t you try,” I mock, stepping forward, closing the gap between us.

Her scene traveled quickly to my nose, a scent that had my mouth watering and my body aching.

I watch as she inhales, her chest touching my stomach as her eyes flutter closed.

“Arden,” she whispers, her hands pressing against my tensed stomach.

God. My name from her mouth was absolute heaven.

“Say it again,” I growl, hands coming up to lay on her hips.

“Arden, let go,” her voice is breathy but stable never the least, her hands gripping my wrists gently.

I pull my hands away, allowing them to drop to my sides as I take a step back.

“Our conversation is over. My Beta will escort you to your room,” she said, back straight as she straightens her top.

I say nothing, just stare at her.

“Good night,” she takes her leave then, eyes glancing at me one more time before the door clicks closed.

I don’t understand why she pushed me away. There was an opportunity. Despite our differentness, our strong-headedness, despite all of it, we had an opportunity, and she pushed me away.