The Threat

KATERINA CLERKS

I sat on my throne, surrounded by the pack councils, a few members and Sarah sitting right beside me while listening to the complaint right before me. A case has been brought to me this morning-  A man cheating on his wife and I feel so irritated and infuriated right now.

"Alpha Katerina, this is your first case as our leader" Council Andrew said. "Please make a decision so we can know what to do"

I nodded, my eyes fixed on the accused man kneeling before me before darting my eyes to the woman beside him.

"If your wife cheated on you with another man, how would you feel?" I questioned him but his eyes glued firmly to the ground without no response from him.

"ANSWER ME, YOU FUCKING FOOL!!!" I bursted angrily, hitting my right palm on the table hard.

"A... An... Angry, my Alpha" he replied, his voice shivering.

Stupid fool!

I don't know what their problem is! Why can't they just be loyal to their partners? Why do they have to cheat when they've already claimed another woman as theirs?

"And you, lady- I believed he had claimed you, didn't he?" I asked.

"Yes, my Alpha" She responded through sobs. But I'm not interested in feeling empathy towards anyone right now.

"The truth is, not only did he cheat on me, but he also abused me every day. At some point, he even threatened to kill me and my family if I dared to tell anyone about it. My Alpha, every night, I could feel it when he was wrapped in another woman's embrace. It hurt so badly, but I didn't have the courage to come out and tell the world about my problem. He always threatened me"

I sat there stunned, not because I was surprised, but because they're all the same- liars and deceivers. All they ever think about is themselves. To them, women mean nothing and are always the ones at fault. They never see themselves as being wrong.

I exhaled deeply before passing my judgment. "Your punishment is banishment" I declared. "You will leave this pack and never return again"

Instead of the expected nods of agreement from the councilors, some of them began to go against my decision. "Alpha, if you'll permit me, I disagree with your judgment" Councilor Andrew said in his firm voice. "Banishment is too harsh for him. He has family here, his children will suffer if he's gone"

My eyes narrowed at him as I clenched my fist. Why was I not surprised at this foolish old man trying to go against me? Of course, he has always been a supporter of Sarah- Him and Brenda.

"His actions have caused enough suffering already, Councilor." I said, my voice stern. "His wife and children will be better off without him."

"But my Alpha, he's shown remorse already. He's also promised to change his ways. I believe he's learnt his lesson and will never repeat such mistake again. Shouldn't we give him a chance to redeem himself?" Councilor Brenda said, her expression sympathetic.

I passed her a glanced with my jaw clenched. "His remorse has come too late. His actions have consequences and I won't risk the safety and well-being of his family by letting him stay"

"You're being too emotional right now, Alpha. You're letting your own past experiences cloud your judgment" Councilor Andrew sneered, and my eyes flashed with anger immediately.

"My past has nothing to do with this." I snapped. "I'm making a decision based on what's best for this pack."

The council members began to argue amongst themselves, with some supporting my decision and others opposing it. The room grew louder and more chaotic.

I turned to look at Sarah, who held a wicked grin plastered on her face.

Is this their plan?

To demean me and make my order look like nothing before my subjects?

Why am I surprised? Of course, she would do all it takes to make me look like a fool in front of the pack members. She would do all it takes to frustrate me, and maybe, at the end I will give up.

Before I could say a word, Sebastian beat me to it and stood up. "ENOUGH, EVERYONE!! The Alpha has made her decision, and we will all respect it" He said in a calm yet authoritative tone.

"But she's trying to impose her-" Councilor Andrew started to argue again before I cut him off.

"Councilor Andrew, would you rather come and take the Alpha seat instead? Since you know more about this Alpha position than I do?" I asked in a sarcastic tone, and the room instantly grew silent.

"I don't know what you all are planning, but I will not be swayed in any way. My punishment still stands. He will be banished, and that's final!"

They all finally nodded their heads while the man keeps pleading for mercy, but my expression remained stern. Sebastian nodded to the guards, and two of them came forward and dragged the man away. After the meeting came to an end, Sebastian, I, and my kids walked to their new quarters while they looked around curiously.

"Mama, are we going to be staying here now?" Celine, my daughter, asked.

"Yes, baby. We will be staying here from now on. This is where Mommy and Papa grew up, and you will all like it here" I said, patting her hair. "We will make new friends and build a new life here. Mommy and Papa will be leading the people here, and I will always be here for you"

"Yay! I like it here too" Jasmine, my other daughter jumped up in happiness, and Seb and I exchanged a knowing look before smiling at each other.

As the maids unpacked our boxes, my mind wandered with many thoughts- thinking about my new role as the Alpha. We had just gotten back here last night, and it was kind of tough- I wouldn't lie. Even though I truly wanted to be a fair and strong leader, just like my father. He was a wise and kind leader, I wouldn't lie. He would listen to the Pack's problems and make good decisions.

I really want to make him proud. I wanted to be respected and loved by all the Pack members even though Sarah and Clara doesn't want to make it easier for me.

I looked out the window, my heart felt a sense of purpose. I knew I had big shoes to fill, and I was ready for it. I am ready to protect and serve the pack like my father wanted.

The maids were done with the arrangements and they bowed before leaving the room, making everywhere became silent except for the sound of my kids laughing and playing in the next room

I smiled and feel hopeful and excited for the new beginning. I thought coming back here will bring back a lot of sad memories but to my greatest surprise, I wasn't that much affected. This is just a start of my new journey and I am eager to see what the future holds.

•

The Next Day

I just finished a business meeting with the XYZ company, the most prestigious company here in America and I can't be more happier than this after the accomplishment of the successful deal, but my happiness got short-lived the moment my gaze landed on the two people who walked into the building.

Damian and Clara. They both walked towards me, with Clara's hand clutching Damian's arm triumphantly, like someone who had just won the lottery. Clara had a smug look on her face, while Damian's expression was cold and detached.

"Look who we have here! It's Katerina, the new Alpha of the Black Stone Pack" Clara said as they approached me, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "The desperate Katerina, all alone and still pining for her lost love" She whispered the last part in my ear, making me fist my palm into a ball.

I felt a sting from her words, but decided not to give her the satisfaction of seeing my hurting side. I kept my expression neutral and tried walking past them without saying a word, but Clara hurriedly stood in front of me, blocking my way.

"Oh, come on, Katerina. Don't be like this" She said, her voice sounding mockingly. "We're actually happy to see you, aren't we, my love?" She tilted her head to glance at Damian, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

Damian's expression didn't change, he just nodded lightly and his eyes never leaving mine.

"And I can see you two are inseparable. You can't seem to do without each other, can you?" I asked, a fake smile plastered on my face.

"How did you know that? Oh my goodness, Damian has been the best man on earth, I wouldn't lie to you. I bless the day I met him. We're just so perfect for each other, and now we're engaged. We will be getting married soon!" She announced, all in one go as she raised her hand to show me the ring on her finger.

I clenched my hand into a fist before plastering another fake smile on my face. "Well, congratulations to you both. I believe you two deserve each other. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other important things to attend to."

I walked past them, but didn't fail to notice the look on their faces. Especially Damian's - it seemed like the reaction they were getting from me wasn't what they had expected.

I walked towards where I parked my car and tried opening the door, but a hand suddenly grabbed mine and spun me around roughly.

I gasped in shock, my eyes widening in horror as I saw Damian's face, his face an inch away from mine as his hot breath kept fanning my face. His familiar intoxicated scent filled my nostrils, waking up my wolf. I almost got carried away until my wolf, Kayla, snapped me out of it. "Katerina, snap out of it right this minute! This is not the time to slack off!"

I quickly pushed him away from my body as I realized what I was doing. "What do you think you're doing?!" I glared at him.

He took a step closer again and pinned me between my car and himself. "You think you're much better than me now, don't you? You think you can just act like everything is fine and walk away just like that?" He growled, his eyes blazing with anger.

I tried pulling my hands away, but his grip was like a vice. "Let go of me, Damian" I said, my voice firm and cold. "You're creating a scene." I added.

I thought he would listen, but his eyes flashed with anger instead. After a few seconds of glaring at each other, he finally released my hands, his expression twisting into a snarl. "Just so you know, Katerina, this isn't over yet between us!" He spat before turning and walking away.

I watched his retreating back in horror as my heart kept pounding loudly. At this point, I really need to be careful of him. I know him too well, when he says he's going to do something, then he's definitely going to do it.

Telling me it's not over yet means it's really not over.