Chapter One

"And I am done with the dishes" Alex said as he dropped on the couch beside his mom.

"You are going to be eighteen in a few days, Alex. Don't you think that you should leave the dishes for Arielle? You are going to spoil her rotten this way" his mom said to him.

"She is just eleven mom. She doesn't have to do the dishes. I have to head out soon. I need to head for football practice and then make it back in time for lunch. After lunch, I have some assignments to catch up with so I might be a little unavailable for family time until I finish up with my assignments" he said to his mom.

"Just make it back in time for lunch and then finish up all you have to do before dinner. I don't want you skipping meals. You would be eighteen soon and you would transform on the first full moon after you turn eighteen. I don't want anything to go wrong. Soon, you would be looking for a mate and then you would have to look your best. I don't want you looking thinner than you already look and I certainly don't want you getting rejected by her" She said to him.

"I am just going eighteen. All of this would certainly not happen overnight, mom. I would be fine and I don't think I am down for transforming just yet. Isn't there a way we can put it off until further notice?" he asked his mom.

"That is not possible and you know it. Why are you so different? Every teenager I know off are always excited to transform, what is holding you back? Why don't you share the same excitement?" She asked him.

"I don't know, I just don't think that I want to transform just yet. I have a lot to do with my life than to be selected to serve Carlos" Alex said to his mom.

"Alpha Carlos. He is your Alpha and he is mine. I understand that you don't want to have anything to do with him but whether we like him or not, it doesn't change the fact that he is Alpha and he is going to be Alpha for a long while. He keeps us safe and that matters to me and every other parent in this pack" she said to him.

"Then maybe the Southern Crest pack needs to change their definition of living because this is not living. He feeds of everybody, both the rich and the poor. He takes people at random and enrolls them into his army only to die. The people that lose their life while defending the borders of this valley are the ones protecting us. Carlos is only protecting himself" Alex said to her.

"Just keep your opinion to yourself when you are outside and do not disrespect your Alpha in public. He would kill you for it!" his mom warned.

"Exactly, the same way he killed Julian because he mistakenly ran into his car!" Alex said as he rolled his eyes.

"Julian was killed because he murdered somebody!" His mom said back.

"Julian said he was innocent. He said that he was being framed and nobody believed him but I do, I did. Julian didn't kill anybody. Carlos knows that and so does the entourage of witches that are supposed to be the judiciary of this valley but everybody is as corrupt as Carlos. It is either that or everybody in that panel of justice is scared of him and that is why nobody is willing to do anything about it" Alex said to his mom.

"Alexander Cyrus Mayson, you need to stop saying these things. We know that Carlos is not so much of a good person, everybody knows that but whatever you are saying would get you in trouble. There is a prophecy that says that there would be a savior and the person would be different, unique from the rest and until we have that savior, you can't go around ruining Carlos' image. He would not like it and it would get you in trouble. The last thing I need is Carlos taking you away from me" She said to him.

"Fine, but just so we are on the same page, he is not my Alpha and he would never get that respect from me" he said to his mom.

"Just don't speak ill of him in public" she said, warning him again.

"I would try not to. Do you think Dad would be back for lunch?" he asked.

"Your father wouldn't be back until weekend. I thought he told you this" she said to him.

"He didn't. Anyways, I have to get going before Tracy wakes up. If she does, I wouldn't be able to leave the house" he said to his mom.

He kissed her on her forehead and headed out with his bag. His mom looked at him as he walked away and headed out of the door. She hoped that he transformed and he was a normal wolf because if he wasn't she was going to have to tell him the truth. She knew that the likelihood of him being a normal wolf was slim because right from the time that he was born, he had showed signs of extraordinar abilities. When he turned three, his eyes glowed with bright red flames for days. She knew that there was a possibility that he was from the burning flame pack but she was also certain that they were extinct and there was no possible way that he was one of them. She hoped that she was right because she was not ready to explain to Alexander that she wasn't his birth mom and she wasn't the one that named him Alexander. She found the name on the baby towel that he was wrapped in. She sat back as she remembered how she had found Alexander. It was a cold snowing night when she and her husband had a very big argument.

"I told you that it doesn't matter. I have sent my parents to live far away from us just so they don't make you feel bad. We have been at this for years now. We have been to different doctirs and witches and they have told you times without number that there is nothing wrong with you. Why wouldn't you believe them?" he asked her.

"You want me to believe that there is nothing wrong with me yet I find it very difficult to make a baby with you despite series of sex and orgasms. I still can't get pregnant. Why is that not bothering you?" she asked him.

"Because you are my wife. I said that I was going to stay by your side no matter the situation. I said that i was going to stay with you for better for worse, in sickness and in health. I made a promise that I intend to keep and I don't care if we grow old and grey without a child. Besides, there are other options. We can always adopt a baby and move on with our lives" he said to her.

"Adopt a baby? What would your mother say? She already looks at me with distaste every time we meet up for thanksgiving or moon holiday" she said to him.

"Then we stop going there and do our festivals on our own. Why are you making a big deal out of something that shouldn't even be a topic of discussion?" he said to her.

"You can't be serious right now. You are so unbelievable!" she screamed at him.

"Beth! What is your problem?" she screamed at him.

"I don't know! I don't think that I am the one with the problem! I have provided a solution for you for every problem you brought up so what is the problem with you? You are beautiful and sweet and strong. You are a strong wolf. Why are you letting people affect you this way?" he asked her.

"You are being unreasonable. I need to go for a walk" she said to her husband.

Her husband knew better than to stop her so he didn't. He let her go and she headed out. Tears rolled down her face as she walked on in the snow. A lot of thoughts ran through her head and she didn't know what to do. She had contemplated leaving her husband a couple of times but she knew that it wasn't going to solve her problem, it was just going to make it worse. She knew that her husband loved her and he was going to do anything to protect her but she didn't want to be protected, she just wanted a baby. She walked past what was left of a burnt house and she could hear faint heartbeats. She wasn't sure if she was actually hearing it or her mind was playing tricks on her so she decided to keep moving until she heard a baby's cry. She looked around and followed the sound. She found him lying in a basket. She looked around and noticed that someone had burnt down the house. It suddenly occurred to her that it was the house that was on the news three day ago. Both parents were found murdered in the house and a day after their bodies were cleared out, someone burnt down the house. It made her wonder. Why would anybody do that to a child? Well, the person might not have known that there was a child there. She picked up the basket and headed back home, making sure that she wasn't followed. She opened the door and she saw her husband sitting exactly where she had left him.

"You are back earlier than expected" he said without looking up.

"Look what I found" she said with excitement.

He looked up and saw her with a basket.

"Beth, you have to stop picking up stray cats and dogs. You know that you get attached to these animals and then their owners show up to take them way from you, leaving you heart broken in the end" he said to her.

"It is not an animal, Donnie. It is a baby" she said to him.

"Oh great moon goddess. Where the hell did you get a baby from? You have to return it before someone sues you for kidnapping!" her husband said to her.

"I can't. It is going to die in the snow. I found it in the ashes of that house that was burnt down some days go. I heard it crying and my heart went out to it. We can't leave it to die out there. We can wait until someone shows up to claim the baby but I think that this child's parents were the couple that was murdered some days back. I don't think anybody would come for the child" she said to him.

To her greatest surprise, she was right. Nobody ever came for the child. When he started to manifest some powers, they were forced to move out from their town and move to the Southern Crest Valley where she brought him up. Six years after they picked up him up, they had a baby girl, Arielle. Alex loved her from the moment he set his eyes on her and he protected her from everything, including their parents. He never gave his mom the chance to spank her and definitely hated it when his dad yelled at her. Their life was perfect and Beth hoped that it would remain that way.

*****

"I thought you were not going to make it" his friend said to Alex.

"I am sorry. I just got caught up with my mom" Alex said to him.

"Are you okay? Why are you upset?" he asked him.

"Bennie, I am not upset" Alex said to him.

"Are you sure because your eyes are glowing again!" he said to Alex.

"Oh, shit!" Alex said as he dropped on his knees and closed his eyes.

"What went wrong?" Bennie asked him.