-Adrian-
I didn't want to leave Ember this morning, but some things required my immediate attention—starting with the Jasmine situation. She'd been a thorn in my side for months, but now that she'd threatened my mate, it was time to deal with her family once and for all.
"Should have gutted them weeks ago," Nox snarls, clawing at my consciousness. "The she-wolf and her family have overstepped for the LAST time."
"I know," I acknowledge, feeling my own rage building. "My patience is officially over."
"Diplomacy is for the weak when someone threatens our mate," he growls back, his bloodlust pulsing through our bond.
At precisely 8 AM, I mind-link Jasmine's father, Elder Ron, demanding his immediate presence in my office. While waiting, I sort through paperwork, my claws occasionally extending to pierce the expensive leather of my chair's armrests.
A hesitant knock on my office door interrupts my concentration.
"Enter," I growl, my voice deliberately harsh.
The door opens slowly, and Elder Ron peeks his head through before entering—a shorter, chubbier man who'd once been my father's trusted Beta. "Ah, Adrian. I'm so glad you called for this meeting. There is much to discuss."
I cock an eyebrow, feeling Nox's fury rising at Ron's casual tone. "Oh?"
Ron walks in confidently and sits in one of the chairs in front of my desk without being invited. "Jasmine told me that you brought home a few new wolves the other day."
"Did she now?" I keep my voice deadly calm, though Nox roars for blood.
"He speaks as if we answer to him," Nox snarls. "As if we need PERMISSION to expand our pack. I want his throat between our teeth."
Ron nods, his expression one of condescension that makes my jaw clench tight enough to crack teeth. "She wasn't too happy about it. You should really discuss these things with her before making such pack-changing decisions."
The absolute audacity makes my vision flash red. Why the fuck would I need to discuss Alpha business with Jasmine of all people? "I don't see how these decisions are any of her business."
Ron leans back in his chair and crosses his ankle over his knee in a casual display that has Nox howling for violence. "As your mate, I would think she has a right to know when you bring in other she-wolves."
"Mate?" The word comes out like acid, burning the air between us.
"MATE?!" Nox roars inside my head, nearly breaking through my control. "TEAR HIS FUCKING THROAT OUT FOR THIS INSULT TO OUR TRUE MATE!"
Ron laughs like I've just told a particularly amusing joke. "She is so excited for the mating ceremony next month. We went dress shopping a few weeks ago. Laura has been planning the whole thing with Sheryl and the Omegas."
The pieces click into place, and my control slips. My claws extend fully, digging into the wood of my desk. Jasmine has been telling her parents that I'm going to choose her as my mate and Luna. The absolute fucking delusion of it all has me seeing red.
"Let me kill him," Nox demands. "Slowly. Painfully. Make an example of what happens when someone disrespects our mate."
"Ron," I struggle to keep my voice from becoming a full Alpha roar, "what exactly did Jasmine tell you about the new wolves I brought here?"
He shakes his head, oblivious to how close he is to death. "Nothing much. Just that they were kicked out of their other pack and you took them in." His expression turns disgustingly superior. "And she may have implied that they were... experienced."
A laugh escapes me, but it's the kind that makes even hardened warriors take a step back. "Their names are Ember and Oaklynn. And they aren't here to sleep around with pack members."
"You can never be too careful with those dirty rogues," Ron says dismissively, completely unaware that he's signing his own death warrant.
"I WANT BLOOD!" Nox demands, fury burning through my veins like wildfire. "LET ME RIP HIS FUCKING SPINE OUT FOR DARING TO INSULT OUR MATE!"
My control shatters, my eyes shifting to pure wolf gold as Nox surges forward. I slam my fist on the desk with enough force to crack the solid mahogany straight down the middle. Ron jumps, finally sensing danger.
"Your daughter," I say, my voice a demonic mixture of mine and Nox's, "is a fucking liar."
Ron stiffens, fear finally entering his scent. "E-excuse me?"
I rise from my chair, placing my hands on the cracked desk and leaning forward. "Those 'dirty rogues' you just insulted? One is Carter's mate, and the other is MY TRUE MATE and YOUR LUNA."
Ron's face pales, then flushes with anger, his scent souring. "You can't just replace Jasmine. She has been training to be Luna since she was a teenager."
I move around the desk so quickly that Ron has no time to react. I tower over him, letting my Alpha aura wash over him with crushing force. His breath catches, and he shrinks back in the chair.
"You can't replace something that never fucking existed," I snarl, baring my teeth. "I was never going to pick Jasmine as my mate. Not now. Not ever."
I slam my palm on the arm of his chair, splintering the wood. "We have been planning this since you two were teenagers, Adrian," Ron insists, stupidly doubling down. "I'm sorry, but the elder council has already accepted Jasmine to take over as Luna."
"HE STILL DEFIES US!" Nox snarls, pushing so hard against my control that I feel my bones shifting, preparing for the change. "SHOW HIM WHO RULES. SHOW HIM THE CONSEQUENCES OF DISRESPECT."
"This isn't the elder council's pack," I growl, my face inches from his. "It's MINE."
I grab the arm of his chair and flip it, sending Ron tumbling to the floor. "I think you and your mate have gotten too fucking comfortable in your roles here. Laura is not the Luna, and you are not the Alpha. I AM."
I press my boot against his chest, pinning him to the floor with just enough pressure to make breathing difficult. "I was grateful that you were there when I had to take over as Alpha at fourteen," I continue, my voice thick with Alpha power. "I was grateful to the Elders for watching the pack while I was imprisoned. But my gratitude has limits, and you just found them."
I remove my boot, allowing him to gasp for air. "I haven't needed help running my pack in five years. The only reason I have continued to put up with your overstepping is because you and my father were close friends. You were his Beta. But that ends NOW."
Elder Ron wheezes, trying to draw enough breath to speak. "Your father would have wanted you to be mated with Jasmine. She will make a perfect Luna, not some outsider."
"HOW DARE HE INVOKE YOUR FATHER'S NAME!" Nox roars, and this time I don't hold him back.
My boot connects with his ribs, not hard enough to break them, but enough to make him curl into himself with a pained gasp. "Don't you EVER presume to know what my father would have wanted," I hiss, feeling my fangs lengthen. "My father would have wanted me happy, with my TRUE MATE. Not shackled to your delusional, overreaching daughter."
I crouch down, my face level with his. "This is what's going to happen," I say, my voice eerily calm now. "I will order Jasmine to be released from the cells at the end of the week—"
"YOU THREW MY DAUGHTER IN THE CELLS?" Ron tries to rise, but a growl from me has him freezing in place.
"I should have thrown her in a fucking grave," I snarl, and Ron blanches at my brutality. "She threatened to kill my true mate. By pack law, that alone is punishable by death. She should be grateful all I did was lock her up."
"What right do you have to—" Ron begins, but stops when I bare my teeth.
"Besides being the Alpha?" I laugh, the sound devoid of humor. "Try the fact your daughter threatened to kill my mate... to kill her Luna. That's high treason, Ron. That's execution-worthy. So you can either thank me for my mercy, or I can have her dragged to the pack circle and put down like the rabid bitch she is."
Ron's face drains of all color as he realizes just how precarious his daughter's situation is. "How was Jasmine supposed to react?" he tries weakly. "You brought home another she-wolf."
"I'm going to tear his lungs out through his nose," Nox promises darkly. "Making excuses for threatening our mate? Unforgivable."
I stand, kicking his leg out of my way as I do. "I stopped fucking Jasmine months before I met Ember," I say, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "I was never planning on taking her as a mate. She knew that. She was a convenient hole, nothing more."
Ron flinches at my brutal honesty, but I don't care. It's time he understood exactly how little his daughter meant to me.
"So here's the deal," I continue, my voice hard as steel. "Are you going to accept that you have no power in this pack, that my true mate is Luna, and Jasmine is to be banished until further notice? Or are you and Laura planning on joining her in exile? Or worse?"
The threat in my voice is unmistakable. Ron's jaw works back and forth as he weighs his limited options. "I will send Jasmine to spend time with my sister in her pack in the south."
"You do that," I say, returning to my desk. "You have twenty-four hours to make arrangements and get her out of my territory."
Just then, urgent and angry knocks come from the office door.
"Prepare for more drama," Nox mutters. "I can smell Laura's cheap perfume from here."
The door swings open without my permission, and Laura storms in, her face twisted with anger. "I don't know what kind of woman you brought here, but she needs to learn her place!"
I lift an eyebrow and just stare at her, letting my Alpha aura fill the room with oppressive power. She falters mid-step, finally sensing the danger.
"How dare she come here and start ordering me around. Me!" Laura continues, though her voice has lost some of its conviction.
I look at Ron, who's still on the floor, then back at Laura. The rage that's been simmering all morning threatens to boil over.
"Let me handle this one," Nox begs. "Just a little maiming. Nothing fatal... unless they insist."
Elder Ron stands shakily. "Laura, I'm sending you and Jasmine to stay with Keri for a while. Just until things settle down."
"We can't leave!" Laura turns on him, oblivious to the danger she's in. "We still have so much to do with planning the mating ceremony."
Ron clears his throat, looking towards me with naked fear in his eyes. "Honey, Jasmine and Adrian won't be having a mating ceremony. He found his true mate. You met her."
Laura's face contorts with disgust. "That girl? No. Absolutely not."
In a flash, I'm across the room. My hand slams into the wall beside Laura's head, cracking the plaster. She freezes, eyes wide with shock and fear.
"You seem to be under the delusion that you have any say in the matter," I say, my voice deadly quiet.
"Adrian-"
"They are addressing us without title," Nox notes, his rage building again. "They treat us like we are nothing. SHOW THEM."
I lean closer, letting my power press against her like a physical weight. "It's ALPHA Adrian," I growl, my voice resonating with Alpha command. "You would be wise to remember that."
"Where is our daughter?" Laura demands, struggling to maintain her composure despite the fear radiating off her. "I haven't seen her since yesterday."
"In my cells," I answer flatly. "Where she's lucky to be, considering the alternative was a bullet to the head for threatening my mate."
Laura's eyes widen in shock and fear. "You wouldn't—"
"I absolutely would," I cut her off, my eyes flashing gold. "And I still might, if you continue testing my patience."
I turn my back on her, walking to my desk with deliberate calm. "My office. My pack. My rules," I state, letting each word land like a physical blow. "Ember is my mate. She is the Luna. Together, we make decisions. And our first decision is that you, Ron, and your daughter are no longer welcome in positions of authority in this pack."
"That little bitch was right," Laura scoffs, stupidly doubling down. "You are taking her side."
I whirl around, my eyes blazing gold, lips curled back to reveal elongated fangs. The temperature in the room plummets as my rage fills the space. Glass shatters somewhere, and the lights flicker ominously.
"The next words out of your mouth had better be an apology," I say, my voice barely human. "Or they will be your last."
"I—I'm sorry," Laura stammers, genuine terror in her eyes now. "Alpha, please—"
"What exactly was Ember right about?" I demand, reining in Nox with tremendous effort.
"She has decided to take over the pup center and assign Callie as one of the den mothers," Laura says, wringing her hands nervously.
Pride surges through me. My little wolf is already stepping into her role as Luna, making decisions that benefit the pack. "Callie is graduating in a few weeks. She's practically an adult. She has wanted to work in the pup center for years. I would have assigned her there even without your Luna's input."
"You're only giving her special privileges because she is Carter's sister," Laura accuses, apparently determined to die today.
"Yes," I admit without hesitation. "And? Callie is Carter's sister. Carter is one of my lead warriors, someone I trust with my life, my brother in all but blood. His family gets privileges. That's how pack hierarchy works." I run my fingers through my hair, then fix them both with a deadly glare. "You have twenty-four hours to get your daughter and yourselves out of my territory."
"What?" Laura gasps, her hand flying to her chest in shock. "You're banishing us?"
"I'm being merciful," I correct coldly. "By pack law, I could execute all three of you for treason against your Luna. Instead, you'll spend the next year in exile. During special pack holidays and traditions, you may apply for a visiting permit, but you'll be under armed guard at all times. I may not like it but pack history belongs to you too."
"Under guard?" Laura scoffs, though her voice trembles. "That's extreme."
"Not extreme enough," Nox grumbles. "Not for threatening what's ours."
"If either of you so much as breathes wrong in Ember's direction, exile becomes execution," I continue, my voice devoid of emotion. "This isn't a negotiation. It's mercy. Take it while I'm still offering it."
I turn my back on them, a clear dismissal. "Get out of my sight. You have twenty-four hours. If any of you are still in my territory after that deadline, blood will flow."
Elder Ron helps Laura toward the door, and they stumble out, shutting it behind them. I can hear Laura's sobs echoing down the hallway.
I run my hands up and down my face, the rage slowly ebbing into cold satisfaction. That conversation went exactly as it needed to. For too long, I'd let Ron and his family overstep their bounds out of respect for my father's memory. But threatening my mate crossed a line that cannot be uncrossed.
"We should have killed them all," Nox insists, still thirsting for blood. "Death is the only punishment worthy of threatening our mate."
"Exile works better politically," I respond, though the idea of tearing out their throats holds significant appeal. "The other packs will see that we were merciful despite having every right to execute them. And we don't hurt women."
"And if they return still harboring ill intent toward our mate?" Nox challenges.
"Then they won't leave our territory alive," I promise grimly.
Xander's voice interrupts my thoughts through our pack mind-link. Alpha, we have a situation at the gates.
What is it? I reply, already irritated that my day is continuing to be disrupted. Can you not handle it?
I linked Killian, Jamison, and Jax, Xander responds, tension evident in his mental voice. This she-wolf won't leave, and she is yelling at us like a banshee. She's demanding to see you specifically.
I growl, low and dangerous. I'll be there in five.
"More problems," Nox observes as I stride from behind my ruined desk. "Let's hope whoever's at the gate has more self-preservation than Ron and Laura did."
"For their sake," I mutter, already stalking toward the door, "they'd better."
As I make my way through the packhouse corridors, my thoughts turn to Ember. I hope she's having a better morning than I am.
Retry
Claude can make mistakes.
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