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“You will do what the pack needs. That’s what the alpha does!” his mother shouts, her voice shrill and grating on my ears like nails on a chalkboard.
“Then make Jace the alpha. He can marry Harlow!” Pike snaps, pointing to his younger brother across the table. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Jace’s face scrunch up in disgust at the thought. When we were younger, Jace was always jealous of Pike. He wants to be the alpha, but even he knows Harlow isn’t worth that. Maybe he isn’t as lost in their mind games as I’d thought.
“You do not tell me what to do, boy!” Pike’s father spits, his lips curling to expose his teeth in a show of intimidation. It has no effect on Pike, though. Unfortunately for him, his son outranks him as far as beasts are concerned, whether he’s his alpha or not.
“Harlow has been chosen for you, and I will not have you destroying the honor of our pack for some pathetic little prey girl who will only breed weakness into our family line!”
Pike moves so fast he’s nothing but a blur as he lunges over the table and slams into his father. They go down hard, the wooden chair behind him cracking under their combined weight as they fall on top of it. The second Pike moves against him, the rest of us are standing, ready to step in should we have to. I have no doubt Pike can handle his old man, but right now, anyone in the room who isn’t one of my own is a threat. I won’t let them get a cheap shot in on him while he handles this. If anyone has a problem, they can take it up with us.
“Pike.”
Harlow is out of her chair and rushing around the table. Her hand pressed against her chest as if in disbelief of what’s happening. She’s nothing if not an actress, though not a good one if you ask me. She knows exactly how much Pike didn’t want this, though I don’t doubt she’s shocked at seeing him stand against it. For years, she’s been walking around flaunting her ‘relationship’ with Pike, knowing damn well he didn’t want anything to do with her. He dealt with her because his parents demanded it. All to keep the peace in hopes that he could make his father see reason.
My only regret is letting it get this far. We all knew it would never work. His father won’t be persuaded, and Harlow won’t just bow out gracefully. She doesn’t even understand the meaning of the word.
I watch as Harlow reaches out, her hand coming down to rest on Pike’s back as though she might be able to stop him.
Stupid girl.
Pike freezes, and a smile tugs at the corner of her mouth. She thinks she’s done something, won something, but she couldn’t be more wrong. If she knew Pike even a little bit, she would know that all she’s done is pissed him off.
Pike’s usually all for physical touch. He craves it, demands it even. It takes a lot to make him snap, but when he does… Well, that need for touch becomes the opposite. It’s as if a switch in his brain flips, making him the opposite of his usual self. It’s only happened a few times, but we quickly learned that only one of us can bring him back from it. Either that, or we let it run its course.
Pike turns to Harlow, and something on his face must give away his feral state. She snatches her arm away, her eyes wide with shock, as Pike’s teeth snap together in the exact place her arm had just been.
Pity.
Harlow shrieks as she falls back onto her ass, scurrying away from him.
He doesn’t spare her another second, though. His attention shifts back to his father, who’s still pinned beneath him.
“I’m done. I’m not going to sit back and follow orders anymore. I’ve been stronger than you for a while now, old man. It took a long time for me to realize this isn’t what a loving family was supposed to be. Serena and the guys taught me that, but you already knew that, didn’t you? That’s why you were so pressed to keep me under your control, wasn’t it? That’s why you resorted to threats and manipulation?”
Pike’s voice is low, but we hear him loud and clear; the perks of being shifters. His words rub me wrong, though. We all know how he grew up and the way his parents treated him. Not only were they physically abusive when he was younger, but also mentally, and it wasn’t just with him. That was the way they ran the whole pack— through fear. It worked because the alpha is the strongest. Nobody would dare stand against him, no matter what they thought or felt.
Until now, that is.
But something about the way Pike worded it feels different, and the way his father’s eyes go wide puts me more on edge.
What don’t we know?
“For so long, I thought you would love me if I just did what you said. That I just had to prove I was enough,” he scoffs, as if the very idea is ridiculous. “I should have known better, and I think a part of me did. I just didn’t want to believe it. I know now, though, I'll never be enough, no matter what I do.”
Pike pushes to stand, leaving his father on the floor beneath him, pinned by his gaze.
“But the funny thing is, I don’t care anymore. You can’t hurt me. You can’t hurt any of us, and that’s what’s important to me. Serena is safe, and I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure of it, whether it be from you or anyone else who might try to hurt her. I won’t be a part of this game of cat and mouse you have going on. Starting today, I will no longer let you use me to do it.”
“Pike!”
Victor’s voice rings with a warning as he pushes up from the floor, but he doesn’t make it far.
“Stay down, Victor!”
Pike’s command rings with his alpha bark, stopping him dead in his tracks, and for the first time in his entire miserable life, I think he sees his son clearly.
Whines and whimpers sound around the room as his call washes over his and Harlow’s family alike. They might think themselves strong, but they have no idea what we’re capable of. How could they? I’m not sure even we know the full extent of it. That’s the thing about being beasts who have never been before. The possibilities are endless.
His bark does not affect me or the guys; it hasn’t since we were small. But strangely enough, it seems Serena is somehow unaffected by it.
