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“Is that supposed to impress me?” I growl and roll my eyes.
“Yes, it should,” my father tells me, narrowing his eyes at me. “It should also show you that I’m putting you in the best pack with an opening. They recently lost their tenth member, which makes this a perfect opportunity for you to get in. I might possibly be sending you to fight on the frontlines, but at least I’m making sure that you’re surrounded by capable wolves.”
“Come on, Father, don’t make me do this. It’s bullshit,” I say, not even caring that I sound like I’m whining. “I promise I’ll get better by myself. From now on, I’m cut off from the alcohol and drugs.”
“You’re right about that because you won’t have any of it in the encampment,” my father says with a smile. “The best we can hope for is that this experience turns you into at least half of the man that your brother is. If that happens, we’ll consider it a win.”
It’s over, my wolf tells me, making me face the truth. You’ll have to let it go for now.
“Yes, Father,” I say, forcing the words out through gritted teeth.
With a curt nod, my father turns on his heels and leaves me behind in the hotel suite that smells like sex, alcohol, and stale cigarettes. On any other occasion, I’d consider the night to be a fucking success, but right now, I don’t feel like smiling and patting my shoulder for a good fuck fest.
When Tiana arrives, I’m still sitting in the same spot, holding my now cold coffee. Not even three hours ago, I was on top of the world, and now I’ve fallen to the absolute bottom. I’m joining some random pack as a commoner, as a soldier with a lower standing. Following that theory, even Tiana has more power than I do.
We’ll show them all, my wolf promises. They’ll end up begging us for forgiveness.
You’re right, I agree. Once we rise up the ranks, Father will have to eat his words. We’ll even put Saint Gavin to shame.
My wolf makes a sound in agreement, channeling his motivation and confidence into me. It’s potent enough that I lift my head high up and meet Tiana’s eyes.
“Ready to go?” she asks, her usually playful behavior nowhere to be seen.
I don’t think she was too happy to find us in bed with human women, my wolf speculates.
Good point, I allow, then force a smile on my face to hold up the pretense that nothing can shake me.
“What’s the rush, sweetheart?” I ask as I set my coffee on the table and get up. I nod toward the bed, raise my brow, and smirk. “How about it? You in for a ride?”
Tiana’s face darkens, and she steps aside, giving me a clear view of the door where I only now notice Jay standing. The second Beta, or well, now that Tiana is Alpha, I suppose he got promoted to her spot, is looking at me with an air of superiority.
Bloody commoner! my wolf hisses, his disgust heavily dripping from every word.
I’m the future Grey king and I won’t be disrespected by trashy little nobodies like these two. It’s important that I make it clear who’s the real Alpha here in every sense of the word.
With a deep breath, I send a signal to my wolf to bring out the claws just as I jerk forward and roughly grab Tiana’s neck, my fingers dangerously curling around it. I expect Jay to assist his Alpha, but Tiana holds up her hand, stopping him in his tracks. My lips curl up into a triumphant smile and I tighten my grip around Tiana’s neck.
“Learn to respect your superiors or I’ll add another scar across your beautiful face,” I say with a low voice. “I’d hate for everyone to know that X marks the spot to punch.”
Tiana’s dark eyes are locked on mine as a slow grin spreads on her face. A guttural scream comes deep from within me before my brain even has the chance to realize that something’s wrong. The hand that I had around Tiana’s neck is broken in half, the bone protruding through the torn flesh.
I let go of her and cradle my injured hand close to my chest. My eyes dart to Tiana’s, my vision blurring as the pain becomes too much.
“What did you do?” I force out, my voice hoarse and low.
“You should always keep an eye on your shadow,” she replies with a nonchalant shrug. “The most painful backstabbing is the one you do to yourself.”
She animated our shadow and used it as a puppet, my wolf growls, panting hard as he’s doing his best to heal us through the drug and alcohol-induced fog of my own doing.
“You’ll pay for this,” I promise her through gritted teeth. “I’ll make you regret the day that you used your powers on your future King.”
“It’s time to go,” Tiana says coldly, not sounding worried at all. That’s okay because it only means that she doesn’t bother to keep her guard up around me. It will be easier to slip through the cracks and punish her.
The blinding pain makes me sway on my feet, my head feeling light, and my vision unclear. I shake off Jay’s hand when he grabs my arm and weakly growls at him. It’s the only sound I’m able to make, but at least I somehow manage to make my own way to the van.
I might hate what my father has planned for me, but he’s right in one thing. I need to get clean, so I can get stronger. While my powers are nowhere near Gavin’s, I’m not as weak as everyone else thinks. It’s my own fault for consuming so much crap, which cut me off from my vast well of darkness.
I’ll go to the military encampment, I’ll climb my way up the ranks to shut my father’s mouth, and then I’ll return to sit on the throne. I’m the only legitimate future this family has, but before I make our kingdom stronger, I’ll get rid of the traitors such as Tiana and Jay.
