Chapter 164
+25 Points
The sight of him was an unwelcome punch to the gut. His face was older, harder, but there was no mistaking the man who had torn Kimberly’s heart out and bullied me for years.
I heard a sharp, painful intake of air right behind me. Kimberly.
Chase’s eyes were locked on her, not me. He took a single, slow step forward, his hand lifting slightly as if to reach for her.
Kimberly gasped again, broken and she immediately took a huge step towards me, pressing herself against my side. I felt her whole body tense, ready to run or fight.
For a flashing second, I saw it in Chase’s eyes genuine regret. A deep, sick sadness that made him look like the boy Kimberly used to love. A tiny, stupid part of me almost felt sorry for him, seeing that pain.
But then I saw Kimberly’s face, pale and set hard as rock. I remembered everything he had done. He chose Alice over her by disrespecting me to make her.
The feeling of pity vanished. It was replaced by ice.
I stepped slightly in front of Kimberly, my eyes narrow. “What are you doing here, Chase?” I asked. My voice was low and dangerous.
Chase slowly lowered his raised hand, finally tearing his gaze away from Kimberly to look at me. He squared his shoulders, trying to look like the man in charge.
“I am the Beta of the Crescent Pack,” he stated, his voice flat.
I nodded slowly, putting the pieces together. “Of course. What better way to learn everything about the pack you want to attack than to have their former Gamma on your side?” I mocked.
I didn’t care about the past, not right now. I was focused on the present.
“Well, I wasn’t expecting to see you,” I continued, my voice gaining strength. “But it doesn’t matter. I am here because I am the new Alpha of this pack.”
A flicker of something, disbelief mixed with caution crossed his face.
“We know,” he said. “We received the news soon after Alpha Kyle passed.”
“Good,” I said simply. “So are you going to let me in’willingly, or do we have a problem?”
Chase paused, gathering his words carefully. He was trying to sound respectful, but I could feel his guard up.
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“Alpha,” he started, his use of the title sounding forced. “On behalf of everyone here, we truly feel bad about what happened to out former Alpha. None of it should have happened.”
I waited. I knew there was a ‘but‘ coming.
“But the truth is, the pack was heading into a fire we didn’t want,” Chase continued, his voice
dropping. “There was no way to stop him except his death.”
I was genuinely surprised. So they knew Kyle was bad news? They were happy I saved them, even
if I killed their leader?
But Chase wasn’t done.
“The fact that you killed Kyle doesn’t mean you automatically become our Alpha,” he stated, firming his grip on his authority. “That is something that has to be earned, not just taken.”
The nerve of him. An overwhelming wave of power rushed through me. I pushed my wolf power
out a physical force that hit Chase like a wall.
Chase gasped and stumbled back a step. His knees tried to buckle.
“Do you think,” I growled, my voice dropping and filled with the roar of my wolf, “that killing Kyle, something everybody here seemingly failed to do doesn’t earn the respect I deserve?”
He was struggling to breathe now, bowing slightly under the invisible weight I had placed on his
shoulders.
“I–I don’t have a problem with you,” he managed to choke out, his eyes wide with surprise at the sheer force of my power. “But not everyone in the pack is happy about sudden changes.”
I pushed harder. Chase dropped to one knee, clutching his chest.
“They will deal with it,” I stated, my voice ringing with finality. “I am here to stay. I will lead this Pack as the Alpha. Now, as the Beta, will you set an example and accept me, or will you challenge me?”
He didn’t hesitate this time. His face was pale, his submission absolute. He lowered his head until
his forehead brushed the dirt.
“Alpha,” he whispered.
I released the pressure. The air returned to normal, but the silence remained.
“Good,” I said, feeling my own heart pound from the quick, violent display of dominance. “Now, lead the way inside.”
Chase got up quickly and started walking ahead of us. As we entered the main pack grounds, I looked around in surprise.
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The last time I was here, I was held captive. I never actually got to see the place.
+25 Points2
It was beautiful. The buildings were made of smooth, warm gray stone, and everything was perfectly kept. There were large, well–tended gardens even this late in the year. The pack house
itself was a huge, magnificent structure at the top of a small rise.
But something was wrong. It was too quiet. Eerily quiet.
“Where is everybody?” I asked, stopping on the path. The silence was unsettling. It felt like the entire pack was hiding.
“They are keeping to themselves, Alpha,” Chase said, still walking stiffly.
I shook my head. “No. I need to see them. I need to address them.”
I turned to Chase. “Mind–link everybody. Tell them to meet me in the pack hall immediately. Do you
have one?”
“Yes, Alpha. We do.”
“Lead me there, then.”
The pack hall was just as impressive as the outside. At the front of the room, on a raised platform,
was a massive throne–like chair. It was clearly meant for Kyle.
I walked straight to it and sat down.
The chair felt huge and solid beneath me, a symbol of the power I now held. I closed my eyes for
just a moment. I didn’t want to look weak or nervous. I needed to project total control. I let my wolf
take over in my mind, smoothing out any last edges of human doubt, making my posture rigid and
unyielding.
I waited.
One by one, they started to arrive.
They filed in, hundreds of them. Most of them were glaring at the ground or staring at the walls, refusing to meet my eyes. They looked awkward, uncomfortable, and definitely unhappy that I was
sitting on their Alpha’s throne.
I was used to it. People hated me for being different, for being strong, for being unexpected. Their discomfort didn’t matter. They didn’t know me, and their hate couldn’t hurt me.
The pack hall slowly filled up. I felt a wave of dizziness at the sheer number of people now depending on me, now under my rule.
I quickly reined in the feeling, refusing to look overwhelmed.
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When the last person shuffled in, I straightened my spine. The great hall was silent, filled only with the sound of collective breathing.
I opened my eyes and looked over the mass of hostile, uncertain faces. I spoke, my voice calm, clear, and loud enough to fill the space.
“My name is Faith.”
I paused, letting the simple name settle. Then I began to list my titles, each one a hammer blow of authority and lineage.
“I am the daughter of Luna Wendy and Alpha Connor of the Eclipse Pack.”
A few whispers broke out, quickly silenced by a glare from Chase, who was standing stiffly to the
side.
“I am the biological daughter of Alpha Benjamin of the Fallen Pack.”
More tension built up. My bloodlines were complicated, messy, and undeniable.
“I am the Luna of the Eternal Pack, and the mate of Alpha Astor.”
That one got a reaction. The Eternal Pack was powerful. They knew that.
I took a deep breath, letting the full weight of the final title settle before I spoke the last, most
difficult part of the introduction.
“I am also the half–sister of Kyle, your former Alpha.”
I leaned forward slightly, planting my hands on the arms of the throne I now occupied. I looked
directly into the uncertain eyes of my new pack.
“And I am now your Alpha.”
cphakathi28
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