The Alpha's Embrace

Power(Unedited)

While Jorah and Serena were trying to get to know each other, Thomas and Serenity faced each other in a stand-off. Thomas' usually jolly attitude was gone as he silently sat on a rock with his hands interlocked. The run over there was enough to calm Thomas' anger down to a certain extent. But that didn't mean he wasn't angry.

"You brought me out here to silently glare at me?" Serenity raised her eyebrows. Her expression was bored as she continued. "We still have paperwork to do."

"I'm trying to find the right words to express my discontent." Thomas breathed out deeply. Goddess knows how hard he was trying not to tear into Serenity.

"Your discontent huh? What don't you like that I'm trying to be nice to my mate?" Serenity spread her hands and shrugged, "Besides, it's for the greater good, right?"

Thomas looked at Serenity in disbelief before shaking his head with his eyes closed. Tilting back his head, he tried to find the right words. But no matter how hard he thought, it came back to the words he so desperately wanted to say to her. Thomas knew Serenity better than anyone, better than his own mate even. But this was a new side he had never seen, not to mention the way she said it, like it was her being playful.

"Are you going to reject Jared?" Thomas finally asked after silently musing over his words. Serenity pressed her lips into a thin line while staring at him for a couple of seconds.

"I am," She answered. He already knew what her answer was, but he couldn't help but be disappointed.

"The bond, the pull, can you not feel it? When he touched you, did it not get stronger?" Thomas questioned. He wanted to know if she felt it.

"I felt it. The bond, everything you're talking about." Serenity smiled sarcastically at Thomas. "But I will reject him."

"You won't win. Nobody has ever successfully rejected their mate. It's not possible. And being such a strong alpha female is going to make the strained bond pull tighter. You'll get weaker until you can't shift anymore, and you'll go into heat. The only way to stop the heat would be Jared." Thomas told her, staring at her deadpan expression. His heart sank even further.

"I'll prove to you it's possible. Besides, why would I want to submit to a man? To hand over my power as alpha and what? Make babies? If you think I'm going to do any of that, then you must be out of your god-damn mind." Serenity leaned on a tree and looked up. "Don't be worried about this, after all, it ain't got nothing to do with you."

"Ren, how are you going to fight the bond, huh? Do you think the f*****g elders in the pack are going to give you a chance when they know you rejected your mate? Or are we not surrounded by enemies already? Why must you always pick the hard way?" Thomas gripped his hair in frustration. Why would Serenity choose this? Even when she knows how stupid it is.

"And what's the easy way, Tom?" Serenity smirked at him, "Lying down, getting f****d making babies and being a Luna?"

"Is the alpha title all you f*****g care about? That man gave up being the king for goodness’ sake! A king! Do you think he'd be interested in a small pack? You delusional Serenity, not everything is about being alpha and power." Thomas shouted as he glared heavily at her.

That wiped the smirk right off her face. Serenity was expressionless as she scoffed at Thomas. "All I have is power and my title. I have to protect it at all costs. Then and only then can I be free."

"Free from what Serenity, you are already free. You are still stuck living in the past that you can't even see a future for yourself. Do you think that's healthy behavior? Wake up! If you are going to reject that man, reject him. Don't play mind games with him, so you can influence Serena to do what you want. That girl has already seen through your intentions." A flash of understanding passed through Serenity's eyes as she realized why they were having this conversation.

This was about her plan to use Jared to make Serena accept her mate. Serenity had to admit it was a stupid plan that could backfire hard in her face, but admitting her wrong about this matter was another thing. She was conflicted, but she decided to give in a little.

"I won't use him to influence Serena. It wasn't a well-thought-out plan. I admit it okay?" Serenity took a step back, seeing that Thomas softened up a bit.

"Look, Ren, I'm not purposely being hard on you for no reason. It's just this time you were going to do something you'd regret for the rest of your life." Thomas folded his left leg onto his right and leaned forward a bit. "This mate thing is really serious."

"I admitted my wrong, why are we still talking about this mate s**t Thomas? I'm not talking about this anymore. Nothing you say is going to change my mind, I will not bow to him," she asserted. "f*****g stop, okay."

"You can't. You're dealing with something you have no knowledge of," Thomas emphasized. "You and Jared are strong alpha wolves, this is not going to end the way you think it is. Not to mention the heat......"

Serenity pushed off the tree she was leaning on and cut off Thomas' words by throwing a punch at the tree directly beside herself. "Heat, heat, heat. What f*****g heat?"

Badum! Thomas could hear his heart beating loudly in his ears as he made eye contact with Serenity, her eyes glowing and brimming with emotions. There was something she hid from him, something he didn't know. His lips parted, he wanted to speak, to say anything, but when he heard her confess what she was hiding from him for years, he froze.

"That's impossible," Thomas clenched his fist and asserted. "That is not possible, Serenity."

"Six years ago." Thomas leaned back, sliding down the rock he had sat on as he covered his mouth with his hand. "Six years ago Thomas. You always wanted to know why, now you know."

"But even if it's, as you said, okay, it's not essential for a successful relationship, many couples....." Serenity cut Thomas off once more.

"I don't want a mate. I never had and never will. If you talk to me about this s**t one more time, I'll send you home nursing wounds for days. Don't f**k with me Thomas." Serenity stood straight, "Nobody is going to take away my power of choice, not you and certainly not him."

"If you never wanted a mate, then why did you try to kill yourself?" Thomas used the rock as support to pick himself up from the ground. "You are spinning this web of confusing lies, but it all boils down to one thing. Your parents."

"You're right about Sean and Asha. I saw first hand what mates are, what they do for each other. And I want none of it. I'm going to protect my peace, even if it's the last thing I do." After saying that, she gave Thomas no time to react when she shifted into her wolf and dashed into the forest.

Helplessly, Thomas could only watch on as Serenity disappeared from his sight. He could follow her if he wanted, but he decided against that. A lot has happened in this short amount of time, not to mention the bomb Serenity just dropped on him. He wanted to know if it was true and the only person who could give him answers about it was the only other person who knew the entire story like he did. Serenity's aunt Mary, the pack's head doctor.

He wanted to mind link Mary right away, but he thought it would be better if they had a private conversation face to face. Tilting his head to the sky, he sent a silent prayer to the goddess for Jared. Things were so complicated with Serenity, Jared was going to need the goddess to bless him.

Jared, who Thomas was silently praying for, had just finished organizing the men they brought to tranquility. Earlier, his brother mind linked him and told him all was well in his end, which made Jared's mood rise. He was happy his brother was working things out with his mate but also worried as word had already begun to spread about Serena being a runt.

If Jared had known this would be the straw that broke the camel's back, he would have just ascended the throne instead. He didn't regret giving his brother the throne, he just regretted what it had done. It broke the balance the royal family held for centuries. Now everyone was watching, waiting to place his brother on the chopping block to mince him into pieces.

Something Jared would never allow to happen, as long as he was alive. He stood by the choice. Jorah was the better man to be king, and he was right. Jorah had already began to make moves on the so-called traditions. Not to mention the staggering number of rogue wolves was a problem.

If someone decides to gather the rogues and make use of them, then that is going to be a huge problem for the realm. Jared pondered as he walked out of the place they arranged for his people to stay. As he arrived outside, he was ambushed by the elders of tranquility.

"Nice to meet you alpha." A smiling middle-aged man came up to him and said. Jared studied the man's features and saw a bit of resemblance he had to Serenity and Serena.

"You people are here for?" Jared frowned on the outside but was actually sighing on the inside. He was just pondering the power struggle back home that he almost forget the power struggle that is going on here.