Scum (Book 1)

Are you interested in Liam's journey? If so, comment below. Goal to start posting: 10 comments or 10 adds Narrator's POV Liam hated school, but as the future alpha of his pack, he had to at least complete a two-year degree program before he would be considered respectable enough to hold the position. It was important to the success of a pack that the person taking over was educated enough to manage resources and finances in a way that was smart and contributed toward growth. Smaller packs with uneducated alphas were typically unaffected by outside education, but for large packs that collected taxes, a degree in finance, and maybe a few courses in investments and business were the keys to success. As it was, Liam was already wildly popular among his pack members, so he wasn’t worried about them rejecting his takeover. However, his father, Alpha Lucas, refused to hand over the reins without him first proving he was mature enough to wake up on his own, something Liam could only agree with. Still, at just seventeen, he hoped his father would have let him off for a semester, but the man wanted him to start classes right away, and for that Liam was bitter. “Why does your face look so sour bro? You’re about to live the life a lot of wolves dream of.” Liam side eyed Dallas with pure irritation in his gaze, he hated that even one of his good friends couldn't see what his problem was. He was going to turn eighteen in university housing where he was unlikely to find a mate. “You can take my place if you want.” “Pfft, I’m good,” Dallas replied. “School was never my thing, but I’m going to work on an online degree in exercise.” “You?” Liam questioned, shocked by the man’s admission. “You hate studying.” “Let’s just say that I have a reason to improve my rank.” Liam’s eyes widened as Dallas allowed a cheesy grin to spread across his face. “Who is she?” Liam asked, a little bitter that Dallas, a lower ranked male who was only two months older than him already found the person he would spend the rest of his life with. He hoped his own mate would come as quickly. “I’m not certain yet, she’s still underage. The pull is definitely getting stronger, but she doesn’t feel it at all.” “Okay, but who is it?” Liam questioned, almost afraid the man would tell him it was his sixteen-year-old sister, which wouldn’t have been impossible. “Nora,” the man whispered, keeping his voice down because it was against the High Council’s law to mention a ‘possibility’ to an underage wolf. The law was meant to protect young women from being lied to by older, unmated men, but there were other reasons for it, like if the person was wrong and was just extremely physically attracted to the wolf they thought they were fated to. “The nerd? Doesn’t she have a-” “Shh,” Dallas said, not wanting to hear about the human the woman he was drawn to was dating. “She will break up with him soon.” “How do you know that?” “Because…” Dallas flashed another wide grin that made Liam raise a brow. “What did you do?” he asked, knowing that his friend must have played a role in the breakup. “I overheard her talking to my sister. Nora wants to wait for her fated partner, but her ‘friend’ has been pressuring her for s*x. As a man, and as her best friend’s older brother, I let her know that the behavior was disgusting. I also let her know that she could always come to me for advice.” “You’re foul.” Liam shook his head, but he wasn’t exactly judging the man who protected his interests in such a savvy way that not even the council could poke holes in it. “No, I’m smart,” Dallas corrected. “If my… if she is curious about s*x, she can come to me directly. She’ll be mine anyway.” “One, you don’t know that, and two, you convinced her to give it up to you, didn’t you?” Dallas shrugged, unwilling to confirm the future alpha’s suspicion. “If being a male that you can trust and ‘experiment’ with is considered convincing then…” Liam laughed, finally feeling light enough to smile. Dallas was a good friend, and he wished the man still had a claim to the gamma title, but due to his father’s injury, the right was stolen from him. “Don’t worry bro. I won’t disgrace this pack with lies. Even if she doesn’t turn out to be mine, I will do what’s right by her until one of us is taken.” “You better because she’s Chey’s friend, and I’m pretty sure she can kick your ass.” Dallas frowned, hating that people seemed to think that was a funny joke. His sister, Cheyenne was a skilled fighter and strong girl, but she learned everything from him, and he was certain he could kill her with a finger if he didn’t love her so much. “Speaking of Chey…” Liam pointed, and Dallas turned around in mortification. His sister was hobbling toward him with a piece of bread hanging out of her mouth, wearing only one boot. She stopped briefly to put her other shoe on, then barreled in his direction, ready to attack. Cheyenne flew in the air, extending her leg to jump kick her brother, but Dallas grabbed it, swinging her around as she used her other limb to try and kick his face. Her brother caught that one as well, and he threw her across the field as gently as he could, which wasn’t gentle at all. “Ouch,” Cheyenne exclaimed, rubbing her wrist before massaging the part of her head that hit the ground. “First, never attack a stronger opponent head on. Second, at least finish getting dressed before picking a fight.” Chey smiled brightly, nodding at her brother who was her personal hero. “But I came close to hitting you today, right?” Dallas didn’t like to lie to his sister, so he told the truth. “No.” “Come on D; She almost smashed that pretty face of yours with her foot.” Liam knew he was lying, but he felt like annoying Dallas one last time before he was gone for months. “Right!? He never tells me the truth.” Chey pulled herself off the ground, brushing the dirt off her body while looking around for her bread. “You’re not going to eat that…” Dallas said, knowing that his sister must have skipped breakfast again. “Why not?” Liam suppressed a chuckle, as Dallas tried to hurriedly stop his sister from putting the dirt smudged bread into her mouth, but the girl shoved it all in and ran. “I swear she’s adopted.” The man said, rubbing his temples in embarrassment. “She’s definitely a weird girl.” “That, she is, but I’d much rather her personality to some of the other she-wolves I know.” Liam could only nod because at fourteen, the wolf age of consent, Cheyenne could be opening her legs to every male who sniffed in her direction. Instead, she was eating food off the floor. “Oh goddess, she’s coming back.” Dallas took a defensive stance that his sister laughed at, making him drop his guard. When she stood in front of them, she pulled a small clip-on wolf off her backpack and handed it to Liam. “I forgot you were leaving today,” she said as the man took the stuffed animal in his hands. “Consider that an early birthday present, and make sure you come back with a Luna.” Cheyenne winked at the man, extending her hand for a fist-bump that Liam raised a brow at before completing. She threw a punch at her brother, who grunted in frustration before she ran away with a giggle. “What am I supposed to do with this?” Liam asked, holding the plush in his hands in confusion. “Clip it on your bag?” Dallas burst into laughter while Liam glared at him. “Seriously bro, I have no idea. Throw it away if you don’t want it.” “That seems really messed up.” “You think ‘Cheyenne the man,’ has feelings?” It was Liam’s turn to laugh uncontrollably, because that’s what people called the girl, or rather that was the moniker she had chosen for herself after beating up a boy in a higher weight class. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to just chuck the small animal, so he shoved it in his pocket making Dallas roll his eyes. The men continued to walk, going toward where Liam’s ride was waiting, but when they got there, they were bombarded by people who wanted to wish Liam farewell. “I was wondering where you were,” Liam said, referring to his future beta and gamma, who were to attend college with him. “Some of the girls wanted to see you off.” As if on cue, Liam was smothered by hug after hug, some girls he’d been intimate with, and some he knew wanted a shot, but he didn’t have time to entertain any of them, and it would be a while before he came home for long enough to think of screwing. “All ready to go?” Everyone around bowed their heads in submission, showing respect to Alpha Lucas, who also wanted to see his only son off. “Not really, but I guess I’ll get used to it.” “You’ll be fine,” Lucas said, holding his son by the shoulders. He felt like he was looking at a mirror image of himself, and in his youth, he was also reluctant to leave his pack for a human education, but the safety of werewolves in a human world could only be gained through money, and by default that meant knowing how to manage it. “In your free time, hit the gym, you may be tall, but you're as skinny as a rod.” Liam smirked at his father, who was lying through his teeth. He was lean, but he was very well built, and at 17, he’d not come into his adult body yet. “All of you remember, you're representing this pack when you're out there, that means if you make a mistake…” “You have to own it,” the teens replied, having heard the warning several times in the past. “Also, don’t bring any pups home with you. None of you are old enough to have exhausted looking for your fated mate, and you don’t want a messy situation where you feel indebted to one woman but drawn to another.” Alpha Lucas looked directly at Royce, making the teen gasp. “I’m a virgin!” he said in mock indignation, but that only earned him an eye roll. “I believe that about as much as I believe the sky is green.” “Oh, ye of little faith. You break my heart alpha.” Liam watched his father massage his brow, understanding that his future beta, Royce, was only joking. Like his father, Liam knew that where it mattered, Royce was more than qualified. “ALPHA!” The group heard, turning to see Cheyenne running toward them with extended arms. Confused, Liam tilted his head at the girl. She’d never hugged him before, so he was shocked, but just before he opened his arms to her, she curved around him and hugged his father instead. “I made it! I made it!” She showed her alpha a sheet of paper that made Liam raise a brow. “I knew you could do it! You boys could learn a thing or two from Cheyenne. She has her head screwed on right.” Curious, Liam took the paper from Cheyenne, smiling as he read it. “You want to be a nurse?” Royce burst into laughter, literally holding his gut as images of such a rough girl trying to be gentle went through his mind. “Sorry, sorry, I just imagined you in a dress and ugh.” Cheyenne shrugged, not seeing the problem with the thought, and the future gamma had a reaction that helped make her feel better. “Come on bro, she’s a nice girl.” Cheyenne smiled brightly, thanking Kelvin before Alpha Lucas patted her head. “Have you got all your school supplies?” Alpha Lucas asked, studying Cheyenne’s face for deceit. The girl was a terrible liar, which was one of the charming qualities about her. “Yes, alpha, and anything else I need I can just take from Dallas’ closet.” It took Liam a minute to realize that Cheyenne always wore her brother’s clothes, and he wondered why he hadn’t noticed it before. “Good girl, now run along.” Cheyenne bowed before sprinting away, leaving everyone confused about the exchange. “You boys keep that conversation to yourself,” The Alpha said, but neither of the boys had any intention of mentioning it to anyone. They all knew that Cheyenne’s family struggled after the incident, and alpha Lucas was laden with guilt since. “Now, off you go. Explore, meet new people, and stay away from whores.” “Dad,” Liam said, feigning confusion. “Should I really avoid my beta the entire time we’re away?” Are you interested in finding out what happens in this story? If so, comment below. Goal to start posting: 10 comments or 10 adds.