The Alpha's Fight

Chapter 12 - Another Step Closer

In the months since securing the puberty blockers for Jayden, her anxieties about gaining her wolf had eased. Her physique had seen little change and her weekend training with the trackers was keeping the overly muscular development at bay for her.

True to his word, the mysterious but creepy guy I had spoken to had secured her injections and sent them in secret roughly every three months. She had received three courses so far and should be receiving a fourth in two months' time, having to learn how to perform the injections on herself. This was still incredibly dangerous as none of it was being overseen by a doctor, but, there hadn’t been any complications and the medications had had their desired effect. Like the others, I couldn't believe the creepy phone guy had actually come through with genuine puberty blockers and hadn't sold us out to my father.

One thing all of us had kept to religiously was the disuse of our phones. Personally, I hadn't turned mine back on since that day. I wondered whether the guy was still watching, laughing that he had successfully gotten in my head and made me paranoid. Or was he truly just full of it and only had basic information, manipulating me into thinking what he wanted? Either way, I wasn't risking using a phone ever again.

I had hoped to learn more about Taylor from Imogen. She had even planned a whole list of things to find out, completely unprompted. Unfortunately, he had called off their study sessions, so I had to settle for staring from a distance and hoping to pick up anything about him I could.

In one week, I would be graduating. Leaving behind this school… and stolen glimpses of my sweet blond boy. Maybe I wouldn't think about him as much with some distance between us?

Our quiet and tiny rebellion had grown no further, much to my frustrations. Imogen hadn't heard of any gossip around the pack house, members practically ran away from me, Jayden and Scott were too close to me to have any pack disclose a thing to them and Sloane was still struggling to make any headway with the guy in her tracking squad to come forward; the one who would have originally been a member of White Leaf pack. If I was ever going to overthrow my father, I needed allies. I couldn't do any of this on my own and it would still be years before I had the physical strength to challenge Nicholas. While that was happening, we needed to know how many, if any, would actually fight with me and even follow me afterwards.

My next training session would be with the trackers. I had decided to take matters into my own hands with this guy of Sloane's and ask him outright.

*

*

*

'Which one is he?' I asked Sloane as we stretched, preparing for our session.

She frowned at me, unhappy that I was taking such a risk. 'I was handling this, Hu…'

'It's been ten months!' I snapped, interrupting her.

She flinched at my tone, but this wasn't the first time I had lost my cool recently. I was finding my patience and anger wore thin at times and I snapped, feeling the increased pressure bearing down on me. It was becoming harder to control Hawk's snarls around Nicholas, earning beatings upon beatings, so much that I was becoming numb to the pain. So far, I had escaped his disciplining via silver. How long that would last would depend entirely on my wolf.

'He's near the back, with the sandy-coloured hair,' Sloane pointed her chin in his direction. 'His name's Klay. He's a little older than us, around 25.'

I observed him for a while, watching his body language, how he kept mostly to himself, how he avoided the gaze of those around him and stayed to the edges. All behaviours I knew well.

'My gaydar senses are definitely tingling,' Hawk muttered like he had the first clue.

'That would be a first because it's never tingled once so far,' I held back a sarcastic laugh.

After our stretches, our group set off for a warm-up run. I kept my eyes on the man, Klay, who stayed to the back minding his own business. Once I saw my opening, I grabbed him, pushing him against a tree and clamping my hand over his mouth before he alerted the group we were no longer among them. Scott and Jayden frowned at my methods. Sloane was about to voice her protest, but a single warning glance from me silenced her. Klay struggled against my hold, trying to push me off; almost a year of training under my father's personal oppressive teaching had had some benefits.

Once I was certain we were alone, I released his mouth, but kept him pinned against the tree.

"What the hell are y-"

"Are you gay, yes or no?" I cut him off, with little patience to beat around the bush.

He stared back, wide-eyed and stunned with no response.

"I don’t care if you are," I relaxed my grip.

"Why should I even trust you?" He uttered, full of suspicion.

"Because I am too… and I can help you, if you'll let me." It felt oddly liberating to say it so boldly and out loud.

"...How do I know this isn’t a trick?" His eyes were narrowed, disbelieving me still.

I low growl bubbled from my chest in frustration. 'Tell him,' I mind-linked Sloane, Scott and Jayden, standing behind me.

"It's true. We all know about him… and he knows about us," Sloane spoke softly.

"Wait, this is real? Are you all…" Klay left his sentence unspoken.

"I'm not," Scott said with a small grin. "I'm the token straight of the group."

"Is this why you keep trying to be all pally with me?" Klay looked around me to Sloane.

"Yeah," she replied sheepishly. "You've kinda been a difficult one to crack."

"... I have a mate… a man from your pack," he closed his eyes, revealing his secret.

"Do you know any more?" The members of his former pack may be my best option for allies. They hadn't grown up with oppression all their lives as my pack had… they knew what freedom was.

"A few. Many of White Leaf want out of this, but they're too scared."

"If you and your mate want a way out, I can give you it," I offered. "We know a secret way out of the pack."

"I don't want to run," he shook his head. "Neither does my mate. He's been talking about banding together, but we don't exactly have much power… and we kinda thought we had to take you on, too."

The three of us chuckled a little, "yeah. Trust me, Hunter is pretty adorable," Sloane smirked at me.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, indignantly.

"When I asked you about a beard, you thought I was talking about facial hair," she stated, flatly.

'She could have said worse, like how you blushed when we caught her and Imogen together, or that you're hopelessly hung up on a certain cute blond,' Hawk howled in laughter.

"When I'm ready," I cleared my throat, trying to ignore everyone's sniggering at my expense. "I'm taking Nicholas out. Only, I can’t do it alone. I'm still not strong enough and it’s gonna be a few years yet."

"We could talk some of White Leaf members around for you? Quietly," Klay offered.

I nodded, but I was worried for him and any others that involved themselves in this clandestine endeavour. “You’ll always be in danger, you and your mate. If you’re caught, you’ll be executed publicly, after Nicholas tortures you.”

There hadn’t been a public execution for over two years and I knew after such a length of time, my father would be itching for any excuse.

“We know,” he said with conviction. “You’re not the only ones willing to risk your lives, here. The type of change you’re wanting isn’t going to come without loss. And, no offence, but you’re a bunch of kids,” he looked between the four of us. “I’m not saying because I'm older, I'm automatically wiser. But I’ve been training since you guys were barely in middle school.”

“I mean, we’ve made some gains…” Scott muttered, sounding a little embarrassed.

“And how many people do you have?” Klay said plainly, seeming to know the answer.

My mouth bobbed a little, unsure how to say: literally, the people in front of you, plus a tiny she-wolf who can’t shift yet, and still sound like a legitimate leader.

‘Wow. Solid sales pitch,’ my wolf slow clapped.

“It’s only you guys, isn’t it?” Klay let out a long exhale. “You really need some adult help in this, so I'm in.”

“Ok then,” I cleared my throat, awkwardly. “Just never use a phone. I’m not entirely sure but everything in the pack could be being monitored at any given time.”

“From your father?!” He whisper-yelled.

“No. Just someone I don’t know how much I can trust to stay quiet. Especially when money is concerned,” I frowned. The memory of the conversation with that guy still rang clear in my mind.

“We need to get back, you guys,” Jayden's worried voice interjected, her feet shuffling with nerves. “We’re gonna be noticed if we stay gone much longer.”

If we weren’t already.

We quickly made our way back to the group, trying to integrate back into broken-up and dotted clusters of trackers running the scent trails. I may have taken a reckless risk in confronting Klay, but it had paid off. I now had a potential ally that could garner support from pack members that would have seen me as an enemy and may have never seen me as their aid.

All I had to do was pay attention to improving my training. It wasn’t just Nicholas I had to face. I had his other leaders and his whole legion of support that went with it.

But for now, we were another step closer.