An Alpha for Valentine

NINE

VALENTINE

I left the training grounds after what Maren told me and tried to find Kerri. If there was any truth in what the Delta was saying, Kerri had to know we were not worth becoming enemies because of a choice the goddess made in her infinite knowledge and for a man at that. If I could, I would give her Devin in a heartbeat. But I couldn’t. The man wouldn’t let me. Life was strange. I wanted nothing to do with Devin Crow yet I was trapped with him. On the other hand, Kerri wanted him. But she couldn’t have him. If only we could switch lives. My search started to prove futile as I continued to lose Kerri’s scent. Each time, I caught a whiff, it got lost in the wind. She was not anywhere in the training ground so I made my way back into the mansion.

When I reached the gate, I saw her. Kerri was standing there with two hands crossed and a face twisted in rage. She had a lit cigarette in one hand and took a long puff the moment she saw me. I took in a deep breath and memorized the words I needed to say as I approached her. Her cold demeanor did not lighten. In fact, I could say with confidence that her face twisted even more.

“It seems I cannot catch a break from f*****g butterflies today.” She mouthed, taking another puff before exhaling. “The goddess must have some vendetta against me.”

“I am not here to fight you, Kerri,” I said, raising my hands high enough to convince her that I came to peace. It did nothing to satiate the rage boiling inside of her. But she was strong enough to keep her rage bottled up. “I just want to talk.”

“What makes you think I want to talk to you, Luna Valentine?” She asked, a sly grin creeping up her chapped lip. “You cannot handle the fact that one person doesn’t like you?”

I clenched my fist. Despite raising a white flag in hopes of establishing peace or at least mutual understanding, Kerri just refused to back down. It made me want to punch her. But that wouldn’t solve things. Plus, I was not a violent person. I just needed to take the opportunity the moment it showed itself and prove to her that the hate she was sending my way was unnecessary and childish. We were women. We needed to stick up for each other.

“I can handle the fact that people don’t like me,” I answered. “In fact, a lot of people in this pack do not like me and I understand. I am the daughter of people who have hurt this pack. I will not have a problem with your hate if it was for the right reasons. But you and I both know that you do not hate me for the sins of my parents. You despise me because of the title I carry within this pack. I am Devin’s Luna. That is why you despise me. Isn’t it?”

A hollow laugh escaped Kerri’s throat. Her eyes pierced into my very soul and I felt my body go cold. Hostility? No. It was something more sinister. My wolf sensed it. It was insidious malice. I took a step back without even realizing it. “So? Am I supposed to congratulate you for figuring things out Valentine Monarch?” There was a pause. She called me by my maiden pack name to see if it would cause me to react in a certain manner. But when I did not give the reaction that she probably wanted, she proceeded. “Maren probably dumbed it down for you. But yes. I hate you because you are Devin’s. You could even say I am jealous. Does that make you feel good?”

This Sentinel was so strange. I just had to get it out. I didn’t mind enemies. But for a man? Ain’t no way. ‘No! It doesn’t f*****g make me feel good. But you cannot hate me for a choice I did not make. The goddess made this decision and Devin Crow has decided to keep to her word. Do you think if I had the power to reject this mate bond, I wouldn’t? I have begged Devin Crow to nip this madness in the bud since our wolves howled in unison. But your Alpha has refused me. If there is anyone you should hate, it should be Devin Crow.”

In hindsight, it had been really myopic of me to believe that the truths from the depths of my heart would be enough to turn around Kerri’s attitude. She didn’t buy it. Not even a little bit. The fire was still there, ravaging whatever emotions deserved to be in control. I realized there and then that maybe Kerri did not love Devin. This felt more like an obsession. Kerri took one last puff from her cigarette and I watched as the red embers at the bottom consumed what remained. Kerri then proceeded to toss it to the floor.

“Why in the world would I hate Devin?” Kerri practically closed the space between us. The goal was to frighten me. The wisp of cigarette smoke that covered my face the next second confirmed it. But I would not let her win. I stood my ground and ensured I maintained eye contact. “The only reason you both crossed paths is because of revenge honey. If your parents had not sinned, you might have never crossed paths. The only reason you are alive right now is because of the bond and the promise the Crow brothers made to themselves. Their parents were fated mates and they worked out fine. It is the one legacy the brothers want to keep.” Kerri pulled away from my face before continuing her assault. “But you might be the epiphany the Crow brothers needed.”

“What…do you mean by that?”

“The first Alpha might have struck gold with his human mate. But there was a chance that could work out. They were not destined enemies from the start. I cannot say the same for you and Devin however. You have fought the mate bond for years now. Your history with him is far more complicated. He killed your parents. Your parents killed his. How in the world could this dumpster fire ever work out?”

She was crazy. But she had a point. If this psycho could see it, why couldn’t Devin see it? “I do not want this dumpster fire to work out. Do I look like I want it to work out? But I can’t have my cake and eat it now. Can I? As Luna, I cannot initiate a rejection. But why am I even having this conversation with you? I just wanted to clear the air. But if that won’t work. I really suggest you hate me from a distance. Because at the end of the day, I am still your Luna. Your brothers and sisters might hate me. But they cannot defy me.”

Kerri giggled. “What do you know, the little Monarch butterfly has grown teeth. You see, this is why I find it hard to take what you say seriously. You claim to want his rejection so bad, Yet, you threaten me with the power you now carry in this pack thanks to him. Our mothers would have eaten wolfsbane to escape a pairing like this. It is not the first time the goddess has made a mistake and cruel men have refused to correct that mistake. But this is not a cruel pairing. No. It is nothing like you want people to believe and I can see that. You got free. I look into those eyes and I see deceit as blue as the sea. I see you for what you are, Valentine Monarch.”

"I must have been hearing things," I thought to myself. "This woman couldn't have just suggested that I take my own life to escape a forced mate bond." I knew all too well the barbaric practices that our species had endured in the past. The Alphas of old had believed that offering a rejection to a potential mate was a threat to the strength of the pack, and so when a female werewolf was faced with a bond that would shatter allegiances or hopes, there was only one solution - death.

I stood there, frozen, struggling to find the words to respond as Kerri walked away from me. I couldn't let her have the last word. "I will never take my life for a man like Devin Crow," I finally managed to say, my voice trembling with rage. "Not in this world or the next."

Kerri stopped in her tracks, and I heard her giggle. It was a sound that made my blood boil. But there was nothing around to make me a threat to her life. Kerri turned to face me, her exaggerated grin fading away.

"I know that, Valentine Monarch," she sneered. "It's why I despise you. You're a usurper, just like your parents. And that's precisely why I will ensure I undermine you at every chance I get. Devin might not see what you are because of the mate bond, but I do. And I will make sure everyone else sees it too. I will bring you to your knees. So pray and hope that you do it first, because when I come for you, I will show no mercy."