Claimed by the Alpha: Amber Eyes series 1

Chapter Five

Colton POV    

Yesterday, the day after the party, I had decided that maybe if Lucien would have interactions with other she-wolves, that maybe, by some miracle, he would change his mind and choose someone else to imprint on. And so, I ended up sleeping with half the girls on my phone book. Hell, I'm desperate here. I even called some human girls. Even a human would be better than a rogue. Right?  

Well, I can tell you with full confidence that, it didn't work.  

Cause here I am, standing next to Matt, who's talking to me, yet all my attention is on his sister. She is standing across the field that is located at the back of the packhouse. Waiting for the second claiming ceremony of the year to begin.  Claiming ceremonies are held once every month.  

Three decades ago, we didn't use to have a claiming ceremony. It used to be that whenever a wolf would imprint on another wolf, they would immediately mark them. The problem with this was that a lot of times, a she-wolf, or the wolf that was imprinted on, would be claimed and marked forcefully without their consent. And once you are marked, it's permanent, you belong to each other.   

So, rules were changed. Now, in a pack, once you've imprinted on someone you are only allowed to claim them on a Claiming Ceremony held by the pack Alpha. That way, the claimed wolf can reject the claim if they choose that they don't want to be with them. The rejected wolf is then closely monitored to make sure that they don't impulsively go after them and forcefully mark them. Once a wolf is rejected, it takes a few weeks for the bond that was created through imprint to break. But during this time, some wolves can't handle the pain that the rejection causes and they turn wild, if this happens, then the wolf is held in the packhouse dungeon until the bond is broken and they return to normal.  

The ceremony is mandatory so every pack member has to attend. And May's face gives away how unhappy she is to be here.  She has a look of anger mixed with boredom on her face.   

Lucien chuckles inside thinking it's cute.  

I look back at Matt who is still talking. His father Jackson, who is also my father's beta, comes over and they start a conversation on which, by the way, I am trying to give my full attention. But I end up looking back to where May is leaning against a tree at the edge of the field.   

I know I'm so f****d. She looks amazing with her short curly hair down parted on the side, red lips, and very subtle makeup. Wearing a tight silver satin dress that goes to under her knees with thin straps on the shoulders. The dress hugs her curves.   

(Goddess those curves! How the hell have I never noticed?)   

She doesn't have huge breasts, but they are perfect, good enough for my hands to fully cup. Her small waist curves and give way to those wide hips. I'm cursing at myself for never noticing.  

'I noticed.' Lucien says to me.  

I groan in annoyance but can't really say anything cause I'm starting to think that he's right.   

(I am an idiot.)  

I sigh looking back at Matt and his dad and notice the small female under Jackson's arms that must have arrived when I wasn't paying attention. Matt's mom, who I see all the time in the packhouse but never really conversed with. Looking at her now, May looks just like her. She has long black curly hair, light skin, and her facial features are a spitting image of May. She has blue eyes like Matt's, but Matt's face features look more like his dad's.  

They end their conversation and leave me and Matt and honestly, I have no idea what they were talking about.   

"You okay man? You seem out of it today." Matt says.  

"Oh yea, I'm fine." I tell him faking a big smile.   

I'm not about to tell him that my wolf wants to get jiggy with his sister.  

"Okay?" He says clearly not believing my lie. He notices that I don't want to talk about it and changes the subject.  

"So, Seth finally showed some interest in someone. Well, actually, he just finally fully paid attention to a she-wolf when we were talking to her, which might not seem like much but it actually is. Seth's such a stuck-up." He says with a chuckle.   

"Oh really, cool. Who is it?" I asked with actual interest.  

"It's Megan, I spent the whole night talking to her at the party. Surprisingly, we didn't do anything else other than talk." He says to me with a huge grin on his face.  

"Oh, so you're about to be part of the family." I say playfully. Megan is actually one of my many cousins.  

"If everything goes well, yea!" He laughs. "So, what about you and Bianca?" He asks.  

"What about me and Bianca?" I ask glancing towards May and looking back at him.  

"Are you gonna be imprinting on her anytime soon?" He asks.  

"Na, Lucien doesn't want her." I say nonchalantly.  

His eyes widen. "What?! But I thought that the two of you were a thing. I mean you spend every party together and the whole pack thinks that she's our next Luna. Hell, even Bianca is sure she'll be Luna."  

I let out a big sigh and think of how funny his reaction would be if right now I told him that Lucien wants to imprint on his sister.   

'I'm sure he would probably not take it well.' Lucien says.  

'Yea, he's so overprotective of her that I'm sure he'd punch me square in the face.' I tell Lucien.   

And I wouldn't blame him. He knows I like to sleep around and that I'm a big asshole, not to mention that I haven't been the nicest to his sister either.   

Matt is looking like he's expecting an answer.   

I shrug. "Yea well, Lucien doesn't really like her so there's nothing I can do about it." I tell him.  

Jason and Brandon appear, saving me from this conversation. I glanced back at May, and I do NOT like what I see.   

'Who is that?' I squint my eyes asking Lucien. 'Who is that talking to her? Why is anyone talking to her?' I ask Lucien a little panicked.  

I thought everyone in the pack stayed clear of her. It's definitely a male figure, that much I can make out from over here, but I can't really see who it is.  

(Is there someone interested in her?) I ask myself.  

 Why wouldn't there be? Yea, the whole rogue thing makes most pack members steer clear of her but she's a beautiful girl. There's bound to be someone who is not an i***t like me amongst our pack that will notice her. And I'm not liking that idea one bit. I can feel Lucien getting anxious at the thought of someone else making a move on her.  

The ceremony is about to begin, so I start heading to the stage where the Alpha is supposed to stand with his family and both the current and future beta.  

 The ceremony is simple, the ones who are making a claim stand in a line side by side on the stage facing the crowd. Once the Alpha gives his speech, the ceremony commences with the highest rank wolf laying claim. They simply step forward and say the name of the wolf they wish to claim. That wolf then comes up to the stage and stands in front of the claimer and either accepts or rejects them. If they are rejected, then they are taken back to the packhouse to assess their mental state, to make sure that they are not going to go wild.  And that's all there is to it.   

I look around and I see six-pack members on the stage ready to lay claim. Lucien and I are still anxious about the thought of anyone else imprinting on May.   

'Oh, goddess! What if someone tries to lay claim on her?' I ask Lucien.  

'What! No! She's ours, no one can claim her!' He yells in my head panicked.  

I'm starting to sweat. I can hear my father finishing his speech, I didn't listen to anything he just said.    

My mouth starts to get dry and my heart is pounding faster for every minute that goes by. Matt is right next to me and senses my panic.  

"Hey, are you okay?" He asks with a worried expression.  

I look at him but I don't answer him. With me panicking, I didn't notice that the claiming was already halfway done, only two more left. I look over the crowd to see if I can spot May, and I do. She's in the back with a bored look on her face that says "she can't wait to get out of here" which makes me relax a little.  

Finally, the last pack member lays claim to another she-wolf. I feel my body relax like I was melting butter.  

"Hey, what's wrong? You didn't look good throughout the whole ceremony."  Matt says to me grabbing my shoulder. I look at him and he looks really worried   

"Nothing man, I'm good." I give him a genuine smile this time.  

 He nods and leaves the matter alone. I look back to the crowd that is starting to scatter to see where May is but I can't see her anywhere, without thinking I ask out loud.  

"Where is May?"   

Matt's head jolts towards me with his eyebrows scrunched together. He just looks at me for a few seconds puzzled. In all my stupidity, I'm trying to act like it's just a random question because I know I just f****d up. In all the years we've known each other—and that's basically our whole lives—I have never asked Matt anything about his sister.  

"If she's not here, then she's probably waiting in the car for me, she hates these things." He says looking at me curiously but then he goes back to normal and we just keep talking until he leaves.  

I start heading back to the house thinking to myself that I've barely even talked to the girl, and this is how I'm acting already? I know that it's because I'm an alpha so my emotions are more erratic and my need to find a mate sooner is stronger than others. I sigh walking up the stairs.  I'm just going to go to bed so that I can be better prepared tomorrow because I don't know what I'll do on an impulse.  

--------------------  

May POV  

(UUUHHH! Mondays!)  

I'm sitting half-asleep on the first period, and to add to the frustration, it's MATH!  

(Uh!) 

I'm in such a bad mood today. Matt made me go to a stupid claiming ceremony yesterday. I know it's mandatory, but no one will notice if I miss one. I could have been doing so much more with my time on a Sunday.   

I spent the whole time trying to avoid my mother so that she wouldn't freak out and embarrass me. She will say hateful things to me in front of anyone. It's like she goes into a trance and doesn't care who's listening.   

And then a random male wolf comes out of nowhere and starts being an asshole for no damn reason. I mean, I'm used to it, but it's still annoying.  

"Oh, you're part of the pack, so you are going, even if I have to drag you!" That's what Matt said yesterday when I tried to convince him to let me stay home.  

'Pay attention!' Hera says to me, referring to the class but I ignore her.  

I start smiling to myself remembering the revenge I concocted once we got home yesterday after the ceremony.  

(He should really change his phone password) I think to myself smiling.  (Can't wait till lunch today.)  

"MAY SALTSMAN!"  I jumped almost falling out of my seat.  

"I know that LA LA land might be a bit more interesting than my class but you better start paying attention young lady, there will be a pop quiz on this!" Mrs. Barns yells at me.  

I feel my face heat up. Hera starts laughing at me and saying 'I told you.' 

"Yes, ma'am." I answer back in a low voice and now she has my full attention.  

Great! Now everybody's looking at me and I know my face is as red as a tomato.  

(Uh! kill me know. I hate Mondays.)  

It's finally lunchtime and I'm walking through the halls to get to the lunchroom.   

It's been weird, I've been feeling like someone's been staring at me in all of my classes. But when I look around, everyone looks like they are paying attention to the teachers.   

(Well, whatever.) I'm now more interested in what I'm about to do next.  

I enter the lunchroom and sit with Greg and Micah like I always do. I make small talk and wait till the lunchroom is full of students.   

I look at the table that Matt always sits with his friends to see if he's there. I spot him, he's right where he's supposed to be.  

"Perfect." I say with an evil smile.  

He's at his table with all his friends and talking to a girl.  

(I think her name is Megan? Not sure.)   

I look at Micah and Greg with a huge grin on my face.   

"Oh God! What are you up to?" Greg says with a concerned look.   

I just laugh taking out my phone and dialing Matt's number, looking in his direction. Micah and Greg look in the same direction to see what's going to happen. A few seconds pass and then we hear it at full volume echoing through the whole room.  

"My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard and they're like, it's better than yours, damn right it's better than yours, I can teach you, but I have to charge... Lalalalala warm it up..."   

Everybody in the lunchroom goes silent and they all look in the direction of the music. Matt's face goes red and he fumbles with the phone trying to turn it off. Megan's face turns red too and all his friends start laughing, the whole cafeteria follows. I'm at my table with Micah and Greg laughing our asses off trying not to pee myself. I'm thinking that I probably should have gone to the restroom before I did all this.   

I look back at Matt and he's staring at me with a death glare, cursing my name under his breath. I'm double over laughing knowing that I'll be paying for this one later but it was worth it.  

Lunch is over and the boys and I start heading for our lockers. As we walk and talk, I feel someone tap on my shoulder. I turn around and see Jason standing there. I'm frozen in place looking at him, not knowing what to say. He gives me a smile, which by the way he has never done before, I mean this guy has bullied me just as bad as Brandon so I'm petrified.   

"Were you the one that pranked Matt?" He asks.  

"I, I, ...yea." I say in a low cautious voice. I can feel Micah and Greg behind me really quiet, waiting to see where this is going.  

He smiles bigger this time. "That was epic." He starts laughing.  

"I've never seen Matt so embarrassed!" He says still laughing.  

I stand there looking at him and actually give him a small smile. I can't help but notice how cute he looks when he's not an asshole. He has blond hair, brown eyes and is about an inch shorter than my brother. He is very attractive, especially when he smiles.  

A shadow looms over us and it's Brandon. Brandon is huge, I think he's even taller than Colton.   

Brandon looks at me surprised as if he just notices who Jason was talking to. His eyes change to anger and an evil smirk appears on his mouth.  

"Well, look what we have here." He says stepping closer.  

"You know little red, didn't your mommy taught you never to talk to the big bad wolves, they'll eat you up in one big bite you know."  While he's saying this, I'm thinking that this moron has no originality at all.  

"Oh wait! I forgot that your mommy doesn't care, she doesn't want trash like you and she even tried to get rid of you before you were even born." He says moving one of my curls out of my face.   

I feel tears starting to sting my eyes but I won't let them come out. I will not cry over this douchebag.   

"Brandon shu-" Jason starts to speak but is cut off by a powerful low growl that resonates through the hall that makes all of us jump.  

We all turn in the direction of the growl, probably all of us thinking that it's Matt, but nope. It's Colton, walking slowly towards Brandon.  

"Back the f**k away from her."  Colton says and gets very close to Brandon with a menacing look in his eyes.  

We are all stunned, Jason's eyes are almost bulging out, Brandon is as pale as a ghost, and Micah and Greg are huddling up behind me.   

"You touch her again and I'll break your hand, you speak to her with venom in your words and it will be my fist down your throat." He says with his eyes as black as night.  

The air grows tense and no one moves a muscle. We are all speechless.  Colton's body is tense, his jaw is tight and his fists are clenched.  

I feel the blood draining from my face, my mouth is wide open in shock and I'm pretty sure I look stupid right now. I can't see Micah or Greg from here but I'm sure they look just as stupid as I do.  

'What is going on?' I ask Hera  

'He... is, defending us? I think?' She says just as confused as we all are.  

Out of nowhere, Matt appears from behind them with a stupid smile on his face that almost reaches his eyebrows. He looks dazed, like a girl that just had her first kiss and is inside her own bubble of joy.  

"What's up, guys?" He says smiling and slapping Colton's shoulder.   

I almost peed myself when he did that.  

'He's such an idiot.' I say to Hera, and she nods in agreement.  

We all look at Matt.   

"Seriously bro?" Jason says to Matt.  

At that moment, I decide—since everyone is staring at Matt—that the best course of action is to, RUN! I turn around, grab Greg and Micah by the hands and bolt out of there.  

We didn't even stop at our lockers. I pushed through people like the devil himself was chasing me. We went straight to the restroom. Once inside I let Greg and Micah go and rushed into one of the stalls to pee, not caring that they were both in the girl's restroom with me. We are all quiet and all you can hear is me peeing, yes very awkward. Once I finish, I wash my hands and we are all still not able to talk. I think we are all still in shock.  

Finally, Greg talks. "What the hell did just happened?"  He says in a weak small voice.  

"And what the hell was that growl? Who even does that?" Micah asks.   

I don' know what to say so I just shrug and shake my head.  

"I don't know what just happened." I start saying. "But I do know one thing." They look at me expectantly waiting for what I'm going to say next.  

I look at them and smile. "I'm pretty sure my brother just had his first kiss."  

We all start laughing remembering Matt's face and the stupid look he had on. Of course, it's not Matt's first kiss but it sure looked like it. 

We start heading to class after our lighthearted joke about Matt. We are all quiet, and I'm sure we are all inside our heads trying to figure out what happened today.  We get to the classroom and take our seats. Greg sits on my right and Micah sits in front of him. We look at each other realizing that we don't have our books.   

"Dammit!" I say in a low voice  

"f*****g jocks!" Micah says looking back at me and Greg. Greg just sighs and nods his head.  

Colton walks in with Jason behind him. I immediately look away and I see Micah and Greg doing the same. He walks past me and sits behind me. 

!!!!  

(But whyyy??) I whine in my head. 

I immediately tense up, I don't move a muscle and just stare straight. Jason stopped walking and looked just as surprised because this is not where they sit, EVER! He walks behind Greg and sits down.   

I feel like my heart has stopped. Greg looks at me and he has the "cojones" to look behind me, directly at Colton. He looks back at me and then slowly turns to look straight ahead with a blank expression.   

I thank the goddess that I peed when I did cause I'm pretty sure that there would be a waterfall gushing from my crotch right now.   

(Uhh! This is going to be the longest hour ever.)