Rejecting the Alpha Prince

9

ERIK

Once we got back to the Crescent Moon's pack house, my parents, my uncles, my grandparents and I all sat down to discuss what to do. What had happened that night had been a deliberate act of violence, an act that we, as a family, could take as a declaration of war -something the angrier part of me certainly wanted to do. However, we all knew that was the last thing to do, for the sake of our species and for the sake of the kingdom: and then, against whom were we supposed to wage that war? We still didn't know who or what had attacked Franz and Gunther.

The discussion had gone on for hours, and had only stopped when my mother had insisted on a break, mainly because none of us had eaten since the previous night: it was useless, she said, and counterproductive, to discuss such things on an empty stomach, with our brains deprived of the necessary nutrients to work. Dad and Uncle Ben had agreed with her, so Giovanna, the pack house chef, had brought us food: since it was afternoon it was just sandwiches, but they were welcomed nonetheless.

"I'm bringing you some more," she said in Italian, squaring me. "You grow thinner every time I see you."

"That's not true and you know it very well," I chuckled, answering her in the same language, which I spoke fluently. Giovanna had been my family's chef for years, then her son Marco had moved to Oregon for work and she'd chosen to follow him: as chance would have it, Marco's job was in Portland, so we'd recommended Giovanna to Uncle Ben, who had more than willingly hired her. Over the years, I'd gone over and over to the Crescent Moon's not only to visit my family, but Giovanna as well: no one cooked like her.

Not even my mom.

"You do, I tell you," she insisted, adamant. "Poor child, you look starved. Are you even being fed?"

"Yes, Gio, they feed me, don't worry."

"Sure ... you still want more, don't you?"

"I mean... I would never say no to some more Parma ham..."

Her gaze lit up, and Giovanna tousled my hair. "There's my wolf boy. I'm gonna go cut it down, don't worry".

She walked out, and we all pounce sin the sandwiches She'd been the only person in all morning who'd made me smile at least a little and that had managed to distract me from the fear I had of losing my uncle and my friend.

"As I was telling you," Uncle Ben resumed. "The area where ..."

"Ben," Mom interrupted him. "Let's not mix meals and work, please. Let's eat, get the hypoglycemia down, take a break, and then get back on this."

"The point is, I've called an emergency meeting with the Alphas of the major packs in the area for 5 PM," he objected. "It's critical that we arrive prepared."

"And we will," Dad said. "But not hungry and tired".

Uncle Ben rolled his eyes - his workaholic habits were well-known in the family - but he shrugged. The break was far from being relaxing as I'd hoped - we all tried, at first, to make some conversation and lighten the atmosphere, but it soon became clear that none of us really wanted to talk, and my parents, despite their apparent placidity, were the most nervous of all. Mom, I noticed, had a dark shadow in her eyes, a shadow that no gesture of affection from Dad could chase away.

I don't understand why, I thought. We aren't unfair governors. We go out of our way for every single pack, regardless of its size or importance. We value every single wolf. We answer every letter. We keep the f*****g peace ... why?

Unconsciously, I knew the answer. There was always something to gain from war - there was no such thing as a war without winners or losers. Someone, in the end, ended up gaining something more than the other, and that was a victory. Objectively, though, peace was far more profitable: it was during peace that trade deals were made, alliances were formed, and growth was achieved. What I really found hard to understand was why anyone would want to upset that peace, so fruitful for everyone, in order to achieve an imbalance that would benefit only very few people.

I guess foresight is not such a widespread endowment. Or a practiced habit.

War was already an unfortunate event in itself, but in an area like Oregon would have been a disaster - that was the most populous area in the entire United States in terms of werewolf population, so it made up a big chunk of our kingdom. An imbalance in that region would have had terrible effects on other regions of the world as well.

In the end, our break lasted about thirty minutes - my stomach closed up again, and I had to give up the extra ham. As soon as we were all finished, we cleared the table - and within ten minutes, we were back in Ben's study, around his desk.

"So," he said. "As I was saying, it's possible that this attack may be related to some dissident voices of whose existence I've been reported by my spies, but let's not be catastrophic. Voices rising against authority there have always been and always will be - so there's no point in excessively worrying. However, this is a sensitive area, and I think it deserves special attention, especially at a time like this ... and after what happened this morning."

He said nothing else, but the implied reference was crystal clear: he was talking about me, and about the statement I, as planned, had released - that I would never, ever become Alpha of the Red Blood pack. I knew that there would be grievances in the area, that people would complain, that because of my action, it would be said that the Royal Family didn't care enough ... mine had been a conscious choice.

But it couldn't have been that ... Uncle Franz and Gunther were attacked last night, not this morning ...

But you didn't say anything last night, a little voice inside me reminded me. And silence speaks volumes, especially for those who want to listen. Your not stating that you would become Alpha is tantamount to saying that you would not, especially considering that your reticence is public knowledge.

Conceited, insufferable, coward spoiled little brat!

Amelia Hawthorne's hateful, anger-filled words echoed in my mind, and I clenched my fist under the table. Why was I thinking about that b***h? Why was I thinking back on her words?

There was no truth to them. If anything, the conceited and insufferable one was her - she was the one who'd treated me like s**t, who'd judged me without even knowing me. Wasn't that presumptuousness?

At least I'd severed that bond, and I didn't have to worry about her anymore.

Honestly? That had been my best decision since the one of not becoming Red Blood Alpha.

There, I said it.

"If you're referring to Erik's refusal to become Alpha, Ben," Mom intervened, a slight icy inflection in her voice. "Know that it won't upset the balance of the region for a while yet. Lucas has agreed to keep it a secret for a few more months, and he has sworn to me that his family will do the same."

"And that is certainly a good thing," Jackie drawled. "Although I'd have liked to have someone reasonable to work with in the future."

"You know I'd be terrible in a responsibility role," I huffed. "I'm not Conrad. I'm not balding already".

"Erik" Mom grumbled.

Jackie chuckled, a sardonic smirk at the corners of her lips.

Not that I'll be much better, she commented through the mind link. For what it's worth, I'm glad you have the choice, cousin.

Any other person would have been envious of that privilege, but not her.

Not my cousin, who understood me.

And that is why you'll be a good Alpha, Jackie.

"Anyway," Uncle Ben resumed. "I think it'd be useful to do a thorough espionage analysis, just to find out whether these rumors are a symptom of a more serious situation or are simply rumors - an investigation from which, of course, we might be able to get intel about what attacked Gunther and Franz. For this ..."

First, I smelled the scent. Fresh, intoxicating, like a summer breeze carrying the perfume of blooming hibiscus. A delicate and yet lingering scent, a scent that ... touched certain strings in my soul that began to sing.

Something in me froze in terror.

I recognized that scent. A part of me had been that scent ... at least until I'd destroyed it. Until I'd cut those strings.

It can't be.

After came the footsteps - she was coming up the stairs, and her scent grew closer ...

My heart began to speed up, and I broke into a cold sweat.

No, no, no ...

A wolf knocked on the office's door. "Amelia Hawthorne of Red Blood pack, Alpha. She's here for the meeting."