Marked Against Her Will

Chapter 1 – Rejected

Alpha Wade is the current leader of Blood Moon Pack. His firstborn was Jared and he has a younger son named James. His children have contrasting personalities. They both lack certain qualities to be an ideal alpha, qualities which the other possesses. If only they could lead the pack together, but no.

Jared is hot-headed, easily-provoked, and ill-tempered, but he’s strict, having a firm grasp on being authoritative and issuing proper commands. The men obey him down to the letter. But they also fear him and his harsh words of reprimand. He’s difficult to please and he rarely commends anyone for a job well done. They do a good job executing his commands, though, for fear of being made an example in his daily complaints. He rarely speaks anything positive or upbeat. His words are usually degrading and insulting. The upside? He’s a seasoned warrior. He’s a great fighter. He’s the strongest in the pack. His words during training are valuable and insightful. That’s pretty much the only aspect people liked about him. And his firm grasp on things. His analytical skills are superb. He can create a plan within a short amount of time, with whatever information is available to him, and win.

His handsome features and muscular build made him popular with the women but they’re too afraid of him. Only a few would dare to approach but he’s not one to unnecessarily flirt. He’s a firm believer of the mate bond, meeting the fated mate the moon goddess has chosen for every wolf. He may seem ruthless, but he could be gentle towards people he cares about. At the moment, there’s only his grandmother who witnesses his kind nature.

As for James, his personality is likeable but he doesn’t have Jared’s brilliance. His strength level is way below his older brother’s. A number of pack warriors can beat him in a fight. Whenever he leads a team on a mission, there would be someone who would contradict his orders. He’s not as firm as Jared when it comes to enforcing his decisions. He would try to accommodate other people’s opinion, even if it undermines his own.

Between the two, Wade still feels that Jared is the better option. Anyway, he’s the oldest son and the position was his by right. He could only hope his temperament would improve. There’s still time before he takes over the alpha position.

It was during a recent conference among alphas that Jared found his fated mate. The woman was residing in Snow Mountain Pack. Unfortunately, she’s already in a relationship with the Alpha’s son. Jared wasn’t pleased when he was told. He was insistent on making the girl his. Conrad’s son seemed to be as strong as him and he protected the woman well.

Jared’s words were an embarrassment and they had to hold him down so he won’t pester the girl. What was worse, he later tracked her down and witnesses said he tried to mark her. He got into an altercation with some young trainees before eventually facing the girl’s chosen mate. They were somewhat matched in terms of strength. Still, Alpha Conrad’s son seemed better. The man’s name was Clyde and the girl was called Sab. When they arrived at the scene, they had to restrain Jared again.

There was no verbal rejection. They prepared a meeting for it to be done, but the couple chose that day to mate instead. The bond with Jared was broken just like that.

The incident made his temper even worse.

How dare that woman ignore the bond? He’s an alpha. He knew damn well that he’s attractive. He did notice the way she kept herself in check, refusing to succumb to the pull of the bond between them. It was clearly there and she must have felt something. Still, she refused him and went with another man. How could they disrespect the bond? The pairing has been made by the moon goddess herself. They dared to ignore it?

Even after his father explained that he’s simply the girl’s second chance, whereas Clyde was her original mate, he refused to be understanding. The man got his chance and wasted it. Even if he’s merely her second chance mate, he’s still her current mate.

Only Jared knows why it irked him greatly. Not all pack would require an alpha to have a mate before becoming the Alpha, but Blood Moon is one of those who do. Without a mate, he couldn’t become the pack’s leader. He has a few changes he wanted to implement once he officially becomes the Alpha. He’s not happy with how some things are done, the lessons given to the younger generation, the beliefs being advocated within the pack… there’s a whole lot more.

Alpha Wade could surmise some of his son’s thoughts and plans for the pack. He’s not entirely happy with the direction he’s going. In a way, he believes it was all part of the moon goddess’ decision. Jared is not yet ready to lead. Maybe he’ll get a second chance mate. When he mentioned these things to him, his son wasn’t pleased. He lashed out with harsh words and twisted logic.

“Easy for you to say, you’re not the one suffering. You said you’ve been wanting to relinquish your position, but you still won’t f*****g do it unless I have a mate.” Jared scoffed in front of everyone. It was not surprising, though. They’re all used to it, the way he speaks and the crude words he normally uses.

Wade sighed as he exchanged glances with the others. “You should treat it as an opportunity. You have more time to prepare and straighten yourself out. Don’t think you’re already so capable. You still lack certain qualities necessary to run this pack. You keep ignoring them. Your arrogance and ignorance will be your undoing. Your inability to acknowledge your wrongdoings hinders you from growing and learning. Do you really believe you’re ready now? Don’t be delusional, Jared. Open your eyes and see things clearly. Stop bullshitting us and yourself.”

“Oh, I’m always the one who has a shortcoming, right? It was never you. I’m doing fine managing the pack on my own. Maybe you should quit your interventions.”

“See? You don’t listen. You don’t know how to listen. You’re so unwilling to listen to others. You think you know it all, don’t you? You believe you know what’s best, better than anyone else? I have run this pack for decades, boy. What you think you know, aren’t enough. You refuse to grow, I refuse to give this pack to you.”

Wade is truly his father. They’re both stubborn and firm. James can only sigh from one side of the room. He never liked it when his father and brother get into these arguments. They’re annoying and depressing. Why can’t they just compromise?

Jared flipped a table. “Do you like power that much? You continue to hold onto it, even now. You wanna die with it, old man? At this time, you should be resting in a solitary home and letting us have our turn.”

Wade snorted, “Do you mean yourself? Do you like power that much? You can’t wait to have it and do shitty things with it? I’m telling you, Jared, when you go over the line these people won’t sit quietly and watch you ruin the pack.”