The Rogue Anthology

Appendix 3 - The Rogue Alpha's Return

~ Some of the challenges Eden faced as she took over the Alpha title. She would be around 22 years old ~

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TRIGGER WARNING - SENSITIVE PAST EVENTS WILL BE DISCUSSED

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Eden

Many of our pack members had gathered in our events hall just off of the main pack house. I could already tell from a few grumbles overheard that some had an inkling of what was about to be announced. There had been widespread whispering and gossip flying around in the last year, gossip that followed me everywhere. I tried to ignore it, but considering what it was about…made it difficult.

The pack had been expecting an announcement of this kind last year, one where it would be announced that my dad, Yarrow, would be stepping down from his position officially and a new Alpha would be taking his place. It was no secret in Silent Rivers that my father was one of the longest-reigning Alphas in the country, he was a legend in his own right. He was 88 years old, had reigned for over 55 years officially and had led for over three decades without a mate. While he could still move with impressive speed and strength, and I would admit, he was still incredibly tough to beat, he was slowing. I could tell. That same strength he used to have was waning.

I always knew my time to lead as Alpha would come to me sooner than it would for other heirs. I had been going to Alpha meetings with my dad since I was 16, after I got my wolf, Era, and I had been training to take over since I was 14. As I got older, one thing became apparent. There were many pack members uncomfortable with the idea of such a young Alpha, or so they said to my dad and me. I heard what they said when they thought my back was turned, and it became louder as I grew and my fated mate still made no show.

And unfortunately, I believed them.

I thought what I needed to be taken seriously as their leader was to have a male by my side and since my fated mate wasn’t making his appearance, it left me with only one option. A chosen mate. The one and only decision that split my relationship with my wolf. I used to be concerned about my reputation and to do what was right for the sake of the pack, no matter what my needs were; they came second. I had given in to what the pack wanted. Taking a chosen mate was for them, not me. But time wasn’t on my side and I couldn’t wait any longer, my dad couldn’t wait much longer. What if there was an attack and he struggled with his defences? My mom would be heartbroken if anything happened to him, and so would I.

So, I bit the bullet. I had met James a few times at Alpha meetings and I got along with him, more so than any of the other males at those events; especially Alpha Alexander Hawthorne, he was the worst of the bunch.

It was a decision I should have listened to my wolf on.

There were so many red flags with James that I missed. Things he used to say to manipulate me, thinking it was a compliment…and it wasn't…I was being manipulated and didn't even realise it until it was too late. We had been a month away from announcing James as the new Alpha and I his Luna…thinking I was doing what was right for the pack, that I was doing what they needed. What I now realised was that I was bending to peer pressure, I was allowing others to sway my choices.

There were few in the pack that knew the real reason why James had simply vanished and why his ascension to the Alpha title evaporated. And that was the way I wanted it. It was hard enough dealing with the fallout myself, let alone others knowing about it too.

I avoided most people afterwards, especially male warriors. Did anyone know? Could they tell? The questions ate away at me. Every time I saw someone talking amongst themselves, whispering, I wondered if it was about me. I was becoming increasingly paranoid, so I began to shut the world out.

But through it all, my best friend, Dani, never left me. Even when I lashed out at her, though the brunt of my anger was aimed at myself, she never turned away and would even sleep alongside me at night. That was one of the things I was most thankful to her for. The flashbacks were worse in my dreams and I would regularly jerk awake, covered in sweat from night terrors. Sometimes the memories were faint and blurred, but then, out of nowhere, they would smash into me, making me feel like I was about to crack. After a month, both my mom and Dani persuaded me into going to therapy; Dani even offered to go with me if I wanted her to.

Therapy wasn't what I thought it would be and though it was a little awkward at first, gradually, over time the night terrors reduced, I wasn't triggered by innocuous things as much and, most importantly, I didn't blame myself as I used to. I was prescribed sedatives at first to help me sleep and stay asleep. My doctor said a good night's rest may seem small but was essential for my health. She even recommended yoga along with our sessions of talking through my progress.

It had taken a year of seeing her for me to feel like I had somewhat of a handle on my sanity again. I would never be the same person again, who could after such a thing? Recovery was never linear. I knew I would have good days and bad days. There may even be days I would feel like I was back to square one and I knew that the anxiety that lurked at the back of my mind would be an ever-present constant in my life. And I knew I may have lost a part of myself, but I was determined I wouldn't let it define me.

I didn’t need a man by my side, or to take my place. I could and would do this on my own. I would be an Alpha in my own right, no matter what the pack muttered, masquerading it as concerns over my 'young age'. A man would never hold that kind of power over me again, not even my fated mate, wherever and whoever he was.

And now, standing in front of the pack members gathered for the announcement, I was more determined than ever to do this solo. It would be hard, I would have to do more than any other Alpha wolf male in my place to prove myself, but I would prove myself. As my dad finished his speech placing me officially as Alpha of Silent Rivers pack, he reached out into the mind-link along with myself, seeking acceptance from the pack for me as their new Alpha. I was accepted…but I had felt it, the resistance.

I could see Harry Field’s little d**k group of friends muttering things between themselves and throwing me disapproving glances. If they didn’t cause me some trouble tomorrow, I'd be surprised. Harry wouldn’t do or say s**t, he wanted the gamma position. He may have had no gamma blood or aura, but I would admit, he was a skilled tracker, incredibly so. He was also recently mated to my best friend, Dani.

How?

I was still trying to figure that one out.

They were like chalk and cheese and not necessarily in the best of ways. Though, I would suppose her specific brand of assertiveness would do his ego some good. I would’ve thought Dani would have marked him the second they mated, she was always the possessive type, but she hadn’t, saying she was waiting till after I announced who would take over as my Beta and Gamma. I knew who would probably gain each position, Daryl and Dani, but I wanted to give them each a chance to prove to the pack why they deserved their position, that it wasn’t just nepotism or ‘bloodlines’. It would also give one less thing for grumbling pack members to complain about behind my back.

Tomorrow would be my first time leading training with the advanced warriors as their Alpha, now fully in charge. Someone was going to make a scene, I could feel it.

'If they do, we take names and we make them our b***h…actually, forget the part about their names,' Era snarled, already prepared for a fight.

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I had fought alongside many of the warriors in front of me. I had trained many of them too, with my prospective Beta, Daryl, and his father, Mitch, my dad's Beta who would serve as mine till I named my next Beta. Though my dad was still here for training, he would be observing only and taking part just to keep his skills in check.

'Would you breathe right? It's not the first time we've led training before!' Era snapped, sounding a little edgier than usual.

'I am!' I griped right back, although I didn't even convince myself.

I had led training many times but never with the full weight of the Alpha title and I knew everyone would be watching, waiting for me to put a foot wrong so the naysayers could shout I had no business leading, not without a male by my side at least. And there was no way in whatever hell existed that I was letting that happen ever again. I needed no male to lead with or perform my duties.

The session started off without any bother, but I kept my eyes and ears sharp. If there were any remarks made, I would need to quash them and fast. I was in the middle of correcting one of my warriors' positions, helping to rectify the opening she was leaving when I heard it.

The tiny d**k brigade I had noticed in yesterday's announcement, grumbling amongst themselves. Dani's mate, Harry, had wisely removed himself from the group to train with my best friend or by the looks of it, try to dominate her…fat chance with that.

The partial conversation drifting over to me from the dickless four ignited a scathing snarl my wolf was eager to release with their disgusting words.

"I bet I could have her beat and on her back in minutes," the broadest one sniggered and I didn't need the innuendo explained to know its meaning.

"I suppose it's nice having an Alpha with a decent pair of t**s," another of the four whispered, sending a ripple of quiet smug laughter within their group.

'f*****g dude-bro wannabes,' Era snarled, pacing, wanting to draw blood. And I mirrored her rage.

'That suspiciously sounds like a challenge,' I mind-linked the four of them.

They silenced immediately, paling with wide eyes and looked over to me. I let loose my aura fully, making the others wince around me.

"Well? The four of you have big mouths. You think you can beat me, let's see it," I spoke aloud.

The entire class came to a halt at my words, looking at the would-be challengers. My dad appeared to step forward to do or say something, a murderous glare on his face directed towards the small group.

'No, dad,' I mind-linked him. 'I need to do this, or they won't respect me. I don't need them thinking I need daddy to fight my battles.'

I could tell he was biting back a growl and most likely fighting back his wolf. But he nodded, letting me handle this how I saw fit.

"If this is an official challenge, we need to lay a silver ring," Mitch advised loudly, joining my father in glaring daggers along with Daryl at his side.

"No. We can go right here, right now. All four of you against me in one match," I stated boldly, eyeing each of the four.

The crowd gasped and excited murmurs arose instantly. They couldn't back out without losing face and I was confident I could beat them without incident. As the class stepped back to make a huge circle, the four stepped forward, unable to back-pedal out of the misogynistic and degrading comments their banter had challenged.

I just knew something like this was going to happen, but it didn't stop the disappointment seizing me that I was, in fact, correct.

The challengers spread out around me. I knew they would be mind-linking between each other and, most likely, be receiving mind-links from the odd spectator, but I didn't care.

'Give 'em hell,' Dani smirked from the side.

'Let me know if I need to notify the morgue or the hospital,' Daryl said with a near impassive expression.

'I know it's tempting, moonbeam, but don't play around with them,' my dad advised. 'Show them what it means to fight a Saloman, no matter how far this fight goes. Remember, they did this to themselves.'

I met his eye to give him a brief smile. The two of us had hoped this would never happen. However, he had trained me for this nonetheless. An official challenge was no place for showboating or causing as much pain as possible, that wasn't the Alpha my dad had raised. This was about defending my own honour and sending a message that I would not accept these sorts of vile comments said about myself, or any she-wolf for that matter.

Just as my father taught me, I let my opponents make the first move and they were all too eager to oblige. The first of the four I had overheard, the broader one, aimed his first for my sternum, but he was far too slow to land any punch as I ducked under his arched arm. I aimed my own fist for the nerve bundle located right at the junction of his shoulder and arm, shattering his clavicle instantly. Two tried to attack at once and I used one's attack against the other, rolling to the side and allowing them to crash their attacks into each other. But as I stood, the fourth that hadn't moved yet, grabbed me from behind, securing his arm around my neck. The first, whose collar bone I had shattered, aimed his good arm to punch me in the stomach, which I allowed in order to bring him closer. His punch was strong and I had definitely broken a rib, but he was now within range of my swift and stronger kick to his already weakened arm, making him howl in pain as his shoulder was left dislocated and I aimed a final kick upside his head, rendering him unconscious. I sent a swift elbow between the ribs to the man with his arm around my neck, making him drop his hold. I grabbed his arm, pulling him down so his face met my knee, violently, knocking him out cold. I wasn't fast enough to avoid the punch to my jaw from one of the remaining two, which split my lip. In retaliation, I delivered a quick blow to his sciatic nerve on his inner thigh and a roundhouse kick to his jaw which sent him sprawling and unmoving.

And then there was one.

He stood before me, heaving, quickly surveying the others around him, groaning as they remained unmoving, lingering in the state between awareness and unconsciousness. He dropped to his knee, baring his neck in submission and surrender, swallowing his pride. I dropped my stance and nodded, accepting his surrender.

'We should have killed them,' Era grumbled, still feeling the sting of their words. Words that stirred memories I was sick of living with.

'We're not a tyrant,' I rolled my metaphorical eyes at her. 'And besides, I wanted to make an example. Examples don't do much if they're dead.'

'I really f*****g hate it when you go all moral and reasonable,' my wolf huffed and I struggled to hide my chuckle.

My point had been proved. I had no desire to take any lives today over some idiotic male remarks…but I would should they be heard again.

'If I ever hear any whisper of you making the same sort of comments you made about me to any other woman in this pack, believe me, I will either kill you or throw you from this pack as a rogue. It'll all depend on how charitable I feel at the time,' I mind-linked, pressing my aura behind my words to the four of them as they staggered to stand or even sit upright.

They bared their necks once more before being dragged off to wherever to lick their wounds, obviously unfit to partake in training any further. I wiped the blood from my lip as I turned to what remained of my class.

"Get back to your pairings, unless anyone else wants the shortcut out of training today," I bellowed, flickering my gaze around as everyone scrambled back to their positions.

'Eden, you've gotta have a broken rib or two. You should sit out for a few hours while it heals,' Daryl's concerned eyes gave me a once over.

'She just laid out four guys and that's what you lead with?!' Dani snapped. My head was already pounding and I didn't need their squabbling adding to it.

'Guys! Chill. I'm not going anywhere,' I replied with finality.

I could feel my dad and Mitch scrutinising me but they remained silent, knowing my response, though it didn't stop either of them from constantly looking over at me with worry for my well-being.

My bones screamed and my muscles ached, desperate for a rest or a long soak in the tub. But I stayed for the duration. I was their Alpha now and I didn't get to bow out because I was 'tired' or 'in pain'. The title came with specific obligations; I wasn't here to punish and lord over my pack members. I was here to teach and lead, to show them how to be better and couldn't do that if I walked away after a challenge. This wouldn't be the last time someone would question my authority. Hell, it was the first day of me officially being in charge and I had already been challenged four times within an hour of that first day; most likely a new record for any Alpha.

How many more times would I need to do this?

This was the question that truly left me feeling drained.