A One Night Stand With The Alpha Kings

Chapter 2

Eliza

Seventeen Years Old

Have you ever destroyed a brand-new car that belonged to the most popular guy in school? No?

Well, I have.

A smirk curls my lips as I continue to spray red graffiti on the side of Brandon Hawker's new silver BMW. I circle the car and use a stencil to add his initials to the hood before writing, "is a b***h" and then I laugh to myself.

"B.H is a b***h," I whistle in admiration. "Damn, Eliza, truer words have never been spoken."

I step back to take in my art, and pride fills my chest. Brandon Hawker is a bully that finally got what he deserved. For years he has bullied me because I haven't awakened as a werewolf yet, but now, justice has been served.

And if you think I took it too far, then the answer is no. No, I didn't—I should actually take it a step further. Brandon is a disgusting piece of s**t.

He is one of those popular jock werewolves that thinks it's cool to not only verbally abuse me, but he also picks on me and spits in my food in the cafeteria. I think it makes him feel like a man or something. Yesterday, he punched me in the face in front of his stupid football team friends so he is definitely trying to come off as strong.

But he isn't.

Brandon is a sissy and I'm getting my revenge on the dude by spray painting the s**t out of his new silver BMW that his parents bought. The silver paint is metallic and the dark red mat color makes the thing look like an abomination around all the other fancy cars.

"Damn, it sticks out like a sore thumb," I laugh in delight and put my spray cans in my bag. I'm about to leave, but I take another look at the car.

That, however, is a big mistake.

In the background, I hear a door to the school open, and then there is a loud, manly gasp. "My car! W-What the f**k are you doing to my car?!"

It's Brandon!

I start trembling, and my heart races as I turn to face Brandon, who is now standing just a few feet away from me. His eyes are wide with disbelief, his fists clenched, and there is a look of rage on his face. His brown hair is cut short, which makes him look even more intimidating, and his muscles are huge enough to destroy me.

I'm afraid.

He takes a step toward me, and I instinctively back away. "You little s**t!" He growls at me through gritted teeth. "What the hell do you think you're doing to my car?!"

My mind races as I try to think of something to say in my defense, but nothing comes out of my mouth. I was so caught up in my revenge that I hadn't realized the consequences of my actions until now.

Brandon takes another step and grabs the front of my shirt with both hands. He pulls me closer to his body so that we look straight at each other. He is so tall. Only the tip of my toes are touching the asphalt, and his warm breath hits my skin. His eyes are blazing with anger, and his teeth have already transformed to give him a threatening werewolf look.

"Listen here," he sneers, his tone dripping with anger. "You better hope I don't press charges because this could land you in jail." He releases me abruptly and steps back, crossing his big arms over his chest.

I open my mouth, but no words come out; instead, all I can do is stare helplessly at Brandon as he continues to glare down at me with contempt. Suddenly, he cracks a smirk that sends chills down my spine.

"Tell you what, shorty," he says slowly, “You’re going to do something for me if you want this all swept under the rug. If you say yes, I won't dial down the cops."

Do I even have a choice?

Brandon wasn't supposed to find me painting his car, but now I have his full attention. Standing at 6'2 with a muscular frame, the guy has an air of confidence that is hard to ignore. His green eyes are sparkling with a hint of mischief, hinting that I would be stupid to say no. Since I'm only 5'3 with not even half his muscles, the guy could destroy me.

"Alright... what do you want me to do?"

There is a dangerous gleam in his eyes. "As you may know, I'm undergoing training to become a guard for the Alpha kings. I run every night, and so do the other guys that want the same position, and it sure would be fun if there were something we could chase in the woods. Something to... motivate us."

I gasp and drop my spray can. It bounces against the asphalt before rolling over to Brandon's shoes. I don't bend down to pick it up, though. I'm panicking!

"B-but I can't shape-shift yet!" I stammer.

Brandon laughs evilly. "Yeah, that's the fun part—if you get caught, Eliza, then you're done for. f*****g DONE," he picks up the spray can I dropped and shoves it into my chest. I take it in my shaky hands, and he smirks. "I hope you're a fast runner, Eliza. It's the only thing that can save you now because if you don't show up, I will tell your poor adoptive mother that you got into trouble AGAIN."

I stand rooted in my spot. Kayla would kill me if she knew what I had done, and she would put two-and-two together and know I'm the one behind all the other graffiti in the city.

Shit...

"It's going to be so much fun to hunt you," Brandon is stalking back toward the door of the building, but turns around to smirk over his shoulder. "Anyway, I have another class, but I guess I will be seeing you tonight, Eliza."

His laughter sounds ominous, and I swallow thickly. The thought of going out in the woods as some sort of prey for Brandon and his friends sends chills down my spine.

Brandon disappears inside, and it takes me a moment before I can move again, then I sprint away from that building as fast as possible.

When I get home, Kayla is waiting for me. Her piercing gray eyes meet mine, and I gulp. I've hidden the spray bottles, and my oversized blue hoodie is hiding me. I'm a blonde and noticed some red streaks in my hair, so I hope she doesn't pull down my hood.

"Where have you been?!" She growls. "I thought you said you felt sick, and that's why I called your school this morning. But then, when I go home earlier than usual, I find your room empty! What is the meaning of this?!"

I obviously can't tell Kayla the truth, which means I will have to tell her a lie. I'm pretty good at that.

I take a deep breath and try to find the best words I could say that would make Kayla believe me.

"Oh, um... I was just walking around in the neighborhood," I reply, but Kayla is still looking very suspicious, so I add, "I needed some fresh air to help me cure my headache."

Kayla stares at me for a few seconds before sighing heavily. She looks like she wants to argue, but then she simply shakes her head and turns away.

"Go back to your room. We will talk later," she says in an exhausted voice before leaving the hallway.

I exhale slowly, relieved that my lie worked out. I feel bad about lying to Kayla, but I can't make her worry more about me by telling the truth. She is already concerned that I can't shape-shift yet.

But... since I'm the rightful heir to the throne of Arcadia, she is convinced my wolf will be strong. Whenever she awakens. For now, we are living in a different city and country, away from my grandmother, who still wishes me dead.

My grandmother, however, is a problem for another day. Right now, I have to figure out how I'm going to survive tonight when Brandon and his cronies come hunting for me in the woods.

Is it possible to outrun werewolves as a human?

I fear the answer is no, so I need a plan, and my plans almost never work out: I'm basically screwed.

Sighing to myself, I give up and lie down on my bed, and hope for the best. The minutes crawl by until night finally arrives, and it's time for me to face my fate.

With a heavy heart, I slip back into my oversized blue hoodie—it might provide a bit of protection from the sharp claws of werewolves—and head out through my window. I easily climb down the side of our building. I'm short but acrobatic. I'm rather proud of that.

"So now all I need to do is find Brandon and his goons..." I mumble to myself.

It's dark and spooky in the woods behind our house now that night has fallen. My heart is pounding in my chest, but I press on until I find what looks like a clearing ahead of me.

Suddenly, I hear howling in the distance, which sends shivers down my spine. They are here! I can feel the thundering of paws hitting the ground, and I freeze in place as Brandon and his five friends surround me.

I immediately assume the brown one that is glaring at me with icy eyes is Brandon. It takes a step closer and growls menacingly, but I'm not THAT afraid. I'm a werewolf too; I just can't transform yet, and that's why I haven't been invited to join the pack.

Smoke surrounds the largest wolf, and within seconds, I'm faced with the naked form of Brandon. I don't look at his body, though. Many girls would, but I hate his guts, and my eyes zero in on his.

He is grinning at me. "Now then, little mutt, are you ready to run for your life?"