VERBOTEN MATES

CHAPTER 3 * DAYS BEFORE THE HAZE*

After seeing Crina out of my suite and down the path that leads to her parents' building in the pack lands, I returned home getting my car from the garage and I drove to the pack house where father lives.

Unlike most Alphas I chose not to remain in the pack house after my 22th birthday, I just didn't see the need to live among members of the pack that pretend to be family when they are not, but they fear my father, their current Alpha too much to act otherwise.

Most days when I visit the pack house I hear their whispers and the ill they think of father, many times I caution them and other times I simply leave them to their device. They know as much as any what father would do if he catches them.

Being known as the most brutal pack in all of southern Rome, if not the entirety of Rome comes with its peck, the pack members fear me more than they fear father.

I don't think I have given them a reason to have such great fear for me. Perhaps my silence makes them believe their future Alpha is a silent psycho, as I've heard them refer to me as this frequently when they think no one is watching.

I can't quite say what about me gives off that psycho impression, I have a firm hold on my temper unlike most Alphas, even compared to father.

I lose control if pushed to an extreme, but that doesn't happen often as some members want to believe. Many a time when I lose control, I get reckless with decisions, sometimes the innocent get hurt.

Which is why I cultivated a habit,

Once my temper spirals out of control, I go rogue hunting, no one would blame for killing rogue wolves, I am doing the community a favour by getting rid of their stench and keeping the pack safe at most from a rogue attack.

The sound of bones breaking, their tendons tearing and their stubborn growls thinking they can still fight back or scare me off is quite satisfying to my hearing and it calms Silver and I.

"Where is my father?"

I asked the omega who mostly cleans fathers' suite.

"In his office, Alpha."

The middle age woman answered, bowing as she did, and I nod. Not only does she clean his suite, but I would be dense to not know she warms his bed as well.

I had noticed how often she reeked of father when I returned from camp alpha; she cleans his room, and I didn't find it odd at first that she would have father's scent all over her.

Until I started seeing her leave father's suite at odd hours. Who cleans in the middle of the night? But then it made so much sense why she reeked of him.

I got furious and confronted father about it. Mom had just died. He could at least honor her date and stay chaste for some months before sating his s****l urges.

All I got was him justifying how he is a man and needed to feed his desires and not remain loyal to the dead, Even if the circumstances that surrounded mother's dead weren't pleasant, he could have at least respected the years they spent loving each other.

What disgusted me more was knowing the woman has a partner, a traditional husband. I know the law allows us to have as many as we want, but once claimed during the haze as a woman you stay faithful to your partner.

Thinking about it then made me wondered why the goddess ruled out giving her children mates, a lifetime partner instead of throwing them into this shameless mess known as hazing.

Despite my curiosity and need to find out where our kind went wrong, all the books I read provided me nothing.

The only thing I could find were stories, myths, should I say about mates, tales of how easy those times were, and how magical it felt.

My young self ached to feel something like that, even for a minute. I would stay up all night reading and borrowing books from the library, which is unusual for Alphas my age.

I wanted to learn more about mates and how they worked, how they could tell from one glance that this person was their eternity. The one made specifically for them, I yearned to feel the sparks, and magical jolts described in those old pages.

Yet as time passed, I realised none of them might have been true. They were probably night time tales told to young pups to make them feel like there were times better than this, to make them live that fantasy of a soul mate.

And even when I thought about it deeper, the moon goddess couldn't have hated her children so much to punish them that way. It made no sense, no matter what they did.

But then again, not all of us werewolves believes or worship the moon goddess, I actually believe in her, though unlike my father who worships Phobos and Erebus, which explains why he lacks empathy.

I lift my hand, knocking on the door of my father's office.

"Father, it's me Torak."

I say, announcing my presence. Father's office is soundproof, that doesn't prevent outside noise, soon the door creaks and opens slowly for me and I stepped into his office.

"What have you been doing? I called for you an hour ago."

Father mumble as I took my seat before him.

"I had Crina come over, and we talked over some things."

Father looks away from the papers in his hands, dropping it on the table with a thud as he stares at me with a serious expression.

"You are not letting that woman control and disrespect you, are you?"

"I am not a child father, why would I let a woman control me?"

"You give her too much leverage by letting her do whatever she wants. You would become the leader of this pack in a few days. I do not want a son who lets a woman speak over him."

Father says with displeasure, and I scoffed.

"Like I said, father, I am not a child. Simply because I am not an animal who hits women doesn't make me less of an Alpha. Letting Crina have a voice of her own isn't as bad as you paint it to be. She is to be my Luna, not a toy."

I tell him, holding his stare and he nods, picking up a file from the pile before him, throwing it to my end of the table.

I watched him skeptically as I pick and open the file, my eyes scanning over the map and land mark drawings on the sheet.

Some areas had red markings while some had blue markings, somehow the map looked a lot like the mapping of our pack.

"What is this about?"

I ask him, placing the file back on the table. knowing father, he definitely has something up his sleeves.

"Those blue markings, shows areas that belong to our pack. I didn't discuss this with you before, but I want to take possession of the no man land around our territory."

I look at the file again, scanning over the red markings and blue markings to depict which side of the territory father was talking about.

"Isn't this the land that separates our border from Wolf's Claw park lands?"

I ask father and he nods.

"Father, you know that land you just called no-man's-land rightfully belongs to the inhabitants of wolf's claw, right?. If they ever choose to expand their pack, we both know according to what they wrote in the ancestral ledgers they have rights over that land."

"That is none of my concern, Torak. We need more land areas for more housing space and a few other things. I wonder how you intend to lead this pack with the way you think and act. What our ancestors wrote in the ledger doesn't matter. That was in the past, this era when you want something you have to grab it. "

My father says, and I sighed, sitting up straight as I fold my hand against my chest. I don't believe in taking things by forces, especially when that something doesn't belong to you.

And he doesn't know this yet, but I have no intentions to lead this pack the way he is doing. There are so many things I plan to change and so many laws that need revision and have to be corrected.

Most especially the ones concerning omegas and how they are being treated by other high-ranking wolves and their spouse.

"So what have you planned to do, seeing as you didn't inform me beforehand you probably have some evil scheme you wish to enact? So what is it?"

"I am not an evil man, I just have my way around things. I take rough measures as long as it gets the job done. Like a civilised man, I sent a letter to kane to state my interest in the land and why I'll be taking it for my pack. But the uncultured swine rejected my offer and even threatened to have me dealt with if I step foot on the land."

Dad explains, and I heaved a breath.

"So?, Alpha kane was right to decline your offer, whatever you offered him, and as the one who would occupy that seat in a few days, I find it disrespectful that you didn't to discuss this with me before proceeding with your plan. Now that he has rejected your offer, what do you plan to do next?"

I know father won't simply back down because of a simple threat.

"We would visit Wolf Claw pack tomorrow, request a meeting and discus this with him in person."

"And what if he insists on refusing?"

I ask with a frown.

"Then we do things the old way."

Father says nonchalantly and I scoff.

"I would not be a part of you waging war against innocent people. That land belongs to them, father. Shouldn't we stop stirring unnecessary trouble? Even the council won't support us if we decide to attack their pack."

"The council would have no choice if we defeat them. Aren't you vast in reading historical ledgers? You should know how our ancestors' claimed lands in the past. And Torak, it wasn't a suggestion when I said you are coming with me. It was a command. So prepare yourself for tomorrow's meeting. And let me remind you. You are not the only son I have. If you grow wings beyond my control, if I cannot clip them, you can get replaced and the one in the position of your replacement would be back from camp Alpha tomorrow. I would do as told, if I were you and if you want this seat."

Father growled out the last part, and I held back myself and Silver from snarling at him. The asshole who claims to be my father is nothing but a living evil.

I can't believe myself that I once wanted to be like him, that I revered him, I lost all respect for him when my mother died, in my eyes he was no longer that father I strived to be like, he is a monster.

"What time do we leave tomorrow and is there anything else I need to know?"

I ask, holding back the bitterness on my tongue.

"I would send for you towards evening. If there is anything else, you will find out on our way there."

I nod as I stand on my feet, bowing slightly, and I exit his office. I cannot wait for the haze to come, so I can claim my luna and take my place as Alpha of this pack. Then I would make him pay for his sins.

The anger in me brewed as I thought about fathers earlier threat and I fished out my phone to dial a number.

"Where are you?"

I almost growled into the phone.

"The usual place, do you need me for anything, Alpha Torak?"

The male voiced answered, and I smiled. He is where I want him to be.

"Do you have any sports for me?"

"Did father dearest piss you off again?"

My supposed beta questions, and I snarled.

"Just answer my question."

"Yes, you are lucky. They just brought in two fresh sports. Should I have them ready for you?"

Jamal asks in his lazy voice.

"Yes, I'll be there in five minutes. They better be worth it."

I bark, entering my car, and I slammed the car.

"Trust me, they are."

Jamal Affirms, and I grinned, starting my car and I drive away from the pack house to the only place where I can release my pent up anger.

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