Chapter 2

Beep! Beep! Beep!

I knew I wasn't dead when I heard that annoying heart monitor. That and my body hurt- a lot. My shoulder was on fire, yet at the same time, I felt freezing. I tried to move or open my eyes, a groan slipping past my lips when my body refused to cooperate. But it didn't matter because within seconds, the pain faded, and darkness enveloped me again.

My eyes popped open as I sat up, frantically trying to clear my mind. Furrowing my brow, I looked around the room I was in, one I hadn't seen since I was a child. It was my room from before my parents died and before the house burned down, forcing me to move into the packhouse. Hearing sounds from the downstairs living room, I quickly got up, pausing when I realized I wasn't in pain. "I must be dead," I murmured to myself. And if I'm dead, I can probably find my parents. The thought hit me, filling me with excitement. My parents had died when I was seven, time erasing almost every single memory I had of them. Time had also not healed the pain I felt from their loss. I hurried to the living room, but when I walked in, disappointment crushed me. The TV was on, but only static showed. There was no one here. Light flashed through the room, the house shook, and for a second, I could hear a voice. 

"We're losing him! If he dies, we're screwed! Give me-" The voice cut out as the light faded. A woman now stood behind the couch, a light smile resting on her face.

"Hello, Ian," the moon goddess greeted me. "Please have a seat. We need to talk."

"Hi," I replied cautiously, "I think I'd rather stay standing." I have a bad feeling about why she's talking to me.

"Suit yourself," Celene sighed, sitting down. "If you haven't figured it out yet, you're not dead. However, the same is not true for Alpha Drake. You killed him with that last attack. Therefore, you officially won the duel. Congrats, because when you wake up, you will no longer be a rogue but an Alpha."

I blinked at her, waiting for her to say it was just a joke. There was no way I could be an Alpha. I don't want to lead a pack, for one thing. I'm used to living outside the rules and constraints packs have, and I refuse to subject myself to that again. Besides, there's no way Moonstone's members would ever willingly follow me. I'm a rogue; they wouldn't be able to respect me, let alone trust me, especially since they know what I did nine months ago. Other packs would be in an uproar over my becoming an Alpha and would challenge it in court with the council. The seven wolves on the council serve the moon goddess directly and have regular contact with her. They announce her wishes when massive issues arise, especially if it concerns a pack's well-being. She watched me, my thoughts written on my face.

"I'm not joking. You are the Alpha of the Moonstone pack; it's a done deal. The pack's fate is yours."

"But I-" I thoughtlessly tried to object, but she cut me off, raising her hand to silence me while giving me a frustrated look.

"No, you WILL take over as Alpha! The council is already aware of my decision. All Alphas, Betas, Deltas, and their respective mates should be in a meeting with the council now. The council will inform them of what transpired at this pack and my decision to have you as their new Alpha despite your- unsavory past. Tradition dictates that whoever wins a duel against an Alpha takes over their position. You won; therefore, you are the Alpha. Believe it or not, you're not the first rogue to beat an Alpha during a duel, although the last time was several millennia ago. So there is a precedent for this situation," Her eyes softened as her voice became quiet. "I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think it was in the best interests of everyone involved. There's much for you to learn, and I believe this is the best way."

"How do you know I won't run this pack into the ground? That I won't destroy it? You don't know the future. I could do it. I'm not exactly the nicest person, nor am I a fan of the pack dynamic. Or did you forget that my last pack betrayed me and cast me out!?" I yelled. I know yelling at her isn't a good idea. Making her angry is a mistake others have made, and we all know there are massive consequences that follow her anger. I need to be careful. I'm already walking on thin ice, having chosen to disregard the warning she gave me last year, but I can't help it. My frustration with my life and fear of being betrayed again has bubbled to the surface, making me agitated. Surprisingly, though, she didn't take offense to my yelling. Instead, she smiled.

"I haven't forgotten what your former pack did to you. It's the only reason I didn't kill you the minute you killed the Luna of the Silverstone pack. You have changed a lot since you were betrayed and became a rogue. However, I also know you never wanted to be a rogue. You didn't want to kill the Luna either, but you felt you had no choice. If there had been another way, you would have taken it. That tells me you still care. You haven't become completely calloused and cold yet, and you still have a heart. That's how I know you won't purposely run this pack into the ground or destroy it. If anything, you'll be one of the most loyal Alphas the pack has ever seen. You'll try harder than any other to earn their respect and make sure they respect and protect each other. You'll go above and beyond for your pack's sake because you don't want them to experience what you experienced. You may not agree with me right now, but eventually, you'll see this is for the best."

As she spoke, my body began to feel uncomfortable. It was getting unbearably hot as pain that had me seeing double began to shoot through my body. She looked at me sadly before rushing out her last few sentences.

"Looks like our time is up. When you wake up, you'll find the Beta, Delta, and the Elders of the pack waiting for you. They'll help you get back on your feet. Unless you want to run ragged doing all the work, I suggest you trust them and ask for help. You can't run the pack alone; remember that." 

The room began to glow brightly, shapes fading into nothing. Disappearing from view, she whispered one last thing.

"Good luck, Alpha Ian."

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Once again, I found myself listening to that annoying heart monitor, surrounded by the smell of antiseptic. Yuck! With some difficulty, I managed to pry my eyes open just as the doctor and a nurse walked into the room. The doctor's eyes glazed over as he mindlinked someone, most likely the Beta, informing him I was awake. He checked me over, replaced bandages that needed to be changed, and gave me some pain medication before leaving, never saying a word. The door opened a minute later, and the Beta, Delta, and Elders entered the room and stood next to my bed. One of the Elders spoke first.

"The moon goddess told us you will be the next Alpha. We will respect her decision. Therefore, we ask that you set aside some time to speak with us Elders. We would like to know you better. It will help us help you with your duties. That is all we wish to say; we'll be taking our leave now. Goodbye, Alpha." They bowed their heads before walking out of the room, closing the door behind them. Beta Lucas and the Delta stared at me, trying to figure out what to say. Finally, Lucas spoke up.

"What the Elder said is true. We choose to respect the moon goddess's decision because we know there is a reason she allowed this. Karleine," he gestured to the woman next to him, "and I will support you as Beta and Delta. However," his voice lowered, "if you EVER do anything that harms this pack, I will personally rip you to shreds regardless of what the moon goddess says. As long as you can prove to us you can take care of and protect this pack, we will stand by you. The rest of the pack knows better than to go against the moon goddess, so they'll grudgingly accept you until you prove yourself. We all promised we'd try and be open-minded about you. I hope this doesn't prove to be a mistake. The doctor said you could be released the day after tomorrow, so we'll be back then. Until then, sleep as much as you can. You need it after the beating you took."

They turned and left the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts, and not long after, I fell into an uneasy sleep. It's been two and a half years since then. Lucas has become one of my closest friends and one of the few people in the pack I completely trust. Even though he didn't like me when I took over, he spent every day with me, helping me adjust and learn everything I needed. I don't know what I would've done without him. His and Karleine's loyalty helped me earn most of the pack's trust. Some are still wary of me, but if I give an order, they'll follow it. They may not trust me completely, but they trust the other leaders, and that's enough to keep the pack running smoothly. A knock at my office door brought me out of my thoughts.

"Who is it?" I called.

"It's me," Lucas replied.

"Come in." Lucas opened the door, a grim look on his face.

"Alpha, we have a problem."