Page 10 of Freeing My Alpha

Rainn and Aliya, feel free to continue class. They won’t bother the pups, Noah mindlinks.

Rainn meets my eyes, fear creasing her forehead. As she herds the pups away, I can’t bring myself to follow.

My head is fuzzy and my knees weak. I don’t like something about those Alphas’ scents. Noah walks further from me by the millisecond, and the sight of his back turned gnaws at my stomach.

Before I can stop myself, my wolf takes charge: I scamper back to Noah’s side.

His sharp stare meets my face over his shoulder. Yellow irises flip my heart.

“Our future Luna is joining us?” The grinning Alpha asks. Except he’s not really asking; his eyes sweep my body before I’ve even had a chance to say hello.

Noah puts himself between us with his next step, tucking me into his side. My guts churn, but Noah’s voice is still calm. “Of course she is. She’s your future Luna. Show her respect.”

The Alpha laughs. “Of course, Alpha Noah. I’ll be a true gentleman, at your request.”

“That wasn’t a request. It was an order.”

I don’t want to say hello anymore. We walk in silence, and I burrow deeper into Noah’s side.

Are you okay? I ask.

Yes, I know these guys. Which is why I’m more worried about you. They’re extremely sexist, so the second you feel too uncomfortable or triggered, please allow yourself to leave. Noah’s jaws tighten. But you have to walk when you go, Omega. Absolutely do not run.

I swallow hard. All those years Mom warned me to never run from a wolf, was she actually warning me about Alpha Lycans in particular?

One of the silent Alphas meets my eyes, and I shrink. He must smell my petrified scent. Now that I’ve figured out how to track Noah’s scent, it’s easier to single out others. These guys and their grungy, angry scents didn’t come to praise Noah’s leadership skills.

As we come to a stop in the open clearing, putting distance between our two groups, I can breathe a little deeper.

Noah releases my side, his arms crossing back over his chest. “Alright, Alphas. What’s on your mind?”

“It’s been three years since you signed the Fair Territory Act into law, and it’s still far from fair. Things are becoming unsustainable,” the auburn-haired Alpha says.

My eyebrows furrow. I have no idea what that law entails, but its title doesn’t sound bad.

But Noah’s heaving sigh only tenses the Alphas’ shoulders. His voice is low and commanding. “No matter how many times you return to debate this with me, I will not take any land away from Omegas or Betas in favor of Alphas. Every wolf has their equal share. That has been, and still is, my final word on the Fair Territory Act.”

A man with dark brown hair speaks up. His voice is as shaky as his trembling, rapid hand gestures. “But there’s nothing ‘fair’ about it. You should know this. Alphas are naturally superior, and a large majority of us are mated to Omegas and Betas that rely on us. We can’t protect them without more resources for our bigger, stronger bodies. You’re taking away from everyone by taking away from Alphas.”

Noah shakes his head. “I haven’t taken anything from you. I’m refusing to give you an unfair advantage just because of your pheromones.”

“Unfair? How is it unfair when, biologically, we—”

“No sex is superior. We are all Lycans,” Noah says.

The Alphas meet eyes, shaking their heads. The largest of them has been silent this entire time, but as he steps forward, I’m tempted to step back; he’s a little wider than Noah, and almost as tall, his hazel, brooding eyes not sparing me a single glance.

When he speaks, there’s a subtle growl behind each deep syllable. “It’s no wonder other packs think we’re weak. You let so many Rogues in that our Omega population exploded. Do the math. Alpha allocations are only getting smaller.”

“I don’t know who told you that, but again, nothing of yours is shrinking. The math is that everyone who joins our pack is provided for. We’re sheltering refugees of all sexes in the Community Center temporarily, and unfortunately, yes, things are getting crowded there. If you’d like to help us construct new housing, I’d be happy to direct your applications to Dave. We can even give you provision bonuses in return if a bigger share is what you’re looking for.”

The man shakes his head. “You’re avoiding the subject. We’re talking about Rogues invading our pack due to your weak influence around ‘Omega abuse,’ giving Omegas a pass just because they’re Omegas. But all Rogues are Rogues, Alpha. Not refugees.”

Noah uncrosses his arms, standing taller. The Alphas freeze at the sight. But as acid burns through my veins, I can’t stop myself.

“Are you seriously implying these Omegas all lied about their abuse, just for an excuse to invade your land?” I ask.

With my angry, pointed stare, the men remain silent.

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