Page 5 of Villainous Fate

In the weeks following our lunch conversation, we didn’t talk, didn’t hang out, didn’t change our routine in any way, but everything was different. Her half-smiles when I’d catch her eye kept our secret alive. That secret felt more important than us, like talking about it again might tarnish it somehow.

The next time we spoke was the night I Awakened. The ceremony was understated, not having the flash of most Alpha-born wolves to not overshadow my brother. The pack council oversaw the tradition.

The robe they put me in did little to combat the cold weather storming outside. After the ritual, I knew I would be expected to shift, forced to if I couldn’t make the transition on my own. The robe served as a temporary covering to prevent more clothing from being destroyed, but my chattering teeth made me wish they had splurged on a thicker material.

As I entered the pack sanctuary, I noted the soft candlelight, dark robe-clad members, and the altar in the center of the room. It took everything in me not to laugh at the cheesy cult-like setup.

Guess I’m drinking the Kool-Aid today…

I held back a smile and cleared my throat to throw away the laugh lodged there, schooling my face. The last thing I needed was for my father to be angry right before he bit into my shoulder.

My feet stopped at the foot of the ostentatious altar, and my eyes lifted to the face of my Alpha and father. If I didn’t know him better, I would assume it was pride he wore in his expression, but I’d seen that shining out every time Luca completed a task. This expression was a mix of disdain and indifference.

“Kneel.” His voice echoed off the walls as he stretched his arm to indicate where I should drop. Slowly, I lowered myself to the spot he pointed out.

“You come before us, one of the chosen. Destined by The Fates to walk this Earth as both man and beast. Today, you have the choice to embrace that future or deny your birthright. This choice cannot be changed, and once spoken, is final. What is your choice?” The question rang in the air as I considered the options.

Awakened or dead.

Hmmm... whatever will I choose…

“I choose to follow the path The Fates have set before me,” I said, grateful when my voice came out clear and I remembered the words to repeat.

“As is your birthright, the council bears witness to your Awakening.” My father walked behind me, pulled the robe off my left shoulder, and, without pause, bit down.

Pain exploded behind my eyes, and heat filled my body like acid flowing in my veins. The venom entered my blood like lava, reforming the cells as it tore through every fiber within me. Darkness crowded my senses, and I felt myself fall to the floor. I was unsure when he released me, but I knew he did nothing to stop the fall.

When the fire inside me finally dulled, I calmed my breathing, pulled myself back to kneeling, and opened my eyes. A gasp rang out in the silence.

Every council member stood precisely where they were a moment ago, but their faces show expressions of confusion or shock. My gaze darted to my father, who had returned to the altar before me.

Where the others may have been surprised or confused, he was angry. His jaw clenched, and the vein above his brow was pulsing.

What the fuck happened?

As we stared at each other, my eyes asked the question, but he showed only deep hatred. I tensed each of my muscles, adjusting to the soreness. The feel of them was foreign, yet they responded ready. I used my patience to my advantage, waiting out the following instructions while feeling my wolf come alive under my skin.

“Welcome to the Northern Nevada Pack, Deacon Marlo. Pack Member 412. Initiated by Giovanni Marlo, Alpha.” The voice came from a council member on my left, but my eyes remained locked on my Alpha. Part of me wanted to look away, the feeling slid over my skin like fear at a haunted house, but I held his stare.

Giovanni: Submit

The mind-link command surprised me, but what surprised me more was my wolf, who pulled his hackles up and responded before I could stop him.

Deacon:Never

***

Present

“Are you planning on staring at the sky all day, or are you stuck like that?” The sweet sound of her country drawl pulls me from the memory, and I blink her into focus, a smile forming on my face without a thought.

At seventeen, Grace is no longer all knees and elbows. Her petite athletic frame has filled in with curves that leave my mouth watering and my cock coming to attention at every opportunity. She’s the only girl I’d ever been with and the only one I will ever need.

She’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. It shines out of her in the big easy smiles that reach all the way to the creases next to her eyes, and it bounces around in my rib cage with every full-bodied laugh that rolls out of her, causing her one dimple to lock in on her face as her cheeks get all rosy. Her freckles have multiplied with her time in the sun, and occasionally, she wears her signature pigtails, though her hair now falls the entire length of her back.

“Just thinking about how we met. Do you remember?” I ask, knowing we’ve had this conversation a dozen times, and still, I love to hear her version of things. She always insisted I planned to run off, and I had to remind her she was, in fact, the one with somewhere to run to. She nods, looking at me as if she’s reliving that memory herself, and steps into my embrace.

I wrap my arms around her and pull her body to mine, planting a soft kiss on her lips as I breathe in her coffee and cinnamon scent. Her hands loop around my neck, and she deepens the kiss, leaning into me. I tease her lips with my tongue until she parts them, allowing me entry, and she whimpers as I dive in greedily, taking everything she will give me. My fingers dig into her hips, and it takes everything in me not to strip her out of her uniform right here in the parking lot and bend her over my bike.

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