Page 9 of Alpha Scorned

Zander was up in my face before I’d finished speaking. Black horns sprouted from the side of his head, curling tightly around his skull. Claws grew from his fingertips and power sizzled through the air. It should scare me. It didn’t. This was what I wanted, a strong adversary, someone to unleash my fury and my wolf on, someone who could last for long enough and inflict enough injuries that the pain in my heart would be drowned out, at least for a little while. I knew I could lose my brothers by being such an asshole. The really sad thing was, even though I didn’t want that, not really, the thought of losing them didn’t bother me nearly as much as it should. It was as if my wolf had chosen a path of self-destruction, one I couldn’t pull myself back from. I knew I was giving him too much power, but anger, pain, pleasure, it didn’t matter what, just physical sensations of any kind were the only things that helped distract my mind from Selina. Those sensations had become my drug of choice. They numbed me, and I’d do anything, hurt anyone, to get that relief, even for a short time.

“Brady! Pack that shit in. We have a job to do. You’re the damned Beta to our King. Act like it!”

“Fuck off, Rawson. You want the position, then challenge me.” The words were out before I could stop them. I cursed my wolf for forcing that challenge from my throat. Knowing it was too late, my growl went low and full of invitation, but my eyes stayed focused on Zander’s.

Rawson let out his own low growl, frustration colouring his voice. “Dammit, Owen, if you want your arse kicked, then take it to the fight ring at the Gambit when we get back. Don’t use us to break you.”

He paused, but his next words sent a brief shot of worry through me.

“Then again, maybe it’s time one of us did break you. Things need to change. And Connor deserves better than a Beta who is determined to go rogue.”

I grunted, deciding to ignore Rawson. But the rational part of my brain knew he was right, IwasConnor’s Beta. And Iwasbecoming a vicious bastard. I took orders from no one other than Connor, and by default Ember, his mate. I sought out violence, whether it was with the demons I needed to send back to Hell, complete strangers in the Gambit, or with the brothers I loved, it never seemed to matter. Was I going rogue? Was Rawson right? Did it even matter anymore? Hell, did I even care?

I pushed my turbulent thoughts away. I needed my next fix of pain. And Zander was right in front of me, ready and willing. “You wanna play, demon?”

“You wouldn’t survive, you arrogant prick…”

Before my head butt could land on the bridge of Zander’s nose, huge paws shoved between our chests and thrust us apart. Rawson’s claws dug deep, scoring my skin as his own temper rose and he shifted. My wolf took control and was there in the blink of an eye. The kodiak bear roared, his teeth on full display. Up on his hind legs Rawson was a damned terrifying sight, massive, far bigger and heavier than my wolf. But that meant he couldn’t maneuver as quickly as me. Adrenaline rushed through me, thrusting away my humanity and filling me with the need to fight and kill, to dominate this huge creature, and prove I was more powerful.

I leaped, and my body bounced off the purple shield that Stone had dropped between us.

“Owen, man, shift back, we don’t have time for this. The plane is fueled and ready to go. Our Prime has called us back, and you cannot ignorehisorder, even if you are being a total prick and ignoring everyone else.” Stone crossed his arms over his chest, and slammed a shield the whole way around me. I snarled at him, but he just watched me, careful not to maintain eye contact in a way I’d see as another challenge. I could claw my way through the shield, I was powerful enough, but…

Rawson shifted back, clothes intact and walked away, his spine stiff.

I grumbled but shifted back as my chance at a fight walked off. Stone was right. I wouldn’t defy Connor, and neither would my wolf. Even if Connorhadsent Lina away before I’d had a chance to see her again. I kicked a loose stone, sending it like a missile across the space between me and the warehouse. It became embedded in the metal wall. Who was I kidding? Lina had already made up her mind and chosen Shane over me. Sending her home, which I knew Connor had done to preserve what little dignity I’d had left, hadn’t made a blind bit of difference to the outcome.

I kept my glare straight ahead, my temper simmering just below the surface and jumped behind the wheel of our SUV.

After a quick shower,I headed down the wide oak staircase. The scent of old wood and wax was heavy in my nose. Below that were the familiar scents of my pack. I smiled as I heard Ash yelling at the top of his lungs, and Ember trying to calm him. The sound of the twins’ laughter was the only thing that brought me any joy these days. Though the ache at not being around Devon was hard to deny when I saw Lyss. Devon had worshipped her and would do his best to make her smile at him… I pushed those useless thoughts from my head. Ignoring the fact that I would never see Devon again was the only way to deal with it.

At the bottom of the stairs I turned right and headed towards the back of the house. From this distance, the door to Connor’s office was thick enough to muffle the voices of my brothers and the others who made up the Shadow Sentinels, a group of powerful supernaturals who worked with the Supernatural Bureau of Investigation to eradicate dangers to this world.

Humans trusted the SBI to keep them safe from things that wentbump in the night. Little did they know that sometimes it took those that went bump in the night to keep this world safe.

“Enough,” I heard Connor say when I was close enough to hear through the door. “The decision is mine. I will tell him. You all have your orders.”

All conversation ceased when I pushed open the door and stepped inside. “What’s going on?” My chest tightened at the dark look on my Prime’s face and inhaled the bitter scent of his disappointment in the air.

“Leave us,” Connor ordered everyone. No one looked at me, which in itself was nothing new. I’d pushed the boundaries of my friendships and brotherhood over the past months far enough I’d lost the respect of most of them. I didn’t care.Yeah, keep telling yourself that,I thought, even as my gut told me something huge was about to change, and it wasn’t necessarily good.

“Sit.” Connor gestured to the chair on his right where I normally sat.

Keeping my face blank, I controlled my heart from racing. Connor and I had known each other for years. He’d been my superior when we were both agents at the SBI, when we’d been manipulated and falsely accused of murder. And we’d fought side by side for years to survive the depraved prison we’d been thrown into. In all of that time, I’d never seen him look at me with such a mix of sadness, anger—and pity. I raised my chin, unwilling to let my friend know how much his disappointment in me burned.

“What’s going on?” I repeated. Though I wasn’t stupid, I had an idea of what was coming. Still, as he said the words, my heart flipped in my chest.

“Rawson has issued an official challenge to your role as Beta. He thinks you’re unfit.”

I swallowed the betrayal that burned through my veins. Exhaling deeply didn’t do much to calm me. Who was I kidding? I was the one who’d issued the challenge in the first place. And everyone in this castle had put up with my bullshit for long enough. Besides, hadn’t this been what I was angling for? Fight or die. Except… seeing the regret on my King’s—no,my brother's facewasn’t something I’d ever wanted to witness. “What do you think?” I managed to ask, my voice hoarse.

Connor’s nostrils flared, but he didn’t need words to answer. His eyes met mine, and his shoulders sagged despite the presence of Prime in his eyes.

“I know you’re hurting, brother, we all do. But you’re like a powder keg waiting to explode. I think you need to get your life back on track before you get yourself or one of our brothers killed.”

Schooling my face into a mask, I waited. Maybe I should just hand the fucking position over. Rawson was always closer to Connor anyway. Fuck, the male had even raised Ember and Connor. I couldn’t compete with that. Connor could demote me if he thought me unworthy, unless I accepted the challenge and killed Rawson. The bastard had to be pretty sure of winning or he wouldn’t have made my offhand challenge official. An official challenge was a fight to the death. Or it could be, if Connor allowed it. But Rawson had lost his mate too. Perhaps we were more alike than either of us wanted to admit. He needed a purpose, and he was going to try and take mine. I cocked my head. Maybe he would win, gods knew I’d spent more time drinking and fucking than I had training since Selina had taken Devon and run back to her cosy little life in the Canadian wilds.

“Did the others back him?” I asked, though I already knew the answer. Why wouldn’t they?

---