Page 2 of Ruthless Alpha
Usually, the secrets I had with Mama were fun; the little surprise party of three that we threw for Papa’s birthday a few weeks ago; the hollowed-out tree in the woods where we’d pretend to be woodland fairies; the little carving on my bedpost that she promised would keep all the monsters away. This secret didn’t feel like any of those. It felt like a weight.
I was a big girl, though, and I could bear it.
“I promise, Mama.”
“Good girl. I love you.” She smiled, but I felt none of the relief I’d been expecting. Her face was still red and splotchy and streaked with tear marks, the smile unsteady like she might burst out crying again at any moment. I wanted to ask her why she was upset, but I knew she wouldn’t want to answer. It felt strange, having something that I didn’t feel I could talk to her about.
“I love you too,” I told her. I didn’t have the words to explain how unsteady I felt—as if I’d been happily moored to her like a boat at the dock, and someone had come along and untied the knot.
Mama leaned forward, dropping a kiss on my forehead and reaching up to wipe away my tears. It was a familiar action, but it didn’t carry the same comfort as before. This wasn’t a scraped knee, or a nightmare, or a mean kid at school. This was—I didn’t know what it was, but it scared me, and I knew it scared Mama, too.
It scared her so much that she didn’t mention it again until she was on her deathbed. Soaked in sweat and wheezing out labored breaths, she curled a weak hand in the front of my blouse.
“Promise, baby,” she choked. “You have to promise.”
By then, I was eight, and I knew what a witch was. I knew what the power inside me meant. I knew it was evil and that it would destroy me, the Pack, and the whole archipelago if I gave it the chance.
My voice was thick with tears, but I was steely and determined. I wouldn’t let this magic destroy me. Not now, not ever.
“I promise, Mama.”
Chapter 1 - Xander
The Telaxis market was heaving. Traders from Ferris, Lapine, Opifex, Argent, and Tritica all manned busy stalls—even Arbor was present, having managed to go three full years without trying to kidnap or murder any members of other Packs. I tried to make out the faces of the traders as I wandered through, but I doubted I’d see any of my friends: Caleb and Ethan both had young children and pregnant mates, with no time to be spent managing trade on other islands; Leo or Jace might make an appearance, but I hadn’t spotted them so far; and Noah—Noah wouldn’t have been here in any case.
Markets weren’t usually something I made time for, but I was here for much more than the sale of a few knives or claw extenders. Telaxis had been hosting the First Pack for almost four years, and it seemed as though that honor was finally coming to an end. After such a long blessing, the Telaxis Alpha would need to present the First Pack with a grand parting gift, and that’s where I came in.
“You want ranged or hand-to-hand?” I asked Sam. As much of an honor as it was to host the First Pack, I could tell he was eager for their departure. He was approaching seventy—one of the longest-serving Alphas in the islands’ history—and was waiting only for them to leave before he stepped down and handed the mantle to his son.
“Hand to hand, I think. The First considered ranged weapons cowardly, too human,” he explained, and I nodded.
“I get you.” Hand-to-hand was our specialty, and it was what I’d been hoping for. Still, a weapon that adapted with the shift was something we’d never tried before, and I didn’t want to seem too cocky before we’d produced something worth Sam’sinvestment. “I’ll see what we can do. I’ll take the steel with me today and radio you as we develop.”
Sam beamed, slapping me on the shoulder with a hand that, while wrinkled, was still strong as iron.
“Thank you, Xander,” he said. “If you don’t mind my saying, you’re a hell of a lot easier to deal with than your old man.”
It was a compliment, and I took it as such, but it still made me nervous.
“Don’t let my Betas hear you saying that,” I told him. My tone was joking, but I was deadly serious.Easywas not a quality that was valued in an Ensign Alpha. I loved my island and my Pack, but I couldn’t pretend that being away from them didn’t feel like a weight lifted from my shoulders.
“Good morning, Alphas. I hope you don’t mind my interrupting.”
The man who approached us was middle-aged, pot-bellied, and balding, with tobacco-stained teeth and a slimy manner that immediately raised my hackles. His head was slightly bowed as he addressed us in a way that felt performative rather than respectful. Beneath his stale sawdust scent was something fresher, like tilled earth. He was an Arbor shifter.
“Our business is concluded,” Sam told him. “What can we do for you?”
Sam had a truly impressive amount of restraint. Even after all this time, I could hardly look at an Arbor shifter without contempt. They’d threatened the lives of my friend’s children, kidnapped and tried to sell off a woman who was like a sister to me.
“I’m sure busy Alphas like yourselves have little time to peruse the stalls,” said the trader, not even bothering to pretend he wasn’t kissing our asses, “but I wanted to ensure you didn’t miss out on the wares that Arbor has to offer today.”
“I’m sure I can stop by later,” Sam said generously, but the trader didn’t seem to notice he’d been dismissed.
“Apologies, I’ve not made myself clear. Our most valuable item for sale is right here.”
He stepped to the side, revealing that he had not come alone. In his shadow stood a girl, dirty and unkempt and very obviously miserable, despite her attempt at a pleasing smile. She was small—couldn’t be much over five feet—with tangled blonde hair that must be curly when it was properly cared for. Her face was round, her lips pink and plump, her nose slightly upturned, but it was her eyes that commanded attention: large and blue and framed with thick lashes only a few shades darker than her hair.
She couldn’t have been out of her teens, and the urge that overtook me—the one that wanted to rip her out of the trader’s hands—must have been the urge to protect. The girl was young and clearly frightened, and to feel anything else when I looked at her would make me the kind of monster I’d always reviled.
