Page 1 of Alpha's Revenge Luna
Chapter 1
My hands shake as I try to fix my dark, unruly hair in thefoyer mirror.I glare at my reflection.I’m half tempted to find a pair of clippers and shave it off; it’s pointless.My mother would pitch a fit if I shamed her like that on the night of the ceremony.
“Your hair looks fine.Besides, if you look ugly, at least you won’t be picked,” Caleb, my six-year-old little brother says as he watches me finish preparing for the annual mating ceremony.I huff; he does have a good point.Maybe I should risk Mom’s wrath by shaving it?I ponder that thought for a few moments, imagining her horror.
“Why are you even awake, Caleb?”I ask him.
He shrugs and then sulks, jutting out his bottom lip, his eyes turning glassy.
“I wanted to see you off,” he mumbles, and I purse my lips at his words.The ceremony is held once a year in a different pack, and this year, it’s my father’s pack’s turn to hold the ceremony.
“But you should be in bed,” I tell him softly, turning to face him.He stares up at me with his big green eyes, his blond curls getting in the way, making him swipe his fringe aside.
“But what if it’s the last time I see you?”
I frown at him.I’m terrified of what tonight may bring, but that doesn’t mean he should be.Unfortunately, this is just one of the barbaric traditions werewolf society has upheld and forced upon women.
Once a she-wolf comes of age, or if the ceremony falls on the year of their nineteenth birthday, they must attend at least one.Even being an Alpha’s daughter I would still be required t0 go.
Dropping the brush, I move toward him.“How about I tuck you into bed?”I ask, only to see him gaze up at me with tear-filled eyes.
“What if you don’t come back?What if you’re chosen?You’re my only friend, the only sister I have left,” he sniffles, wiping his nose on his pajama top.
“Trinity came back, didn’t she?No one would be silly enough to challenge Dad for my hand,” I remind him, brushing his hair from his eyes.
“What about Alpha Dion?What if he shows up?”
Just his name turns my blood ice cold, and a shiver slivers up my spine.He is my father’s biggest rival and is feared just as much.“Alpha Dion has a mate, silly.Why would you think that?”I try to reassure him.
Caleb fiddles with his fingers in his lap, and I take my seat beside him.“Caleb?”I brush my fingers through his hair.
“Please don’t go; I heard the servants speaking about what Dad…” he whimpers.
“You heard what?”I ask, confused by his sudden fear.Caleb refuses to give me an answer, so whatever it is has scared him into silence.Instead, he clutches my dress, his little knuckles turning white.
“Don’t go, please, Emery.”I furrow my brows.“If we leave now, we might be able to hide in the forest until the ceremony is over.”I swallow, glancing away, trying not to let emotion get the better of me.“I can’t lose you, too.Who would play with me?”I smile sadly.
I hate seeing him so upset, though I understand whattroubles him.He’s right; I am his only friend in this mansion we call home.Caleb is also the only friend I have, too.We weren’t allowed to attend school or meet the other pack children.Separating from him would feel like losing a part of myself.
This place is just a fancy prison.We are homeschooled and only allowed out for functions or to visit my grandmother, and we are always under guard.We rarely interact with anyone besides those who work here in the pack house.
My father is paranoid, and it has a suffocating effect on everyone around him.My sister Trinity hated it here and was constantly in trouble for going against our father.
He raises us in his image, and Trinity was supposed to be the next Alpha, so she was allowed out for “training,” but never without our father.She longed for freedom and eventually got her wish to leave this place.
Only I never expected her to leave it the way she did.
“Aren’t you scared?”Caleb asks me.I am quick to shake my head, although the plunging of my stomach proves it’s a lie.I’m petrified; it’s no secret that Alphas can be cruel and possessive monsters, but I’m of Alpha blood, too.
Indeed, that has to stand for something right against another.Not only that, but I’ve only met one male Alpha, and that is my father.I’ve heard horror stories about them, especially Alpha Dion.But I can’t tell my little brother how scared I truly am.Besides, there’s no point in us both being frightened.
“Have you seen your father?”my mother asks, entering the living room and using the hall stand mirror to put on her earrings.Her eyes dart to Caleb beside me.“Caleb, why are you awake?Bed, now!”
“But mom?”he whines.
“No, buts mister.Now get to bed; don’t make me get your father,” she commands.Caleb instantly jumps to his feet at the threat of our father.He wraps his arms around my neck, squeezing tightly.
“If you’re chosen, promise you’ll escape, promise you’ll come back to me?”he whispers, and I swallow.
