It’s been me, myself, and I trapped in my room all morning. Normally I would call me not heading out yet as a result of a mood swing but the reason was nothing like that. It was more as a result of a hangover which wasn’t that bad but was entirely my fault.

I wasn’t even drunk in any way last night. Perhaps a little but not to the extent of feeling sober. Just do not know why I was reacting opposite to how I always feel after having a lot to drink. Oh, I forgot that having that much was still synonymous with getting myself badly drunk to stupor.

‘You still haven’t told me why we felt that way yesterday,’ I decide to do something to keep myself busy so I chose to speak with my spirit wolf in my head. There were a few things I needed to consider.

She responds instantly. ‘Because I have not figured out the reason...’

‘Why does it seem so hard to understand? Isn’t it something that would have been familiar to you already? Like a mate pull or so?’

‘That’s what I thought at first. But, I never got a reaction from him during the process. I couldn’t even generate an exciting feeling in me. He never showed the slightest interest when you started to approach him which is why I shrugged off the feeling. Still, I am not ruling out the possibility of him being the one destined for you. The mate pull has to be something between the two individuals involved and the occurrence of no reaction from one of them during the process should be because one of them is underage,’

‘I’m not underage. And he clearly cannot be as well. Did you see the shape of his body? He clearly looks like someone maybe even older than I am. I even managed to perceive his scent from far-off. Besides, how will an underage gain access into a clubhouse?’

‘It’s the human’s abode, Soma. Anything can pass through them easily,’

‘Let’s talk later. I can hear someone approaching the door,’

And truly, I could. I was in a lotus position on my bed which directly faced the entrance in the spacious room. Something that Mark calls unnecessarily spacious.

The footsteps stop and it increased my curiosity in knowing who it was following a knock on the door. Not that the scent wouldn’t exude in but I wanted to guess who it would be.

Aish, I forgot I was not myself this morning so there was no way I would get who it is by taking a guess. Damn the hangover. So, I ask, “Who’s there?”

“Honey, it’s me,” a feminine tone comes from outside the room.

That voice. It could only mean one thing. My mother was here!

I take a quick scan of my room to see if everything was in order. Seeing I have nothing to be worried about, I sigh in relief. Thankfully I was out of my PJ already.

“Come in, mom,” I call out back to her and then adjust my positioning on the bed so I could put my feet down to the floor because of the numbness on them.

The door opens without a single noise to show that it was being handled and from the side, my mom’s feature is first revealed.

The glow on her porcelain face still has me wondering how she manages to maintain it. She could easily pass for my sister instead of a mother with such a look.

Her dress was a green fitted gown which got to her feet, that, I could clearly see as she approached my bed with a smile on her face. And yeah, she has her hair done to complement how stunning she looks today.

“Sweetheart, how have you been?” she asks me as she reaches out for a hug with her hands spread wide. I do not waste time pulling myself into the hug while still sitting down.

I stay in her arms for seconds more than expected before letting her go. Even though it hasn’t been too long since I last saw her, I miss her.

“Hi, mom,” I say as I shift on the bed to make space for her to sit which she does instantly. “What are you doing here?”

The strong scent of whatever body spray she has on invades my nostrils. It amazes me how she knows which best to use every time, knowing how much she spends on making herself look good.

“I came to say hi to you and your sister. You know it’s been a little while since I last saw the two of you,” she says with her grey eyes boring into mine as I focus on her. I was actually trying to get an alternative reaction from her by doing that.

“In a space of two weeks?” I shrug. “Not that bad,” I then decided to ask, “So what about dad? How is the old man doing?”

“I told you to stop calling him old. He’s still agile enough for me,”

“Yet, he decided to leave his position of Alpha when I only turned nineteen. Doesn’t sound like someone agile to me,”

“Still doesn’t change the fact that he is not old,”

“Okay,” I agree with her. But even she knows that I did not... And I never will.

We both become silent after that. When she shifts her gaze away from me, I could tell that she was looking slightly hesitant as it was written all over her face that she has something to say. Maybe I was over-imagining it but it seemed like that to me.

I would have saved her the stress, but do I want to? Nah. So I shift my gaze from her to the ceiling above to pass away the time until she is ready.

“Can I talk to you about something, Soma?” she suddenly says about a minute later and I swiftly look at her again.

“Of course,” I tell her.

She firstly lets out a huge sigh and it only makes me wonder why she is finding it hard to comport herself. “So I heard you went to a clubhouse..” the first reveal, and then, “and you got into a fight again,”

A frown reveals on my face. “Cassie reported me to you, didn’t she?”

“Does it matter?”

“It does for me,”

“She did,”

“That snitch!” I hiss.

“Don’t call your sister that. She has every right to tell me or your father what you have been up to. Especially if she feels it’s wrong,”

I swear to the moon goddess, if Cassie were here, I would hit her so hard for not knowing how to mind her business. Why does my sister have to be such a screwup?

“Mom, you realize I'm an adult, right?” I start to say.

“Yes?”

“And that I am free to do whatever I like?”

“I do know all of that. But don’t you think you are going overboard with your lifestyle? For heaven’s sake, Soma, you are the Alpha of this pack. How do you expect the people to react knowing they have someone that gets into random fights as a leader?”

“That is left for me to be worried about. Don’t I get to live my life again just because I became an Alpha?”

“No one is stopping you from living your life. But there are protocols you have to adhere to,”

“None of which applies to me,” I counter with a slight snap. I do need to keep it cool. “Those random fights, as you call them, you know full well that none of them is my fault. If those humans know how to keep their distance away from me, I’m sure none of that would have happened. And I’m being honest when I say this,”

“Sweetheart, I understand everything you’re saying. But please, try as much as possible to do away from such acts. It’s not just for your own good, but the good of everyone else. I know what I’m saying when I say you should do that,” she then touches my hand and caresses it.

I look down at the hand on mine and it gives me mixed feelings because I know it has a manipulative vice to it. That’s basically what mothers do to get you to do their bidding when they cannot take the forceful approach anymore.

“Promise me you’ll stop with acts like that,” she says, expectedly, and I try not to roll my eyes at the fact that I know that was what was coming next already.

“I’ll try,” I force the words out of my mouth but I could see that she was pleased with my likely promise that I know I won’t adhere to.

“Good. So how much are you prepared to meet with the Alpha of Dark Moon pack? Do you have everything all set?”

“Not everything. There are a few things left to do but I’ll handle them later.”

“Good. Figure out the rest in time. I know you’ll do well,” she says and then immediately stands up to her feet. “I’ve got to go now. Your dad and I are supposed to meet at someplace,”

“Where are you two old lovebirds heading to?” I ask out of curiosity as she starts to sway away.

“Somewhere that would interest you if you had a man to yourself...”

“Aren’t you done with it?” I almost snap after taking a look at my reflection in the mirror for the umpteenth time. And my statement was directed to my sister who has been working on my hair for so long now.

She was presently brushing it down just so I could look more flashy... her words. And I know I should have fought against it due to how time-consuming it would be, which it presently is, but I already know better than not to go against her when she has set her mind to something.

“Hold still,” she says as she pulls on my hair a little, which gets a slight whimper from me. What did she do that for?

“And how many more minutes do I have to wait?”

“Let’s say about thirty,”

What she says makes me focus my gaze on her reflection through the mirror. And just like every other time, it was blank. No emotions to it. Not even one to tell if she was kidding or not. Why the hell would I want to be seated here for thirty more minutes?

“Did you just say thirty?” I ask for clarification with my gaze still on her reflection.

A brief stare was thrown back at me before she stares back at the hair that she has in her hand. “Did I say thirty? I meant to say three...” she says in contrast to her previous statement, and no lies, that got me a little annoyed because she had me thinking already. The more annoying thing about it is the fact that she maintained her neutral expression even after that.

“Don’t be pulling my legs like that again. You know how much I hate it,” the cautioning spills out of my mouth, with my annoyance apparent laced through it. “Besides I still am pissed with you after finding out you told on me to mother.”

Silence followed up after that with me staying put and her doing what she had to do. It was rather uncomfortable for me already because even the moon goddess knows that I hate staying in one place for too long while working on myself. You know, the usual things ladies do. I’m never keen on those kinds of things.

Eventually, she lets go of my hair which gives me the chance to admire the way I look through the mirror. Cassie was right. I have to look more flashy, and that was how I was now. Guess it wasn’t bad after all to allow her to work on it.

“I had to tell her, Soma,” I hear Cassie say. And it was at that time that I was slyly touching my now glowy hair. “You acted out of conduct so what other thing did you expect me to do so you could at least get back in order? I was thinking about you and the rest of us,”

“That’s the same thing mom said. And I consider it bull,” I admit, turning around on the seat so I could directly face her. And because she was on her feet, I have to gaze up. “You all should understand that this is the lifestyle I choose to live. I don’t want my role as a leader to be the reason I won’t do what I please,”

“Not when it affects the lives of those under you,” Cassie interjects instantly. “What do you think their reaction would be when they find out that you are acting wild? Not something they would want to emulate,”

“If you’re that perfect, maybe you should take up the role of Alpha instead. I can always pass on the mantle to you so I could at least live my life the way I please. I was never meant to be the leader in the first place, anyway,”

Cassie frowns at my statement. And not just any frown, it was deep enough to tell she was displeased. “I do not want the role. If I ever did, I would have made my intentions known all along. So I do not. But it does not mean I do not want something else. And it is to be on standby while I watch you run on the pack in the right way. And I will definitely be here to help you the best way I can so you could stay on the right path,”

“Urrgh,” I grunt as I stand up to my feet. “I can’t wait for you to get a mate,” I say as I start to approach the doorway while adjusting my long leather robe.

“Why?” she asks.

“So you can leave me the fuck alone!”

And as I open the door to get out of the room, I sight Mark in the doorway with his hand raised.

He was clothed in a similar robe to mine which was adorned with symbols representing the heritage of our pack. And since today has sort of a special occasion, it was basically the right thing to wear.

“Hey,” he says, giving me a lazy grin as he puts his hand down. “I was just about to knock,”

I nod. “Let us go now,” I tell him, and before I finally step out of the room, I turn around to give my sister a look. She was staring directly at me when I do so. After a sigh, which was because I was about to pass on temporary responsibilities to her, I eventually walk away with Mark already leading the way.

He leads me through the hallway out of the building. Right outside, beside three automobiles, were a certain number of warriors. Practically, they were going to be our escorts to our destination which was in another territory.

“I thought I told you I only wanted a few,” I say as I turn my head to look at Matthew who was right beside me.

“I know you did, but I have to be more cautious of likely disasters that could happen along the way. It is basically for our safety,”

“Not like we can’t take care of ourselves on our own,” A scoff follows my statement before I walk up to one of the automobiles and then get into it through the backseat with the aid of a warrior

Mark gets into the backseat with me through the other side, and a few moments later the car was on the run out of this territory. About twenty minutes later, we were completely out of the Blood Crescent pack territory.

As the ride wasn’t intended to be fun, not much was said between Mark and me on the way. Not because I did not want to talk with him — he has not offended me in any way — but because I have little desire to converse with him. Especially when I know I was going for business.

I’m glad he did not push with it and just brought up brief talks for us to deliberate on. Pecks of having a best friend that knows a lot about you.

I believe it took like an hour but we eventually arrived at the Dark Moon pack which was located up east to the Blood Crescent pack — my pack.

We were granted quick entrance into the territory after the guards confirmed our identities. Glad it wasn’t something that caused rancor as I was worried I would not be recognized, knowing that I might not be recognizable due to being a new alpha.

The territory of the Dark Moon was much similar to ours. Except for the strictures of most of the residential quarters, there was no reason why this place would not be referred to as the Blood Crescent pack as well. And being that it was my first time here, I wanted to get familiar with it a little so I was fascinated with the things around.

The car I was in came to a halt in front of a building, which like others, was similar to the structure of my pack. Through the front window, I could see beings standing in front of the building, and two of them stood out among all of them due to their choice of clothing.

“This is it,” Mark says and I am prompted to nod before I get out of the car after it gets opened on my behalf by a warrior of mine outside.

The air over here feels a lot different that I have to take it in when it hits my face. I briefly close my eyes at the impact and later on, I was on my way up to the building with Mark tagging along.

“Alpha Soma...” one of the two men that stood out says, with his hand held toward me which I take into mine instantly. He is actually huge and that is sort of exposed because he chose to put on a fitting button-down shirt that had its sleeves raised to his elbows.

“Alpha Tyrone, I presume?” I say in return.

“Yes,” he nods with a slight smile tugging at the side of his lips. And after the confirmation of his identity, I take my hand out of his. “And here’s my brother, Leonard, who is also my beta.”

I look to the other man beside him but I am instantly affected by the creepiness he has on him. And it all has to do with the smirk he has on his face.

“Hi,” he says, licking his lips as he holds his hand out for a shake.

I don't know what I'm the most uncomfortable about. The beta smacking his lips against the other or the fact that it seems like he is about to flirt with me.

I should be used to situations like this now, I know. But the feeling that came with this one felt kind of different. Has me wanting to cringe or whatever I should call it. 

“Hi,” I say, in return to the beta’s greeting. I couple it with a brief once-over before accepting his handshake. But there was no warmth to it.

The fact that my inner mind is telling me that I'm exaggerating the situation was another bother. Maybe I shouldn’t think too much about it. Knowing myself, it was something that wouldn’t happen yet until something completely different fills my mind.

I try to take my hand out of the beta’s hand but it seems he wasn’t ready to let go yet. It prompted me to look from his face to his slight grip on my hand then back to his face. The creepy smile was still there and it still was a bother.

Eventually, he lets go, slowly and stylishly. Don’t know what he was trying to do by pulling that off but I felt nothing to hold on to after.

“So, you two should come in to rest for a while. We have your rooms ready for you,” Alpha Tyrone suddenly says, grabbing my attention.

“Well, thank you,” I respond when I shift my gaze to him, “But I’ll be taking a walk around the premises for a while. Hope you don’t mind?”

“Of course, I don’t. Feel free to do whatever you want,”

“Thank you... again,” I dish him a sly smile and then tell Mark, “Shall we?”

Mark seems confused when he asks, “Now?”

“Yeah... now.”

Then I turn around to walk down the stairs that lead up to the balcony of the building. The group of warriors that came with me felt like a hindrance the moment I face them, and I’m sure it would be like that if I allowed them to go with me on my brief walk around.

“Don’t worry about us,” I start to say when I walk through the space provided between them, “we’ll be back in no time.”

I round the corner of the premises with Mark by my side, all the while staying silent. I won’t necessarily say Mark was by my side. It was more of him leading the way because he knows his way around here, unlike me who is coming here for the first time.

We were now in something like a balcony, except this seemed like an extension to another part of the building. Probably the backyard or something.

“You seem rather uncomfortable,” was the starter Mark uses once we were far away from the front of the building we just left.

“Am I?”

“The Soma I know never stays quiet except she’s going through something. So what is it?”

I sigh inwardly because, apparently, I wasn’t being myself. “To be honest, Mark, I have this feeling of not wanting to be here. But at the same time, I feel I have no choice. There’s no odd feeling to it at the end of the day, except the stress that comes with being on a fence,”

“Being an Alpha was never meant to be an easy job. If it was, you wouldn’t be in the position. No offense,”

“None taken. I see nothing wrong with what you said,” I tell him. And after tugging strands of hair off my face, I proceed to say, “Did you see what his brother was trying to do?”

“Who? Alpha Tyrone’s brother?” Mark asks, and I nod in affirmation. “Well, maybe I did. Other than him trying to flirt with you or something, I don’t think I saw anything else.”

“You make it sound like it’s an ordinary thing to do,” I sound annoyed when I speak, and it’s because I am. I almost touch my hair again but at the last second decided not to. “His intentions were clearly written on his face, and I find that mostly irritating because I never like my man that way. Or is that how he always is?”

“Asides from always having a smug expression on himself every time, I can’t necessarily say that is how he is. But when an obviously unmated wolf sees something blessed, what do you expect him to do? Look away?”

I don’t know why, but I suddenly reflect on his words. Mark never utters a statement without attaching something to it. It wasn’t making much sense, until...

“Are you indirectly trying to say I’m busty?” I ask him, ensuring I was looking at him straight in the face when I do so.

“Whatever you term my words to be is fine by me.” was his straight-up response.

A smile finds its way to my lips. “Awwwn. My best friend just admitted to the fact that I’ve got the right proportions for a woman. I would have loved to give you if you weren’t this close to me,”

“Pfft,” he scoffs. “You know fully well that I would reject without hesitation,”

“Trust me, you can’t resist my charm if it goes down to that,” I say almost flirtatiously, but then recall something we were initially talking about. “And back to Alpha Tyrone’s brother, he was actually one of the reasons I was eager to leave there. The major reason was what I said already. Y’know, about the odd feeling,”

“You might just have to get used to him because it’s going to take more than two days before we find out way out of here. I’m sure you can take of yourself,”

“Of course, I can. But Cassie doesn’t think the same. She believes I’m too wild for a lady. One of the more reasons I think she needs a brain reset to understand that this is how I am and will ever be.”

Something suddenly grabs my attention. Or should I say the sound of someone? And when I look in the direction of where the sound came from, I realized it was a kid that has just fallen to the ground. A boy to be precise whole judging from the hair. I could be wrong, though.

Mark gives me a brief stare and then starts to stroll up to where the kid fell. Apparently, there was no one around here except us so it was obligatory he did something to assist. Not that I couldn’t do the same, but I would rather not try due to how ‘kid unfriendly’ I am.

“Hey, kid. You okay?” I hear Mark’s concerned voice from the little distance away and it makes me wonder how he can switch personalities when he needs to.

I was right about the kid being a boy as when Mark helped him up, I could see him clearly. The kid’s face has this little familiarity, but I cannot dwell on it too long because someone is approaching us already. And this time around, it is a lady with long curly hair.

She starts to say something but I immediately get uninterested in what is going on that I turn around and start to walk away. But I haven’t taken more than two steps when I halt. It’s not because of the event going on not far away from me, but because of something else.

The pull. The same pull I felt when I was in the clubhouse some nights ago. It has been ignited again.

But I’m confused as to what is going on because there was no absolute reason for it at the moment. The last time had been as a result of the strange man I saw in the club, however, there was no one here.

I was about to try to shrug off the feeling when I suddenly feel the urge to let the pull take over me. It felt kind of strange to consider at first but before I knew it, I was finding my way through the premises of the territory I was completely unaware of.

‘Are you sure about what you’re doing? We literally have no idea why you suddenly felt that way,’ Rainia’s — my wolf — voice gets into my head, reminding me of the fact that I was acting out of instincts which shouldn’t be the case in this situation.

‘I know what I’m doing. And I need you to trust me.’

‘You don’t expect me to trust you when you do not know your way around here. You should stay put, let Mark guide you through.’

‘Not in this situation, Rainia. I have to figure this out myself. There should be a reason why such a pull would occur like it did the other night,’ I round a corner when I tell her that.

‘This seems a bit crazy, you know,’

‘Does it still?’ I produce a sly smirk when I utter that, and at the same time, I stop walking to observe my finding.

“It’s you again...” I whisper.