The story of how I became alpha isn't an epic tale filled with all-powerful evil villains that ruled with fear and the threat of violence. I didn't stand up to and overthrow some tyrant leader, thereby freeing the werewolves of Amberwood from decades of slavery and oppression.

There wasn't even an alpha here when my family moved to town.

In fact, what started it all was my older brother, Dante, who at the time had gone missing- as usual- for two weeks and suddenly showed up at our school- Dante willingly going near any educational institute was not so usual- while I was skipping last period. Kiara and I were in the tenth grade at the time but he somehow convinced the school that he was there to pick Kiara up because her mom was in the hospital and her dad was out of the country. Amberwood was- and still is- a rapidly developing town and so the myth known as small town gossip was quickly becoming just that: a myth. The school knew Kiara and my family were close but they didn't know that closeness didn't included her own parents- who both hated my guts and my middle class family for associating with their rich daughter.

Besides that obvious omission, Kiara's mom was actually fine and her dad was probably out wherever it is evil scheming shits go at that time of day.

The school didn't know any of this.

They let Dante pull her out of last period and by the time I came back to pick her up so we could go home, all I found was a small note taped to my locker. The note had Kiara's name on it, along with a phone number that wasn't hers. I called and the man that picked up told me I could pick Kiara up at his place- as long as I brought the hundred bucks my brother borrowed from him that afternoon.

Dante had kidnapped Kiara and used her as collateral for a loan.

I stayed perfectly calm of course.

Which is why I started breaking noses in earnest only after I got Kiara outside the junkie house. Needless to say, they didn't ask for the money and cooperated fully in helping me track down Dante. After that, the rest was history. One day they were helping me find my scumbag brother, the next they were hanging around the bookstore and visiting my place for coffee almost every night. That was it. They started following me around, sticking by even though I was younger and prone to bossing them around. No more drugs. No getting close to Kiara. No lending money to Dante. No freeloading. No parties unless you work your ass off the whole week.

They still didn't leave.

The reason was simple: werewolves will always follow someone who is willing and capable of keeping them in line. Someone who will stick their neck out for them, have their back.

I was willing, more than willing because it felt damn good to have someone lean on you and be able to hold them up without falling. Before I knew it there were more and more of them leaning on me but I only kept getting stronger, kept getting better at keeping everyone and everything together. I lived up to their expectations. I just didn't know how much that had been a huge part of who I was until now. Now that I couldn't stand up on my own.

"I come in peace."

I lifted my head to snarl towards the cave mouth, where a dark shadow was blocking the afternoon light. I'd stumbled into the cave a while ago, after shifting in the woods and wandering for a who knows how long. I don't even remember how I'd ended up here. All I could remember- could still feel, was the helplessness, the vulnerability and rage at everything. It had especially blinded me to anything else earlier. I'm certain I tore through a couple of forest animals that hadn't been quick enough to get out of my way and a tree or so before getting here, but the rest is foggy. The fury had consumed every thought, had wanted to consume everything, to tear through anything that might see (laugh) at my current state.

Yet here was Audrey at the cave mouth. The last person I wanted to see. I lumbered forward- not flinching a bit even as the shock of pain shot from my leg and spread very generously to the rest of my body. The pain wasn't the worst part though, the worst part was the feeling, the expectation that when I stood there would be a foot there. The fact that there wasn't just couldn't seem to register.

The confusion made my temper worse and if Audrey wasn't tilting her neck to the side in a submissive gesture, hadn't had her eyes closed, I think I would've done something I would regret later.

"Travis said if you bit me he was going to quit being your second," Audrey said.

No questions about how it had happened or if I was okay. Good.

But just because I wasn't being provoked into tearing out her throat didn't mean I still didn't want to. She was here, and although I knew Travis was a bit further away in the forest, both their presence seemed to amplify my connection to the pack. In my head, I could feel the whimpers of pack mates. They knew I was injured, but pity doesn't last long for injured alphas. Soon some idiot is going to come over and try to finish me off so he can take my place. If that one dies, there'll be another, and another until one of them succeeds. It was only a matter of time.

"I'm here to fix you up," Audrey said, her eyes still shut. "But before I do that, I need you to confirm something for me."

I waited quietly for a question that might trigger me, at the same time wondering if witches could replace a severed limb.

She nodded as if she knew what I was thinking about. "I'm going to give you back your foot, then we're going to go find the person who did it and I'll eat some popcorn while you spill out their innards but I need to know something first. After this, after you were so close to losing everything, are you still hell-bent at keeping her at arms reach?"

She was talking about Kiara (my Kiara).

No (no). The word was a clear snarl in my head, spoken by the wolf and human.

I waited until Audrey opened her eyes, gave a shake of my head.

No, I wasn't going to keep her at arms length anymore.