Five months later...

CAGE WANTED TO PUNCH SOMETHING. Anger and frustration clouded his mind as he itched to transform and set his inner wolf free at the sight of his new found challenger, Jiacko.

Cage saw an inexperienced young wolf with no leadership skills who was foolish enough to challenge him. Jiacko saw an alpha who was not strong nor strict enough.

Having his own way of thinking, Cage knew Jiacko and himself were bound to clash and duke out their differences. He just wasn't expecting it to be a public event.

Standing across from Cage, Jiacko had a smug look plastered on his young face. Challenging the alpha just moments ago, he didn't care about the consequences that might come from questioning authority.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Cage bit out through gritted teeth, his fists clinched in anger. Jiacko smiled at his question.

"You aren't scared, are you alpha?" Jiacko replied tauntingly.

At first, Cage wanted to show mercy on the small wolf he knew had barely any instincts, but now, he wanted to teach Jiacko a lesson. One he would never be able to tell his friends or family after today.

To be spoken to by an alpha was a gift, to be praised by an alpha was something that most strived for and never received, but to be killed by an alpha was believed to be the most shameful thing for any wolf.

Cage wanted to shame Jiacko so much, he couldn't help but smile. His pearly whites reflecting the firelight in the den.

Transforming into his wolf in mere seconds, Cage left the crowd of wolves around him speechless as he pounced forward and tore into Jiacko's fleshy human neck with his sharp canines. His victim letting out a whimper as he too transformed into his wolf.

Biting the air to try and scare the alpha away from him, Jiacko took a moment to breathe and regain his balance.

Jiacko was impulsive and weak. Cage was prideful and stubborn. Both of their weaknesses would surely backfire on the two of them, or even get them killed.

Cage let his guard down the moment he glanced towards the crowd to find the one person he cared to impress, Angelica. Her blue eyes found his green one and she smiled that same pretty little smile at him, as she did when he first met her.

Blonde of hair, standing at five foot seven, Angelica sure was a beauty.
Cage never knew why he was so drawn to her. She wasn't his soulmate, but that didn't stop him from dancing in the sheets with her once or twice in the past. She always begged Cage to mark her, but something inside of himself always held him back from doing it.

A few moments passed, the two lucky in lust still continued to exchange glances as Jiacko started to become restless and angry. Jiacko aimed an attack for Cage's neck, but he didn't take into account the amount of distance between himself and the alpha, his payback attack instead swiping his left eye.

Panicked and in pain, Cage felt himself start to get dizzy as he felt his left eye being ripped from it's socket.

Many in the crowd gasped, and a few were too surprised to even react.
Within mere seconds, Cage had gone from the strongest wolf in the eyes of his pack, to the weakest. How the tables turn.

Steadying himself, the now one eyed alpha turned and unleashed living hell on Jiacko, the one that took part of his eyesight from him.

Using his claws and canines to rip, tear, and repeat, Jiacko's blood splattered all over Cage's beautiful shiny white fur.

When Jiacko's body was laying lifeless on the ground, Cage then realized what he had done. With no recollection of the gory fate he bestowed on the dead young wolf and the past five minutes, he struggled to process everything.

The alpha wanted to feel justified in his behavior, but he didn't. He knew Jiacko didn't deserve to die.

~~~

That night, after Cage's eye had been patched up, he found solace in the dark. He didn't want to see himself or anyone else.

Placing his head in his hands, he found himself wanting to cry. Alpha's don't cry, he told himself and instead blamed his strange feelings of guilt and sadness on the five horn fulls of strong ale he had drank. He was more than just a little drunk.

The pain was unbearable, and even though he was full-on sloshed, Cage could still feel everything. Every single feeling. Every single throb of pain.

Cage could not see very well due to his eye and the pitch black of the forest, so he tried to rely on his hearing. He could hear someone approaching him and he glanced up. Momentarily snapping out of his self pity session.

When the person got close enough, Cage realized it was Angelica.
She had snuck out of the den and walked through the forest to find the man she was determined to speak to.

Angelica took a seat beside Cage and she glanced at him with frustration in her eyes. The moonlight illuminated her pale face as she began to speak her mind.

"What were you thinking?" Angelica asked as she crossed her arms.
Cage looked at her confused. "I made a mistake okay?! Are you here to scold me?" He replied defensively.

"Actually yes, I am here to scold you. You were stupid to let that stupid little wolf get the best of you. He blinded you for god's sake!" Angelica said quickly.

Cage couldn't deal with her right now, but he knew she was partially right.
He shouldn't have let Jiacko get the best of him.

"It's not nice to disrespect the dead." Cage said calmly and took another sip of his ale. Angelica shook her head and stood up from her seat on the cold rock.

"That's all you have to say?" She raised a brow.

"Yes, it is." The alpha responded with a nod.

"I'm so tired of you not caring about my well being. You only care about yourself!" Angelica used her hands to gesture angrily.

Cage took a moment to respond. He could feel himself start to get angry at Angelica.

"I don't know who you think you are, but I thought I made myself clear that this," he gestured between himself and Angelica. "Isn't anything other than lust. I don't care about you or your needs and you honestly don't care about mine. Don't come to me and start saying I don't care about your well being, because you already know I care about everyone in the den's well being. If you want to use the fact that I can only see you through one eye now as an excuse to why you don't want me anymore, then be my guest." He spat and stood up.

"You know what, y-you're right! I don't want you anymore. Who would want a one eyed alpha?! A weak one at that. . . Callum was right, I should never have even tried with you. You are truly a waste of time." Angelica almost yelled, baiting Cage into being jealous and angry.

Cage didn't know what was worse. The fact that he just found out Angelica was most likely cheating on him with a member of his pack, or the fact that he actually kind of cared. Why did he care?

"Get out of my sight." Cage said and waved her off.

Angelica changed into her wolf and ran through the forest toward the den, tears in her eyes.