The Rogue Alpha's Claim

“Alpha, the shipments have arrived and we need your signature.” Mason, the beta of the rogue pack, said.

The man in question looked up from his desk and eyed his Beta, his jaw set in a frown. He is what every young lady would consider hot, with an aura like that of a god and a well-chiseled face that has been sculpted by the moon goddess herself. 

“Alright. Give me a minute, and I will be there.” He replied, returning to his work. “Meanwhile, another request just came in from the Blood Moon Alpha, and he is requesting our services.”

Mason sighed aloud before proceeding to dump himself on the chair in front of Kane. “What does he want this time?”

Kane paused his writing and turned to look at his friend and the man he considered his brother. “He needs our help in taking over a pack, and he is offering to pay a lot.”

“Isn’t that against the law?” Mason queried, “I don’t get werewolves; why would you want to destroy another pack and claim it? Why isn’t the Alpha King saying anything about it?” His forehead furrowed into a frown as the very thought of it gave him a nasty headache.

“Why is it surprising to you? This isn’t our first rodeo, and they do it all the time. And the truth is, I don’t even care again; they can fuck themselves up if they like, but I am taking the job. The money is too good to pass.” Kane stated, leaving no room for argument, and Mason shrugged.

“Alright. When should we start preparing?”

A little smile formed on Kane’s lips, and he looked up at him. “Soon.”

***

The rogue park, as their pack was fondly called, was just as the name implied. They had been the outcasts of their packs, left to suffer a terrible end in the woods, but fate managed to bring them together.

Of them all, Kane was the largest, standing at 6’3 ft., and his wolf was the largest among them all and feral, so he naturally became the Alpha.

To humans, they were known as rogue mafias, one of the deadliest underground movements in the United States, and they specialized in the sale of weapons and arms.

However, what had brought them to the limelight and made them rich and popular was assassination. They had trained soldiers and specialized in terminating people if you have the money, and you wouldn’t imagine how many people sort for their expertise every day.

And one was the Bloodmoon Pack.

Bloodmoon Park was a fierce pack in the United States, and they were easily the third strongest in the states. They grew their own resources and had their own services that they rendered to humans.

But they had a rival.

The Moonlight Pack shared a boundary with them, and they had been longtime enemies. It was so bad that if anyone entered the opposing pack, he or she was killed right away.

Their rivalry had been long, and everyone was aware of it, but this was the first time they needed the service of the rogue pack.

Now they could always take the moonlight pack, but the alpha didn’t deem them worthy to get his hands soiled, hence the reason he hired the rogue pack.

“Have the weapons been tested?” Kane barked at his third-in-command, Toby. Toby was in charge of war and coordinating attacks.

“Yes Alpha. The guns have been tested, and they work fine, but we have yet to try out the bombs.”

Kane shook his head, looking around the armory. He had managed to turn a deserted forest into a storehouse for the latest weapons, and he was proud of himself.

There was a hint of a smile on his lips as he thought of the money that would be entering his account in a few days. “Gather the men; we attack in two days.”

“Yes Alpha.”

****

“I want to go with you.” Ariel whined, clutching her father’s pants tightly. He was supposed to be in a meeting with the elders in the pack, but he was being held by his daughter—a spoilt daddy’s girl.

And it was all his fault.

“Baby, you know you can’t follow me there. We will be discussing adult things, and you will get bored.” Her dad tried to explain, but Ariel wouldn’t hear the end of it.

She shook her head, her luscious brown curls bouncing around her as she did. “I want to go with you.” Ariel whined again.

The alpha looked at his wife with a plea, a sigh releasing from him as he signaled her to help him, and the Luna chuckled as she moved towards them, gently prying her daughter’s hand away.

"Come on, Ari, don’t be a baby. Your dad needs to go now, but I promise you, when he gets back, you can have him to yourself.” The Luna tried to reason with her daughter, but Ariel wasn’t ready to hear anything about it. 

It was no rumor that she had a bias towards her father, and while girls her age would prefer their own company, she preferred to be with her father. 

“Only if you promise to stay up later than usual.”

“Ariel, we already talked about this, you need eight hours of sleep as a growing child. And it will not be possible if you sleep later than your set time.”

Ariel rolled her eyes, not surprised. There was a reason she liked her dad better. Her mom was so strict that she was sure she had no fun in her bones. “Mom, I am not a child anymore. I am going to be the next alpha, and you have to start treating me like that!”

The Luna opened her mouth to reprimand her, but the frantic pounding of feet on the floor distracted her.

The footsteps grew louder, their rhythm heavy with urgency, closing in on them, and the Luna stood up. The messenger burst into view and stood in front of her leader, her body hunched forward as she tried to catch her breath. Yet, despite her exhaustion, she knew she had to pass on her message.

“They are here!” She yelled in one breath.

And that was the only thing the Luna needed to hear before she grabbed hold of the startled Ariel. 

Then there was silence, so deadly that it sent a chill down the spines of everyone present. And then…

Boom!

The explosion rocked the foundation of the house, shattering the glasses and items in the house and throwing everyone with its impact. But the Luna was quick; all the years of training were ingrained in her body, and she threw herself on the floor, shielding her daughter from the impact.

Stones and debris flew, raining on them, and soon dust particles were flying everywhere.

“Luna.” She heard one of the pack members scream. "Luna, where are you?” She continued screaming, her voice getting weaker by the second.

The Luna coughed, trying to clear up the dust that had gathered in her chest, and she slowly rose up from her crouched position, her searching eyes all over her daughter, and the relief spread across her face as she noticed no visible signs of injuries.

“I am here, Brie. I am here.” The Luna reassured her friend, and Brie managed to crawl to meet her friend, tears brimming from her eyes. “What is happening?”

“We are under attack, and I don’t know where.” Brie was screeching, the panic evident in her voice. But the Luna had stopped listening after the word attack. Her protective instinct kicked in, and she was sending a message to everyone through the link.

“Be calm, everyone; everything is under control.” Her words were like a soothing balm, laced with a bit of power, and the people began to visibly relax. “If you have not been trained to fight, make your way to the underground bunker. The children should go in first, and...”

She hadn’t finished talking when another explosion rocked the foundation of the house, and she was thrown off balance. She grimaced as she fell to the floor, hitting her head on the glass table, and it pierced through her flesh.

“Mom!” Ariel cried out as she saw her mom thrown like a rag doll. The same would have been her fate if not for Brie, who had carried her.

“Go! Run to the bunker!” The Luna screamed, afraid for her child.

“Mom!” Ariel screamed, struggling to come down to get to her mother, but Brie was already dragging her away even as her shrieks continued to pierce the whole room.

***

Kane and his men were high on adrenaline as they ran through the rubble that was once the moonlight pack. The attack had been meticulously planned to fall on a day that they least expected, and they had carefully planned bombs at strategic places that would go off within a 5-minute interval.

Some of the bombs have been laced with a concentrated amount of wolfsbane to weaken their wolves even before they realize it.

The rogue pack didn’t get their title for nothing.

Once the explosion had gone off, they had scattered and spread out, walking through the rubble and killing anyone on site, both alive and dead.

One can never be too careful.

The bullet had been made with a wolf's bane to make sure no one survived the shot. Kane had earned his reputation for being thorough, and he was determined to keep to the end of the bargain.

His men were rounding up the loot and accounting for the massacre when Kane began to head to what used to be the Alpha’s house.

He stepped on the falling stones while trying to avoid the bodies that were on the floor. He grimaced at the sight in front of him, but he continued pressing onward. Only the thoughts of the piles of dollar bills were fueling him.

His body tingled as something pricked in him, and he found himself moving towards a wall. Kane stood in front of the wall; it was nothing out of the ordinary, yet his mind was telling him something else.

Frustrated, he punched the wall, and the ground underneath him rumbled, and he began to descend downward.

He dipped his hands in his pocket, feeling for the cold metal, and as soon as the elevator stopped, he fired, hitting the target straight in the head.

Kane's ears rang as he heard screams, but they were soon silenced by three shots. “I need backup at the alpha’s house now!” He yelled to his packmates, and there was a chorus of yes, sir, before the connection went off.

Kane walked towards the screams, his guns poised in two hands and ready to attack. But he wasn’t ready for what was to come.

Because he locked eyes with a pair of electric blue ones, and all hell seemed to let loose.

“Mate.” Max, his wolf, hollered loudly, but his human counterpart was still in a state of confusion as he locked eyes with the blue ones that supposedly were his mates, and he was lost for words.

The young girl had brown curls for hair; she was fair but had become pale as she looked at him. She was barely holding up as she inhaled the gas that had weakened her wolf, but her gaze dropped to the woman who had been with her, and she began to sob.

Her cries were guttural and sad, and they triggered something in him—something he never thought he had. Sympathy.

Kane quickly tucked the guns away, and he came closer to her, taking slow, careful steps so as not to startle her. But Ariel curled into herself, wailing aloud, even as she felt the cord that linked her to her family, to her pack getting broken.

Her pupils widened in fear, and she whimpered, trying but failing to scamper away from this man. She was bound by her mother’s words, so she couldn’t leave the bunker.

Kane continued to approach the frightened girl, his wolf itching him to meet her so he could touch her. “Get a grip, Max. She is already frightened, and I don’t want to startle her anymore than she already is.” Kane cautioned his impatient wolf.

Of all the things he had expected, the last thing on his mind was finding a mate. And from what he could see, it was likely that she was the alpha’s daughter.

“Alpha. The pack has been wiped out; save the alpha, and we await your judgment.” Toby announced as soon as he got closer, and Kane froze as he heard that.

Shit.

Ariel only took so long before it registered in her mind that it was her pack they were attacking and her father was going to be the next target whose blood would be spilling on the floor, and she was screaming bloody murder.

But there was only so much she could do; the air she was inhaling had gotten tainted, and each breath she drew weakened her.

“What the hell, Toby, Mindlink?” Kane roared at his gamma, spittle flying from his mouth.

His wolf wanted out; he wanted to teach the disrespectful wolf a lesson, and maybe he would think twice before scaring his mate.

“Oops.” Toby gave a tight-lipped smile, his hands flying to his hair to scratch the messy lock. “My bad.” He apologized and was running back to where the other warriors were before Kane could react.

Kane could hear them chanting war songs, no doubt with smiles on their faces, and he managed to smile despite his condition.

There was no time to waste, so he grabbed the hands of his mate. “Fuck.” Kane shuddered as he felt the unmistakable spark that erupted on contact.

He closed his eyes, ignoring her shouts and struggles. Her tiny fists were pounding on his arms, but he couldn't care less. Instead, he sucked in a large amount of air, exhaling it rather noisily.

“Let’s go.” Kane said to the child, his anger only rising by the minute. She was still looking at him with pure hatred in her eyes, and if looks could kill, he could be six feet under now.

Such looks don’t fit her, and he wishes he could erase whatever she had just seen.

You can. The taunting voice in his head was loud, but Kane shook his head hard, erasing such thoughts. He would never do that to her; he had already taken her family away from her, and the last thing he was going to do was take away her memory.

“What the fu...” Kane yelled, his eyes looking down at the culprit. The little shit had bit his hands so much that he could perceive the faint smell of blood reaching his nose. “You.” Kane snarled, baring his teeth as his wolf threatened to come out.

His wolf would tolerate no disrespect, and if it were an ordinary member, they would have been on their knees with some of their teeth gone.

Before he could rein in his wolf, Ariel had fled the area, letting her father’s scent guide her to him, wailing for the world to hear.

“Fuck.” Kane exclaimed, rubbing his hands through his hair. He had cursed more times now than he would have in a day, and it was all because of the mate the moon goddess had decided was a great match for him. “Fuck.” He screamed his frustration again, and he was marching towards the door, following her tiny footsteps.

It wasn’t long before he saw her kneeling in front of her weakened father. The once-great man was also on his knees, his body covered in blood, bruised and battered, and a sheen of sweat covering his face.

Even he could realize when he had been defeated, and there was nothing he could do.

“Dad!" Ariel cried out, shaking her father with her tiny fist. “Please don’t go.”

Kane hated to admit it, but her pleas were doing something to him. It had been a long time since he had experienced such emotions, and he wasn’t sure what to do about it.

But he knew he couldn’t spare this alpha.

His mate would get over it; he had also lost his parents, and he managed to survive; surely she would be fine without them.

“Kane.” Ariel’s father spat out with what little strength he still had. His words were laced with so much hatred and venom that Ariel was turning her neck towards him, mirroring her father’s look.

It soon came to put him back on his ass because he doubled up in pain, holding his chest as he coughed up blood.

Kane could only shake his head in sympathy. The once-great alpha has been reduced to a caricature of himself.

“It is alpha to you, John.” Kane spat out with the same venom. Their hatred had run deep, and it was only death that could put an end to it.

It wasn’t going to be too long now since John was already knocking on heaven’s door or wherever werewolves end up when they die.

“You are no alpha, Kane,” John sneered, baring his teeth as you would a rouge. “You are nothing but a wannabe, a filthy wolf, and a feral, and no matter how you try, you will never be a real wolf.” No sooner than he finished saying those words, his face was meeting the floor in a thud.

Kane, unable to bear the words he had thrown at him, had kicked his head so hard that it met the floor in a sickening crunch that was bound to affect his skull, and his nose flared as the undeniable smell of metal reached him.

“Dad!” Ariel yelled a blood-curdling scream, and he was cringing from it. “You!” She had forgotten her weakened state and bared her canines to him before she was pouncing on him.

But Kane was quick; he dodged her attack and held her hands behind her. “Mason!” Kane yelled for his beta, “Come, get her out of here.” He couldn’t stand to see her in pain, especially when he was the cause of the pain.

Quick footsteps were approaching them, and Mason was soon in sight. “Alpha.” The beta said, lowering his head in respect.

“Get her out of my sight. She doesn’t need to watch this.”

“Yes alpha.” Mason replied and was moving towards her side; no question was needed. All he cared about was doing his bidding.

Mason jerked her off Kane’s hold, dragging her away. But the little shit still got a fight in her. “Noooo.” Ariel cried, and both men were cringing from the noise; it was too loud for their sensitive ears. But Ariel saw an opening, and she jerked her arms from Mason’s hold.

Maybe a little too hard, as she felt a sharp pain like that of a lightning bolt traveling down her arm, but she ignored it and ran towards her father.

“Dad? Daddy? Wake up, please wake up.” Fat drops of tears were dripping out of her eyes as she held on to her father, shaking him hard.

“Ari.” Kane heard the weary voice of the alpha, and he knew that it wasn’t long before he met his ancestors. His little girl moved closer to his face as she heard her name, and Mason made to go after her, but Kane raised his hands.

It is alright; just give them time.

It was only right that he gave the father and daughter a little bond time—a parting gift.

Ariel kneeled in front of her father, applying her ears to his mouth, and the dying alpha was whispering to her ears even as Kane looked on with a faraway look, and Ariel was nodding her head at every word.

The next event happened so fast that Kane could barely stop it. The alpha produced a needle from his pocket and stabbed his daughter’s thigh, even while the other needle was already jammed in his thighs, pumping loads and loads of wolfbane into his system in such a lethal dose that no wolf could survive it.

“The fucker!” Kane yelled, kicking the syringe out of his hands. But it was too late; the damage had already been done, and the alpha fell on his side, white foam spewing from his mouth.

Kane heard a dull thud, and he watched in slow motion as his mate crumpled to the floor beside her father. Wet trails of tears were still visible on her face, and he shook his head.

“What have I done to deserve this?”