TORN BETWEEN THE TWIN ALPHAS

Violet.

I sat alone at the farthest table in the corner, reading a book and picking at the sad school lunch the foster home packed. A baloney sandwich and a bruised apple. As a rule, I didn’t eat cafeteria food, but once in a while I splurged on a chocolate chip cookie or three. They were decent enough.

Samantha- or Sam- fellow foster kid and extraordinary loud mouth– was different. She was obsessed over Weber High’s tacos. My girl never could never decide which she loved more: the gooey cheese or the greasy meat.

Yuck either way.

The only upside about sitting in the cafeteria on Tuesdays instead of my normal haunt in the library, was David Madden. Or rather the view of him and all his glory from my chair at the loser table.

Tall. Dark hair. Deep blue eyes. David was the star quarterback of the football team and the most popular guy in school. Gorgeous and charming, he was in another realm from most people.

That meant that he was completely unattainable for an introvert like me.

Like most girls and even some guys, I couldn’t help stealing glances at him. He sat at the popular table with the jocks at one end and the cheerleaders at the other, talking loudly and telling jokes. When he walked through the halls, kids parted like the Red Sea from the glow of his self-assurance.

Good looks, rich parents, a slick car, David had it all. Dude slid through life like a baseball player determined to win the World Series.

I didn't have such swagger. I faded into the background like a ghost through a wall. But that didn't matter. Soon, I would finally be free of this place. I just had to continue to be the quiet, forgettable girl (mostly) everyone ignored. I learned long ago that any risk of standing out only led to pain.

Still, despite my efforts to disappear, I couldn't help indulging in hopeless daydreams where David actually noticed me as more than just a nerd. In my fantasies, he saw me as something more than the shy wallflower in our shared math class. One day, I hoped that he would-

Someone snickered, pulling me out of my thoughts. I knew better, but I looked up anyway. Sure enough, at the popular table, a few cheerleaders had their eyes on me. Some glared. Others whispered. Their fearless leader, Jasmine, wasn’t in attendance, but I braced myself for when she would be.

As if sensing my unabashed ogling of David, one of the cheerleaders had said something that made the others erupt in mean giggles.

Heat flushed my cheeks. I sighed and lowered my gaze back to my book. Minutes ticked by, and once again, I lost myself in the pages as the hero of my story got down on one knee and took the hand of his lady love. Lifting it to his lips, he said–

A hard bump to my chair fumbled the book out of my hands. It landed in a mess of pages on my lap.

“Hey loser,” Jasmine sneered, amber eyes narrowed. There she was. In all her glory. Her luxurious red hair done up in a high pony that pranced as she shifted her slender weight on her heels.

The principal paid lip service to the zero-tolerance policy of bullying, wagging his finger at Jasmine and warning her to lay off. A meaningless slap on the wrist when we all knew nothing would actually change.

Jasmine gave him her best angelic eyes, promising she didn't have a mean bone in her body. What a joke.

That was like a hangnail telling the hand it wouldn’t cause pain.

Jasmine knew the drill. That was why she kept her voice loud enough for only me, and her clique surrounding the table, to hear. Those girls, muscle in disguise, functioned as sentries, cutting off the cafeteria monitor from the torment I was about to suffer.

“Love your blouse,” Jasmine mocked, reaching out to pinch the blue fabric between two long, manicured nails. “Did you dig it out of the dumpster?” The other girls tittered while my good mood vanished. David, a few tables over, was oblivious. With his back to me, he was deep in conversation with his teammates.

I sat frozen, unsure how to respond. After years of her torment, I knew reacting only made it worse. But the humiliation still stung deeply.

Jasmine gave me a fake smile. “Aww, quiet as ever I see. What’s wrong, freak got your tongue?” She cackled as if she’d said something terribly clever.

I stared down at my lap, willing myself not to cry as the sting of Jasmine’s insults hit me. Don’t give her the satisfaction, I told myself.

Loud footsteps approached- Sam carrying a tray and coming in fast. Jasmine must have noticed her as with a flip of her pony, she and her thugs sashayed away, leaving only her ridicule of me behind.

I took a deep, shaky breath, trying to calm my rattled nerves. It was over, for today at least. I just had to make it through lunch without any more incidents.

Sam arrived and plopped down across from me, slightly out of breath. Like Jasmine, she had red hair, though several shades darker and a smattering of freckles across her nose. Her deep green eyes reminded me of moss. The kind that looked either hard or soft depending on the lighting... or her mood.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said breathlessly. “Mr. Davis kept me after class to lecture me about my essay.” She popped open her carton of chocolate milk and inserted the straw. “Was Jasmine bothering you?” Unlike me, Jasmine didn’t bully Sam. She knew better.

I gave her a wan smile. “Nothing I can’t handle. How’s your day going besides your essay troubles?”

She shrugged. “Oh, the usual. Just trying to survive at good old Weber High,” she deadpanned.

We were both foster kids, bouncing between homes since we were young. Sam was the more outspoken of us two, but we looked out for each other.

“Hey, at least it’s almost the weekend,” I said, trying not to stare at the cheese piled high on her tacos. “Are we still going to see that movie Saturday? It’s my turn to pay.”

Sam and I worked at the only grocery store in Weber Falls, Murphy’s Market, on the weekends. It was part time, and except for the occasional movie, we saved every penny to move the moment we graduated.

We dreamed of packing up my beat-up car and driving out of this suffocating small town, headed for the big city. No more group home, no more bullies, no more judgmental stares–we’d reinvent ourselves someplace where no one knew our past. A fresh start, a new life full of art, music, culture...and no Jasmine in sight.

I knew it was a naïve fantasy - the real world was full of its own challenges. But anything had to be better than being trapped in Weber Falls, population five thousand three hundred and one. I was desperate to experience something more, to find out who I could be away from here. Just a few more months of enduring, then Sam and I could shake off the dust of this place.

“I’m so looking forward to it!” Sam said, bouncing on her seat. “I’ve been dying to see it. Since I picked up an extra shift last week, we can splurge on popcorn too. Double butter!”

I laughed, already cheered up at the thought of a fun night out with my friend. But then a roar of laughter drowned out my own. David had moved to the end of the table. Using his hands to describe some scene, he was cracking up his teammates with his story. The brilliant smile on his face made my heart skip a beat.

Noticing my stare, Sam gave me a knowing look. “Checking out Mr. Popular again, huh?”

I blushed furiously and ducked my head. “No! Just...wondering what they’re laughing about.”

“Uh huh, sure,” she said with a smirk. “Too bad Jasmine would shred you to pieces if she caught you looking.” Sad, but true. Jasmine had been after him for years. Just like every other girl in school. Sure, he’d dated around, but no one ever stuck.

“I can only hope to be the one,” I thought, smiling to myself.

I snuck another glance at David, but quickly lowered my eyes when Jasmine turned in my direction.

Sam was right - David was from a totally different world than me. But my thoughts of him kept me going. Those fleeting moments where everything seemed like it could fall into place were all I had. That was why I allowed myself to daydream that David could be mine. Without the hope of it, how could I endure until graduation?

David.

“Dude, so there I was, just minding my own business at Burnham's party last weekend, when Nicole Winters walks up to me totally wasted,” I said, to my audience of football teammates at our cafeteria table.

A few of the guys hooted, the wolves among them giving me knowing smirks. They knew where the story was going. I wouldn’t touch a human. Not even for 50-yard line tickets to the Super Bowl.

“She starts hitting on me hard, going on about how she's had a crush on me forever. I'm trying to let her down easy, but she won't take a hint. She moves in to kiss me… lips puckered, eyes lashes down. Fam, I said a Hail Mary, ducked, and ran.”

My buddy Chris shook his head, laughing. “Leave it to David to have drunk girls… hell, all the girls throwing themselves at him.”

“What can I say? It's a gift and curse.” Curse because I had a limited number of she-wolves I could date. According to my dad, humans and wolves didn’t mix. As the next Alpha to our pack, he expected me to follow that rule.

I did mainly because I didn't see the appeal. Human girls, fine as some of them were, were weak. They couldn't take the rigorous life of being in a pack. The daily grind to stay on top. The constant battle of proving yourself, over and over. Hell, it was hard enough for me and I grew up in the life.

“Why didn’t you hook up with Nicole? She’s hot,” Liam Jones, a wide receiver, said.

I smirked. “I had my sights set on another honey that night.” My eyes drifted to Jasmine. Our gazes met and she blushed, probably remembering how our hook up went down. We fooled around from time to time, but were not exclusive. She was a witch, so it was all cool. “Besides,” I said, my focus on my boys, “Nicole was like an octopus with a mission, her hands were all over me. I like to be the one who chases, not the one who gets caught.”

Fergus, my best friend and future Beta, said with a hard gaze over everyone’s laughter, “Yeah, you’re lucky you got away.” He knew the hell my dad would raise if I merely touched a human.

I tipped my head in his direction, acknowledging the warning, and plastered on my usual cocky grin, fronting like I always did.

Inside, my smile faded, brow furrowing. Time and time again, I sold myself short, hiding my secret no one knew: that one day, I wanted to peace out of this played out town.

After lights out, I’d grab a tattered paperback from my secret stash in the closet. Running my fingers over that worn cover, I’d dive right in, thirsty for adventure. Those pages took me places, far, far away from home. I'd read, till eyes heavy, then dream about all I wanted to do and see...

Reality never matched those vivid dreams. Come morning, I’d lock it down tight. I didn't have time to fantasize. My father was already giving me pack duties to handle. Along with football practice and schoolwork, I barely had a minute to myself.

But that yearning never left me. It gnawed on me like a dog at a bone, fierce as ever. Begging to chase the open road, find something realer... deeper.

As my friends laughed and cut up around me, my jaw tightened, a storm brewing in my eyes. As future Alpha, my path was already carved out for me here leading the pack. I could never escape this town. At least, not for long. Never pursue my own dreams of traveling the world… living in a bigger city.

If my father… hell, the pack sensed my discontent, they might see it as a weakness. A doubt to my commitment. So for now, I kept the mask firmly in place. Only in my most private moments did I let my gaze linger on maps, making plans I knew would never happen.

A lone wolf dreaming of the impossible.

After a little more ribbing, the conversation moved on to rehashing plays from our last game. I tuned it out, smiling and nodding when expected, stowing my thoughts of the open road for later. My gaze drifted. Jasmine gave me a flirty smile. I ignored her and moved my eyes across the cafeteria... landing on a girl sitting alone in the corner.

Violet.

She was in my math class, always got the right answers but only spoke when called on. Whisper-quiet, she read more than she talked. Her long chestnut hair fell like a curtain around her face, hiding her from view. But I'd caught glimpses of sharp, intelligent brown eyes and graceful features. She had a subtle beauty to her that drew me in.

I shook my head, annoyed at myself. I didn't have time to be distracted by some random human girl. That race wasn’t for me. Dad expected me to find my future Luna when I turned eighteen. In fact, he was adamant about it.

“Son, you're becoming a man soon,” Dad had said, placing his good hand on my shoulder with an alpha's firm grip. “It's time you start thinking about taking a mate and the future of this pack.”

I shifted uncomfortably. “Isn't it a little soon for that?”

Dad's eyes hardened. “David, we talked about this. I can maybe hold off for four years while you go to community college the next town over, but after that, it is time for you to step up. Prepare to become Alpha.” He gestured to his bandaged limb, a painful reminder of the scars accumulated defending our territory.

Three towns over, in Pebble Quarry, was the home to our rival pack. They wanted what we had, a stable, organized community. Those bastards would do anything to tear it down. A few of their pack even jumped my father as he ran alone one night. Some kind of witchcraft was involved as his arm has been janked up since.

Guilt gnawed at me. Dad was right - it was my duty to lead someday. But the thought of being tied down so young made me feel trapped.

“I know, Dad,” I said quietly. “It's just...I figured I'd go away to college… play football, have some fun. I'm not ready to settle down yet.”

He frowned, unmoved by my protests. “I know I agreed you could go away, but that has changed.” He pointed to his injured arm as if I didn’t remember the impact it had on my life. “You have responsibilities here. When you turn eighteen next month, you will choose your mate. Your Luna will be an asset... or a curse if you choose unwisely.”

I left the conversation still dreading the path expected of me. My life was already mapped out, never truly my own...

The shrill sound of the bell jolted me back to the present. I gathered my things and headed to math class. With my thoughts conflicted, I slid into my desk just as the late bell rang.

Mr. Ruff began his lecture, chalk squeaking monotonously across the board. I slumped down, chin resting on my palm, already tuned out. My gaze fell on Violet again, two rows up. She copied the equations diligently, focused as ever.

Jasmine, my wannabe girlfriend, and her flock of giggling cheerleaders lounged nearby. When Violet slowly raised her hand to answer a question, Jasmine smirked and muttered something that made her friends titter. Violet’s hand sank back down, face reddening.

I frowned, an unexpected anger rising in me. Jasmine caught my eye and preened, no doubt hoping I approved of her antics. I looked away, mouth set in a hard line. Why was she so intent on humiliating Violet?

“David.” Mr. Ruff's sharp voice broke my concentration. I jerked my head up.

“Since you seem so engaged, let's see if you absorbed today's material. Come work this problem on the board.”

I rose and swaggered to the front, garnering some muffled laughs. Staring at the equations, I suddenly realized I had no clue how to solve them.

“This is why daydreaming in class was a bad idea,” I scolded myself.

After an awkward minute of my fumbling, Mr. Ruff intervened. “Do you need some help, David?” The class stayed silent. They knew better than to laugh at me. The last person who dared was Bart Rivers in the third grade. Everyone remembered what I did to Bart.

Jaw tight, I shook my head and managed to muddle through the equations well enough to swagger back to my seat. Hands clapped me on the back as Mr. Ruff reluctantly claimed my answer was correct.

He called on someone else to do the next equation. Bored, I flit my gaze around the room.

Violet was watching me. For a brief moment our eyes met, then she ducked her head and looked away.

For some reason, I was disappointed that she had.

At the end of class, Mr. Ruff asked me to stay behind. After the room cleared out, he leaned against his desk with a sigh.

“David, I know math isn't your strong suit, and it shows. If you don't get at least a C on the next exam, I'll have no choice but to flunk you.”

My chest constricted. “You gotta be kidding me! If I flunk, Coach will kick me off the team for sure!”

All my plans - football scholarship, college, escaping this town - would be destroyed if I couldn't play. My dad might have ideas about me becoming an Alpha at eighteen, but I still clung to my own.

Mr. Ruff held up a hand. “Then I suggest you study… find a tutor. But if you don't pass the next test, there's nothing I can do.”