I have spent the last six months in Alpha Academy, where Alphas from all over the country come and train for their roles. which I can only describe as pure hell. After graduating high school a year early, I pleaded with my father for the opportunity to prove myself worthy of the Alpha title, and with Mom’s persuasion, he sent both me and Jaxon.
Jaxon, golden boy groomed from childhood to become the next Alpha, had always been Dad’s favorite choice. And no matter how hard I worked or begged for recognition, it was obvious that his decision was made long before I ever stepped foot in the academy.
My fist smashes through the wooden dummy, sending pieces flying in all directions.
“Fuck you, Jaxon!” I growl.
“Who’s fucking Jaxon?” a cheerful voice asks from behind me.
“Hey Bliss,” I mutter, walking over to pick out another dummy to obliterate.
Bliss is my one and only best friend. We’ve known each other since we were in diapers. She has long black hair, hazel-green eyes, and the figure of an hourglass. I only hope to one day be as gorgeous as she is.
“What’s wrong with my bestie?” she inquiries from behind me.
“Ask our new Alpha.” I throw the dummy on the ground, punching it repeatedly until it’s just a pile of wood.
“Oh, damn, I’m sorry-” she trails off, keeping her distance to avoid flying splinters.
I destroy three more dummies before I feel even a tiny bit better. By the time I’m done, I’m covered in sweat and panting, trying to catch my breath as I lay sprawled on the ground.
Bliss walks closer, now that there isn’t a chance she’ll be hit by a stray piece of wood. She looks down at me with a sympathetic smile. “Want to grab breakfast at the diner?” she asks.
“Sure, whatever,” I mutter, getting up, throwing a towel over my shoulder, and heading to the showers. After washing off some of my anger and disappointment, I find Bliss in her car, waiting for me. I stare out the window as she drives, watching the buildings blur past us. “You think he would’ve ever picked me?” I ask, my voice tight with emotion.
She sighs loudly. “Honestly, no. Your dad is a huge dick, and he probably chose Jaxon just because he’s an even bigger dick than he is.”
“Probably,” I chuckle. Her answer actually makes me feel a little better.
We quickly arrive, thanks to her reckless and illegal driving, and find a parking spot in front of the building. Donna, our favorite server, seats us at a booth. I order avocado toast and orange juice, while Bliss gets three orders of short stacks and two coffees.
I eye her suspiciously. “Let me guess, Patrick will be joining us?”
She averts her gaze to the table, her face blossoming with warmth. “Ugh, I’m sorry, Mel. I can’t stay away from him for too long.”
“I know, a slave to the mate bond,” I mumble, disdain coloring my words. “I hope I never find my mate. That shit looks miserable.”
“Here you go girls!” Donna exclaims, placing our orders on the table.
“Thanks, Donna,” we say in unison. After she walks away, I dive into my food. I deserve it after the shitty morning I’ve had so far.
Bliss shoves a forkful of pancakes into her mouth. “Don’t you think you’ll find your mate at the Mate Ball?” she asks, curiously.
I scoff. “I’m not going. It will be on my birthday too. You think I’m falling for that trap?”
She scowls at me like a stern parent. “Now Mel, you know it is mandatory for all werewolves to attend the Mate Ball every year after turning eighteen until you find your mate. Your dad is going to force you to.”
“It’s my birthday. He’ll understand,” I insist.
No, he won’t.
“You know that’s a lie,” she mumbles, taking another bite.
Her head suddenly snaps in the direction behind us. “Baby!” she exclaims, getting up and jumping into Patrick’s arms as he walks through the diner door. They sit back down across from me.
“Hey, Mel,” Patrick greets cheerfully.
“Pat,” I mumble, trying to conceal the irritation in my voice. By the glare Bliss sends me, I didn’t do a very good job.
“Baby, I’ve missed you so much,” she whispers. She kisses the mark on his neck, and Patrick damn near starts sucking her face off.
I pretend to gag as I quickly look away. There is no way I would ever act like some lovesick puppy over a guy. Even if I find my mate, I vow to reject him on the spot. Because of my bloodline, my mate can only be an Alpha, and that means I’ll become a stupid Luna. I’ll just be a housewife washing dishes and raising pups. I would rather die alone than do that.
Mating with an Alpha also means I will have to join his pack instead of ruling the pack that is rightfully mine as Alpha Damon’s only child. Instead, my heritage is being handed to some cocky asshole just because he has a penis.
Speaking of cocky assholes, here he is.
Melanie's POVMy eyes lock on him as I watch through the window. He gets out of his car and walks into the diner with his best friend Ameer on one side and his arm around one of the pack sluts, Kaylee, on the other. It just proves that he’ll stick his dick in anything, but he’s Alpha material, right?As they walk past, the smell of cinnamon and vanilla smacks me in the face. It’s overwhelming but sweet and mouthwatering. I didn’t know they made perfume that smells like French toast. No wonder all the unmated males are always all over Kaylee; she reminds the poor bastards of food.They take a seat across the room from us. I swear he’s stalking me or something —this is the second time I’ve seen him, and the morning isn’t even over yet.I can feel the heat of his stare on me, but I keep my gaze fixed in front of me.“Hey, Bliss, I think I’m going to leave,” I mumble.She finally breaks away from Patrick. I can only wonder how she went so long without coming up for air. Her face crumbles
Melanie's POV I get up and storm out of the diner. Leaning against the cool brick wall, I take a deep breath to calm my wolf before we end up destroying something or someone. Preferably, Jaxon.“I see you’re still in a bad mood,” a familiar, hated voice drawls, dripping with arrogance.The smell of cinnamon and vanilla overwhelms my senses again. I guess he is the one walking around smelling like a slutty breakfast.Disgusting. Jaxon leans against the wall beside me, the heat from his body radiating like a furnace. Some sick impulse inside me wants to lean against him, just to see how it feels, but there’s no way in hell I’m allowing that to happen.“Maybe if you would stop stalking me, I wouldn’t be,” I snap, turning my back to him.He lets out a low snort. “Please. I just keep running into you by accident.”“Well, you won’t have to worry about that soon,” I mutter, kicking a pebble across the pavement. If I won’t be appreciated in this pack, I’ll find another pack that’ll. “And w
Jaxon’s POV“Ahh, Jaxon,” Kaylee screams as I bury myself inside of her. She digs her nails into my back, whimpering as I pound into her mercilessly.Melanie, I moan in my head. I imagine her perfect body wrapped around mine. Her beautiful, violet eyes gazing up at me as I make her see Goddess. Her soft, plump lips parting as she screams my name to the heavens.I can’t help but think about my encounter with her at the diner. No matter how much she claims to hate me, she wanted me. I could smell how soaked she was when I pinned her against the wall.As I feel my balls start to tighten, I pull out and stroke my dick above Kaylee’s tanned stomach until the hot liquid shoots out. She looks up at me with hooded, satisfied eyes. “Wow Jaxon, that was amazing,” she whispers.“Yeah,” I mumble, getting up from the bed, and tossing Kaylee’s clothes on the rumpled sheets. I quickly pull on a gray T-shirt and navy-blue jeans, while she continues to lay there naked.“Jaxon, you don’t want to cuddle?
Jaxon's POV“Don’t touch me, Jaxon!” Melanie hisses, her voice sharp and defiant. She pushes her long, ash-brown hair out of her face. I love it when she wears her hair down; it frames her face perfectly. She’s sexy as fuck when she’s pissed off —fierce, untamed, like a volcano about to erupt.“I’m just trying to help,” I mutter, raising my hand in a defensive gesture. I back away a step to give her space, knowing better not to push her. She’s already pissed about the whole Alpha thing,She scoffs. “Well don’t.” She rolls those beautiful, violet eyes and it only makes me want to bend her over and punish her. She really does need someone to fuck this bad attitude out of her.“You know what, since it’s our last day, let’s spar,” I suggest eagerly. “I know how much you love being pinned underneath me.”She narrows her eyes at me, emitting a low growl. Without a word, she sinks into a crouch, her body taut and ready to strike. We begin to circle each other, moving with a fluid rhythm that
Mel’s POVI storm out of the Academy flipping off and cursing Dad's name underneath my breath. How fucking dare he says those things to me in front of everyone —especially in front of Jaxon! Jaxon may be his little obedient lap dog, but I’ll never bow down to him!I get into my car, slamming the door as I mind-link Bliss.What's wrong, honey bun? She asks, her tone gentle, as always.My dad is the biggest dick ever! I exclaim.She sighs heavily. We already knew today would be hard for you.Yeah, but I planned to avoid him. Tell me why he purposely sought me out!He didn't!He did! And in front of his little golden child.Wow, I'm so sorry, sis. That's so fucked up. I can't do this anymore, Bliss. I think tonight I'm going to leave, I tell her, my voice hardening with determination.There’s a long silence, and I can almost feel her concern through the mind-link. I really hope you're joking, Mel. I know you want to get away from all this Alpha Damon/Jaxon shit, but please, just wait unt
Donna soon arrives with our pancakes, and gently places them in front of us with a cheerful, “Enjoy, girls!” We thank her and dive into our food, enjoying the quiet comfort of the diner.After a while, I notice Moon’s mood shift, her eyes filled with worry as she stares down at the table."What's wrong, princess?" I ask softly. I set my fork down, ready to listen. I don’t like it when she’s upset, but thankfully, she trusts me enough to talk to me.Moon’s frown deepens. "Are you mad that I'm friends with Ava?" "Why would you think that?""I know you hate her big brother.” She searches my face for a reaction, but I remain composed.I shake my head. "I don't hate him, it's just...complicated."Okay, that’s a lie. But she doesn’t need to know that. "Is it because Daddy is nicer to him than you?" she asks, her brown eyes wide with curiosity."Something like that," I mumble, finishing the last bite of my pancakes. Moon is more observant than I give her credit for. Sometimes, I forget that
Mel's POVThat was the last conversation I had with my mom where she was actually fully mentally present for. I think after that day, Dad started abusing her because she couldn't give him a male heir."Maybe if you weren't such a shitty father, you would have been there to name her, but since you weren't, it was a special name that me and Mom picked out."He glares at me with dangerously black eyes. "Melanie, this is the second time today that you've disrespected me. I won't tolerate this any longer!"He stands up and stalks towards me. My heart begins thudding in my chest, but I can't force myself to move.As he raises his hand to hit me, Mom jumps in the way. "Damon, don't-" she screams. The force of his slap is so hard that she falls to the ground."Mom!" I crouch down to check on her. There's a huge, red handprint on her face, and her eyes are filled with shock and shame."You're a monster!" I scream, looking up at him with hatred burning in my eyes.Dad’s expression hardens, his e
Jaxon’s POVI slowly button up my blue dress shirt and tuck it into my black slacks. Tonight, Alpha Damon is announcing that I am the next Alpha, with the formal ceremony in just four days. I can’t believe that this is finally happening.Excitement buzzes through my veins. I’ve waited years for this moment, ever since Alpha took me under his wing after my dad died in a rogue attack when I was just twelve. Back then, Ava was just a baby, and now she’s growing up in a pack where I’m about to become Alpha.“Jaxon!” Mom calls from downstairs. “Alpha Damon is here!”I check myself out in the mirror one last time before heading down. Alpha Damon is sitting on the couch, his massive arms crossed over his chest. He is wearing a black suit that is tight against his muscular build.“Alpha,” I greet, baring my neck before sitting down on the forest-green love seat across from him.He nods, his expression impossible to read. “I am very proud of you, Son.”“Thank you, Alpha,” I reply, sensing there