by Jessica Ryan
Who would stand for such a thing? Why would they just sit back and watch? Not a one had exited their home and come to see what the ruckus was about. Not a one had offered to assist the head alpha in his quest to save their asses.
"It's all your fault," he said, looking at himself in the mirror. Suddenly he wasn't admiring himself, because he wasn't looking at the strong picture of the ultimate alpha. Instead he was looking at a weathered, beaten-down twenty-eight-year-old who spent more time in a suit than the fur that his body was supposed to be covered with. He spent more time hiding his manhood than proudly displaying it in his den as he mated with all the females in the pack. His people were scared and it was his fault. The warrior culture of the five packs was gone, replaced with the need to go to work, make a living and then go home and plop your ass on the couch as you ate microwaved shit and rotted your brain with human television. "You failed them."
Aster screamed in rage and grabbed the mirror, ripping it off the wall and hurling it across the room. It hit the other wall and exploded, all the pieces crashing to the ground in a heap.
"You disgust me!" he screamed at the shards. "You're a piece of shit that caused this! Abaddon should be dead by now! Dead by your hand you…you…human! You're not better than a goddamn fat human! Mayor? What the fuck is a mayor? A wolfpack doesn't have a fucking mayor!"
Aster's rage was boiling over now. He could feel his wolf growling and snapping inside of him, fueling the anger and hatred that he felt. Hatred for himself, hatred for Abaddon and hatred for what they had become.
He spun around and put his fist through Hawk's wall. He could feel a stud splinter under the force of his punch. A normal human would have shattered his hand, but the bones inside Aster's mighty fist remained strong as the wood gave way to it. He turned back around and grabbed a table with a potted plant that sat by the front door.
"We are not gardeners! We do not need nice decorations in our homes!"
He hurled the table into the dining room, watching as it shattered beside the rest of Hawk's human belongings. All he could see now was red. Each piece of furniture, each painting, each carefully placed decoration represented what he had become and what he hated. They represented what he didn't want to be anymore and what he had failed his people with.
Aster rushed into the room, flipping the dining room table into another wall. He grabbed a large desk that sat against one wall and hurled it through the two windows that faced the front yard. The glass shattered and the window frame broke, but still he was incensed. These were his people and he had failed them.
Forrest had had it right all along: the old ways should not be cast aside so carelessly. Their ancestors had made a mistake by moving them into the city. They had lost the ability to defend themselves and fight for their lives. His father had died due to the old ways, but he had known the stakes when he had challenged Forrest. The elders had led them on this path of ruin and Aster had done nothing to take them off of it, despite so much evidence to the contrary in his face.
He stood in Hawk's destroyed dining room, shaking and panting as he tried to calm himself. He was in a frenzy and he would have killed the first person who happened to enter his gaze, friend or foe. Nobody came, though, and he stood in the dining room alone—a beaten and broken alpha.
"No more," he whispered. "I am wolf. I am fear, I am beast, and I am fucking death."
Aster stalked back out the front door, walking towards the motorcycle that would carry him to his destiny, to Rowan's house, where he knew his journey would come to a head. Nothing could stop him now, not even the devil himself.
He paused as he prepared to climb back onto the motorcycle, the chariot that would bring death flaming down the street. He glanced around, noticing there were eyes in all the windows on the street looking out at him. He knew Hawk's pack was there, always watching but never acting.
"Cowards!" he screamed. "You're all cowards! Fight! Fight for your people! Fight for your pack! Fight, you cowards!"
He stood in front of the bike, scanning the street, waiting for a front door to open. Waiting for a wolf to step onto the porch and declare that they were tired of hiding and ready to fight for their people. But none of the front doors opened, nobody stepped up to defend their people.
"Cowards," he muttered as he sat down on the motorcycle. The two-wheeled beast roared to life and Aster gunned it, not even looking back at the house dogs he had just left behind. They had made their decision. They had chosen death.
Chapter 6
"Aren't the stars pretty?" Aster asked as he looked up at the sky.
Everyone else had gone home; now it was just him and Leena lying on the sandy beach by the river, staring up at the night sky. Aster couldn't think of any more perfect moment than this: he was outside under the stars with the one person who mattered the most in his life.
"You are so sentimental," Leena said, laughing as she moved her head over until the top rested between Aster's chin and shoulder. "For such a big, scary dude, you sure are soft."
"I'm not soft," he protested, wrapping an arm around her and hugging tightly. "I just enjoy the beauty of nature. I'm part wolf. This is where I was meant to be."
"You waffle so much," Leena said. Aster couldn't see her face due to the angle they were sitting in, but he knew she was rolling her eyes.
"What do you mean?"
"One minute you're talking about how great it is to live in Bucklin and saying the old ways are bullshit. Then the next day you're naked in the wilderness, catching fish with a bear and declaring how beautiful everything around you is. You're a walking contradiction, Mr. Aster."
"I suppose I am," he said, smiling at the stars. He couldn't get anything by Leena; she knew every detail about his life. "I guess I'm torn between the human and wolf side of myself, just like everyone else. I'm not special. I'm just a wolf trying to make it in a human's world."
"You're wrong, Aster." Leena's voice was suddenly very serious.
"I'm not wrong. Every wolf in Bucklin lives with the struggle I do. Hell, your father talks about it all the time. One minute he wants to govern for the humans and the next minute he wants to strip off his clothes, shift and tear his enemies apart. You're telling me that's not a struggle between two halves? When do humans tear one another apart on Capitol Hill to solve political disputes?"
Leena giggled. "It would probably solve more problems if politicians did that rather than ruining someone else's life with their petty bickering. At least then someone would be dead and the dispute would be resolved. But that's not what you're wrong about."
"Then what am I wrong about? Do tell."
"You're special, Aster. You may not think it, but you're more special than any wolf in Bucklin. You're going to be our leader someday when my dad steps down. I know it and so does everyone else. I've heard my dad talking to Crow and Forrest about it before. They both know they have no shot at head alpha after he steps down. The people love my dad and they'll love whoever his heir is."
"What about Rowan?"
"Rowan doesn't want it. I've told you that before. You're it, Aster. You're the one who will lead us over the next fifty years."
Aster had no response. He was certain the words Leena was speaking were true, but he was too afraid to come to grips with them. Could he really lead this many wolves? Was he even going to be worth a damn? Those questions haunted him as he questioned his own leadership ability, but he would never let anyone else know that he had those questions—then they would never believe in him.
"You're special too, Leena," Aster said.
"I'm just a girl," Leena said. "Like all the others."
"But you're my girl and that makes you special to me. Who cares if you're special to others? You're the only girl I want for the rest of my life."
Leena rolled off of Aster and then propped herself up on one elbow, looking at him with so much love in her eyes that he thought his heart was going to bur
st. These were the moments he lived for, the ones where he was alone with the most beautiful wolf in the world.
"You've said that before," she said.
"Because it's true, and it'll never stop being true."
"Have you felt it?"
"Felt what?"
"Our connection."
Aster looked away. He had definitely felt Leena's emotions, sometimes more so than his own. He had tried to play it off, thinking he was too young to have established such a connection. But here it was, all laid out on the table by Leena, and there was no use in denying the feelings they had for one another.
"I love you," Aster said, making eye contact with the beautiful brown eyes he could never forget. "I will always love you."
"I love you too," she said, running her free hand through his long, unkempt hair. "You're the only man I ever want in my life, Aster."
"Good," he said, smiling. "Because I'll kill any man who tries to take you from me."
Leena laughed and ran her fingers down his rock-hard chest. Aster felt a chill go down his spine as her touch rocked him to the core.
"You wouldn't kill anyone," she said. "You're a big puppy on the inside."
"I would defend you to the death," he said.
"That's sweet, but people need you. You can't make such emotional decisions when you're the head alpha. You have to think about everyone as a whole and protect the people of Bucklin."
Aster thought about it for a little bit longer, then shook his head. "Any man who hurts you or tries to take you is a dead man."
"I'm not going anywhere, hotshot," she said, giggling. "You can put your fangs away there, killer. I'll always be yours."
She leaned over and pressed her lips against Aster's, kissing him softly at first. As they continued to kiss, Aster could feel his skin growing hot as she wrapped her arms around him and nearly rolled over on top of his body. The kissing became more and more passionate as they couldn't stick to just one another's lips. Aster's mouth began to explore Leena's neck with ferocity. She moaned slightly as his lips found her collarbone. The bone stuck out perfectly for him to begin to kiss up and down it.
Her hips pushed into his, grinding them together as she grabbed a handful of his hair. Aster's large hand continued to rub up and down her lean, slender back as she moaned while he kissed every inch he could find.
Finally he rolled Leena over onto her back, still kissing her body. His hands traveled up and down her smooth legs, only covered by the short dress she had brought to cover herself after swimming. He could feel his own girth growing behind the gym shorts he wore, becoming increasingly more aroused by the feeling of her smooth skin.
They were both eighteen now, fully grown adults in the human world. They had been saving themselves until adulthood, not wanting to become another 'teen with puppies' statistic, but now Aster just couldn't help himself.
His mind danced with his own emotions, but Leena's joined them, melding into one ball of light that overwhelmed his senses. There was so much flooding out of her and into him that he couldn't make sense of it all. Arousal, trepidation and nervousness escaped Leena and filled Aster's head as he continued to kiss and explore with his hands. One hand landed on her perfectly round breasts as he began to gently squeeze. He felt the stiff bulb of her nipple through the dress and pinched it lightly between his thumb and forefinger. She sucked in a deep breath as he did so, but continued to kiss him and run her hands up and down the mountain range that was his back.
There was one emotion that was filling his head that dominated the others. One that erased the shaky bundle of nerves she was spilling into him: love. He could feel so much love coming off Leena that he almost felt a tear come to his eye. They had met as children who barely knew one another, who were unsure of each other, but they had grown into lovers in a harsh and ever-changing world.
This was what Aster was supposed to do. He wasn't supposed to lead the people of Bucklin. He wasn't supposed to smash his enemies under his iron fist. He wasn't supposed to deny the old ways or lead his people back into the forest to embrace them. All of that was merely background noise in his life. He only had one purpose: to be the best mate he could be for the greatest woman on the planet.
He stopped kissing and stared into Leena's eyes. She did the same, unable to break his longing gaze. Her dark eyes were more beautiful than the stars could ever hope to be. She was perfect.
"What?" she asked, looking worried.
"I just can't believe how much I love you," he said. "I'm so happy right now."
"Aster," she said, fighting back tears. "I love you too. My life is perfect because of you."
They didn't give in to their wants and desires that night. After the declaration of love, all they could do was hold one another and smile. Aster didn't think he'd ever wipe the smile off his face. Nothing could ruin the love they had for one another.
Luke knew that something was going on between them, and Rowan knew everything. At first Aster's best friend hadn't approved, but slowly he had realized nobody would take care of his sister better than Aster and he had finally given his blessing. He even said he would stand up and support them if Luke ever found out one hundred percent and protested. Nothing would keep them apart, not even Leena's father.
As they both stood up, slipping on the rest of their clothes to begin the long journey back to Bucklin, Leena glanced up at the sky one more time, then gave Aster a funny look.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Well, there's something weird that happened, but I'm kind of afraid to tell you."
"Why?"
"Because you said you'd kill anyone who looked at me twice."
"I don't think I put it in those words. Guys can look, but they can't touch."
"Well, you make sure all the hoes who always talk to you at school know that too!" Leena said, putting her hands on her hips and pushing her ass out. It was a typical Leena pose, one she had perfected.
"They're well aware," Aster said. "I don't want any of those nasty wolves anyway."
"Okay, then," she said, still trying to find the words.
"Just tell me."
"Well, something really weird happened at the gas station the other day."
"What?"
"I showed up to fill up my dad's car and there were all these weird-looking guys on motorcycles out there. I could tell they were wolves, but they were different than any wolves I'd ever met. They were bigger, rougher and they smelled different."
"I've heard bikers can be like that. They're like a nomadic pack."
"They all started hooting and hollering when they saw me. They were all whistling and making cat calls at me. I tried to ignore them, but they all came closer."
Aster tensed. He wasn't sure he liked where this story was heading.
"But then another one rode his motorcycle up in front of them. He was really tall and kind of a muscular, but skinny—like Hawk. He had no hair and kind of a dark, olive-colored skin. He had these really strange, light blue eyes that seemed to look right through me. He looked me up and down and then turned to the others and told them off. They seemed scared of him and immediately stopped catcalling me."
"He was probably their alpha," Aster said.
"Yeah, I know. But what happened next was even scarier."
"What?"
"He looked back at me, looked me directly in the eye and told me I was beautiful."
"Well, you are."
"But then he said 'I'll be seeing you around, Leena.' What the hell is that? How did he know my name?"
Aster clenched his fists and looked at the ground, trying not to let a random biker bother him. Maybe the guy was an old friend of someone in town. Rowan, Leena and Aster weren't exactly unknown around town; they were the head alpha's children.
"Have you seen them anywhere else?" Aster asked.
"No," she said. "I think they left town after that."
/> "Then don't worry about it," Aster said, trying to convince himself it was alright. "They're probably just some lowlife creeps who know somebody in town."
"Yeah, you're right," she said. "It's no big deal."
"No," Aster said, staring up at the moon. "It's not."
Chapter 7
Aster fought back rage and sadness as he drove down the streets of Bucklin, heading for Rowan's neighborhood. Had they tried to kidnap all the alphas? Would Rowan and Rain be holed up in his house?
Rowan had always had more of a hand in raising Rain than Aster had, but he had still been there for the girl her entire life. They had found her on the street shortly after Abaddon and his crew had left, crying for her parents. It didn't take long to figure out that her dad was a member of the sheriff's department and he had foolishly tried to stand up to Satan's Angels.
No, it wasn't foolish, Aster thought. It was right. He did the right thing. He was a real wolf, a real hero, unlike the rest of us.
He kept replaying that moment on the beach with Leena from ten years ago. Two days later Abaddon had made his presence known to everyone in town and began to terrorize the people of Bucklin. It started slowly, with random vandalism, muggings and beatings. Then it escalated to him burning down the First Baptist Church and killing several deputies who tried to stop him. Finally Luke had confronted him one day, with the kids in tow. That's when it became apparent what Abaddon wanted: Leena.
Aster choked back tears as he thought about that day, about the sadness in his mate's eyes as she rode away on the back of that motorcycle. The anger and grief he had felt as he stood over Luke's fallen and broken body all came rushing back at once. He was already angry enough from the revelations he had made at Hawk's house, but it was now combining with the guilt of the past. He wanted to find one of the gang members so bad right now; he wanted to destroy them with his bare hands.
