Page 7 of Becoming the Alpha

I thought I was smarter. I thought I had found someone who loved me and would cherish me. I thought I would be safe from a monster like Callum, but it turned out that Jason was just as bad, if not worse. I took a shaky breath, trying to get myself under control. I didn’t know what I was going to do next, but I knew falling apart was not going to help me.

It took me a while to get a hold of myself, but Amara was there the whole time. As my thoughts turned to how grateful I was to have a friend like her, a tear slipped free. I pulled away from her and shifted so I was facing her completely. I grabbed both her hands and leaned forward. “Amara, I am so grateful to have met you. I miss my mom and sister, but I wouldn’t change the fact that I got captured because then I wouldn’t have met someone as amazing as you. I love you and I am so blessed to have you as a friend.”

Amara gave me a weak smile, squeezing my hands. “I’m not your friend, Lily. I’m your sister, as you are mine. I am so grateful Goddess Leto brought you to me. I love you as well, dear sister.”

I smiled through my tears and threw my arms around Amara. We sat there, sniffling and hugging for the longest time. When I finally pulled away, I wiped my tears and took a steadying breath. I rubbed my hands along the sweatpants and then stood up. “It’s time. Let’s do this.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

I pulled Amara to her feet and linked my arm in hers. I pulled open Jason’s door and we walked out into the hallway, retracing our steps back to the infirmary. As we grew nearer, I got angrier. It didn’t help that my wolf wasn’t the least bit worried or upset about what had transpired without my permission. It made me feel like my soul was trying to split in half. I hated the way I felt and I hated that Jason was the one who made me feel this way.

When we turned down the hallway to the infirmary, I was surprised to see there was someone already standing at the door. I glanced at Amara in confusion and she shrugged. “Queen Huntington, what are you doing here?”

The Luna Queen, Jason’s mother, turned to look at us with wide, fearful eyes. When she realized who we were, she seemed to calm down a bit, but glanced nervously over our shoulders. She swallowed, wringing her hands in front of her. “I came to see my son.”

“Of course, Your Majesty. Should we come back?” Amara asked, dipping into a bow. I hastily joined her. The Queen let a wild laugh loose. I frowned, taking a second to look closer. Her eyes were still wide with fear, but there was a bit of mania in them. I wondered how much trauma she had suffered at the hands of the King. It solidified my resolve - we were going to remove him from his position of power and liberate the people of this Kingdom, including Jason’s mother. I knew a little bit about trauma and while I still had a long way to go to completely deal with the things I had experienced, it helped to know that my abuser was gone.

“How about we all go in together?” I offered, pulling Amara forward with me. I flashed the Queen an encouraging smile and opened the door. I waved her forward. She hesitated, looking uncertain about actually entering the room. “Laura is in there too. I’m sure she could use her mother to help her deal with the loss of her mate.”

The Queen looked sharply at me, her wild eyes calming as she focused on a purpose. Her shoulders pulled back and her chin lifted. She glided into the room, a woman confident in her purpose. She swept past the first few curtained areas, reaching the one at the back of the room that I knew held Jason, Dean, and Laura. I stepped inside the room, waiting near the doorway. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes against the turmoil inside.

8

Jason

My mother swept into the room, heading straight for Laura. I sighed, watching her wrap Laura in her arms. I leaned into the back of the bed, suddenly bone tired. I had spent the last twenty minutes listening to Laura lecture and yell at me, trying to get her to calm down. She had finally run out of things to say a few minutes ago and had resorted to glaring at me. My mother pulling her into her arms gave me a few minutes reprieve.

My wolf was anxious. He could smell his mate, he was tired of all the loud noises, and he didn’t want to just lie on the bed when a threat could be coming from any angle. I glanced at Dean, noting the strained and tired look on his face. I’m sure I looked just as weary as he did, but if I was going to take over as Alpha, I needed to start acting like it. That started with getting out of this ridiculous room.

I stood up from the chair slowly. My side twinged, but the wound in my leg was already repairing itself. I would be as good as new in a day or two, but I didn’t have the luxury of relaxing. I already looked weak enough being sent to the infirmary three times in less than a month. I needed to become the Alpha.

“Jason, where do you think you’re going?” Laura eyed me, pulling out of my mother’s embrace.

I took a deep breath. “I’m heading to my room. I need some rest, but need to start planning for the Challenge. Dean, can you ask Alpha Luke and Beta Jake to join us in the War Room tomorrow? We’re going to need their input.”

Dean nodded, already moving out of the room. He threw the curtain open and froze. I glanced up, seeing Lily and Amara standing near the doorway. I watched Amara freeze under his gaze. I looked over at Lily, noticing the utter rage shining through her eyes, represented clearly in her body language. I frowned in confusion. “Lily?”

She narrowed her eyes, not bothering to move. Dean and Amara both jumped at the sound of my voice. Dean cleared his throat and walked out of the room. Amara lowered her gaze to the floor. I noticed Dean brushed his shoulder against Amara’s as he walked out of the room. His back was rigid as he moved. I tilted my head, then shook it, turning my attention back to Lily.

“What’s going on, sweetie? Did something happen?” I asked, moving toward her. She didn’t move, but her wolf flashed in her eyes. My worry over what had happened in the twenty minutes she had been away from my side grew. I rushed toward her, gently taking her hands and pulling her into my chest. Her body was tense and stiff. She didn’t melt into me like she normally did.

“Lily?” I whispered.

“You claimed me without my permission.”

I froze, my breath getting stuck in my throat. My heartbeat sped up as fear crashed through my veins. I knew exactly what she was referring to, but that didn’t stop me from opening my mouth and asking the question anyway. “What are you talking about?”

Lily scoffed, pulling away from me and folding her arms. “You’re really going to play stupid? I didn’t consider you a fucking fool, Jason Huntington.”

Slowly, I shook my head. Lily raised her eyebrows in a silent challenge. I took a shaky breath, wanting to deny what she was saying, but I had no room to stand on. I closed my eyes as I said the two words that made me feel like my world was crashing down around me. “I did.”

I heard Lily turn on her heel and storm out of the door. My world stopped and I felt like all the air in the room had been sucked out. My wolf went crazy, trying to push his way out so he could go to his mate. He hated that she was angry and hurt and he was pissed that I was the cause of that. I sucked in a deep breath and opened my eyes, trying to calm my emotions down.

“Go after her, you idiot!”

“Laura!” My mother chastised. I shook my head, a sorrowful smile on my face. I cleared my throat and turned around.