Seventeen-year-old Keri Edwards has led a hard life. She is the daughter of the most ruthless Alpha in the territory. In the shadow of cruelty, he molded her to follow in his footsteps.
Her father's unexpected death has freed her and made her the Al...
It had been a long day but I still had things I needed to do. I just wanted a quick shower and then I was going to meet with Richard.
As I walked into the small bathroom, I couldn't help but wonder how Richard was going to handle it. I still hadn't quite decided on who I was going to give the title of beta to. The first thing would be to talk to Richard and then after some sleep I would pick someone to replace him.
I studied my reflection in front of the bathroom mirror. I looked better on the outside than I felt on the inside.
I thought about my mom. The news about my mother had been crushing. I rubbed my forehead as I felt a slight headache begin to start as the stress of everything began to take its toll on me. It was hard to remember my mom had once been a beautiful and vibrant woman. Deep in my memory I had a couple of memories of when she'd still been happy. But as time had gone on, my father had sucked the life out of her.
Victor's mate had died young and they'd never had any children. It was hard to comprehend that some poor girl had been destined to be his mate, his other half. It was cruel if you asked me.
Somehow, and I honestly didn't know how, Victor and my mom had gotten together. Their union had been anything but love and respect. It had been more dominant and abusive. He was the type of person who just took what he liked when he liked, no matter what the cost. He screwed around with other females, so for all I knew I could have multiple siblings that I knew nothing about.
Once I got older he'd started to use my mother to ensure my obedience. My mom would never leave because of me and I had stayed to ensure her safety. There had been no way out.
Now he was dead and we were free. But it had come too late. The burden my mother had carried had been too much. There was no comprehending that she would soon be gone. I rubbed my hands over my face as I tried to keep myself together.
Blake.
Knowing what I knew now, I would still have done exactly the same as I had. There had been no choice.
I had a quick shower and changed. While I'd been playing a role, I'd dressed outrageously, but my normal wardrobe was boring with a lot less color. I slipped into a pair of dark jeans and a gray shirt.
I'd like to see you in the meeting room in five minutes, I instructed Richard through the mind-link.
A few moments later he confirmed. Five minutes.
Nervousness fluttered inside of me. This wasn't going to be easy but I needed to show him I wasn't scared of him. I was the alpha and I wasn't weak. Richard was very much like my father. He believed that we were an army and that each one of us was a soldier to be used.
The meeting room was located beside the cafeteria. It wasn't a large room but it was big enough to cater for about ten people. It was early evening so people were gathering inside the cafeteria. I nodded to a couple as I passed.
It was in this same room my father had made plans to attack other packs. There was a small round table with a few chairs. The room was empty when I arrived and I stood waiting for a couple of minutes before Richard arrived.
I felt a shiver of fear as his hard brown eyes found mine. He had the same cold, cruel look in his eyes, which reminded me of Victor. It was probably why they'd worked so well together. The lines in his face showed his age along with the gray lightening of his dark brown hair. I think it was one of the reasons he kept his hair short so it would be harder to see. His bulky frame could intimidate most but it was his cruelty that had created a respectful fear in the pack for him.
He wasn't your typical beta because he also had alpha blood, which meant he could also be as commanding and intimidating as one.
"You wanted to see me?" he said as he sat down in one of the chairs.
He wasn't being very respectful to me but I hadn't expected him to. When my father had been in charge, Richard had been able to do what he liked, but things were going to change. I remained standing so I felt like I was in control.
"I'd like to discuss the beta role with you," I began as he held my gaze. The smug smile he wore irritated me. Soon that smug smile would be gone.
"I want you to stand down as beta," I said quickly before he could detect the fear I felt in my voice.
As I'd predicated the smile evaporated from his face as he stood up. He was much bigger than me but I refused to back down. I was weaker than him. It wasn't just the fact that he was a male, it was because he could shift and I couldn't. I had to come to terms with the fact that I'd damaged anything I could have had with Blake beyond repair and that meant I would never be able to shift.
"You think that just because you're the alpha, you know what you're doing," he hissed at me as he took a menacing step forward. "I've been the beta of this pack for longer than you've been alive."
I'd expected him to be angry but he looked like he was so angry that I felt a pang of real fear.
"You're too weak to be an alpha of this pack and, without my help, you'll fail," he warned when he took another step closer. I was really beginning to regret the fact that I'd come into this meeting alone. He was a member of my pack and he had to obey commands from the alpha. He also wouldn't dare attack me.
"I've made my decision," I stated, trying to keep calm despite my increasing fear that I'd put myself into a bad situation.
He glared at me and took another step toward me, putting him so close that I had to look up to keep eye contact.
"Then I'm no longer a member of this pack," he stated in a deadly tone. And it was as simple as that, he was out of my pack and no longer under my rule.
It was too late for me to comprehend the horror of the mistake that I had just made. His hands wrapped around my neck and he lifted me off my feet. I struggled against him as he slammed me against the wall.
Pain shot through my back as my hands struggled to pry his from my neck. He smiled as he began to squeeze my throat, restricting the air. I pulled and scratched at his vice-like grip, trying to get him to release me, but he was too strong.
In the haze of my panic, I could feel my body starting to weaken with the lack of oxygen and there was nothing I could do. He was too strong to fight off. I was going to die.
**********
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