Filed To Story: Destined Bond with My Forbidden Alpha Novel (Alpha Alexander & Selene)
There was a chuckle in the crowd.
“Remember that only the competitors and those that choose them are allowed to be in human form. The rest of you should remain wolves until you have chosen. When you have chosen, remember to adjust your armor badge.”
Selene looked down at the armor badge she wore. It was blue. The one Fiona wore was red. She looked out into the crowd; all the wolves gathered had grey badges.
But that wasn’t right… Selene remembered the previous games, she had fought others in human form and wolf form, and several of them had worn red badges.
“You have all been given your roles and territories. Do not deviate from these assignments unless you have adjusted your badge. If you choose to follow, you are bound by your allegiance.”
Selene didn’t remember hearing this before. But if she was honest with herself, the first few times she ran the game, she was too nervous to listen, and since then, why did it matter? She knew how it worked.
“No matter what you choose,” Fiona continued. “Your role still applies, and you must carry out your objective.”
‘Wait,’ Selene thought to herself. ‘The other wolves have their own tasks to complete. Why?’
“We should just set our markers now,” someone whispered from behind Selene.
“That’s against the rules. We have to follow our role and see what they do.”
“We already know what she’s going to do. She’s done it every time.”
Selene glanced back. It was two women. They looked alike, both short with brown hair and an average frame. Selene wondered if they were siblings.
“She’s looking at us,” one whispered. “She didn’t hear us, did she?”
Both women turned to look up at Fiona.
“Let the game begin!” Fiona shouted.
The wolves howled together before they entered the simulator.
Selene had decided to lay low at the start of the game. She was curious about the roles and assignments that the other wolves had been given.
She had climbed up into the trees, creeping along so no one could spot her.
They were twenty minutes into the game. She had seen wolves paired off and doing nothing more than resting while others were hunting the animals in the forest. A few stalked through the trees snarling and growling. There were at least four different fights she witnessed.
She had tried to go higher to cover more ground, but she spotted a man on the treetops. Even from a distance, she saw his badge was red.
Fiona had said that the wolves couldn’t be in human form before they had ‘chosen’. So this man had apparently already chosen. Whatever that meant.
A whimper drew her attention back to the ground.
There was a small wolf, a pup, really. Its ears hung low, and it backed away slowly toward a small stream. Then, with another whimper, he lifted his paw off the ground. He was injured.
A growl came from in front of him. Selene adjusted her position in the tree to see what it was. Three large wolves walked toward the pup, their teeth bared and snarling.
The wolf that seemed to lead them dove at the pup.
Selene’s movements were fast. She made it just in time. The heel of her foot slammed down against the wolf’s head, pushing it with a painful crunch to the dirt below. The wolf let out a howl of pain and did not get up.
She placed herself between the pup and the two remaining wolves that continued to snarl and growl. Then, she crouched down into a defensive position and readied herself for their attack.
Alexander agreed to Jonas’ terms and then promptly left. Jonas had already prepared rooms for both visiting Alphas to rest.
Axel was left with Jonas.
“What the hell is this?” Axel asked after Alexander was gone. “I don’t understand what’s happening.”
Jonas laughed.
“Like the boy said, it’s a fight,” Jonas replied. “He and I will duke it out, and whoever wins is the battle master to the wolves of Broken Crag.”
“You don’t mean you’re giving up your role as Alpha, do you?” Axel asked.
“This wolf don’t give up nothing,” Jonas growled. “If the boy can take me down fair and square, he earns the respect of my wolves.”
“With all due respect, what does that mean?”
“He will earn the right to ask them to follow him onto the battlefield. Whether they follow is up to them,” replied Jonas.
“Not you?”
“I don’t tell my wolves who to fight for. I may be the voice the rest of you alphas recognize for this pack. But that don’t mean these wolves don’t have voices of their own.”
Axel nodded in understanding.
“What about you?” Axel asked. “Will you join the fight?”.
Jonas smiled.
“If Summer can beat me in silver and iron, I ain’t got no problem following him into war.”
“In silver and iron, what does that mean?”
“Follow me,” Jonas said, standing from the table and walking towards the door that led outside.
The moon was high up in the sky now, and the air was cool. Axel followed Jonas across a small bridge. He led him to the highest point on the small island. He pointed across the river to one of the many holes in the canyon walls leading to their tunnel system.
“That one there,” Jonas said. “It leads to the richest deposit of silver in the territory.”
Axel swallowed as he started to understand where this conversation was leading.
“Down there is where we’ll fight. With the mountain holding back the wolf, and each of us wearing iron chains.”
“Are you going to take a shot of wolfsbane first?” Axel offered sarcastically as he processed what he had heard.
He knew the wolves of Broken Crag were different. They chose to live in an environment that was toxic to them. They saw it as building their personal strength, and honestly, he respected them for it.
But this sounded like too much.
Jonas laughed.
“I have thought about it!”
“You do understand that you are insane, right? Like that’s not a surprise to you, is it?” Axel said.
“I have heard worse,” Jonas smiled. He leaned forward on the wood railing before him. “The boy’ll be fine. He’ll feel sick a couple of days, but it won’t kill him.”
“Will you?” Axel asked.
“No,” Jonas laughed. “I do want to help you boys. That don’t mean I’ll go easy on him. Just that I hope he can prove himself. I know the right side to take in this war.”
“There isn’t a war.”
“There is. It’s been building a long time,” Jonas said. “Sooner rather than later, it will surface, and we’ll all get caught up in it.”
“Hopefully, not too soon,” Axel sighed.
Jonas looked at Axel.
“Ya know, your dad has never liked me,” Jonas said.
“My dad doesn’t like most people.”
“Why do you like me, Axel?”
“Who says I do?” Axel smiled, leaning over the rail. “You’re a grumpy, crazy old man that treats me like a kid.”
“That is true,” Jonas laughed. “But you have never shied away from me or my wolves. No matter how grumpy I’ve gotten.”
“I don’t really like you, but I do respect you,” Axel said. “Your wolves live in a way that should make them weaker, but they’re all strong. They should be miserable, but everyone that I have met here, while grumpy, is still very happy.”
“We find our strength by conquering our weakness,” Jonas replied.
Axel nodded.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?