Alpha (8 page)

“
Why would I be in danger?” I asked, trying to mask the fear I felt, but my voice wavered for a split second.

“
Let’s start from the beginning,” Blake said with his arms folded over his chest.

I looked at him expectantly as I tapped my foot against the carpet. These two took forever to get to the point and I was running out of patience.

“
When I asked you what pack you were from, you told me you had no idea what I was talking about,” he reminded me.

“
Yes, I remember.”

These guys had said a lot that didn’t make sense. Then the penny dropped; he asked me what pack I’d belonged to—pack, as in a pack of wolves.

“
I’m not one of you,” I stated fiercely.

They remained quiet.

“
I’m not a werewolf,” I added as I stood up, wincing when pain shot up the side of me.

“
Take it easy,” Blake said as he came forward and tried to gently push me back down into the chair. When I glared at him, he dropped his hands and stepped back.

“
Stop arguing,” Cade said fiercely as he stepped in front of me. “You’re one of us whether you like it or not, and arguing about it isn’t going to change that.”

“
But how is that possible?” I asked out loud, taking a step back. I felt the chair at the back of my knees and I sank into it.

A werewolf.

“
Both, or at least one, of your parents are werewolves,” Cade informed me.

“
My parents were murdered when I was ten,” I revealed to them. At least one of my parents must have been a werewolf and that thought was hard to wrap my mind around.

“
So that explains why you have no idea what you are,” muttered Blake.

“
How were your parents murdered?” asked Cade gently. It was the first time he’d spoken to me without sounding angry or exasperated. My eyes flickered to him.

“
Initially, the coroner had ruled it an animal attack but later he’d changed it to unknown,” I mumbled, still trying to process what they were telling me.

Even deep in my own thoughts I didn’t miss the look Blake and Cade shared. They knew something.

“
What?” I asked, frowning at them.

“
It sounds like they were killed by another werewolf.” My head reeled at that thought. A werewolf had killed my parents? Why? I couldn’t stop an image of a fierce, massive werewolf tearing into my parents with its sharp razor-like teeth. I closed my eyes briefly, trying to push the image from my mind.

“
I don’t understand,” I said, looking at the two of them to explain it for me.

“
Most werewolves stay in a pack, some larger than others. The werewolves that don’t belong to packs are called rogues.”

“
Am I a rogue?” I asked softly. Clearly, I didn’t belong to a pack.

“
Yes, but technically you weren’t forced from your pack or left it of your own free will,” Cade informed me. “Your situation is different. Until five minutes ago, you didn’t even know you were a werewolf.”

“
Rogue werewolves are usually werewolves that struggle to fit into a pack. They have issues with following rules and commands. Humans that break the law are put into prison; werewolves that break the law are forced from the pack and made to live on their own,” Blake explained.

“
So you think my parents were killed by a rogue werewolf?” I asked after a few minutes’ silence.

“
Yes,” answered Cade.

“
But why?” I asked softly. Having to bring up the memories of my parents and their violent deaths left a lump in my throat and a sting of tears in my eyes. It was hard to keep it together.

In front of me, Blake bent down on one knee to bring his eyes level with mine.

“
We’re not sure,” he said as he looked at me with sympathy.

“
All of this still doesn’t explain why I’m in danger,” I reminded them.

“
To explain properly, I need to give you a bit of information about werewolves,” said Blake as he stood up. He grabbed a nearby chair and angled it toward me before sitting down in it. Cade remained where he was, sitting on the edge of the bed with his legs stretched out in front of him.

“
Most werewolves are born and raised within a pack. Up to the age of sixteen, werewolves are pretty much human. From the time a male werewolf turns sixteen, their senses strengthen and they are able to shift into wolves. But when female werewolves turn sixteen, only their senses strengthen—they are not able to shift into a wolf.”

He allowed me a moment to digest the information.

“
So that explains why I started developing stronger senses after I turned sixteen,” I murmured.

Blake and Cade nodded their heads at me.

“
Only from the time the werewolf turns sixteen can it be smelled and identified by other werewolves. It’s a way to keep young werewolves safe from rogue werewolves until they get to an age where they are able to protect themselves,” Blake explained further.

Smelled and identified. I realized the distinct smells I’d smelled since I’d gotten here were the different werewolves. If I’d been a part of a pack, I would have known what the distinct smells meant.

“
Why do some werewolves smell like forest and some smell like fresh rain?” I asked the question that had been bugging me for a while.

“
The werewolves that smell like fresh rain belong to the storm pack and the others belong to the silver moon pack,” Blake explained.

“
So if werewolves have scents according to their packs, what do I smell like?” I asked.

“
Like wild daisies,” said Cade, looking a little uncomfortable. Blake threw him a look and smiled.

Flowers were good; it could be worse, I could smell like old shoes.

“
So if I had to join a pack, would my scent change to that of the pack?” I asked. Cade raised an eyebrow and I rolled my eyes at him.

“
It’s a hypothetical question. I don’t want to join either of your packs,” I stated heatedly.

“
Yes,” answered Blake.

“
I don’t know much about werewolves. The only stuff I do know is what I’ve read about in teen books or learned from movies like
Twilight.
But aren’t werewolves too territorial to have two packs so close together?” I questioned. Questions were forming in my head faster than they would be able to answer them.

“
In most towns that would be correct, there would only be one pack, but here things are different. I’m the alpha of the silver moon pack and Cade is the alpha of the storm pack. The only reason why we are able to run our packs together in one town without trouble is because we’ve been best friends from the time we started to walk.”

“
When you say alpha does that mean that you’re in charge?” I asked.

“
Yes,” answered Cade. “Our job is to keep the pack running smoothly and to keep everyone safe. The alpha of the pack is the person who gives the orders and the rest follow our orders without question.”

I didn’t like the sound of that one bit. I didn’t want to be a part of a pack if it meant I had to follow orders from an alpha. I wasn’t ready to kiss my independence goodbye.

“
You said male werewolves shift at the age of sixteen but female werewolves don’t—why?” I asked. It seemed a bit sexist, if you asked me.

“
Female werewolves only start to shift once they find their mate,” he began to explain and I frowned.

“
Why?” I asked the question, but I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to like the answer to it.

“
There are a lot of things that get triggered in the female werewolf when two werewolves mate. Once the werewolves mate, the female werewolf begins the cycle of going into heat until she falls pregnant. It’s like nature’s way of ensuring the female werewolf has a male werewolf to take care of her needs and keep her safe.”

Oh, hell no!

My frown deepened. I didn’t like the sound of that at all.

“
When the werewolf belongs to a pack, the werewolves are able to talk to each other in their minds, like a mind-link.”

That sounded cool. It was pretty much the only thing that sounded cool.

“
With two werewolves that have mated, the link between the two runs deeper and the two mates are able to feel each other’s emotions and stuff like that. It ensures the male werewolf knows when the female werewolf is in danger.”

“
How do werewolves find their mates?” I asked, wondering if it went along the same lines as
Twilight
. What had they called it? Imprinting? And it happened when they looked at each other, didn’t it?

“
Unlike what most books or movies portray, finding one’s mate isn’t accomplished by just seeing them. The mates have to touch each other. The touch has to be skin to skin.”

“
What happens when they touch?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me. It wasn’t like I was going to be hoping and praying that I’d find a mate; I was happy on my own, and I wasn’t interested in finding a mate.

“
They know straight away.”

“
If we have to go into that much detail, we’ll be here all night,” Cade said as he stood.

“
I’ve just found out I’m a werewolf and I’m entitled to ask all the questions I damn well please, so if you don’t want to listen to it, then leave,” I said, putting him in his place. Momentarily surprised at what I had said, his eyes widened and then they narrowed in anger.

“
Fine,” he said angrily as he sat back down on the bed.

I looked to Blake.

“
Finish,” I instructed, ignoring the other seething alpha in the room.

“
All werewolves are born with a birthmark on their hips and mates have matching birthmarks.”

I couldn’t keep my fingers from straying to the place on my hip where I had a birthmark of two teardrops. It was a lot of information to digest. I could feel my head begin to throb and I rubbed my temple.

Cade pushed off of the bed and strode from the room. I looked to Blake, who just shrugged.

“
So how do werewolves mate?” I continued with my questions.

“
The male werewolf marks the female werewolf and then the mating is completed with sex,” Blake explained without batting an eyelid. This was probably so normal to them.

I couldn’t help the blush that set into my cheeks at his answer.

“
How does the male werewolf mark the female werewolf?” I asked.

“
He bites her.”

That was barbaric. There was no way in hell some male werewolf was going to bite me.

At that moment Cade strode in with painkillers in his one hand and a glass of water in the other.

“
Here, drink this,” he instructed as he dropped the tablets into my hand and gave me the glass of water. I didn’t argue; instead, I put the pills into my mouth and swallowed some water. The throbbing in my head had gotten worse and it was just a matter of time before it turned into a full-blown headache. It also probably had something to do with hitting my head in the accident.

“
Thank you,” I said, still holding onto the glass of water. Cade remained quiet as he sat down on the bed, facing us.

“
You still haven’t answered my previous question,” I told Blake.

“
Werewolves that don’t belong to a pack are always more susceptible to attacks by rogues because there isn’t a pack to protect them. It makes them easier targets.”

“
Why would a rogue want to attack me?”

It made no sense.

“
It’s what they do. Some have a reason, others do it for fun. It is easier to attack a lone werewolf that doesn’t have protection from a pack, especially a female werewolf.”

The picture they were beginning to paint for me started to scare me a little.

“
It’s worse for a female werewolf—they’d probably keep you to use your body.” Cade dropped that bit of information into the conversation.

“
Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” I asked him, feeling the shiver of fear up my spine.

“
Yes,” he confirmed, watching me for my reaction.

Oh, crap!

“
So the person I hit tonight…” I took a moment to get myself together, “was a rogue that wanted to…”

I couldn’t finish the sentence.