~Chapter 1~
(a few hours before the Action)
I wake up to a hint of music that's a little too loud and I mutter discontentedly about being woken up so early on a Friday.
I get out of bed and leave the room, a little dizzy because I got up quickly, and go to my brother, Samuel's door.
"Fuck you Samuel, It's 8 AM don't you have high school?
" I say and open the door to see him playing on the computer.
"Leave me alone, you bastard. Mom left me at home and that didn't mean that if you graduated high school you were allowed to sleep in late.
Coward" he replies and shows his middle finger.
"Suck my dick" I mumble louder so he can hear and slam the door to his room. .
Disappointed that he turned up the music, I enter the room and go to the bathroom to brush my teeth so that I can go downstairs for breakfast.
I slowly descend the stairs, still a little groggy from sleep, but with my nerves a little tense after the exchange with Samuel. The house is quiet, the smell of fresh coffee and toast greets me, but it doesn't manage to calm me down completely.
I see my father at the table, with the newspaper in front of him and a cup of coffee in his hand, not seeming surprised that I'm already downstairs.
"Good morning, Idris," he says calmly, but I feel a kind of subtle tension in the air.
"Hello," I reply curtly, trying not to let any of the frustration from earlier show.
I glance over at Samuel, who is already in the kitchen, eating his cereal with an air of superiority that makes me sigh inwardly.
“You turned the music up too loud this morning,” I mutter, but he just shrugs and smiles wryly.
I go to the fridge to get some water and try to calm my mind.
I'm already used to mornings like this, but something seems a little different but I don't know what.
I don't have time to think about anything else when my mom comes into the kitchen and kisses me and Samuel on the temple.
"Good morning my dears" she says cheerfully like every morning.
"Mom. Why isn't he in high school?" I ask and glare at Samuel.
Mom looks at me but goes back to preparing breakfast.
"I left him at home" she says simply and opens a drawer
"I told you, you idiot" Samuel says and sticks his tongue out.
"Anyway" I say and walk away from them, taking Pink's bowl of grains to the backyard, our puppy or rather mine.
I put my bowl down and I see Pink immediately jumping around me, trying to calm her excitement.
“Calm down,” I laugh, though I actually enjoy seeing her so happy every time.
The sun isn’t quite up yet, but the morning light makes the grass look greener than usual. The cool air wakes me up completely and makes me realize how much I love being here, in the quiet of the yard, before the hustle and bustle of May begins.
Pink eats greedily, and I watch her for a few moments, lost in thought.
Samuel appears at the door, without the cereal-stained T-shirt that he has on and his hair tangled, and he looks at me with an ironic smile.
“What are you doing here? Are you already awake and in the yard? Beta woken up this morning… weird,” he says and laughs, but his laugh doesn’t bother me too much.
“It’s not weird,” I reply shortly, glancing at Pink’s bowl.
“I just need some peace and quiet before the day begins.”
Samuel shrugs and lies down on the grass, as if everything is perfect.
“Sure, Idris, your peace and quiet… how long will it last, dude? The parents start making a fuss later.”
I ignore his comment and lean over to pat Pink’s head, but I feel something inside me shift slightly.
"I can't wait for Alpha to choose which beta she wants" he says lying on the grass, probably just sitting there so he won't leave me alone for 5 minutes.
"Mhm" I mutter and I see Pink finish and go to her place in the corner of the yard where it's more shaded on days when it's hellishly hot.
"Aren't you excited? I mean, yeah, who would want a weak beta that's strong" he mentions and I roll my eyes
"And who would want a braggart like you?
" I answer and he looks at me angrily "make sure you don't get any wrinkles, stop frowning" I say and get up to enter the house.
I go up the stairs and enter my room, I head to the chair where my desk is and I sit on it.
I sit on the chair and lie back, leaning against the wall, trying to breathe deeply.
My gaze falls on the desk, on the laptop and the books left haphazardly from the last time I studied, but I don’t feel like touching them.
My thoughts return to Samuel and his jokes: “I can’t wait for Alpha to choose which beta he wants.
”
A cold shiver runs down my spine. It’s not just a joke; it’s a kind of subtle warning that doesn’t let me fully relax.
I know I have no chance, and that maybe he'll get there and I really don't care, it's not like I really want this job.
I sigh helplessly and take out my phone to call Maria, maybe she's come back to the pack.
"Hello? Idris, how are you?" She says with a trace of enthusiasm.
"Bored, but you? Did you come from the pack.
..? I forgot her name" I ask her.
"How happy I can be.
Yes, I came 2 days ago but I didn't have time after I got out of the Moonridge Pack, I had to unpack.
" she says and I understand her completely, or I try to.
"Ah, Moonridge pack" I mutter more to myself.
"Yes! Come on, she has such a beautiful Alpha and I suspect, do you have time to go out and tell you more?
Today" she starts quickly.
"Can I, now?
" I ask
"Okay. Come on, I'll wait for you at that cafe I went to last time" she said and then hung up.
I get up and go quickly grab something, because when she's in a hurry or has something to say, it takes a maximum of 5 minutes to get where she's going, I mean, she's also a werewolf, so I don't have anything to say about her.
---
It seems I arrived first and sat somewhere by the window in the corner where the sun beats down on me.
I want my vitamin D3 from the sun, not from pills, so that's the best option.
The cafe looks super cozy and beautiful.
It doesn't have many seats, about 15 seats, but it looks super romantic in the evening after 7 pm when the sun sets
The bell rings softly and Maria enters the door with a small smile and waves to the lady at the cafe, she's heading towards me.
"Wow, I didn't know you dyed your hair?
Any other changes I don't know about?" I say and she giggles happily at the compliment.
She sits in front of me and leaves her bag on the other chair and gets into the position of a year with a lot to say.
"I met my Mate!" She said happily and puts her hand in her new red hair, I'm left with my mouth agape for a bit.
"I can't believe it, it looks like your mate came at 8pm instead of 4pm when it was supposed to" I say and get a playful slap from her which makes me laugh.
"At least mine came, you naughty one!
" She says sullenly.
"My mate doesn't want to be controlled that's why he didn't show up" I say still laughing "anyway, who is She/he?
?" I mention after I'm done laughing and the lady from the cafe appears with our cold milk chocolate.
Maria sits better in the chair and begins:
"It's her.
Poppy calls her, she's beautiful, gorgeous and has such a nice demeanor!
" She says quickly and is already dreaming of her wedding day.
"This Poppy looks super attentive. When will I see my friend's girlfriend?
" I ask and take another bite of my chocolate.
After my question she turns pale and I know it was a stupid question.
"Sorry..." I whisper.
"It's ok. It's just that he's from the Moonridge pack and is supposed to be a helper for the pack, so there's a small chance that after Alpha returns from some activity she'll be able to leave.
" She murmurs "the chances are small but I hope" she says and takes a sip of her drink.
"What Alpha are you, will you take care of your omega and will you treat the Graypine Pack with your departure?
" I say and laugh a little.
"Absolutely! " She says and we both laugh.
---
I get home around 2 pm and I actually spent 3 hours there with Maria talking about everything I've missed for almost a month.
When I walk through the door of the house, the warm and familiar air greets me, but the afternoon silence seems strangely oppressive.
“You came earlier than I expected?” Samuel asks from the living room, without getting up from the couch.
“Yeah, I went out for coffee with Maria and… I wasted a bit of time,” I answer, trying to sound as relaxed as possible.
Samuel raises his eyebrows and puts down his joystick.
“Ah… and stories about the pack and Alpha? Hm, sure that’s fun…
” he says ironically and goes back to his game.
I go to the kitchen to get a glass of water and I feel how the whole day seems to pass more slowly.
My thoughts inevitably return to Poppy, to the way Maria talked about her… as if every detail about her Mate was stuck to my mind and wouldn’t let go.
I sit down in the living room, trying to relax my tense shoulders, but even Pink seems to sense my strange state. She comes over to me and clings to my legs, begging for comfort.
"Okay, okay, calm down, Pink," I laugh softly, but I'm surprised at how much her presence calms me down.
I hear the door to my parents' bedroom open and her usually enthusiastic call for her children to come to lunch.
"Idris, Samuel! Dinner will be ready soon!"
I get up and go wash my hands, thinking that maybe this day will be a little 'kinder' to me.
But maybe it's just because I saw Maria, that's enough for now.
I sit down at the table and after a while Samuel appears with his phone in his hand.
Mom sets the plates of food and then Dad enters the classroom and sits down at the table.
He looks at me intently so I prepare to say something.
"You're leaving" she says simply and I turn my head towards her confused.
"Where?" I ask still confused. Samuel also looks at his father.
"From home" he says and starts eating.
I stop thinking for a few seconds and look at Samuel and my mother, her face still as if she's about to cry.
"Where exactly?" I say softly and lean back in my chair, my hands already shaking slightly.
"At an Alpha academy." He asks and looks at me boredly.
I feel the air around me become heavy, and my father's words remain suspended in the air, like stones on my chest. "An Alpha academy…
?" I repeat slowly, almost in a whisper, as if I want the truth to be revealed to me if I say it out loud.
Samuel raises an eyebrow and chuckles.
"Well, it looks like our shy and sleepy beta is going to be forced to learn what it's like to be…
important, huh?" he says ironically and shoots me a look that makes me feel a cold shiver.
My mother looks at me with gentle eyes, but it’s clear that she’s a little worried.
“Idris, I know it seems sudden, but it’s an opportunity…
to learn, to grow. And no, there’s nothing wrong with trying,” she says, trying to calm my fear.
I look at my plate, at the spoon in my hand, but I can’t taste the food.
My mind is full of questions: What will it be like there?
Will I be alone? Will Samuel laugh at me for everything that’s coming…
and, most of all, how will I cope with the real Alphas?
“I… I don’t know if… I can…” I say softly, my voice shaking a little.
I try not to let the fear show, but I think it’s there.
Dad sighs and leans towards me. “I know it’s a lot all at once.
But you have to learn to cope on your own.
It’ll be hard at first, but you’ll see that it can be better than you think. ”
Samuel gets up from his chair and walks past me, placing his phone on the table.
“Don’t worry, Idris… you’ll be fine, or at least have fun trying.
Hah!” he says and heads off to his room, leaving me to my thoughts.
I stand still for a few seconds, my hands clenched on my plate, breathing deeply.
Pink climbs onto my chair and rests her head on my knees.
I stroke her fur slowly, but my thoughts don’t stop.
“An Alpha academy… so… that’s the next step,” I mutter, tangled my fingers on the table.
Deep down, part of me feels fear, but another part feels a kind of strange anticipation.
Or the chair back and Pink leaves, I get up and start to leave.
"You're going. Forced to. Tomorrow, be ready with some luggage, Selene will tell you more," my father says and continues to eat without caring.
In my room, I look at my things scattered on the desk and the clothes thrown on the chair.
The luggage is not ready, but it doesn't seem to matter anymore.
I know that tomorrow everything will be different.
I pick up the phone and try to take one last breath of peace, feeling my emotions mix, sadness that I'm leaving everything behind, but also a small spark of curiosity.
"Okay, Idris... tomorrow everything starts," I murmur and lie down on the bed, leaning against the wall.
Pink slowly returns to the room, sits next to me and puts her head on my knees, as if she knows I need someone by my side.
I stroke her fur slowly, feeling that her presence is the only familiar thing before the storm that is coming.
I know it's not just a simple departure for them. It's a plus for my dad that he won't have a man 'sitting around' in the house anymore and a plus for my brother to get rid of me.
Who am I to argue with their words...