1. One
One
March 2022 - Present Day
Phoenix Campbell
T he tension is so palpable it’s like a living, breathing beast sucking the air out of the room. I’m pretty sure outer space would be a less hostile environment. My older brother, Jasper, grips my knee to still my incessant leg bouncing.
God forbid the son of an Alpha show any sign of weakness.
The six of us have been sitting around this large oak table in some tiny village in Yorkshire for over seven hours. My mum, and also my Alpha, Juliette Campbell, sits poised without a hair out of place. Her honey-blonde locks are long but tied back into a ponytail today, making her face look more severe than usual.
“I’m sure you can appreciate that given the scandal your daughter caused during our last attempt at this, we need some assurances that there is a sufficient deterrent in place to prevent history from repeating itself,” my mum says to the other Alpha across from her. Her voice is firm and doesn’t waver despite this being the fifth time she’s said precisely this in so many words.
Alpha Kelly is opposite her—in every sense of the word. His hair is almost as fiery red as his daughter Niamh’s, except for the smattering of grey starting to appear near his temples.
Where my mum has been educated within an inch of her life and holds three degrees plus a PhD, Alpha Kelly probably never finished high school and has made his living as a roofer. His face is weathered, but the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth show a man who has laughed and smiled for most of his life.
“As I’ve already said, I understand your concern. But surely you can appreciate I’m never gonna sign somethin' leavin' us solely responsible should anythin' prevent this weddin’ goin' ahead. I’ve agreed to keep Connor confined to his room until the weddin’ takes place, and I think that’s more than reasonable.” Alpha Kelly sounds exasperated, his Northern Irish accent getting stronger as he grows increasingly frustrated.
Heat crawls up my neck and along my cheeks with embarrassment. The implication that the only way Connor will go through with marrying me is if he’s kept prisoner until the big day is humiliating. When I glance up from the scuff mark I’ve been staring at on the table, I almost flinch at the expression on Connor’s face.
His piercing green eyes, once filled with affection for me, are absent of anything but venom. Where his hair used to be shaggy and unruly, he has it trimmed short now, only a bit of length on top. It makes him look older, emphasising his sharp features. I hate the physical reminder that an entire year has passed since I last laid eyes on him.
His intense gaze used to set me on fire from the inside out, but now it makes my heart feel like it’s pumping ice through my veins. I’ve never feared Connor, but today, I fear what he could say or do out of retribution. I’m not even worried about the harm it could cause me but the irreparable harm it could cause us. Connor doesn’t forgive others easily but is even less inclined to forgive himself.
I suppose I should be grateful; this time last year, his twin sister Niamh was sitting across from me. Day to his night. Where Niamh is sunshine personified, Connor is a storm. I have nothing against Niamh; she’s beautiful with her fiery red hair, freckled nose and dimpled cheeks, but I’ve only ever been interested in the boy she shares those green eyes with. After twelve months of absolutely no communication, I’d sooner be on the receiving end of his withering glare and snarky remarks than return to the radio silence.
Today marks the second attempt at forming a peace agreement between our two packs. Back in 1972, a series of arson attacks led to the deaths of every single wolf shifter in the Yorkshire Dales pack. It’s one of the worst tragedies in our recent history. My great-grandfather, who was Alpha at the time, accused the then Alpha of the Peak District pack of being behind the attacks, and they, in turn, accused us. With zero evidence, let alone forensic evidence, both packs came to the logical conclusion to begin a war with one another.
A year ago, my mum and Alpha Kelly sat down to hash out a peace agreement to put an end to the turf war. The main component was I married Alpha Kelly’s daughter, Niamh, and for us to build a pack together in Yorkshire. A day or two before the wedding was due to take place, much to my relief, Niamh ran off and married her childhood best friend, Will Locke.
The next twelve months saw an increase in trespassing and violence between the two packs, so that brings us to today, peace agreement 2.0.
Sighing deeply, I psyche myself up for what I’m about to propose. Both Alpha’s heads snap towards me at the sound of my interruption. The impulse to bear my neck is strong, but I clench my teeth until the need fades to the back of my mind.
“Might I suggest a solution that doesn’t involve anyone being held hostage? What if we skip the engagement?” I keep my head down in submission while waiting for them to respond.
“If you haven’t noticed, Phoenix, we’ve spent the last seven hours sittin' around this table with this engagement as the sole item on the agenda,” Connor snaps back. I hate how he says my name like it’s poison on his tongue, yet his familiar Mancunian accent makes my heart ache at the memory of its absence.
“You misunderstand me. I’m proposing we sign the agreement and have the binding ceremony for the marriage on the same day. We can still have the wedding party next Saturday as planned, but we’d make it official in advance.” I manage to speak clearly despite my heart trying to beat its way out of my chest. As I lift my gaze to Connor’s, I’m met with a brief slack-jawed expression before he swiftly schools it back to his preferred scowl of indifference.
“Looks like all the money you threw at the boy’s education paid off; that’s not a bad idea.” Alpha Kelly’s tone is baiting my mother. However, given she makes no secret of our pack’s wealth and the fact she spends a considerable amount of it on private tutors for every member, Alpha Kelly is barking up the wrong tree—pun fitting but not intended.
My mum looks over at me before she responds. I hate how much I preen at the pride in her eyes.
“I agree with my son. I suggest we meet back here tomorrow to sign the agreement. Jasper will contact Calvin Eastwood to officiate the marriage with Nina Fenwick to assist in the binding ceremony.” I’m glad it’s Calvin who will be leading the ceremony. He comes across as quite stoic and serious, but he has a soothing presence I know I’ll be grateful for tomorrow. As the eldest son of Alpha Eastwood, Calvin is well suited to his future as Alpha of the Northumbria pack. I’ve never met their pack witch, Nina. But our pack doesn’t have a witch so I’m curious as to what she might be like.
“I would also propose that during the week between the official ceremony and the wedding party, Phoenix and Connor spend half the week residing with us in the Lake District and half the week residing in the Peak District before they take up residence in Yorkshire. It will give us time to sort out more permanent accommodations for them.” My mum presents her 'proposal' as more of a non-negotiable statement.
Alpha Kelly looks to his second in command, Sam, his eldest son and Alpha heir, who dips his chin in agreement. When he moves his gaze to Connor, the thick tension that has been an additional guest here today swirls around the room suffocatingly. Eventually, Connor submits, bearing his neck to his Alpha.
“Agreed. We’ll meet back here tomorrow at noon then.” My mum merely nods in response, stands, and puts her hand out for Alpha Kelly to shake. He mirrors her, shaking her hand firmly and bringing the meeting to a close.
Our fate is sealed.
As we file out of the room, nothing more is said. The atmosphere would lead you to believe we are heading for the gallows rather than matrimony.
When we leave the house, I walk briskly towards the tree line, not hesitating to strip once I’m out of sight. Shoving my clothes into my backpack, I shift quickly, scooping up my bag with my mouth before I set off running.
I was nine years old when I first shifted, a reasonably average age. It took so much concentration to manage it back then, yet now it often feels as though I’ve shifted as soon as the thought has crossed my mind. It doesn’t hurt exactly, but it’s an odd sensation. Similar to the feeling you get after a big workout, your muscles are sore and aching, but it kind of feels good at the same time. Satisfying—like you’ve finally scratched an itch you couldn’t reach all day.
Needing to burn up some of the pent-up energy from sitting around in a tense room all day, I run swiftly through the woods. My paws pound against the damp ground as I weave in and out of the trees.
Around three-quarters of an hour later, I slow down as I approach the familiar cottage. The beautiful stone house in Kendal sits on the very edge of our pack’s territory. The property has been in my family for generations. Although it isn’t the home my family usually resides in, it’s one of my favourite places to stay.
The scents of our land—fresh water with earthy undertones—fill my senses, and I suddenly have to swallow a lump in my throat. It’s only just hitting me that this land I’ve called home my entire life won’t belong to me anymore. In a week, I’ll be living in Yorkshire, trying to build a new life there.
Before I can get too caught up in my thoughts, I’m assaulted by a small timber wolf bursting through the front door. My younger brother Alfie is fourteen, and as a late shifter, the novelty hasn’t worn off yet.
Although his fur is similar in colour to mine, when he’s in his human form, he’s the spitting image of Jasper. They both take after our mum with honey-blonde hair, pale blue eyes and porcelain skin. I, on the other hand, am the double of our dad, tall and broad with olive skin, chestnut brown hair and brown eyes.
I’ve always been especially close with my dad; he’s a pure beta, same as me. Jasper is an Alpha-beta, which essentially makes him the Alpha heir. My younger brother Alfie is a beta but has a dormant Alpha gene, so he’ll probably always be a beta.
Our mum has been grooming Jasper to take over for as long as I can remember, and I was often overlooked as a result. I think my dad must have seen it too, because he always made an effort to spend extra time with me.
“Nix. Mum. Alpha Mum. Where’s Jasper? All Safe?” Alfie sends his jumbled thoughts through the pack bond.
“Jasper’s safe. He’s gone to get Calvin. Shift back, Alf,” I reply, before returning to my human form and throwing on my clothes from my bag.
Standing in the doorway is my dad; he smiles at me softly and squeezes the back of my neck as I walk through the front door. He smells of old leather and home.
The cottage is toasty inside; my parents’ housekeeper, Claire, has lit the fire and prepared dinner. Claire joined us from a pack in Cornwall when I was still a toddler. She was originally our nanny but became the housekeeper once the three of us were enrolled in school. We all gather around the table to eat. She's made lasagne with garlic bread—one of my favourite meals.
“Thanks, Claire. You’re the best,” I say to her as I serve up an exorbitant amount of food onto my plate.
“You’re welcome, love.” She smiles at me over her shoulder while clearing up the kitchen. My parents are both reticent through dinner. Still, Alfie compensates for the silence by yammering on about his latest D it’s small and cosy, the walls lined with old, musty-smelling books. In one section is over a hundred books detailing the history of our pack since its inception in 1845. I’ve always loved history and learning about the way of life back when my ancestors settled on this land all those years ago. I suppose it’s really no surprise that I chose to become a history teacher.
The weathered, red chesterfield armchair squeaks slightly as I sit, and my mum leans against the windowsill opposite me.
“Don’t tell your dad, will you,” she says, lighting a long, thin menthol cigarette. I snicker, knowing my dad will smell it immediately from the other room. She takes a long pull and then blows out the smoke from the corner of her mouth through the ajar window.
“I wanted you to know that as your Alpha and as your mum,” she tacks on 'mum' like this fact is an afterthought. “I am incredibly proud of you for the sacrifice you’re making to ensure the future safety of our pack,” she says; her little speech is somewhat stilted and not particularly heartfelt. My shoulders droop, and I nod in response. I’m not entirely sure what I’m supposed to say to that.
She’s made it very clear what limited choice I have in my own future. This is the woman who tried to forbid me from studying history at Uni, declaring I should be getting myself an engineering degree instead. I don’t have a mathematical bone in my body, so I never understood where the idea came from other than it being Jasper’s chosen career path.
“You seem… less resistant this time around?” She phrases it as a question, and my back stiffens in response. The memories of the arguments from a year ago flood my mind. Things were said and done during that time that she can never take back.
“Yes, well, a lot has changed in the last year,” I reply, being purposefully vague.
“Indeed it has. You’ve grown up a lot. It’s a shame, in some ways, you won’t get the opportunity to be a beta for your brother. You would have made an excellent right-hand man.” I can’t help but bristle at her words. I’m not ashamed to be a beta; honestly, most of the time, I’m grateful I’ll never have any part in leading a pack. Still, I know my mother, and I know she views me as inferior for it.
“I should get some sleep. Big day tomorrow and all,” I say, waiting for her nod of dismissal before I leave the room.
“Goodnight, Phoenix.”