2. Chapter 2
two
Silence was broken by the sound of a single weak howl that rang out into the night.
It was hesitantly followed by more as Cyrus’s pack family around him processed loss and gain.
Liam’s body became a still form on the ground and shifted back to its human state.
It was a gory sight. Cyrus forced himself to keep his eyes on the scene.
As the howls grew in number, the others began to shift left and right.
He didn’t shift yet. Instead, he tugged himself away from Liliana and tilted his head to the side in a motion to her to follow the others.
“I’m not leaving you,” Liliana insisted. Her eyes were glossy and just a couple blinks from spilling over completely.
“Go,” he told her.
“You might’ve not liked Liam, but he was our Alpha,” she told him. Her voice broke. “Mourn with us. Celebrate with us.”
The lump in his throat grew. “Celebrate an Alpha we don’t even fuckin’ know?”
Liliana shook her head and shifted. Her minimal clothing ripping and falling to the ground. He didn’t blink at her nudity, though brief.
Cyrus’s eyes fell to the black wolf nearby Liam’s body. Suddenly, he felt eyes on him.
“Are you going to challenge him?” Jeremiah asked. He stood several feet away still in his human form.
All eyes, human and wolf alike glued to him.
He met the furry face of the unnamed wolf who was injured on the ground.
He was in no shape to fight again and Cyrus had no desire to fight him.
Even with the frustration that was bubbling up inside him.
In a second he shifted. He felt his bones and body contort but very little pain.
He’d been doing it for so long that it was almost impossible to tell the exact moment he went from human to wolf.
When Cyrus opened his mouth to talk a soft bark like growl came out instead of his voice.
He padded over to the other wolf and spoke to him through the pack-link within his mind.
“What is your name?” he asked.
This newcomer was officially part of his pack. The initiation ritual had not been done yet, but a link had been made regardless. It would only be stronger with the later ritual.
“Gabe.”
Something within him ruffled for a second, but he pushed it back. He moved closer. Several of the others did as well and rubbed their noses against Gabe and licked his wounds. Cyrus held his place behind them. He couldn’t make himself move any closer.
He had started the night intending to end it as Alpha. Now he was second in command to a stranger who had marched in and laid claim to them.
He turned and headed out of the clearing and into the thick of the woods.
While others took care of Gabe, and some hunted within the trees.
He haunted the forest that loomed above.
Every now and again he let out a howl in support and sorrow with the others.
Despite his disdain for Liam, he felt the ache in his chest at his loss.
A piece of their family had been torn from their hearts.
“Fucking bastard,” he growled with the blood of a small animal on his muzzle. Whether the words were about Liam or Gabe Cyrus wasn’t sure. Both perhaps.
“Cyrus.” Liliana’s voice came from beside him. He heard her steps as she drew closer.
“You didn’t stay to help.”
He turned to face her.
“I’m not needed there. The others can handle it.”
Even in her wolf form, he could see the emotion in Liliana’s eyes and feel it in the air around her. Warm and compassionate.
“You’re always needed,” Liliana insisted.
Cyrus huffed. “Don’t get mushy now Lily.”
She laid down on the ground in front of him, and he did the same. The grass pushed down and flattened under his weight.
“None of us saw that coming. You couldn’t have stopped it.”
He closed his eyes and focused on the vibration of the ground under his body and the wind in his fur.
“I know you wanted to challenge Liam,” Liliana continued.
He lied, “No. What happened was meant to happen. We will all deal.”
“Are you prepared for the initiation ritual? You’re the only one who can do it,” she asked.
“I know,” he replied. He remained still and short in his responses, afraid if he said anything more he might break.
Liliana seemed to grow tired of their conversation and not getting the emotion she wanted from him. Cyrus opened his eyes just as she got up and walked away to roam with the others.
After a long moment he stood as well. He made his way through the woods sniffing the air.
The scent of the other wolves was heavy.
He could smell the other creatures as well.
Small prey that set his blood hot and his hunger raring once again.
He hunted around until his fur was matted with crimson and his stomach was full.
It wasn’t often he hunted like this. In fact, most of his time was spent in human form these days.
So, he reveled in the moments he could forget he had a human side.
He kept his eyes on Gabe whenever he saw him.
In truth, he didn’t want to think about him.
It wasn’t easy to hunt and forget with him on his mind.
He found that others were struggling as well.
The sudden change in their lives was about more than having a new Alpha.
It was about someone new who they didn’t know if they could trust. Nor why Gabe had fought to be their Alpha in the first place.
He wasn’t from the area. All wolves in their district were required to meet the Alpha and come to a biannual meeting of the district.
They helped each other out. At least, they did before Liam. It had started to sputter out the past couple years. Perhaps Gabe had moved during that time…
He could only hope that Gabe would be willing to change things for the better.
Cyrus walked up to Gabe. He looked like he was healing quickly but not completely, and was gnawing at a bone that was nearly clean. It set off his hunger again, but he ignored it. He needed to talk to Gabe before the exhaustion completely set in with the rising dawn.
“Why did you do this?” he asked.
Gabe looked over at him. “What?”
“Why did you fight to become Alpha?”
He tilted his head to the side. “Does it matter?”
Cyrus growled. “You’re new. We don’t know you. How can we trust you?” he asked as he stepped closer.
“You’ll follow me anyway,” Gabe told him. Even in this form his words in his head gave off a sharp edge of frustration.
He looked at him confused. His confusion rippled across their mental bond.
“Fine, don’t tell me,” Cyrus replied, “but I am your second in command. I expected to be treated as such.”
Gabe didn’t react in surprise. He noted this.
“I expect to be treated as Alpha.”
He turned away from him after this. Ignoring the ripples of his emotion that were shared with him. There were only a couple more hours until sunrise and he wasn’t going to spend any more of it with him. If he didn’t want to share, Cyrus wasn’t going to pull it out of him. Not now.
Several hours passed and Cyrus found he was able to lose himself in the night. He enjoyed the scent of the pines, the wind ruffling his fur, and the dirt under his paws as he ran. However, the sunrise came quicker than he’d have liked.
He stepped into the clearing. Paw turned to foot and to hand. He slowly stood and rolled his shoulders back with a groan. All around him, others were turning back to their human forms as well.
Cyrus ignored the dirt, blood and grass on his skin as he looked over at Gabe who had just stepped into the clearing.
His thin but toned body was just as dirty, but covered in light bruises.
His pale skin made them even easier to see.
In the haze of the early morning, he could make out some of his tattoos.
A flurry of black and green words wound around florals and pop culture.
His core tightened as his gaze shifted down his body.
He looked away toward the others. About twenty-five others joined them.
While they were one of the biggest districts, biggest packs, their members weren’t required to come to the blood moon ritual.
Many lived their lives as naturally as possible.
Only coming to the bi-yearly meetings and nothing else.
He took a deep breath and addressed the group. “Those of you coming to the pack house, be prepared for the initiation ritual this evening.” He looked to Gabe. “I’ll lead the way for our new Alpha.”
Gabe frowned softly, signaling displeasure with him telling the pack what to do; but it was his job to lead too. Just as it was his job to prepare this new Alpha for the ritual. Their bond may have been weak, but after tonight it would be made strong and secure. Whether he liked it or not.
The sound of a motor came rumbling through the trees and out of a gap in the brush emerged a small off-roader with a trunk tied to the back. Liliana sat atop and stopped several yards from the middle of the group.
She hopped off, dressed in a simple T-shirt and jeans, and opened up the trunk handing off similar clothing to the rest of the pack. It was their in-between clothing for when they needed to get back after a night out. Everyone would shower and put on their own choice of clothing later.
Cyrus stepped up only after the majority of the group did and grabbed his clothing. What would have been Liam’s, was Gabe’s now.
“Here. Might not fit very well but we didn’t exactly plan for clothing your ass,” he said as he moved to hand them to him. Gabe was several inches taller than Liam had been, but skinnier.
Gabe opened his mouth to speak.
“Did you plan for your own clothing?” he asked sarcastically.
His jaw tightened and he didn’t reply.
“I didn’t think so.” He shoved the clothing against his chest, then stepped back to pull his own on. He could feel Gabe’s eyes on him as he dressed and his body felt hotter.
After getting dressed he nodded to Liliana and she drove off the way she’d come.
The pack started to disperse. Some of them would come to the pack house and others to their own homes.
Cyrus? He spent too much time at the house for it to be worth paying rent on an apartment.
It was easier to just chip in on the bills with the pack.
“Follow me,” he said and walked toward the trees. He didn’t hear steps behind him so he looked over his shoulder. Gabe was still standing there. “Is there a problem?” he asked.
“I’m Alpha. Shouldn’t you refer to me as such?” Gabe returned to him with a question.
He blinked. “You’ve got to be fuckin’ kidding me.” He sighed, turned around completely and stepped closer to Gabe, looking into his muddy brown eyes. “You’re not shit to me until the initiation ritual, and I’m the one who knows where the pack house is.”
He was too tired to put up with any shit.
He turned and gave Gabe no choice but to follow him as he walked. It was a couple miles out before they reached the driveway up to a large secluded cabin in the woods.
“Wow,” Gabe mumbled.
He eyed him. “Let me guess, you’ve never been to a pack house before? Were you even a part of one before this?”
“I’ve been in a pack before,” Gabe insisted, his voice low and irritated.
When Cyrus looked at him, his jet-black hair that swept just above his eyes, that itch of familiarity crossed him again. He brushed it off and continued up the driveway. He led Gabe up the stairs and opened the unlocked door. It was rarely ever locked unless everyone was gone.
“You have to stay here until the initiation. After that you can go grab whatever you want to keep here if you’re going to stay,” Cyrus explained. “You’ll have to visit frequently if you don’t live here.”
Gabe’s brow knit. “Wait, I can’t leave?” he asked. “Why not?”
“You know fuck-all don’t you?” he mumbled.
Gabe glared back at him.
Liam had been shit for an Alpha but at least he knew about the customs and traditions.
Liliana shuffled over to where we stood in the entryway. “Do you plan on living here?” she asked.
“Uh,” Gabe said, “probably. You are?”
“Liliana, but you can call me Lily.” She smiled.
Cyrus’s own brows furrowed. She was too friendly. It was going to get her hurt someday.
The tension was rising. He sighed and stepped to the side of Lily. “You can pick any empty room until we get Liam’s—the Alpha you killed—room cleared out,” he told him.
“There aren’t many empty rooms but there’s a few. I can show you around if you want,” Lily suggested. Cyrus eyed her. “It’ll be fine Cyrus.”
He shook his head. “Alright, let me know which room he chooses,” he said as he gave Gabe one last look and headed up the stairs ahead of them.
God, he needed a nap.