Chapter 2
Dirty Tricks
Alexa
Present day
How foolish I am.
Why did I not see the truth about their relationship sooner? Why did I so easily believe that Gabriel truly loved me? How could I be that blind?
After I gave him my virginity, after I placed my trust in him since our youth, he betrayed me. All this time, he saw me as weak. And now, once he realizes he can use me, he kneels and begs at my feet.
“Alright then,” Lorraine sneers, her eyes glinting. “You think you can handle steel too?”
She pulls a slim dagger from the belt strapped to her thigh, the blade flashing beneath the open sky. Weapons are not supposed to be allowed in this match. Neither is magic. This is meant to be physical combat.
But she’s desperate enough to win at any cost. She resorts to dirty tricks, and no one steps in to stop her from drawing that blade. Not even Beta Drake, my cousin, who stands as referee.
Fine. It doesn’t matter.
“Go on. Put her in her place,” Mythril growls inside my head.
A slow smirk curves across my lips. I lift one hand and curl my fingers in a silent invitation.
“Go ahead,” I say, my voice calm and edged with challenge. “Let’s see what you’ve got, you chicken.”
She lunges at me, the dagger flashing as it slices through the air in her hand. Steel cuts the wind where my throat was a second ago.
I shift into defense. My body moves on instinct, stepping back, pivoting, ducking as the blade whistles past me again and again. At one point I catch her wrist mid swing, but the tip still grazes my cheek. A thin line of heat blooms across my skin.
But the sting doesn’t slow me. Instead, I watch her shoulders, her breathing. When she thrusts forward with reckless force, I turn sideways and seize her arm with both hands. I twist it. Her wrist snaps under the torque and the dagger slips free, clattering to the grass at my feet.
Before she can recover, I use her trapped arm as leverage. I jump, locking my legs around her neck in one swift motion, and drag her down with me. She slams into the ground.
I pin her back with my knee and drive my fists into the side of her face. Once. Twice. Again. Each strike carries years of humiliation and swallowed rage. Her skin purples and reddens beneath my knuckles, but I don’t stop.
A snarl tears through the field. A gray wolf charges toward me, jaws wide, fangs bared. I don’t know who shifted or from where he comes. Instinct takes over before thought can catch up.
“Mythril,” I call in silence.
Power surges through me. Bones stretch. Muscles thicken. In a breath, I rise into my full Lycan form. My body grows taller, stronger. Black fur ripples across my skin like night spilling over daylight.
The gray wolf falters, shock flashing in its eyes. I don’t hesitate. My clawed hand swings. The impact sends the wolf flying across the field. It crashes near Mrs. Gertrude’s feet, letting out a piercing cry. She stumbles backward as the wolf whimpers on the ground.
Two more gray wolves attack from opposite sides. One clamps down on my arm. The other bites into my calf. Pain explodes through me, sharp and burning. My claws extend, digging into the leg of the wolf hanging from my arm. I slash. It howls and releases me.
I grab its body and hurl it into the second wolf. Their skulls collide with a sickening thud. Both tumble across the grass.
Blood seeps from the wounds on my arm and calf. My heart pounds so violently my ears throb with it.
A gunshot cracks through the air. One of the elders fires a bullet at me. Fury ignites inside my chest. I gather every thread of energy into my palm.
Let the wind be the shield.
I raise my hand and focus on energy in the air, making a movement that makes it swirl.
The air shifts. Wind rushes forward at my command, compressing before the speeding bullet.
It meets the metal in midair and bends around it like an invisible wall.
The projectile reverses course and streaks back toward its source.
A startled cry breaks out. The elder jerks as the bullet tears into his left shoulder. He collapses, clutching the wound just below his collarbone. Blood spreads across his robes as he groans in agony.
Silence falls. Lorraine lies broken. Three wolves writhe in pain. An elder bleeds into the grass. I stand at the center of it all, chest heaving, heat pouring through me, sweat mixing with blood. For a few heartbeats, no one moves.
“Alexa, what in Goddess’s name are you?” Gabriel breathes, his voice unsteady.
I shift back, gasping as my human form returns. My limbs tremble. What do they expect? That I let them slaughter me?
“She’s a Lycan,” Mr. Pascoe whispers hoarsely. “Alexa Dawson is a Lycan.” He repeats it as if the truth tastes unreal.
I meet Gabriel’s gaze. This time, I don’t lower my eyes. I straighten my back and lift my chin.
Maybe he finally realizes who attacked him at Southern Star Club’s back alley. Maybe he understands the strength he underestimates.
My gaze drifts to the wounded elder, who writhes on the ground. A bullet will scar him for life. It won’t heal easily. A faint thread of pity flickers inside me, especially for Lorraine, who spent years tormenting me only to taste defeat so publicly.
Then applause echoes. Slow at first. Gabriel claps, his jaw tight. The sound sharpens, quickens. Others join in. Soon the entire field roars.
“That’s our Luna!”
“Long live Alexa Dawson!”
“Long live the Supreme Luna!”
Voices rise in waves. Gammas. Omegas. Elders. Even those who laughed at me minutes ago now shout my name. I blink, stunned. They accept me.
Gabriel gestures sharply. Guards rush forward with stretchers, lifting the injured from the ground. Mrs. Geeny directs them toward the edge of the field.
“Look well,” Gabriel calls out, his voice carrying across the crowd. “This is your Luna. The strongest Luna Silver Moon has ever seen.”
Cheers erupt again. The elders confer quietly, exchanging measured glances before nodding in agreement. A tall, bald elder steps forward, his presence commanding silence.
“We, the elders, stand behind Alpha Gabriel’s decision regarding Alexa Dawson,” he declares. “As planned, the marking ritual will take place in three days.”
The field explodes with joy. And at the center of it all, I stand breathing hard, no longer the girl who crawls through the grass, but the Lycan they can’t deny.
* * *
“Did you see that, Harlow? They like me!”
My voice fills the back garage, which now stands quiet and empty except for him.
I throw my arms around his neck, laughter spilling out of me in bright, uncontrollable bursts. He laughs too, wrapping me in his embrace, celebrating the moment with me as if it belongs to both of us. It’s like my first fight at Southern Star Club once again.
“Well, I’ll be damned. You had the whole field eating out of your hand,” he says. “You were something else out there.”
His fingers brush over the fading cut on my cheek. Pride swells inside me until it feels too big for my chest. I rise onto my toes and kiss him, my laughter melting into the warmth of his mouth.
The air between us shifts, thickens, turns electric. His hands slide around my waist, pulling me closer, and a shiver runs down my spine at the firmness of his touch.
For a moment, the world outside the garage disappears. There’s no pack. No elders. No ritual waiting in three days.
Only us.
Harlow slowly breaks the kiss. His thumb traces over my lower lip as he studies me with a shadow in his eyes.
“You’re marrying in three days,” he murmurs. “How am I supposed to stand there and watch you in another man’s arms?”
The words strike deep. My breath falters. My mouth opens, but no answer comes at first. This is not ideal. None of this is. Yet I can’t untangle myself from him.
“I love you, Harlow. I can’t stop loving you.”
He shakes his head. “Alexa, once you’re married, you’re gonna move on. I’ll just be a chapter you close.”
Panic floods me. My hands cup his cheeks, forcing his brown eyes to look at me.
“No,” I say firmly, stroking his temples. “No, I won’t forget you. I love you and I don’t wanna lose you.”
His gaze softens, the corners of his eyes heavy with conflict. “I don’t wanna lose you either. But you’re bound by that blood pact. You can’t just pretend it ain’t there.”
“I promised I’d marry him. I promised I’d become his Luna,” I say quickly. “But I never promised I’d love him.”
He exhales slowly, the back of his hand brushing my cheek. “What kind of life is that? What happens when folks see us together?”
“I know it’s wrong,” I admit, gripping his arms. “But ever since you left me at Southern Star, I’ve felt this ache inside me. It won’t leave until I see you safe and sound.” My voice trembles. “We’re true mates. I feel it. Tell me you feel it too.”
He hesitates. “The prophecy says…”
“I don’t care what it says,” I cut in, frustration rising. My arms slide around his shoulders. “Deep down, I know what we are. And no prophecy gets to decide that for us. We don’t even know who it’s about or when it’s supposed to happen.”
I bury myself against him, inhaling the familiar scent of mint and pine. It steadies me, anchors me.
“Please,” I whisper. “Tell me you love me the same way.”
His arms tighten around my waist. He presses his face into the curve of my neck and shoulder, breathing deeply.
“I do,” he murmurs. “I love you too, Alexa. I can’t stop it either.”
Relief washes over me so intensely it almost hurts. Suddenly, all my doubts and fears disappear at his words. They reassure me that we still have a chance and that he’ll fight for our future together.
“We’ll find a way,” I whisper, resting my forehead against his. “You and me. We’ll fight for it. The Moon Goddess will understand.”
He gives a quiet, humorless huff against my shoulder. “If this blows up, it’s on me too.”
“No,” I correct gently. “It’s on us.”
Our lips meet again, slower this time, deeper. His tongue moves with quiet urgency, and the air seems to thrum around us. My fingers curl into his shirt, holding on as if the world outside might pull us apart at any second. I brush sweat from his forehead and smile.
“See? We belong together.”
His eyes soften as he looks at me, something steadier replacing the earlier doubt.
“Alright,” he murmurs, voice heavy with exhaustion and emotion. “I’m with you. So tell me… what’s your plan now?”
“I’ve got an idea,” I whisper, tucking myself into his arms as the quiet settles around us.