Chapter One - Taking the First Step

2699 Words
Warren Ryker was finally home. It had only taken eighteen months for him to realize he was a royal f**k up. He had been running around like a king, not an Alpha. He wasn’t sure what was waiting for him as he pushed open the doors to the house, he once called home. It had not gone unnoticed that the members of his pack were either hiding from him or worse, they had left the pack altogether. He knew that during his time, he had felt on more than one occasion a member split and join another pack. Who was he to blame them? He had been reckless, vicious, and altogether a jerk. He had a lot of repairing to do and he looked around the empty house in disappointment. His parents would not have been happy to see their beloved pack in this way. “Warren?” at hearing the sound of a voice coming from behind him, he turned to see his beta, Jason staring at him wide-eyed. “Is that not Alpha Warren to you?” he joked, and Jason came rushing over to him, hugging him quickly before taking a step back and bowing his head in respect. “My apologies Alpha Warren, it is good to have you back home, although,” he paused as he eyed him up and down. “I was expecting to collect you in three days’ time,” “Slight change in the plan, that’s all, no biggie,” he dismissed the issue easily enough as he walked through the house. The silence was deafening, and he pushed open his office door. The room had been closed up, that was much obvious. “I’m sorry the place hasn’t been opened and freshened up, as I said, we weren’t expecting you home so early,” Jason explained. Warren sighed as he felt the anger boiling just beneath the surface. He pushed it down as best he could. He didn’t want to go back to being that wolf. He had changed. “It’s alright, I think this whole place needs a change, don’t you think?” his carefree attitude came as a surprise as he could see Jason had been expecting his usual outburst. “Yeah, um…sure,” Warren smiled and took a seat in his chair. He wiggled around and scrunched his nose. “This chair is the first thing to go, tell me, Jason, how many members do we have left?” he asked. From the look on his face, it wasn’t many. “Aside from you and me, there are about twenty wolves left,” “Only twenty?” Warren was outraged. “You’re telling me that out of a thousand wolves, we are down to twenty?” “When you were taken away, Xander came to tell us that you would be gone for eighteen months, a lot of the wolves didn’t want to wait around, so they left, little by little as the months went by. The twenty that are left, are your followers, they adore you despite, um…” “Despite me being a total jerk? Asshole? d**k?” he offered, and Jason looked away. “I guess,” Jason shrugged, and Warren looked around the dusty desk. He opened the diary and paged through it, coming across an interesting note. “Maybe, what this pack need is a Luna,” he whispered. “Maybe, she could help us to rebuild this place,” the more he thought about it the more sense it made to him. “Jason, give me a phone,” he looked up at his beta and added. “Please,” Jason took out his phone and handed it over. “If you are thinking what I think you are thinking, are you sure you want too? I mean the offer may no longer even be up for discussion,” Warren rolled his eyes as he listened to it ring. “Hello?” came a gruff sounding voice, one that Warren recognized. “George, how are you?” “Warren?” “The one and only,” “Well, this is a surprise, are you back home?” the older wolf asked him, and Warren wondered what the big deal was that he had been released a few days early. “Yeah, actually, I wanted to discuss that proposal you made before?” the silence was terrible, and he thought he may have made a mistake. “Warren, that proposal was made when your pack was strong and I could see us being allies, but now I am not so sure,” the wolf spoke honestly, and Warren couldn’t blame him. “Although, we have been having problems with some hunters,” “I won’t lie to you George, I need to rebuild my pack, I need help and maybe having a Luna is just what I need as well as my pack. I know my mistakes and I’m prepared to do whatever it takes. As for the hunters, I do have at least twenty members that could come and help whenever you need,” he could hear George on the other end, possibly talking to his beta or even his Luna. Warren waited patiently for him. “I’ll tell you what Warren, everyone deserves a second chance. If you think Felicity could benefit you and at the end of it all, we have a strong alliance, then I am not one to say no. Come by next week Monday to pick her up, do we have a deal?”  Warren wanted to shout out no, he wanted to change his mind, but as he looked over at Jason, he could see the hope in his eyes. “I will be there,” he answered. He knew that George would first approach Dimitry and send him the paperwork of the proposal before he could take her away. He had no idea what kind of she-wolf Felicity was, and he didn’t care. It wasn’t about her, or him, this was about his pack. End of the story. - Felicity Lavoie pushed her slightly curly thick brown hair out of her face as she growled at her father, George. He had informed her that she was to leave Night Drifters Pack, leave her home, and marry Warren Ryker, Alpha of Red Tide Pack. There was absolutely no way in hell she was going to do that. Her eldest sister Emily had been sent away just over two years ago and as far as her family was concerned, she never existed. Poor Emily. There was no way Felicity was going to accept it. “I will not marry some asshole who has a reputation for being ruthless, terrifying and deadly, I refuse!” she declared, and George looked up at her from his desk. “Felicity, you do not have a choice,” “Oh? I don’t? Do you think because Emily left willingly that I must too?” she questioned him. She didn’t care he was their alpha and she cared even less that he was her father. The answer was no, and she would do everything in her power to make sure she stayed right where she was. “You will agree to this, you will help protect this pack,” she could hear the anger in his voice but as usual she didn’t care about his warning tone or alpha voice. “What will the point be then? I must help protect the pack by leaving. How does that even begin to make sense?” “You are making me very angry Felicity; I suggest you go to your room and start packing your things. Warren will be here tomorrow to pick you up,” George looked down, continuing to read some very important papers. Oh please, as if. “Warren can come here as often as he wants too, I’m not leaving, I’m not going to pack and you can’t make me,” before her father could respond to her statement she rushed out. Angry tears streaming down her face. She noticed Sasha standing at the end of the hallway and she stopped and smiled. Sasha came running towards her and Felicity held out her arms, ready to catch her little sister. They embraced and Sasha pulled away, gently wiping Felicity’s tears. “Don’t cry,” Sasha begged, and Felicity nodded as she tried to pull herself together. “Sasha!” Andrea, their mother, screamed out for her, and Sasha ran off obediently. Felicity was the opposite. She was a rebel, a trouble maker and she didn’t give a s**t. She knew what she wanted when she wanted it and how she wanted it. For as long as she could remember she had been a problem child. Difficult, her mother would call her, frustrating was what her father would call her. She didn’t care. She was who she was and had that attitude if you like me, great, if not, f**k off. It was simple and that was that. Felicity made her way to her bedroom and slammed the door as hard as she could. Smirking, she went over to the window and gazed out. She couldn’t imagine leaving. An idea popped into her head and she quickly went and locked her door. She picked up her phone from the dresser and called Emily. She knew it was against the rules, but she couldn’t be bothered to follow any rules. “Felicity?” “Yeah,” she responded as she listened to her squeal in delight. “Did father marry you off?” she asked, and Felicity rolled her eyes. When father had first married off Emily, she had willingly left. Not her, she would die before she did such a thing. “He wants too,” “So, you are disobeying his orders by calling me?” “Yeah, so what?” she rolled her eyes yet again, it seemed Emily hadn’t changed. “What do you want Felicity?” “I wanted some advice,” “On what?” “On leaving, on being married off, give me something positive in this horrible plan of daddy’s,” she could hear Emily moving around and she could just imagine her pacing. “I wish I could, the only thing I can tell you is, it was the best thing daddy could’ve done for me, Carl turned out to be my mate and we are happy,” Felicity listened carefully and then groaned out. She had made a mistake at thinking her sister could help her. “Yeah, ok, thanks sis,” she said before hanging up. The call had been a waste of time, just because Carl had turned out to be her mate wasn’t necessarily going to happen to her. She threw herself onto her bed and groaned out at the situation. She wasn’t some tame little wolf that could be told what to do. “Felicity?” her mother’s voice came from the other side of the locked door. She didn’t feel like listening to her, but she got up and unlocked the door. “Come in,” “Felicity, why must you be so difficult?” Andrea asked her as she sat down on the bed. “Why must I be so difficult? Really mother? That is such a lame thing to even ask me. I don’t want to leave, I don’t want to be married off, I want to be a warrior!” she stated. “You are so strong and beautiful, Warren needs you,” “For what?” she asked curiously. “He needs to rebuild his pack, he needs to show the elders, the council that he has changed,” Felicity couldn't help but roll her eyes. “What he needs is to go back to prison,” she muttered under her breath. “Did you and father forget he murdered someone? You both say you love me but want to send me away to some freak who kills?” she questioned her mother. “Felicity, I want you to listen to me very carefully, Warren isn’t who you think he is,” “What? Are you insane? He was convicted for murdering that wolf that entered his territory!” “Yes, we are known what we were told but Felicity, Warren killed a half breed who had murdered a whole pack! If your father wasn’t so stubborn, I’d let Emily explain it to you,” Felicity turned at the mention of her sister. “What the hell does Emily have to do with this?” she asked enraged and curios. “Calm down and listen to me, the half breed that Warren killed was Carl’s mother. Emily was staying temporarily at another pack and Audrey went there to kill your sister. The pack chased her to Warren's territory. Yes, he killed her on sight, no he didn’t know who she was or why she had entered his land. The reputation of him being ruthless and deadly was true. You’ll get to know Warren and find out for yourself. He is not a bad wolf, so stop acting like we are sending you off to a psychopath!” Felicity’s mouth dropped open at her mother's words and attitude. Andrea got up and stormed out of the room. She quickly went and locked the door; her mind was filled with a million questions. Why had Emily been at another pack? Why had Carl's mother tried to kill her? Why hadn’t their parents told them this? Felicity was suitably disgusted by the whole thing and now more than ever she refused to be forced into this marriage. Warren might not be so bad, but she wasn’t prepared to take that chance. - Warren paced his office. The proposal laying on his desk. Everything was in order except he wasn’t ready. He had gone through so much in his life and he wasn’t sure if he was ready to let anyone into his hell. He didn’t know Felicity; he didn’t know what she would be expecting from him. He wasn’t sure if he could handle having a nagging, she-wolf living in his house, and being his pack’s Luna. Word had spread that he was back, and he had hoped some would return but alas, they had not. He couldn’t blame them. He had lived his past as a vicious uncaring king. His sessions with June had given him the wakeup call he hadn’t even realized that he had needed. He picked up the phone, Jason had brought him and called June. “Hello? June, here,” “June, it’s me, Warren,” “Warren, wonderful to hear from you, although I hadn’t thought it would be this soon. How are you adjusting to being back?” “I’m not,” he admitted. “I told you to take things slow, I heard you received a proposal from George to form an alliance. It is the right step in the right direction,” it wasn’t that he didn’t agree with her, it had been the plan, but he wasn’t sure about Felicity. “I’m not worried about that,” “Then? Tell me Warren, what is worrying you?” “Felicity,” saying her name out loud caused tiny shivers to rush up his back and he couldn’t understand when he had developed the emotion of fear. “Why on earth would she be worrying you?” he could hear the uncertainty in her voice, and he wanted to laugh. “She is to become Luna of my pack, are you thinking that I shouldn’t be worried? I was a horrible wolf and I’m sure she has heard of my hideous reputation,” “I understand, but I do think you shouldn’t be worried, this is a new beginning for you, not many get second chances, if she has questions, then answer them honestly and you won't fail her nor your pack,” that was exactly what he had needed, an uplifting, encouraging pep talk. “Thank you, June, I appreciate your words of wisdom and guidance,” “And as always, you are welcome and Warren?” “Yes?” “Never fear yourself, be strong, you have come along way and you can call on me whenever you feel weak,” he thanked her yet again and hung up. He could do this. He could make this work. He had plans and Felicity was what he needed to rebuild. Time would heal all wounds and maybe Felicity would be able to assist him with that. “Jason,” he called out, knowing that his beta was never far. Sure enough, he appeared in his office. “Yes, Alpha,” “Prepare my car, tomorrow I leave to fetch our Luna,” Jason smiled and left. It was proof that he was doing the right thing. If his beta could see it then hopefully others would too. His pack was barely a pack and he hated how things had turned out. He made his way to his bedroom and sighed. He missed a lot of the members but mostly he missed his parents. He didn’t even know where they were and he wished they had never left him in the first place. The resentment he felt was exactly why he had been so bad at being Alpha. “Time to change it,” he said as he packed a few things in a bag. He wasn’t planning on being away for long. He would pick her up, say goodbye, and bring her home.
Free reading for new users
Scan code to download app
Facebookexpand_more
  • author-avatar
    Writer
  • chap_listContents
  • likeADD