The Alpha Triangle

Protectors Oath

In our pack, the shifting ceremony only happened once a month. Every wolf who turned sixteen from the second of the month through the last day had to wait until the first of the following month to shift. Luckily, my birthday landed on September first so I wouldn’t have to wait. Some months didn’t see a ceremony at all, but that wasn’t common. This month, it would just be Madisen and me. On the day of the ceremony, all training stopped. The day was reserved for celebration and preparation. Anyone shifting needed their full strength.

Still, my body already felt like fire ants were crawling under my skin, and I couldn’t imagine waiting weeks like some wolves did. It was almost unbearable. I thought back to last year when Liam was about to shift. He’d tried to describe the burning sensation to me, but I hadn’t understood. I’d felt useless then. Now, I understood all too well. Every wolf experienced this itch, but for alphas, betas, and gammas, it was worse. Rank made the fire sharper, the waiting harder.

“Where should we go first?” Liam asked quietly, trying to mask his nerves.

I shot him a look, forcing a grin. “It’s your birthday too, i***t. You should have some say.”

The truth was, food was my top priority. I needed something in my stomach before the day wore me down. But I also wanted to avoid my father this early.

“Pack house breakfast, or something riskier?” Liam suggested. “We could head into town, do something special.”

A smirk tugged at my lips. “Let’s do something risky. I want a little fun before my father ruins it.”

As the Beta’s son and the Alpha’s daughter, money was never a problem. Cars weren’t either, though our parents preferred we use drivers instead of sneaking out ourselves. Liam didn’t hesitate. He pulled out his phone and called for a car to pick us up.

The silence that settled between us while we waited was heavy. Too heavy. Liam was staring at me, his expression strange, almost searching.

I finally broke. “What are you looking at? What do you think you’ll find?”

His eyes flicked up to mine, cheeks flushing with a shade of red I’d never seen on him before. Liam, embarrassed.

“I was hoping you’d be my mate,” he admitted, his voice low. “There’s still a part of me that hopes you are. I guess… we’ll find out after your shift tonight.”

He shrugged, looking away, but his words lingered between us. It was thicker than the silence.

I felt the pain lingering in Liam’s eyes, and it twisted something inside me. Hurting him was the last thing I’d ever want. I interlaced my fingers with his and squoze his hand tighter, grounding myself in the warmth of his touch.

“Liam… what if we aren’t mates? What happens to us then?”

It was like I’d whipped him. His face went still, hard, almost unreadable.

“I’m hoping we don’t have to find out,” he said flatly.

Before I could respond, the car pulled up to the curb. Liam slipped his hand from mine and practically shouted, “Shotgun!” He dove into the front seat before I’d even taken a step.

I let out a shaky sigh of relief. At least I wouldn’t have to say what was burning on my tongue. I slid into the back, closing the door softly behind me.

The drivers who usually ferried Liam and me around were omegas from the pack. There were at least a dozen of them, and we never cared who showed up. This one turned on the radio without asking, letting the soft hum of music fill the silence.

I stared out the window, the hollow ache in my chest making the world blur until I didn’t even notice how long the drive had taken. When the car finally rolled to a stop, I blinked back into the moment. A small diner sat before us, warm and ordinary against the restless storm in my chest.

“Thanks,” Liam and I said together as we climbed out. He leaned down to tell the driver we’d call once we were finished, then turned to me with his usual grin, like nothing heavy had passed between us at all. For this I was grateful.

“After you, my lady,” Liam said as he pulled open the diner door with an exaggerated bow.

A large red sign in the entryway read: Seat yourself, and someone will be with you shortly.

“Booth or table?” I asked.

“I don’t think it’s fair that you’re making me do all the heavy lifting with these choices,” Liam teased.

“Fine. Booth it is,” I shot back.

We slid into a dimly lit corner booth tucked away from the rest of the diner. My head was pounding, the noise in the room pressing against my skull. It felt like I could hear every conversation but couldn’t make sense of any of them at once. Too many voices. Too much chatter.

“You okay?” Liam asked, concern shadowing his tone. “You look like you’re about to puke.”

I glared at him. “More like my head’s about to explode.”

“Your body’s gearing up for the shift,” he explained gently. “Your senses are sharpening.”

Then he leaned back, a little smirk tugging at his lips. “Since I went through it first, consider this your first birthday present from me.”

He slid a small box across the table. A gold bow gleamed against the plain brown wrapping. My fingers fumbled as I untied it, lifting the lid to find a tiny container filled with different medications.

I stared at him, confused.

“Before I shifted, it was… chaos. I could hear everything, smell everything. Even the things I didn’t want to,” he said with a shrug. “The world felt like it was spinning out of control. I figured this might help take the edge off.”

Emotion welled in my throat, but I swallowed it back hard. Liam always thought of everything. Always cared. Always gave. In that moment, I prayed and pleaded to the Moon Goddess with every piece of me that he’d be my mate. Not because I was in love with him… but because he deserved someone who saw how perfect he’d be. I leaned across the table and pulled him into a hug.

That’s when the waitress arrived, her voice lilting and bright. “Hey, y’all, welcome to Sam’s Place. My name’s Cindy. Are y’all here for anything special?”

Before I could stop him, Liam grinned. “It’s both of our birthdays today.”

Cindy’s eyes lit with something sharp. “Oh, are y’all twins or something?” she asked, leaning just a little closer to him.

I wrinkled my nose. “Nope. Just really close friends.” The word friends tasted bitter.

“So what you’re saying is…” Cindy leaned in, batting her lashes like she was trying to fan a flame. “…I might have a chance with this hunk next to you?”

Liam flashed his easy smile and replied simply, “Sorry. I’m waiting for the right one.”

Cindy’s smile wilted. She scribbled down our orders in a rush and hurried away without another glance at me.

I couldn’t help it. A quiet giggle slipped out, and I clapped a hand over my mouth to stifle it. Liam rolled his eyes but ended up chuckling with me.

Cindy returned, dropping off two waters with none of her earlier enthusiasm. I wasted no time, slipping a couple pills into my mouth and washing them down. Relief spread almost instantly, dulling the sharp edge of my headache.

“So, what do you want to do next?” I asked casually.

He shrugged. “I was hoping you had an idea.”

The front door to the diner slammed open.

In stepped my father.

“s**t,” I breathed, shrinking lower in the booth until only my eyes peeked above the table. My father never left the pack lands. Why was he here?

Two figures followed close behind him. Wes and Dallas. My heart stopped.

“Liam,” I whispered, “we need to leave. Now.”

He gave a grim nod, scanning the room quickly. Then he pointed. “There. Back exit. Thirty feet.”

“I’ll distract Alex while you slip out,” he said firmly.

I hesitated, then nodded. The plan was messy, but it was all we had.

I pulled two twenties from my wallet and dropped them on the table so no one thought we were dining and dashing then slid out of the booth.

Liam’s booming voice rang out behind me, pulling my father’s gaze away. I sprinted for the glowing red exit sign.

My hand hit the push bar just as a tall figure stepped in front of the door. I crashed into him full-force. Pain jolted through my body and I hissed. When I looked up, ready to snap, I froze. Gorgeous, dark brown eyes stared back at me.

Wes.