Bond and Betrayal

Chapter 3. Earth on Zion

“Drake Simmons, the future Alpha. Unexpected, right?” she beamed proudly, while mom and dad were visibly tensed on their seats.

“The mating ceremony will be held two weeks later, under the full moon. And because Irina and Aria have always been so close as cousins, I was here to ask a favor. How about Aria being one of Irina’s bridesmaids?” she ranted cheerfully.

You gotta f*****g kidding me.

My father, the large warrior that is 200 pounds pure muscle, towering at six-foot-eight with a physique carved from decades of battles, rose from his chair with a terrifying calm. His eyes, usually warm and protective, were now cold, a storm brewing within them. Without a word, he strode to the front door, the ground trembling faintly beneath his heavy steps.

“Dad—wait!” I called, panic clawing at my chest, but he was already gone.

I rushed to the window just in time to see his body shift in a flash of light, his massive white wolf materializing in his place. His paws hit the ground with a thud, and the earth seemed to respond to his rage, small cracks forming beneath him. He let out a furious howl that sent shivers through my spine before darting into the forest, heading straight for the Alpha’s house.

“Oh no,” I whispered, my legs frozen for a second. Then I snapped out of it, spinning toward my mom. “Keep India here. Don’t let her follow.” Without waiting for a response, I bolted after him.

The trail to the Alpha’s mansion felt endless as I sprinted as fast as my human legs would carry me. By the time I arrived, my worst fears were already unfolding.

The ground around the Alpha’s house was torn up, jagged rocks jutting out as if summoned by an earthquake. My dad’s wolf stood at the entrance, snarling, his glowing white fur streaked with dirt as roots and vines erupted from the earth, curling around the massive wooden doors.

Alpha Simmons and Luna Simmons stood frozen on the porch, their faces pale, watching the spectacle. “Zion,” Alpha Simmons said cautiously, addressing my father by his wolf’s name, “we can talk this through.”

My dad wasn’t here to talk.

With a sharp growl, the vines ripped the doors off their hinges, sending them crashing to the ground with a deafening thud. He padded inside, his massive form brushing against the doorframe as he prowled toward his target.

Drake, the arrogant i***t, appeared at the top of the stairs, his expression cocky—until he saw my dad. His smirk vanished, replaced by a mask of sheer terror.

“Mr. White, wait—” he started, but he didn’t get to finish.

My dad leapt up the stairs in one powerful bound, shifting back into his human form mid-air. His landing shook the floor, the wooden planks creaking under his weight. Without hesitation, he grabbed Drake by the front of his shirt and slammed him against the wall with enough force to knock a painting off its hook.

“You dared to hurt my daughter?” my dad growled, his voice low and guttural, filled with a fury that seemed to echo through the mansion.

The ground beneath them rumbled, cracks snaking along the floorboards as small rocks floated into the air, swirling around my father like a storm. The air grew heavy, suffocating, as if the earth itself had bent to his will.

Drake, now pale and trembling, stammered, “I—I didn’t—”

“You didn’t what?” my dad roared, slamming him down onto the floor with enough force to send a shockwave through the house. Dust and debris rained from the ceiling.

The vines that had ripped the doors off earlier slithered into the room, wrapping around Drake’s wrists and ankles, pinning him in place. My dad towered over him, his fists clenched, his body vibrating with barely-contained power.

Alpha Simmons on the other hand, just stood there and watched his only son beaten into pulp, winced every once in a while. He didn’t deny, because he knew how close we were, or that I’m his dream daughter. Mr. and Mrs Simmons love me as their own and can't believe Drake did this to me.

“Zion, enough!” Alpha Simmons finally intervened, his voice filled with both authority and desperation. “You’ve made your point. Don’t kill him.”

For a moment, I thought Dad would ignore him, his hand raised, ready to strike again. Then he caught my voice, raw with desperation.

“Dad, stop! Please!” I cried, panting from my mad dash to the scene. I stood at the base of the stairs, tears streaming down my face. “You’ve made your point. He’s not worth it.”

Yes, I did it for my father, not for the waste of oxygen.

My dad’s chest heaved as he glared down at Drake, his glowing white eyes dimming slightly. He released his grip, letting Drake collapse into a heap on the ground.

“If you ever come near my daughter again,” Dad said, his voice calm but laced with venom, “you’ll wish I’d finished the job tonight.”

He turned to leave, the vines retracting as the ground stilled beneath him. As he passed me, he placed a large hand on my shoulder, his expression softening for a moment.

“You deserve better, Aria,” he said quietly, then walked out into the night, leaving chaos and silence in his wake.

***

Drake Simmons has been my only friend since I was 4 years old, when my entire family joined this pack after hunters slaughtered most of my late pack’s members.

Because Alpha blood ran in our veins, also years of combat training, Alpha Simmon makes my father the Zeta, and few of our family members as warriors—like they already did in Riverdale Pack—made our family be one of the top ranked in Willow Pack.

No one is willing to mess with my family, because rumors that we are entwined with magic, and they don't bother to pretend that they liked us either. Just because we are white wolf clan, one with super abilities that for some people bond to be scary. In addition, we all had too appealing visuals—all of us have starch white hair.

It followed with kids around my age to keep their distance from me. They are even too afraid to bully me, even though I still can hear their whispers.

But for some people, we are interesting and breathtakingly beautiful. Just like how Drake practically attracted to me since the first time he laid his eyes on me.

Back then, he would pop into my house just to accompany me to play or read books. He also brought snacks for me. Soon after, I started to visit him in the alpha house. We and our families got along very well.

On my 5th birthday, he made Mrs. Simmons baked a cake for me, and both our family celebrated my birthday happily. It has happened every year on mine or his birthday ever since.

That’s how I knew something was very wrong when he didn’t even show up yesterday, not even call or text me to wish me a happy birthday.

Back to present, for my own safety and sanity, I begged Alpha Simmons to transfer me to another pack. A new chance, a new life, so that I could get through my pregnancy and raise my child without bothering to see Drake anymore, which seems to have broken my parents hearts, also his parents.

But for this time, I wanted to be selfish. Being a teen mom in my world will be hard, and I don't want to keep bumping into Drake and being miserable.