CHAPTER FOUR: Alpha Games
1476 Words
—Damon—
The worst thing about making a bet with Ronan wasn’t the bet itself—it was that he never knew when to stop. The guy had no brakes. Always pushing. Always testing. Always seeing how far the edge really was so he could lean over it just to laugh at the drop.
That’s what made him dangerous.
It’s also what made him my brother.
The four of us—me, Ronan, Jack, and Aiden—weren’t just the strongest wolves on campus. We were Alphas-in-waiting. Heirs to bloodlines older than this university, older than half the cities in our territories. Power didn’t just ripple around us—it bent for us. People felt it before they saw us. Heads turned. Conversations stopped. It was instinct.
We weren’t friends because we liked each other. We were brothers by fire, bonded by a pact our fathers made before we could even walk. The South, East, North, and West—four Alpha lines, each destined to rule one of the major territories when our fathers stepped down. United in public. Secretly competitive as hell.
But even in that unspoken war, I’d always been the kingpiece.
Or at least, I’d thought so.
Ronan’s latest challenge dug under my skin more than I wanted to admit. Not because I was afraid of losing—I didn’t lose—but because I could feel it: something was shifting. Mira wasn’t just another girl to win, another notch in the scoreboard we never stopped keeping. She was a ripple. A disturbance. She made me…aware of myself in a way I hadn’t been in years.
And I hated that.
Our private lounge smelled like whiskey, leather, and dominance. It was Alpha territory—no humans unless we called them, no omegas unless they were ours for the night. Deep green leather couches, heavy wood tables, a low fire burning in the stone hearth. The air was warm but tense, always one spark away from turning volatile.
I leaned back on the worn couch, one arm draped lazily along the backrest, like I owned the place—because I did. The South pack had paid for most of this wing, and everyone here knew it.
Jack was sprawled across from me, tossing a silver coin in the air, catching it lazily in one hand. Sun-browned skin, messy blond curls falling into his eyes, the kind of smile that had gotten more than one girl in trouble. He was the golden boy—reckless, shameless, dangerous in a way that looked harmless until it wasn’t. But under all that easy charm was a brain sharp enough to cut.
“You think she’s going to be worth it?” he asked, voice casual. But I’d known Jack long enough to hear the weight under it.
“She already is,” I said without hesitation.
Aiden, silent until now, stood half in the shadows by the bar, a glass of whiskey in his hand. He didn’t speak unless necessary. Cold as ice, sharp as broken glass. Our fourth Alpha. East pack. His family had always been the most secretive, the kind of wolves that preferred the shadows to the spotlight. He moved like he was always listening to something the rest of us couldn’t hear.
“You’ve never chased a girl this long,” Aiden said, his voice calm, but his eyes locked on mine like he was trying to read the truth under my skin.
I hated how right he was. Mira had wrecked my rhythm. I was used to women falling over themselves to get my attention. I never had to chase—they came to me. But she wasn’t just resisting. She was haunting me. That stubborn tilt of her chin. The way her pulse jumped when I got too close. That flash of fire in her eyes like she was daring me to try.
I wanted to unravel her. Slowly. Thoroughly.
Jack leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “What happens if she finds out it was a bet?”
“She won’t,” Ronan cut in, chalking his cue at the pool table without looking up. His dark hair fell into his eyes as he lined up a shot. “Because Damon’s going to win. Right?” His voice was laced with that familiar challenge. The kind meant to poke, to press, to get under my skin until I reacted.
I didn’t answer. Not right away.
Because this wasn’t just ego anymore. Something deeper was rising inside me—something older than pride, older than the games we played. An instinct I couldn’t name but recognized all the same.
Curiosity.
And curiosity was more dangerous than lust.
I’d noticed it at the party first. Mira’s scent. Not her perfume—her. It had threaded through the chaos like lightning, sharp and clean, cutting straight to my wolf. Humans didn’t smell like that. They didn’t hum with that strange, magnetic pull. But Mira… she smelled like rain on scorched earth. Like something waking after a long sleep.
I’d told myself it was nothing.
I’d lied.
“She’s not what she seems,” I said finally, my voice quieter now.
The room stilled.
Jack’s coin landed in his palm, forgotten. “You saying she’s a shifter?”
I shook my head. “No. She’s human. But there’s something in her blood. Something… not quite asleep.”
Aiden studied me over the rim of his glass. “Are you sure you’re not projecting?”
I met his gaze, my eyes darkening. “I know what I smelled.”
Silence stretched. The fire popped in the hearth.
Jack gave a low whistle. “s**t. This just got interesting.”
But I wasn’t smiling.
Because I hadn’t told them the worst part.
When I’d touched her—really touched her—my wolf had reacted.
And that had never happened with a human. Not once.
It had been like my instincts recognized something before my brain could. A spark. A thread snapping tight between us. It was dangerous. And I couldn’t decide if I wanted to follow it—or cut it before it strangled me.
Ronan broke the quiet with a smirk. “So maybe she’s not just another girl. Doesn’t change the bet. First one to get her to spend the night wins. Unless you’re backing out?”
I looked at him, slow and deliberate. “I don’t back out.”
But inside, my wolf was pacing.
Because it wasn’t about winning anymore. It wasn’t about Ronan or Jack or Aiden.
It was about Mira.
About the way she made me feel like I was already losing something I hadn’t even claimed yet.
My fingers flexed against the leather couch. I could still see her in my head—her hair catching the light, the quick flicker of her eyes when she caught me watching her, the way her lips parted like she was about to speak before she thought better of it.
I wanted to know how far I could push her before she broke.
I wanted to know if she’d run.
And if she did… if I’d be able to stop myself from chasing.
I leaned forward, elbows on my knees, and let my voice drop into the quiet. “She’s mine.”
Ronan’s smirk deepened, like that was exactly what he’d wanted to hear. “Then prove it.”
Aiden didn’t smile, but his eyes narrowed, calculating. Watching. Always watching. Jack just grinned like this was the best entertainment he’d had all week.
I stood, the weight of my decision solid in my chest. “You can play your games,” I told Ronan, “but understand something—if you get in my way, I won’t just win. I’ll end you.”
The room went still. Even the fire seemed to hush.
For a second, Ronan’s smile faltered. Then he laughed, low and amused, shaking his head. “Careful, brother. You’re starting to sound like you actually care.”
I didn’t answer.
Because maybe I did.
And that was the most dangerous thing of all.
- Writer
