The Lunas Revenge

Chapter 3

Logan POV

I'm the Alpha of the Vermont pack, but lately it feels like the walls are closing in on me. Ever since Claire died, things have been a mess in my head. I can't stop thinking about what happened to her and how I could have prevented it if I was a better leader. The guilt eats me up inside.

On top of that, I'm paranoid that someone is gonna try to take me down and snatch the Alpha position right out from under me. I don't fully trust my own pack anymore. They could be plotting against me and I'd have no way to know. I feel like I have to constantly be on guard, watching my back.

The one person I should be able to depend on is Sasha, my mate. She was Claire's best friend back in the day. I think she resents me for what went down with Claire, even if she won't admit it. Our relationship is so tense and awkward now. We hardly talk except when we have to put on a united front for the pack.

But as messed up as things are with Sasha, I can't afford to lose her right now. She has a lot of pull and respect, especially with the females in the pack. If she turned against me, I could be in serious trouble. The pack could splinter and I might get ousted as Alpha. So I have to play nice with her, even though I'm sure she's talking behind my back.

Sometimes I ask myself if it's all worth it - the stress, the paranoia, the drama of being the Alpha. I could just walk away and start over somewhere new, just be a lone wolf for once. But I can't shake the feeling that if I'm not in charge, everything is going to fall apart. This pack was my father's life's work. He handed it off to me when he died. I have to protect it, even if it means making some hard choices.

Like maybe taking Sasha out of the picture somehow if she gets too power-hungry. Or being extra harsh on pack members who step out of line to send a message. Or making an example of anyone who even looks at me the wrong way. It's an ugly thought, but I'll do whatever it takes to keep my status and this pack together.

I just hope I can get my mind right before the guilt and stress completely consume me. An Alpha has to be clear headed and decisive. If the pack senses any weakness, any crack in my armour, they'll go for the kill. So I have to bury all these doubts and regrets. Channel the cold, calculating Logan that got me this far. Maybe then I can get some peace.

To try and get my head straight, I've been doubling down on the tactics that helped me become Alpha in the first place - using fear to keep the pack in line. If they're afraid of me, they won't dare challenge my authority. Simple as that.

I've been cracking down hard on even the smallest infractions or signs of disloyalty. The other day, Paul was late for the pack meeting and I ripped him a new one in front of everyone. Accused him of being lazy and disrespectful. Let the whole pack see me get in his face until he was cowering on the ground. That'll remind him and everyone else who's in charge.

With the females, I've been more...subtle in my intimidation tactics. They can be a bigger threat since the she-wolves tend to stick together. If they unite against me, I'm in trouble. So I've been pulling them aside one-by-one and vaguely implying they could face "consequences" if they step out of line. Playing a bit of mind games to keep them off-balance and scared.

Sasha sees what I'm doing, and I can tell she's not a fan. She thinks I'm going too far and alienating the pack members we should have on our side. But she's not Alpha, I am. This is how I need to operate to keep control right now, even if it makes me look like the bad guy.

It's a lonely way to live, using fear and intimidation against my own pack siblings. But I don't have any other choice if I want to stay in power. With Claire's death, all my allies scattered and turned against me. Now I'm having to rebuild my base through brute force rather than loyalty. It's ugly, but it's the reality I'm stuck in.

Some days, I'll catch myself wondering if this was how my father led before he passed the Alpha title to me. Was he as consumed by paranoia as I am now? Did he have to rule through fear and mind games? I want to believe he had a lighter touch, but who knows what he went through to keep the pack together.

What I do know is that this path I'm on is starting to take its toll. I can't sleep well anymore, jumping at every sound like an ambush is coming. My muscles are always tensed up, waiting for an attack. And I can't let my guard down around any pack members, not even Sasha. One mistaken moment of vulnerability and it could all come crashing down.

It's a brutal way to live, for sure. But I can't let myself get soft or second-guess my methods. Whatever it costs me, however lonely it gets, I have to maintain a grip of iron over this pack. I am the Alpha, and the Alpha rules through strength and fear.

This whole power struggle I'm locked in now, it's bringing up a lot of heavy memories from my childhood. See, being an Alpha wasn't just some fancy title to me - it was my bloody birthright. My father was the Alpha before me, and his father before him. Leading this pack is part of my heritage, my legacy.

But it wasn't all rosy growing up as the future Alpha. My mother, she always resented that I was destined for the top rank instead of her. She'd get this look in her eyes sometimes, like she wanted to rip my throat out for the crime of being born male. Can't really blame her, I guess - the sexist rules of pack hierarchy screwed her over good.

Still, the constant negativity from her messed me up badly. She was always putting me down, questioning if I was really "Alpha material." Mind games were her specialty, just like they are with Sasha now. Maybe that's why I have such a hard time trusting Sasha - she reminds me too much of my manipulative mother.

But as crafty as Sasha is, I need her by my side if I'm going to keep my place as Alpha. She's respected, especially by the female wolves. If she flipped on me, they'd follow her lead in a heartbeat. I'd be sent into exile faster than you can say "lone wolf."

So as much as Sasha's silent looks of judgement make my hackles rise, I have to play nice with her. Appeal to her ambition and make her believe she'll get a slice of the power pie by backing me. Stroke her ego while also keeping her just unstable and dependent enough that she doesn't get any ideas about taking me down.

It's a risky game I'm playing, having someone so sneaky as a bedmate. But I don't have a choice - too much of my identity and self-worth is wrapped up in being the Alpha of this pack. If I lost that, I'm not sure I'd know who I am anymore. This role was destined for me, undeserved baggage and all.

If my father could see me now, I wonder what he'd think. Would he be proud that I've clung to the Alpha status by any means necessary? Or disappointed that I've resorted to the same manipulation tactics my mother used? Hard to say - maybe he employed some dark methods of his own to retain power. Being Alpha isn't a pretty business, especially with vultures like Sasha circling.

I'm just getting back to my den after a long night of pack meetings when I notice something odd. The scent trail leading up to my quarters has an unfamiliar smell mixed in with it. Like someone else has been here recently.

My hackles instantly rise as I follow the strange scent inside. Every object and surface looks undisturbed, but that does little to calm my growing paranoia. I know that smell from somewhere but can't quite place it. An intruder? An attacker lying in wait?

As I do a second sweep, my eyes catch on a folded up piece of paper lying on my night table - definitely not there when I left earlier. With a lump forming in my throat, I snatch it up and unfold it with shaking hands.

Three words are written in sloppy handwriting:

"I know everything."

Just like that, I feel all the blood drain from my face. An icy chill runs down my spine. Those three little words, they could mean only one thing - someone knows the truth about what happened to Claire. About my role in her demise that terrible night.

But how? I was so careful to cover my tracks, to make it seem like her death was just an unfortunate accident. No one else was there, no one else knew the real story except...

Sasha. Of course. My own mate, the one person I've had to conditionally trust as I reinforced my power. Now it's crystal clear that her aloofness and judgemental looks weren't just about my harsh leadership tactics. She knows I was responsible for her best friend's death and has been waiting for the right moment to make her move against me.

My mind races as I try to make sense of this development. Sasha is the only one who could have left this warning, which means she poses the biggest internal threat to my role as Alpha. A threat I may have to permanently eliminate before she rallies the pack to her side.

I can feel control of the situation slipping through my fingers. All the intimidation and fear tactics I've employed could unravel in an instant if the truth gets out. The foundation of my leadership - my very identity - is suddenly teetering on the edge.

As Alpha, I need to make a decision quickly and decisively. Do I make a move first against Sasha or risk playing into her hand? Stay and fight or cut my losses and run? There's only one thing I know for certain - my grip on power has never been more tenuous. And one wrong choice could bring my entire world crashing down around me.