The Would-Be Alpha King

⚠️ Please note that this is a seven chapter teaser snippet and not the full book ⚠️ Crystal I tried for so long to stall my Luna ceremony. Montrell is due any day now, and Darius refuses to give me any more time. He wants me as his Luna tomorrow. Darius is a monster. I found out how much of an inconsiderate and ruthless monster he is after we mated and marked each other. When I first saw him, his dark brown eyes and light skin were breathtaking, and when my wolf told me he was our mate, being with him made me overjoyed. We mated that first night, continued to have s.ex, and then I got pregnant. I wish I knew what I know now back then. He kills subordinates if they don’t agree with him. He blames it all on pack law. Other packs are inferior to him and he attacks them. Pack law has nothing to do with the stuff I’ve seen him do in the year since he brought me to the packhouse. I can’t stay here and I can’t associate with this pack. After talking with my sisters Ruby and Amber, we devise a plan to leave on the morning of my Luna ceremony. If I go rogue, I know my son and I will probably die, but it’s a chance I have to take. I can’t stay here and I can’t have my son here. I pack a few necessities and my sisters and I leave with no intention of ever coming back. Since I’m pregnant, I can’t shift, but Ruby said she’d let me ride her until we can get far enough from the packhouse. I just hope I don’t give birth while we are escaping. Our journey starts a little rough with the low visibility and raging, icy winds, but Ruby’s wolf growls at me when I suggest we stop and let the storm pass. We left at the worst possible time. There’s a terrible snowstorm, but it was now or never. I refuse to be the Luna of Diamond Peak. We keep pushing through the storm. Truly, I’m terrified for my safety, my sisters’ safety and my son’s, but I won’t mention any of this to my sisters. I feel bad enough that they are in this mess with me. If we get caught, they will die because of me. Goddess, please let us escape and please let this storm pass before I give birth. Two days after leaving the packhouse, I go into labor. We are far from the packhouse, but not far enough. After the storm ended, we finally made some headway. The storm covered our tracks but after it ended, we couldn’t get too far because of Braxton Hicks contractions. Then my water broke, and the contractions were real. I was really hoping that we could get to Vancouver before my little man would decide to enter the world. Ruby, Amber, and I are forced to stop so I can give birth. The snow is too thick, so we find a small, quiet cave in the wilderness. The chilling sound of the wind and my screams of pain fill the cave as I push to give birth to my son. My tears instantly freeze from the cold temperature, but Amber tries to dry them for me, anyway. “It’s okay, Crys. You’re doing great,” Amber assures. “I’m so scared, Amber. What if we don’t make it? What if something happens to Montrell?” “Hey! Don’t you dare talk like that,” Ruby voices. “We made it this far. Now keep pushing so I can meet my nephew.” After eight hours of labor and nearly losing all hope, I hold my precious newborn son in my arms as he cries. “My dear son… Montrell Orlando Hart,” I sniffle and kiss his forehead. “He’s beautiful Crys,” Amber says. “He is, isn’t he? Thankfully he took after me and not Darius,” I remark with tears in my eyes. Holding my baby boy for the first time is probably the best feeling I have ever felt in my entire life. This beautiful moment gets cut short as Ruby snaps her head up and rushes to the front of the cave. “Sh.it! We’ve got company,” Ruby yelps. “They found us already? Is there any way we can make a run for it?” “No. I’m picking up multiple scents. Darius sent damn near half the pack,” Ruby frustratedly says. “I told you we shouldn’t have left,” says Amber. “I couldn’t remain in that house,” I sigh. “Yes, I probably should’ve left sooner, but with Darius forcing the Luna ceremony, I needed to leave. I told you girls not to come.” “And we leave you hanging out here in the snow while pregnant and about to give birth? Yeah right,” Ruby scoffs. The wolves approach us. Some have shifted to their wolf form and others haven’t. We get cornered. I could not get my son away from his monster of a father. An omega takes Montrell away from me. He cries as they snatch him away. The men restrain my sisters and me, and they take us back to the packhouse. I was so close to getting away. ——— —— — Darius Today is Crystal’s Luna ceremony. She is my mate, and she bears my mark. Now it is time for her to be Luna. Crystal keeps putting it off. She’s stubborn but also very feisty. I know she’ll make the perfect Luna for this pack, but I won’t deal with her procrastination anymore. She wanted to wait until the birth of our son. However, she’s due any day and I want her to be Luna before he is born. The pack law is something I need to follow. We won't put it off anymore. I mind link with her, but I get no response. I go to the gamma floor and knock on her door. She doesn’t answer. “Crystal, I hope your sisters are getting you ready for your ceremony today.” Nothing. Something isn’t right. I burst through the door to an empty room and a note on her bed. Darius, we created a son together, but I can’t be your Luna. I, Crystal Amethyst Hart, reject you Darius Oliver Lance as my mate and Alpha. I promise to give Montrell a good life.—Crystal I ball the note up and mind link with every available omega in the pack. Crystal and her sisters have run off with my son. After a year, she rejected me as her mate and went rogue. Spread out, find them, and bring them all back to me now! Search everywhere! I walk to my office angered. How dare she reject me?! After two days, I get a link that they have found her and her sisters. She gave birth to my son while they were on the run. I tell them to bring them all to me immediately. At dawn, everyone has returned. They restrained Crystal and her sisters, and an omega is carrying Montrell. “Don’t hurt my son, Darius,” Crystal shouts. “He’s my son too. I won’t hurt him only because he is my son, but you know the law of this pack. He cannot claim the title of Alpha because you were never Luna!” “If he’s your son, he has a right to it,” she retorts. “I will abide by the laws of this pack! You also know the law and consequences for wolves that go rogue, don’t you,” I growl. “I accepted my fate the moment I went rogue,” Crystal proclaims. “I was just hoping to get my son far enough from you ‌so he wouldn’t suffer because of my decision.” “Why even accept me and mate with me?” “Before we mated and you gave me your mark, I didn’t know the ruthless monster you really are. I can’t be Luna to a man like you and I don’t want my child to be raised by you either! That’s why he doesn’t have your last name. I’d rather die than be your Luna,” she declares. Her bright blue eyes against her dark skin are raging with rebellion. She angers me and Remy. Being the Luna to the Diamond Peak pack is an honor and a privilege. We are the largest and most powerful pack in the state of Washington. That unappreciative bi+ch! Remy immediately takes control after I slap her. I try to fight him so I can properly deal with her, but his anger is too strong and my clothes rip as I shift and I watch as Remy mauls her to death. Her sisters scream as he tears her to shreds. Dammit, Remy! That is not how we deal with rogues. I don’t tolerate any disrespect! I don’t care who it is! She was our mate! She just gave birth to our son! She rejected us!! She’s your baby mama. Now we must kill her sisters. No, Remy. As the Alpha, I need to handle this the right way. I can tell he still wants to attack her sisters, but he gives up control and I shift back to myself. Crystal’s mark on my neck fades away. “That’s not how I wanted to handle that,” I clear my throat. “Remy doesn’t like to be disrespected. Now you girls see the consequences of going rogue. You shall face imprisonment and the Council will deal with you accordingly.” An omega brings me my son and something to cover up with. Remy tells me to kill him, but I can’t. They brought him back as a rogue. Kill him. No, Remy. It’s not his fault his mother went rogue while he was still in her womb. He doesn’t have to die. Remy lets out a low growl. I look at my son. He’s a little darker than me. His skin is golden brown, but he has Crystal’s blue eyes. Even though he doesn’t have my last name and he won’t ever be Alpha, the thought of killing him breaks my heart. I hold my firstborn close to me. I hate I had to kill his mother, but rogue wolves do not go unpunished in this pack. When he grows up and learns pack law, he will understand my reasoning.