Blood and Moon

Chapter 5: The Alpha’s Burden

“Alpha prince, the king is requesting your presence for an urgent meeting”. The principal informed him when he called him to his office.

The only reasons his father will call him during school hours were if there was a war breaking out or if it was something to do with HER. Without wasting time he thank the principal, who reciprocate with a respectful bow.

Jackson strode through the halls of Eldwood High, his broad shoulders cutting a path like a ship through waves. Despite his urgency, he conducts himself with elegance and dominance. As the only son of the alpha king, he’d been groomed for leadership since he could walk. His father, a towering figure of wisdom and strength, had drilled into him the art of command, strategy, and restraint. “Be greater than me,” his father often said, clapping him on the back after grueling training sessions. Jackson lived for it—the promise of a golden era for the werewolf kingdom, with Lucas by his side as beta. Lucas was more than a friend; he was the brother Jackson never had, their bond forged in childhood scraps and shared secrets. Together, they’d elevate the pack, modernize defenses, and heal the scars of the Great War.

Then there was Mia, the firecracker of the beta’s family. Blunt, carefree, and lethal with both her fists and her tongue, she never failed to amuse him. He’d seen her reduce a senior warrior to tears once, her words slicing deeper than any claw. “Mental wellbeing program,” his father had grumbled, implementing it after that incident to soothe fragile egos. Jackson secretly planned to make her gamma one day—her skills were unmatched—but he’d wait until she gained her wolf at eighteen. Maybe it would temper that vicious streak. She was like family, all of them were: Marcus, the steadfast beta; Lucas, the loyal second; Mia, the wild spark. And then… Lilith.

He’d heard the stories upon returning from his three-year alpha training abroad. Whispers of the hybrid abomination, the vampire king’s spawn, a threat lurking in the beta’s estate. But the fierce protectiveness from Lucas, Mia, and Marcus told a different tale. The rumors were echoes of old fears, remnants of the war that had nearly destroyed them. Jackson had never seen her, but her name—Lilith—rolled off his tongue like something sweet and innocent, a contradiction to the tales.

That changed on his sixteenth birthday. The pack was abuzz with preparations: a grand party celebrating not just his coming of age but his graduation from alpha training with top marks and honors. The entire kingdom would attend. Jackson had suggested to Marcus that he bring his niece along. “She’s fourteen,” he’d said casually. “Must be bored cooped up while everyone else socializes at school. Let the pack see her—put a face to the name. Maybe it’ll stop the gossip.”

The plan seemed solid. But that night, as the moon crested high, something mythical stirred within him. Alphas rarely awakened early, but Jackson’s transformation hit like a storm—painful, swift, bones cracking and reforming. He staggered to the lake’s edge, staring at his reflection: the biggest wolf he’d ever seen, larger even than his father’s, with fur like midnight shadows and eyes blazing gold. Power surged through him, a worthy beast for the throne’s burdens.

The surprises didn’t end there. Lilith arrived at the party, and the moment their eyes met—hers like rubies, deep and haunting—he felt it. The mate bond snapped into place, fierce and undeniable. She was beautiful, an eclipse of darkness and light: pale skin glowing under the lanterns, red lips matching those profound eyes, her presence intoxicating. His heart hammered, every instinct screaming to claim her, to kiss her senseless and mark her as his. But then he saw the others—the males in the pack, their gazes hungry, laced with desire. Not the pure pull he felt, but something base, predatory. They wanted her, and it enraged him.

A growl ripped from his throat, shaking the venue, snapping the horny wolves back to their senses. Lilith’s eyes widened in shock and sadness; she bowed her head, looking away. Only then did Jackson realize—she thought the growl was for her. That he didn’t want the “abomination” at his party. The pack misinterpreted it too. In the days that followed, their disdain intensified, whispers turning to open scorn: the beloved alpha prince couldn’t bear her presence, her scent.

Guilt gnawed at him. That night, he confessed everything to his father—the early awakening, the bond. His father’s face darkened, and he pulled Jackson into his study, revealing secrets buried deeper than the war’s graves. The Great War wasn’t just about vengeance; there was a prophecy, ancient and dire, foretelling a hybrid child who could either unite or destroy the races. Lilith’s birth wasn’t mere scandal— she was that child, conceived in the vampire king’s captivity but tied to deeper mysteries. An attack on her life as a toddler had forced her isolation for safety. Only three knew the full truth: the alpha, Marcus, and Gamma Greg. Now, as her mate and protector, Jackson was the fourth.

“But you can’t claim her,” his father warned. “Not yet. The vampires stir; if word spreads, they’ll come for her. Act cold, indifferent. Protect her from afar.”

Jackson thought he could manage it. Avoid her, bury the bond. But when she enrolled in high school two years later, his resolve crumbled. She’d grown—curves more pronounced, her scent a heady mix of moonlight and blood that drove him mad. The other wolves and human boys eyed her with burning desire, masking it with bullying to salve their bruised egos from her indifference. It took every ounce of control not to rip them apart.

Thankfully, he wasn’t alone in watching over her. Lucas and Mia, unknowingly, carried out his darkest wishes—kicking asses and breaking bones. Like today. Jackson had been heading to the pitch with Lucas when they spotted the scene: Brad and his cronies circling Lilith, shoving her, calling her names. She stumbled to the ground after a vicious push, gravel scraping her skin. Rage boiled in Jackson’s veins, the mate bond igniting like fire. But he held back, fists clenched, as Lucas lost it—charging in, breaking Brad’s jaw, nose, and gods knew what else.

“What the hell is this?” Jackson barked, pulling Lucas off, his voice a mask of alpha authority. Inside, he seethed—not at Lucas, but at Brad, at the pack’s cruelty. Sabrina’s brother, that entitled prick, deserved worse. Sabrina herself… Jackson regretted that kiss in the courtyard. It was a distraction, a way to deflect suspicion from his true feelings. She was spoiled, ambitious, using her body to climb ranks, dreaming of being Luna. But she was nothing compared to Lilith. The bond made every touch with another feel like betrayal, yet he endured it for the ruse.

The delta coach intervened, and Jackson ordered them to the alpha’s office, sparing Lilith only a cold glance. It killed him—her pain echoed through the bond, faint but piercing. He discussed cleanup with the delta, then stormed off, heart heavy. Gamma Greg—Elias now, in school guise—escorted her to the nurse, a subtle nod to the inner circle’s vigilance. Her injuries healed fast, hybrid perks, but the emotional scars? Those were on him.

Later, in his father’s office, Jackson paced while Lucas and the others were lectured. “This can’t go on,” he muttered to his father afterward. “The bullying—it’s escalating.”

His father sighed. “You know why we can’t intervene directly. The prophecy… if the pack learns she’s your mate before she’s ready, it’ll fracture us. The vampires watch.”

Jackson nodded, but doubt crept in. Avoiding her was torture; the bond pulled relentlessly. He envied Mia’s unbothered pride in Lucas’s fight, her vicious protectiveness. If only he could be open about it.

As the day ended, Jackson watched from afar as Lilith waited for Lucas, then walked home with Mia. Tears would come later, he sensed through the bond—a burning ache that mirrored his own. Why her? Why now? But deep down, he knew: she was his eclipse, darkness and light. He’d protect her, even if it meant breaking both their hearts. The golden era he dreamed of? It started with saving her—from the pack, the past, and the shadows closing in.