Return of the Alpha

Zakai pulled to a stop in his driveway and turned off the beat up old blue Chevy. Resting his head on the steering wheel, a frustrated growl escaped his lips. The sound echoing through the cab. Today had been particularly exhausting. His boss, Bryan had been in rare form. The employees feeling the brunt of it. The Alpha in Zakai had not taken the disrespect lightly. Thus, taking every ounce of self control he had to keep the beast at bay. Zakai knew what he needed. A run. It would calm the beast within as well as the frustrated man. Zakai lazily slid out of the front seat of the truck, slamming the door behind him so hard the truck rattled. There was only a short walk across the backyard to the forest surrounding the property. Once far enough in the cover of the trees as to not risk being spotted by anyone passing by, Zakai stripped him self of his restrictive clothing. The change from human to beast took several minutes. The crackling sound of his bones contorting from one form to the next filled the air. Zakai resisted the urge to fight the pain and allowed it to consume him. When the pain finally subsided an enormous black beast stood in his place. The wolf wasted no time taking off deeper into the forest. The feeling of the breeze on his fur as he zigged and zagged through the trees could only be described as pure freedom. His monstrously large paws barely made contact with the ground as he moved. The yipping sound of pups playing in the distant caused Zakai to come to an abrupt halt. His sharp claws digging into the earth beneath him. As he c****d his head to the side and listened, he realized they were less than a mile to the east. Like an excited pup himself, he headed towards the other wolves. As they came into view, a wolf-like grin appeared on his face. This pack of wild wolves were the closest thing to the family he had left. Family. The very thought had him traveling down memory lane. Five years ago. Zakai walked hand in hand with Jaya from the party. As they stopped in front of her house, Jaya released Zakai's hand and turned to face him. He closed the distance between them as he leaned in for a kiss. Jaya's arms wrapped around his neck as she pulled him in closer. His hands tightening around her waist at the same time. When Zakai finally released her from his grasp, Jaya turned on her heels and headed towards her front door. He watched the sway of he hips as she walked away. A silly grin plastered across his face. As Jaya reached for the door handle, she paused. The cheeky beauty turned around to give Zakai another one of those award winning smiles that he found so sexy. It was as if she knew what had captured his gaze and couldn't resist the urge to tease him. As soon as Jaya was safely inside her house, Zakai turned towards his own. The smile quickly vanishing from his face. Bracing himself for the fight that would no doubt ensue, he slowly put one foot in front of the other. What should have been a quick walk across pack grounds, took a little longer. Before Zakai knew it, he was standing in front the huge pack house. He wanted to turn and walk away, but the Alpha blood coursing through his veins wouldn't allow him to run away like a scared little pup. As Zakai reached for the door handle, the door was ripped open. On the other side was a fuming Alpha who looked like he was ready to tear him limb from limb. "Where have you been", his father, Zacheaous snarled as he yanked him inside. Zakai bit his lip and squared his shoulders as he remained silent. " You will answer me as to why you missed training boy," Zacheaous roared louder. The silence only fueling his anger further. Still Zakai knew better than to argue. So he stood silent. He knew full well how much trouble he was going to be in. Yet,spending the time with Jaya and being a normal teenager for the night was well worth whatever his father threw at him. "Zacheaous," his mother warned from behind as she touched her mate's shoulder. He shook it off as if she was even there. The look on the Luna's face was as wounded as if he had actually hit her. For that and that alone, Zakai started to feel a twinge of guilt. " You were with Jaya. Weren't you? That girl isn't Luna material. She already has you making the wrong decisions," his father began to rant as Zakai felt his anger beginning to stir. So it wasn't so much as he missed alpha training as it was who he was with. Zakai knew his father didn't approve of the girl that had captured his son's attention. Yet, his father's approval was the last thing on his mind when he was with her. " It's not her fault," Zakai finally yelled back. Next thing he knew his father had him pinned against the door. The two of them snarled at each other as Zakai challenged his father's authority. Either one on the verge of shifting. His mother's pleas for the two of them to stop fell on deaf ears. When Zacheaous finally released Zakai, it seemed as though the two ended their battle of wills in a stalemate.The urge to continue to challenge his father's authority continued to rage inside Zakai. Instead, he turned on his heels and walked out of the pack house. "If you leave don't come back," his father roared. His mother's pleas became louder. Each one pulling at the strings of Zakai's heart. They almost stopped him in his tracks. Yet, Zakai quickened his pace. The feel of a young pup nipping at Zakai's leg pulled him out of memory lane. He looked down to see the young gray pup trying to get his attention . It was play time. Just what he needed to erase the memories and forget about his long day. The pup's brother and sisters joined them. The massive alpha pretended to allow them to take him down.The pups yipping excitedly at their triumph as they stood on his belly. The ever so protective mother watching from the sidelines. When play time was finally over, Zakai let out a bark signaling his leave. The gray mother wolf bowed her head in respect and he took off. Once back at his clothes, Zakai started to shift back. The pain eliciting a growl from him this time. As it subsided, the wolf was gone leaving the hollow man in it's place once again. One by one, he slipped his legs back into his worn out jeans. Zakai haphazardly threw the rest of the clothes over his shoulder. A familiar yet foreign smell assaulted his nose as he broke through the cover of the trees. This time the growl that escaped his lips was menacing.