Mated To The Cruel Alpha's Hot Son

CHAPTER 3

Luther’s POV

I like the silent nights when everything is quiet and you can hear nothing for miles except the beating of your heart and the hooting night owl. On nights like this, I liked to escape the stifling world of rules and slip into a skin that was so much easier.

This was why, at four in the morning, I sneaked out of my bedroom window, leaving it halfway open, shivered in the cold, and shifted to my fur, cracking, breaking, and reforming, stretching to conform to the new form I wanted. Soon, I was on all four paws, sniffing at the air.

There was no one for miles, as most people were asleep. I could hear the tinny sound of mice, the scraping of the beaks of hummingbirds against the trees, and little insects buzzing around a dead body just up north, one that smelled like deer. I would have loved to hunt some deer, but I was very much in need of the quiet that came with this form. I jumped off the balcony and onto the soft forest floor, then I ran.

This was the only time when I was able to escape the fact that I was tired of living in the Silver Moon Pack, the only time I was allowed to acknowledge the fact that my father being death would be better for us all in the long run because the truth was, he was not a good man. I wished I was brave enough to stand up to him, but he was my father, and while maybe I could kill him and take over as alpha, I would never forgive myself, not for killing him and not for the innocent lives he would drag under with him trying to fight for his life, so every day I closed my eyes and ears and pretended that gutting him sometimes was not always in my mind.

I was getting a little tired when the sound came to me: a car screeching to a stop, a door opening, and then someone jumping off. There was a scream and a shout, then total silence. I dragged myself to the edges of the wood for cover and stilled to hear more. I heard feet first light footsteps that made me think female or skilled at running from people. I heard the next set of steps chasing across the wood, and I still smelled the air. They didn't smell like packs. I shifted back to my human form. They were running this way, and if they were humans, it was better to scare them back to the road than have them enter pack territory.

I walked out into the open, just as a small body jammed into mine harshly. I peered down, and I needed to do so by much because the woman who had run into me was small and almost too tiny; she had hair cropped to her chin in a black-brown color that was almost as dark as the night sky.

She looked up at me, her eyes a soft, almost fragile blue, blown wide with fear. I was sucked in almost immediately, ready to protect her from whatever she was running from.

"Please help me," she whispered, and I frowned, looking over her shoulder. I couldn't tell if she was human or not; her scent was confusing me. Then the other footsteps drew closer, heavier. She shivered, and I pushed her against my back to hide her. They came into the clearing, and I froze in slight confusion. They were wolves from the Claw Pack.

They skidded to a stop when they saw me. The man hissed, and his companion gulped. I could understand their trepidation. I was a large man, almost seven feet tall, with wide shoulders and strong, unyielding features. My eyes were a deep black, and my hair followed suit. In my wolf, I was more formidable. I shifted away from my father so he didn't feel outraged in his pack, but everyone knew who the bigger werewolf was. I looked at them, not saying anything; they stared as well. The man swallowed, then crept closer. I growled, and he stiffened.

"We mean no harm; we were here to see the alpha; we have his merchandise," he huffed, arms raised, and I paused, frowning.

"Alpha Damien?" I asked, and he nodded. I looked at the girl, my gut churning with desperate denial.

"The girl is his bride. He bought her from our pack," the man said, my gut clenched in dismay.

Well, f**k.

"Who are you?" I asked, and he straightened.

"Beta, Jasper, and my wife, Lady Rose," he introduced. I sighed and turned to look at the very unfortunate woman.

"He's my father," I replied.

She stilled her hand, clutching it to my waist. I turned to her and sighed. She seemed to realize just what she had gotten herself into because she sort of deflated right before me, and my heart clenched with worry for her.

"I'll take her; this is pack land, so you can drive on," they instructed. They looked at me as if they wanted to say no. I stared at them, daring them to.

They thought better of it and nodded, moving on.

"Why did you pretend like you would help me?" she queried, rounding up on me. I smiled warily.

"I didn't pretend; I just didn't know you wanted to try a suicide mission," she stiffened.

"The silver moon pack runs for acres from the spot you got off that car; even if I hadn't caught you and your pack mates hadn't, my father would, and then you'd wish you were dead," I muttered. She swallowed her face, falling almost immediately as she realized I was right. I felt the sorrow she experienced in that moment and wished that, for her sake, I was wrong. I grimaced as the sunlight pierced the canopy of trees. I had lost track of time.

I sighed She was too young and pretty to be in this dilemma. You would think that at his age, Damien Silver would have realized that women didn't find him all that attractive, but no, he likes women and he likes attractive people. And she was attractive.

"What's your name?" I asked, and she frowned.

"Emery, Emery White," she muttered, and I sighed, gesturing to the forest oath I had come from. She looked at it, and then at me, I smiled wryly.

"You are going to be my stepmother; don't worry, I'm not killing you," I whispered, and she nodded, smiling a little. We walked side by side together.

"How come no one knows about you? I was surprised when you said you were his son," she muttered, and I smiled. That was something that surprised a lot of people. My father didn't want to be seen as being related to me; he did his best to hide it, and I didn't go around advertising it anyway.

"It's complicated," I muttered. She slipped on a stone, and I gripped her arm quickly, pulling her into my embrace. She blinked, looking at me. My eyes fell to her lips, soft and tempting. She didn't look away or pull back. We stared for what must have been hours. A c***k had us jumping apart from each other. I ran my hand through my hair, gesturing for her to go. She licked her lips, her gaze still locked on mine, as she walked away.

I want my father's wife.

The Beta saw us and rushed forward, taking her arm in a punishing grip. I almost snarled at him, but I had no

choice but to watch him leave, my gut feeling twisted and wrong.