Promised to the Alpha

Four

C O L L I N

Elizabeth Davis is going to be my downfall.

We arrived home, her things strewn across the driveway. It didn't take long to show her our room and end up getting the door slammed in my face. She locked herself in our room and I'm sure everything she finds is gonna get broken. I knock several times on the door, to no avail. I hear glass breaking, her opening my closet doors — I can say goodbye to all my clothes now.

"I like her already" Hailey appears beside me, with a green smothie in her hand. It wasn't enough that I had to deal with Elizabeth, now I have to deal with my annoying little sister.

Hailey is not really my sister, but my father decided to raise her as his own when he found her in his restaurant, alone, crying at the age of five. I'm four years older than her, and since my father died I feel like it's my obligation to take care of her, so she lives here with me, even though she spends more time out of the house than in it.

"Of course you do" I start walking to the kitchen, and she follows. "Anyone who decides to make my life a hell, becomes your best friend in the same instant."

"Aren't you going to do anything?" she asks, as we walk down the stairs. "Are you going to let her destroy your room?"

"In a little while, she'll be bored" I shrug and walk to the kitchen. I find Aiden Larson sitting on the counter, pretending to read the newspaper. "It seems that everyone has taken the day off to annoy me. I should seriously change the lock."

"You should get a better surveillance system. I could be someone to kill you."

"Right now, I'd rather you were" I say, sighing loudly. Aiden gives Hailey a smile as a compliment and her cheeks start to turn red. I don't understand how my sister can have a crush on him, especially since I won't let anything happen between the two of them. "Don't you have something more interesting to do, Hailey?"

"Actually, no."

Having a teenager in the house is not easy. Especially, if the teenager in question loves to go against everything I say, stay out late unannounced, and have friendships that I don't like at all. I wish my father was still here, so I wouldn't have to play father to a girl who deserved something better than me.

"I need to talk to your brother about a serious matter" Aiden speaks up, looking at Hailey. From the way her face is red, it doesn't look like it will be long before she explodes. It better be something important, otherwise I'm not afraid to kick Aiden out of my house. "It won't be long, then we can watch a movie."

Before Hailey can accept, I speak:

"Then you can go to your house, and stop trying to flirt with my sister."

"Collin..."

"Go to your room, Hailey." she rolls her eyes and walks away, leaving me alone with Aiden. "You have to stop getting her hopes up."

"She's eighteen years old, Colin. You can't treat her like a child forever." he tries to argue. She may be eighteen, but she's still too young for this world. The supernatural world is dangerous, and she doesn't even know how to control the monster inside her yet. She wants to be a normal teenager, but she can't realize that will never happen, because she is not normal. She is a werewolf, and possibly stronger than me. Nothing would make more happy than passing the title of alpha to her.

"Yes I can, Aiden. You're not the boss of me. It's even more the other way around." I cross my arms and look at him. "Tell me why you came here, before I throw you out. I still have to go try to calm my fiancée down."

"Is Elizabeth here?" he scans the place, as if she's been in the kitchen all along and he hadn't noticed. "Aren't you going to introduce us? I'd love to meet the woman who is going to have to suffer you for the rest of her life."

"She's in my room, destroying it" he lets out a loud laugh, as if knowing this cheers him up. "And you will still have plenty of time to get to know each other, so it won't happen today."

"You have to take the fun out of everything" Aiden gets up from the counter with a little jump and pulls something out of his pocket. And hands it to me.

"What is it?" It seems to be a police report. Of a body found in the forest.

"It's quite obvious."

A body was found in the forest, from the picture, it doesn't even look like they tried to hide it. It was in plain sight. Nicholas Cole, died between three and five this morning. I don't recognize his name, but from the photograph he looked familiar.

"I don't know why you are showing this to me" I give him the paper back. "It is not my duty to bring justice or revenge."

"Moon Valley has an agreement with the vampires, right?" I nod. "The forest is our space. And what do the police find? A body without a drop of blood. This could mean war."

"This is not war, Hale" I speak, and go to sit in my armchair. Thinking about it. "I don't even know who died."

He cracks a dirty smile. As if he knows something I don't. He walks over to my bar and picks up one of the bottles, actually drinking from it, without even picking up a glass. I roll my eyes.

"But someone you know, was very familiar with him" Aiden offers me the bottle. "I heard rumors that your fiancée let him sleep several nights in her bed."

I usually manage to control my anger. I take a deep breath and count to ten. I count to two and attack Aiden. I hold him by the neck and he does nothing. He must have been expecting my reaction. He doesn't even try to push me away, he just continues with his smug smile. I take the bottle from his hand and throw it against the wall, the sound of the glass breaking echoes throughout the house.

"Where did you hear that?"

"Everyone knows, Colin" he shrugs his shoulders. "But if you don't believe it, ask her."

I do believe it. I just wish it wasn't true. I know she had no duty to save herself for me, yet it pains me to know that she has been with other men.

"And why do you think that fact has anything to do with his death?" I squeeze his neck tighter and oxygen begins to leave his body. "It could just be a random murder."

"It's the second body found in the woods, and both have a connection to your dear bride" I let go of his neck as the words start to cost him more to get out. He coughs for a good while, until he can breathe normally. "Some vampire is trying to get your attention, Crestmoon. You'd better do something about it, otherwise they'll end up taking over the town."

E L I Z A B E T H

I was calmer by then. It seems that destroying eighty percent of Collin's room is a great form of therapy. I was sitting on the floor with scissors in my hand cutting Collin's clothes when I hear the door open. I had already unlocked it earlier, it would be useless to keep the door locked. Collin could get in anyway, it should be easy for a werewolf to put a door down. I frown when I see a girl enter the room. She puts her hand to her mouth, holding back a giggle as she analyzes the state of the room.

"I like what you've done" she sits on the bed, facing me. "I always thought this room needed a makeover."

She is beautiful. She has mesmerizing green eyes that make a contrast with her perfect black skin. Her curly black hair is short, a little over her shoulder — which highlights her face. She has a few freckles in her cheeks and a gold piercing in her nose. I have never seen her before.

"Who are you?" I ask, defensively.

"The pretty Crestmoon" she holds out her hand to me. I shake her hand. I didn't even remember that Collin had a sister. I had heard of her, as had everyone in Thorn Hills. Beautiful, rebellious, powerful. The girl is not even an adult yet and has already gained several enemies, just because of the power she can have. "Hailey."

"I'm Elizabeth."

"I know" she gives a friendly smile. "Do you need help?"

"Destroying your brother's things?" I ask cutting off a pair of Collin's pants. She nods and I let out an audible laugh.

Hailey sits on the floor next to me and I hand her another of my scissors.

"So I assume you are not happy about the marriage?" she cuts a t-shirt while analyzing me.

To answer her question, I get up with several of my future husband's clothes and throw them out the window. I rub my hands on my pants afterwards, as it pains me to just go through his clothes.

"My brother is not bad" she looks at me. "He has that alpha exterior and all. But, he can be pretty affectionate."

"I bet he is" I roll my eyes, tying my hair in a ponytail, his room now seems too hot. "Do you know what he told me yesterday? That he was never going to love me. Am I supposed to want to be trapped in a marriage with a man who won't love me?"

"Don't take that the wrong way, he doesn't love anyone" the calmness with which she says those words scares me. It's impossible for someone not to love.

"Not even his own sister?" she should be affected by this. "He is the one who raised you. Collin, for years, has been like your father. And you don't get angry about that?"

"I'm used to it" she gets up and approaches me. "I know it's not normal. But I can't do anything about it. Collin just doesn't have the ability to love someone."

"I won't be able to marry him."

I sit down in the room. It feels like I'm going to start crying in a little while. I never thought my life would turn into this. I just want to pinch myself and wake up from the nightmare I'm stuck in. I swallow my tears. Hailey kneels in front of me, her eyes showing me pity.

"You will have a good life here, a safe life" she runs her hand through my curls in a loving way. "And you will have me. I don't have many friends, so I can just spend time with you."

I giggle and crack a smile at her.

"I think he still has some clothes in the drawers that are in great condition, ready to be ruined" Hailey speaks, with a devilish grin.

I take a deep breath, nodding my head. I get out of bed and go to the drawers of the bedroom dresser and start pulling everything out everything. The sound of footsteps on the stairs comes through the wooden door and makes me freeze. I don't know what reaction Collin will have when he sees the damage I've done. I don't know him well enough to know.

He opens the door and enters the room. His glare is first directed at his sister who is cutting up one of her many leather jackets. She flashes a big smile.

"You need to buy new clothes anyway " she shrugs her shoulders and throws a ripped jacket at him. Collin doesn't catch it and it drops at his feet." We were just doing you a favor."

"I believe so" he continues without looking at me. "I have business with Elizabeth, so please get out of my room, Hailey."

"Is it serious? Again?" Hailey sighs loudly. "I'll call Aiden, maybe he wants my company."

"Don't you dare, Hailey!" I have no idea what they're talking about, so I decide to remain quiet and still so I won't be the one to take Collin's wrath. "Go to your room. If I find out you left the house, you'll be grounded for the rest of your life."

"So dramatic" she says to me. "It's better to leave the love-birds alone. If you need anything, I'll be in my room, alone, thinking about the choices I've made in my life."

She leaves the room, hitting the floor hard with her black high-heeled boots. Great, I'm alone with Collin. He continues to ignore me. He closes the bedroom door, giving us more privacy, and goes to the dresser, I step away, and he opens the second drawer. Curiosity overcomes me and I watch what he is doing. He removes all his clothes from the drawer and pulls out a false bottom, underneath he has all kinds of weapons.

"Aren't you the strongest werewolf in town? Why do you have all this here?"

"Because I like to feel the weight of a gun in my hand. To know that I can kill someone without even getting my hands dirty" he picks up a gun. He points it at me. "Are you afraid of guns?"

"No" I don't even blink. His brown eyes challenge me. I take another step forward, the barrel of the gun touching my forehead. "I don't need it. I know you will never hurt me."

"You shouldn't be so sure, princess. I'm still a monster" he runs the gun across my cheek as if it were a caress.

Surprisingly, I hold his wrist and manage to snatch the gun out of his hands by twisting his arm.

"And I'm still smarter than you" it's my turn to point the gun at him. I shouldn't enjoy feeling the weight of the gun in my hand that much.

"You know that a gun against me is useless" I shrug.

"I know you won't die, but of course it must hurt" I point the gun at your heart. "And as long as you're in pain, that's enough for me."

"You tell me the most romantic things, princess" he holds out his hand. "Give me the gun."

"What if I don't want it? Maybe I can keep it."

"I have something even better for you, my dear bride" curious, I give him the gun. In return, he hands me a dagger. She is beautiful, and is decorated with several diamonds. "It seems to me that you are making enemies, so is better if you have something that you can protect yourself with."

"I thought that was your job now: to protect me."

He gives a laugh and starts walking around his room, looking at all the damage I did. His room was so well organized and decorated, what a pity.

"I don't even know if you need a gun, you can do a lot of damage by yourself" I give him a victorious smile.

Collin takes something out of his pocket and hands it to me.

"Looks like your boyfriend is dead."

What? I read the paper he handed me. It is a report of Nicholas Cole's death. He was found in the woods, dead, his body without any blood. Vampires? It can't be. The Moon Valley pack owns the town, most vampires don't even have the courage to step one foot here.

I saw Nick yesterday. It doesn't even look like his death is real, it happen so sudden. I hate to think about the idea that all the people I know and am close to, can leave without a goodbye.

"Can you not look so happy?" I say, taking a deep breath. Collin looks serious and analyzes me. He takes a step forward, approaching me.

He even looks like he wants to give me a hug.

"Get away from me!" I point my finger at him. "Please tell me you know who killed him."

"I don't."

"Then find out who did it! You're the most powerful werewolf in town and you can't even find out who's killing on your own territory?"

"I'm going to find out who killed him, Elizabeth. And he will suffer, very much, for all the deaths he caused."

"Deaths? Plural?"

"Matt Hastings. Apparently you knew each other. He died yesterday morning."

God, this can't be happening. I close my eyes tightly, trying to control my tears. When I open them, I find Collin looking at me with concern, as if he cares about me.

"Find out who killed him" I speak, amazed by how serene the words come out of my mouth. "I won't be able to live knowing that this murderer is alive. He killed my father."

"Your father?"

"Yes. Didn't you know?" I crack a smile. It seems like every minute that passes I accept the madness inside me even more. "Harry Davis is not my father. No one knows the truth but me, him and my mother, and she never told me. I found out on my own and kept that secret" I approach Collin and place my hands on either side of his cheeks. "You should have done better research on me. You don't know the chaos you'll put yourself in just by marrying me."

"I don't care, princess. Now you will be mine."

"Then find the murderer for me. Make him suffer at your hands" I bring my lips closer to his ear. "Like the monster you are."

I deposit a kiss on his cheek and leave. I take quick steps out of the house, leaving Collin behind. I could stay home and think about the death of my friend and my father, but I'd rather do something more productive. I know that at some point all the feelings I am repressing will come back and I will have to face them, however, I decided not to think about it. I left the house and made my way to the police station, someone owes me some explanations.