The Cursed Alpha

Chapter 2

Jason Cole eased his truck into the gas station, stopping next to a pump to refill. He almost immediately spied the red dodge challenger sliding pulling into the station, with loud music blasting from its speakers. “f**k” Jason swore, “the Moonies.” He knew exactly who was behind the wheels. The big brute Charles ‘Chuck’ James, leader of the local Blood Moon gang, and the Alpha of its wolf pack. The man seemed to bring trouble everywhere he went.

‘Sup, Big J! Waddup my man” he said, loudly blasting the car horn to announce his presence.

“Good afternoon Chuck” Jason returned, smiling as politely as he could muster. He wanted the exchange to be done as quickly as possible. Clyde was waiting for him and he had a client to meet ASAP.

“Long time no see.” Chuck smiled, revealing a set of nasty, tobacco stained teeth. “You been around lately?”

“Yes, Chuck, just been really busy.”

“Heeeeeeey Jace” purred a lady from the passenger’s side. It was Katrina, a beta from the Moonies and Chuck’s mate. With her pale skin, black lipstick and purple highlights on her hair, she looked more like a teenage girl stuck in her Goth phase than the seasoned, ruthless killer Jason knew her to be.

“Hey Kat.” Jason bent to get a better look at her. They had been playmates when they were kids, until Kat had started rolling with Chuck forcing Jason to steer clear of her.

“You ever considered my offer yet?” Chuck asked, squinting up to look him in the eye, his face so battered and lined with scars, with the weathered sun beaten skin and receding sandy colored hair, you couldn’t tell he was only 32. He looked 45.

“No Chuck. The answer is no. has always been.”

“You sure? Could need a man of your eh… skills on my crew.” Chuck laughed, spitting out the window. “Plus, you could use the money, from what I gather”. He smirked.

How did he know? Jason had tried to keep his finances as secret as possible. “Nah, I will work something out.” He said firmly.

“Give me a call when you change your mind.” Chuck started his engine and zoomed off.

“Well” Jason thought, “that was pleasant.”

He filled his tank, paid for it and drove to pick up his partner. He had a job to complete.

* **

He heaved the last box out of his trunk, wiping off the beads of sweat that collected on his forehead from all the heavy lifting.

“Yunno man, I was one semester away from my degree” his friend, Clyde Franklin muttered, leaning against the driver’s door and squinting from the scorching Massachusetts sun.

“So?” Jason asked, smiling internally, knowing what was coming next.

“You convinced me to dropout and starting a small home lifting business with you was a better idea”.

“And look how well that turned out”

“f**k you Jason” Clyde sighed, breaking into a chuckle.

Jason let out a hearty laugh of his own, slamming the trunk shut and striding up to the front door of the house he was supposed to spend the next few days making over. Clyde had been his best friend and partner ever since middle school. They had both gotten their asses severely beaten by Ginger Mike, their 8th grade bully, on multiple occasions. “A brotherhood borne from mutual suffering”, Clyde used to joke. He had grown from the scrawny black kid, to a solidly built 6’4 unit of a man. With a full beard, his chocolate tinted skin and muscles from spending hours in the gym, Clyde complimented Jason’s classic, Mediterranean sensuality with his prim, proper appearance.

Jason rang the bell, scanning the rich, sub-urban area. The people who lived here where the crème la crème of society. Snobby, rich people with their perfectly mowed lawns, swimming pools and white picket fences. Jason had grown up surrounded by people like this. Took a few more rings for a latino maid to open the door and invite them in.

Chapter 3.

The paint job took about 4 hours to complete. Their client, a 36 year old divorcee, Kate Blanc, kept throwing flirtatious comments at them both in her bum jeans and a blouse that showed a generous amount of cleavage but they were both very professional, rounding up before it was dark.

"Won't you stay for dinner?" She pouted when they were about to leave.

Jason politely declined on their behalf, with a flimsy excuse about having vague plans.

The drive to the nearest steak house was silent, both men seemingly lost in their thoughts, only broken by one of Clyde's would-you-rathers.

"Hey Jason, would you rather fight a chicken everytime you get into your car, or a grizzly once a year?" He blurted out, chewing thoughtfully on some gum.

"That's easy." Jason replied, "A grizzly once a year."

Clyde snorted in disbelief "No way you think you could take on a grizzly."

"Pretty sure I can."

"Unarmed?"

"Unarmed."

"Ha! Are you high on paint fumes? You finally gone mad?"

This time Jason laughed quietly _if only you knew_ he thought. Jason was pretty open to his best friend about most things, but they was one secret he never wanted to have to the reveal.

He was a werewolf. A big, mean werewolf.

A packless Omega, who had discovered his curse long ago shortly after his parents died and he had moved in with his millionaire uncle. Jason had spent his entire life from when he was practically a kid, and had had to learn under tutelage by his uncle, who surprisingly, seemed okay with the curse.

Joseph had taken Jason in when he was 7, and had been responsible for him right up to his college years. Joseph had wanted him to go to Harvard and study business, Jason wanted to learn plumbing in a trade school. They had a serious falling out and Jason got his way in the end.

They arrived their favorite steak house, The Wanderer's rest. A small, musty smelling place down the street with great beer and even better steak. Jason was friends with the portly owner, a large Texan who simply went by Phil and his teenage daughter Liz who had a giant crush on him. He was guaranteed an extra large order whenever she was on duty.

At the steak house, they both sat for their meals. Clyde ordering a medium rare and some beer and Jason ordering it how he liked it. Rare, still bloody, and some beer to wash it all down.

"You know, you are a few steps away from eating that steak raw." Clyde quipped, watching Jason tear into his dinner.

Jason ignored him, his wolf senses loved the bloody meat, and since he had tried to suppress his powers ever since he got them, bloody steak was the least he could do to feed the wolf with some good meat.

Clyde shook his head. "Sometimes, I wonder about you."

"f**k right off my man" Jason retorted. He hated being interrupted while eating.

Clyde shook his head once again, changing topic. "You seen your uncle about the loan?" he asked.

"No, not yet."

"When?"

"Soon."

"Look, man, we can't continue like this, we are nearly out of money, we need a cash injection to stay open." Clyde said, his tone changing as he looked Jason directly in the eye, this was a touchy topic but he knew this conversation had to be had.

"I am working on it" Jason growled back, starting to lose patience.

"That's not enough, I think it's time to put aside your differences with your uncle, he owns half Flavian Heights, surely he can spare a few bucks for his only nephew."

Jason pushed back his chair and left the bar, fuming and ignoring Clyde's calls.

Outside he lit a cigarette, fuming. He was too proud to ask his uncle for a loan. That would be too painful, it would prove to his uncle that he was right about Jason going to College at Harvard. Jason took a deep drag, his business was sinking and he had to find a way to save it, fast.

He looked up for one last drag and that was when he smelt her. A robust scent too, a female, approaching his position, a scent so utterly intoxicating, Jason paused to savor it for a while. The source of his curiosity soon came into his view. A tall women with fair skin waist length black hair, in black boots, blue jeans and a blue hoodie. He waited till her eyes met his and knew instantly she was a wolf too. Her strides were graceful, the walk of a confident woman.

Jason fell for her instantly.

As she walked up towards him, Jason suddenly became nervous, throwing away his stub and stamping out with his feet. She walked straight past him, leaving him with just a sideways glance, opening the door and walking in. Jason stood transfixed for a moment, smiling at himself. He knew what she was, and by he instinctively knew _she_ knew what he was too. Rubbing his hands together, with one last look at the setting sun, he stepped into the bar to have a conversation that he didn't know would change his life, forever.