Fighting For A Goddess

Denial

Alpha Xander Grayson stepped out of the shower, ruffling a towel over his sandy brown hair. His shoulders ached—a reminder of the brutal new training regimen he'd implemented that morning. The pack warriors were mostly unmated males between 18 and 30, several of whom were older than him. Earning their respect hadn’t been easy. Weakness wasn’t an option.

It had been over a year since his father had passed the pack to him. He was only 22 at the time, and some of the older pack members had thought he was too young to lead. But he’d worked relentlessly since his Alpha ceremony, proving the skeptics wrong.

Dressed in gray sweats and a black t-shirt, he ran a hand through his damp hair and checked the time on his phone. A glance out the window caught his attention—a dark-haired beauty jogged past the house. His breath hitched as she slowed, a soft smile curving her lips. She paused briefly, looking toward the front of the house before jogging away.

Xander’s gaze dropped to his Beta, Eric Williams, who stood by his car, blatantly checking out Jade’s ass as she disappeared around the corner. His wolf, Ares, stirred in agitation.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Come in," Xander said, still on edge.

Eric walked in with a goofy smile, dramatically flopping into the oversized chair by the fireplace.

"I think I just saw an angel," he sighed.

He’s talking about Jade, Ares growled in Xander’s head.

"That angel is off-limits," Xander gritted out.

Eric raised an eyebrow. "You don’t even know who I’m talking about."

"I know exactly who you’re talking about. Jade runs by every morning at this time. I saw you checking her out. Don’t," Xander warned.

"Jade. A perfect name for a perfect woman," Eric mused, ignoring the warning with a cocky grin.

Xander crossed the room in two strides and grabbed Eric by the shirt, yanking him to his feet. Eric shoved at him, but Xander didn’t budge.

"What the f**k?!" Eric shouted.

Xander released him, stepping back. He was acting like a caveman, and it wasn’t just him—Ares was riled up.

"Sorry, Eric," Xander muttered, running a hand through his hair. He prided himself on control, even as an Alpha. Werewolves were once more beast than man, especially Alphas. Their violent reputation was well-earned.

Once, werewolves lived separate from humans, created by Hades himself to send rogue demons back to the Underworld. It had been over a thousand years since the last escape. Now, wolves lived among humans, their instincts mostly dormant—except for Alphas. As a descendant of the Great Alpha King, Xander's wolf was among the strongest.

Eric straightened his shirt. "What was that about? You’re with Monica. Why are you acting like Jade’s possessive boyfriend?"

"Jade is Kyle’s little sister. I’ve known her since she was ten. Ares is just… protective of her," Xander said, sinking into a chair. His adrenaline still ran high. Ares wasn’t letting it go. "It’s more of a big brother thing."

Like hell it is, Ares smirked.

Eric scoffed. "Okay, sure. You and your wolf are ‘protective.’ Whatever. I’ve never mistreated a woman. You know she’s safe with me—except for maybe falling madly in love with me."

Ares growled again.

Xander sighed. Eric had been his best friend since childhood. He knew Eric would never hurt Jade. That didn’t matter. The thought of anyone touching her made him see red.

"Look, Eric. I’m going to tell you something, but it doesn’t leave this room. You’ve met Kyle, right?"

"Yeah. He’s a total d**k. I don’t get why you hang out with him."

"He used to get the s**t beaten out of him in school. I started hanging out with him to help. One day, after he got jumped, I took him home. His dad took one look at him and went off—called him weak."

Eric exhaled sharply, a shadow passing over his face. Kyle’s tough-guy act suddenly made sense. "What about Jade?" he asked softly.

Xander shook his head. Eric flinched. Werewolves existed to protect the innocent—especially women and children.

"Xander, tell me."

Xander’s jaw clenched. "Jade’s one of the kindest souls I’ve ever met. Her family treats her like s**t—especially her dad. It’s a f*****g Cinderella story."

Eric stiffened. He’d only seen her for a second, but the thought of anyone being cruel to her made his stomach churn.

The door opened, breaking the tension. Xander’s girlfriend, Monica, strolled in. Her short blonde hair was tucked behind her ear, and she wore a tight red dress with black heels. She crossed the room and slid onto Xander’s lap.

"What’s with the long faces?" she asked, glancing between them.

"Just giving Eric some advice," Xander said evenly.

"Okay, well, if you’re done, I wanted to spend some time with you before I head out with the girls." She batted her lashes, arms wrapping around his neck.

Xander stiffened slightly before standing, lifting her with him so she didn’t fall. "Let’s get breakfast."

Monica reached for his hand, but Xander was already walking away, oblivious.

Interesting. Eric smirked to himself as he followed them out.