Dahlia POV.
We shift back and make my way back to the packhouse. I need to speak to my parents and tell them what I want to do.
I can’t let the pack see how much this has hurt me, so I suck it up. Hold my head high, chest out, and strut. This is my pack, my home, and I won’t be made to feel like I don’t belong here.
Walking past the wolves who lower their eyes, I ignore them as I continue to walk to the packhouse when I hear a crash and my father’s furious voice. I groan as I take the steps two at a time and jog towards his office. Beta Marcus and his mate Beta Kendra are standing outside his office when I hear another crash.
I burst through the door and see my father his hands planted on his desk, his fangs elongated and his green eyes shining. I look around for the danger and see Malachi and Sapphire sitting in front of his desk. I look to the left and see my mom, sitting there looking unimpressed with what is happening in here.
“Ok, what the fuck is going on?” I shout as all eyes turn to me. I ignore the glares as I move towards my father’s bar and grab a bottle, twisting the lid and dropping it to the floor. I glare at my father as I bring the bottle to my lips and down it.
“Dahlia, are you ok?” Dad asks before he whimpers and I roll my eyes.
“Just dandy. Why wouldn’t I be?” I ask as I look at Malachi and he looks down in shame.
When I look at my father and he looks away, too. Hold on. “You knew, didn’t you?” I ask, not believing this.
“Dahlia, it isn’t what you think.”
I scoff, turn and throw the bottle at the wall behind my mother, and my father tackles me to the ground.
“Have you lost your fucking mind? Apologise to her right now!” he screams in my face when I growl at him.
“No! Everyone in this pack fucking knew who he was to me and not one of you fuckers told me! So don’t I deserve a fucking apology, hmm? What else have you been keeping from me?” I say as I roll us and pin him to the floor. Orion, his wolf in his eyes as he whimpers.
I shove his chest as I stand up and turn to face my mother. I spit on the floor.
“Fuck you all. I’m done. Right now, I can’t look at any of you. Some fucking family you lot are. You pushed me to be what I didn’t want to be. You knew he was my fucking mate and didn’t tell me! All of you can fuck off. I’m done.” I storm out of the office, ignoring the calls of my parents and that of Malachi as I storm up the stairs and into the bedroom before I enter my closet. Grabbing my suitcases down, I throw them on the bed and begin packing my clothes and toiletries.
Taking my passport, documents, and cash. I pack them too. Grabbing my laptop, chargers, and everything else I will need. Fuck this pack! When I come back, they will learn.
I zip up my suitcases, give one last look at the room I have had since I was a child. I turn and walk out the door, rolling my luggage behind me. Grabbing the straps, I carry both down the stairs to the front door.
“Dahlia, wait!” I stop at the front door and turn to face my mother.
“I’m sorry, sweetie. I’m so sorry, we should have told you …”
“Save it. You knew he was fucking her, that I would eventually feel it and guess what I fucking did. But unlike you, I’m not fucking weak. Goodbye Destinee.” I turn and walk down the steps and towards my car.
“Dahlia, where will you go? You have nowhere to go! You are meant to be fucking Alpha. Act like it, instead of a drunken brat!” I whirl on my mother and walk towards her.
“I am Alpha and I will take my fucking title and not because you or dad wanted me to. I will take it because it is mine. It is the only fucking thing that is. Now, go back to your mate, mother, and do what you’re good at. Brushing things under the rug while you’re on your damn knees.”
The slap she gives me is hard and loud. Stars burst into my vision as I spit blood.
I turn and look at her. But I chuckle and shake my head.
“Dahlia, I’m sorry I never …”
“Goodbye Destinee, next time I see you pray, I don’t fucking end you.” I climb into my car and drive away.
My mother is a born alpha. She was trained from a young age, being the first female alpha. She always wanted the title. But me, I never wanted it. It was forced on me by Selene when she declared me Alpha of Alpha’s. My life was never my own. But now the title I never wanted is all I have.
I drive through the city towards the border and pull over. I punch the steering wheel and release a scream before it turns to a howl. Wolves in the area all respond to my pain and heartbreak.
I wipe my eyes and floor it as I cross the border and drive away.
“We will be ok. We need to do this, Dahlia. We will return and we will be stronger. Trust me on this,” Celeste tells me, and I nod at her words.
We drive down long roads, not passing anyone. The sky is clear and the stars look so beautiful in the night sky.
We drive for a while longer when my belly grumbles at me. I haven’t eaten since last night. So we need food and a bed for the night and figure out what to do and where to go.
We pull up at a hotel and park the car. I grab my suitcase out and lock the car and head inside.
This place is cosy, the smell of food wafts in the air and my mouth waters and my belly grumbles loudly.
“Welcome to the sunset house. Are you checking in?” I turn to the woman at the desk and I smile at her. She is human.
“Hey, yes, but I don’t have a reservation. Do you have any rooms available for a couple of nights, please?” I ask her and she smiles before checking her computer. I lean my forearm on top of the desk and wait patiently.
“You’re in luck. We had a cancellation an hour ago, so, yes, we have the room for you. Will you be paying in cash or card?” she asks, giving me a smile.
I open my luggage and grab out my purse and hand her the money as well as my ID.
“Fabulous. You are all set, Miss Blackwood. Carl will help you with your bag, and here is your key. The room is on the third floor.” I thank her and take the card key as the man I assume is Carl takes my suitcase from me and I follow him up the stairs to the third floor.
“So, Carl is it? What’s going on here? There seems to be a lot of people.” I ask, being rather interested. As different scents fill my senses.
Wolves!
“Oh, yeah, there is some kind of conference called ALPHA or something. So we have a few guys here and they are all huge. Must be a football thing.” He says and I stop in my tracks. An Alpha conference?
“Sounds exciting. Where will it take place?” I ask. Because I wasn’t told about anything, so yet another thing my parents kept from me.
“I believe it is at the football stadium in the next town over. Why the interest?” he asks as he stops outside my room.
“Oh, no reason. Just making polite conversation is all.” I say with a smile as he rakes his gaze up and down my body.
“He better stop looking at us like that, or I will pluck his eyes from his head.” Celeste snarls, and I smile at that.
“Well, here is your room. Dinner is being served. If you’re quick, you may just make it in time.” I thank him and head inside.
I rip open my suitcase and run to the bathroom. Turning on the shower, I use the toilet and then get a quick shower. When I’m done I get changed into jeans and a vest top, pulling my hair into a long sleek ponytail, putting my converse on I grab my purse and the keycard and head out. My phone vibrates on the nightstand, but I ignore it.
Walking down the stairs towards the dining room. I stop in my tracks and take it all in. There are nine different Alpha’s here with their Beta’s. The room turns silent as I smile, making my way to an empty table. I sit down and look each of them in the eye and each of them looks away except for one.
I offer him a small smile as I pick up the menu. I’m starving.
A young woman approaches me and asks me what I want, and I order several dishes and her eyes widen at how much I’ve ordered. I smile shyly as she blinks rapidly.
“Someone is hungry.” I look up into the eyes of the Alpha who was looking at me.
“Yes, I like my food. I’m a growing girl.” I say, and he chuckles. His silver-blue eyes flash as he subtly sniffs the air.
“I can see that.” He chuckles as I thank the girl as she places my drink in front of me.
“I have had a pretty shitty day, so if you would, please.” I say and he nods his head, offering me his hand. I shake his hand as he leans forward. His warm breath makes me shiver.
“Nice to see you again, Alpha Dahlia Blackwood.” I gasp as he moves back and smiles at me before he turns and walks back to his table.
I sit there in confusion. How does he know who I am? Where have I met him before?
Dahlia POV.Back in my room after that odd encounter with the unnamed Alpha. I lay staring at the ceiling as my phone vibrates again. I groan and roll over and grab it off the nightstand and see missed calls and messages from my dad, mom, Malachi, my twin brothers, and other people. I swipe them all away and turn it off.“Celeste, are you awake?” I ask as I roll back onto my back and she hums in acknowledgment.“Who was he?” I ask her as I can’t get his eyes from my head. Those grey-blue eyes seem familiar, but I can’t place them.“Alpha Silas Reynolds. He is the Alpha from the Silver Moon pack. You have seen him before. He is allied with Venom Fang.” She says, and I sit up and think. Oh my goddess, she is right.“We can’t stay here. He will inform father and I don’t want to see him or mom just yet.” I say to her and jump out of bed and gather my things.“Dahlia, stop! You can’t keep running. Just get some sleep and we will have a conversation with him in the morning. He knows who you
Dahlia POV.“You will have your own room and bathroom. You are the only female alpha we have that is entering our training program. We have omegas who will cook and clean. The men you will be training with are the next alpha’s inline to take over their packs, so be warned.” He says as we walk up the driveway to the massive packhouse in front of us.“I thought this was a camp?” I ask, looking up at the imposing building.“The packhouse is the training centre, the camp is behind. You, however, as well as the rest of the future alphas, will be staying here. They share barracks. You won’t be.” He says, and I stop walking.“So I’m being treated differently because I’m a female?” this is stupid, just one more example of the difference between she-wolf and male.“You are the first female alpha to come here since we started this ten years ago. Those men in there will see you as another hole to fuck and play with. The reason we started this was because of your mother.” I look at him, confused
Dahlia POV.After dinner, an omega shows me the way to alpha Reynold’s office and I knock on the door and wait for him to tell me to enter. When he does, I walk in with my head low.“Please, sit down Dahlia.” He says and I take a deep breath and move towards his desk and sit down.“I know things are done differently in Venom Fang, but here you follow the rules. So I will let it slide just once. You are to show respect at all times. I know that may be difficult for you. You have come from the largest pack in the world. So I know you don’t see the need to stand on ceremony. But here I run a tight ship and I hold the reins.” He says, and I look at him. Did he just basically call me spoiled? “Just because I come from the biggest pack doesn’t mean I have been treated like a princess. I have been training my whole life, for a life and a position I didn’t want. So with all due respect, Alpha, you only know what you have read and briefly seen of me. Don’t confuse me with some self entitled l
Malachi POV.Every day for the past four years, we have all tried to find Dahlia, but it’s like she has vanished from the face of the earth.Destinee and Titus have used pack resources to find her, but always come up empty-handed. Today would have been her 25th birthday, four years to the day that she left after learning of not just mine but her parents and the pack’s betrayal towards her.Every day, I try to get her to open the pack link, but nothing, not even Fenrir or Selene, have been able to find her. “Daddy.” I am pulled out of my thoughts when my little boy Harrison enters the living room, rubbing his eyes and I stand up, moving to scoop him up.“Good morning, little man. Did you sleep well?” I ask him as I kiss his head.“Yeha. But I’m hungry daddy.” He says, nodding his head, and I chuckle at him. It has been hard the past four years since he was born.Sapphire died bringing him into the world, so I have raised him on my own. We broke up not long after Dahlia vanished. Sapph
Dahlia POV.After four years, our training is complete. Out of the twenty of us that started this journey, only fourteen made it through.“So, we heading to your pack?” Lucius says as he puts his arm around my shoulders and I roll my eyes at him.One night, while I was showering. Six of the males tried to rape me. They knocked out the omega when I was showering and attacked. I fought them off, but six on one I couldn’t. I took down three before I was slammed headfirst into the wall.It was Lucius, Brent, Johnny, and Dex that pulled the male off me and Lucius ripped his throat out before they killed the others. Since then, we became friends.“Don’t you have your own pack to go back to? Why are you so incessant to follow me like a lost puppy?” I say to him when he whines and sticks out his bottom lip. Oh goddess no, not the puppy dog eyes.“Don’t you do it.” I warn when he does it. Goddamn it.“Please, we will behave.” My eyes widen. We?“We, what we? Who is we?” I ask when I see the ot
Dahlia POV.“Well, look who decided to come home.” She scoffs at me as I move closer. I ignore her and smile at the little blonde-haired girl, who looks extremely uncomfortable and sad.I move to my knees in front of the little girl and she gulps, looking up at the huge alpha males behind me.“Hey, what’s your name?” I ask her gently, and she looks at her mother before she looks at me.“Sarah.” She stutters out, well that won’t do. I don’t want this pup to be scared of me.“That is a lovely name for a pretty little girl, and who is this?” I turn and look at the little dark-haired boy who is looking at me with the same eyes as his father.“Harrison.” I smile at him as I stand up.“Nice to you meet you both. I’m Dahlia. Do you both know the way to the day care?” I ask and they nod, biting their little lips and I smile at them, seeing them relax slightly.“Ok, why don’t you both go and head inside while the grownups talk?” I say as Malachi nods his head before kissing his son and setting
Malachi POV.Goddess, she looks amazing. She has changed so much, but those eyes have haunted me since the day everything went to shit. The day she rejected me. Four years ago today.“She looks amazing. I can only imagine how Celeste looks.” Hyde says as we walk towards the training ground.It is taking everything in me to not turn around and run to her. Take her in my arms and beg for forgiveness.“She does, she really does Hyde. Give it time. We hurt her. She won’t forgive us so easily. Dahlia has always been stubborn.” I tell him when he whimpers before he grunts.“She will come round when she is ready.” He says, and I nod as we enter the training grounds. The wolves are in lines and ready to train. I set my bag down and strip my t-shirt off and give out instructions.I walk around the warriors that are sparring as I feel eyes on me. I turn and see Dahlia standing with the four unknown males beside her.Her critical eye watching everything, every move. One of the alphas points and
Dahlia POV.“I take it that he is the ex-mate?” Brent asks me from across the dining hall table and I nod my head at him.“Would you ever forgive him?” Dex asks and I think, would I? Should I?“He knew who I was to him, but still got another pregnant. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen Sapphire. From what I remember, she was always hanging off him.” I say as I reach for the food in front of me.“Still, I agree with you for what you did, Lia. But we all know you still hold some place for him in your heart. Maybe talk to him and find out why we never told you,” Johnny says, bringing his drink to his lips.“I know why he didn’t tell me. But he could have when I turned 18. But he didn’t. He stayed away from me. Malachi is 6 years older than I am. So you know it’s pack law that you can’t claim your mate until they reach 18, especially if there is an age gap. He didn’t wait. I can’t blame him for that. What I can blame him for is not telling me when I turned 18,” I say, bringing my food to