Chapter One

“I am your husband and your alpha! I demand your respect” he yelled at her and that took her back

“So what? I don’t care who you are and you should know that by now. We are not even married yet! Don’t give me the bullshit of you are my husband!” She screamed back at him 

“Well I am! And I demand your respect, Alice. I would not have a mate that I can’t talk to in my house!” He screamed at her

“Then I would rather leave!” She said

She walked out of the bedroom and slammed the door behind her. Jared growled and ran his fist into the wall. He was pissed off. Things have been like this for the past eight months of their stay together and he didn’t know how to make things right. He looked at his fist and saw that it was bruised and now bleeding. He got a towel and he wiped his hands. He groaned and rubbed his forehead. She went outside and followed her. He couldn’t let her leave. As much as they fought, he didn’t want her to ever leave. He knew that his life would be miserable without her and he wasn’t willing to admit that to her or to himself.

“Alice, wait!” he said

She gave him no reply. She headed to the front door and he growled

“Alice, wait!” he growled at her

She paused. His voice sent shivers down her spine and he was very authoritative. She knew better than to disobey when he was fighting his transformation. She turned to look at him and she met his gaze. His eyes glowed and his fangs were out. She could not relate to this feeling. She was just nineteen and she couldn’t even access her wolf side. Most times, she wondered why she was mated to him, the alpha of the Crimson pack. She was a weakling and she couldn’t even access her wolf side. She stopped and turned to look at him

“Alice, wait, don’t leave. Can we talk things out?” he said

“I don’t want to talk, Jared! I have had enough of you! I have heard enough of what you have to stay! I need some space and fresh air and I can’t get any of that in here so if you’re so kind, alpha, let me go!” she snapped at him

“No! You will not leave this house until we have talked about what the hell is going on between us!” he said to her, angrily. He was barely in control of himself and he knew the results of his anger were as bad as any other thing, yet she kept pushing out the monster in him and sometimes, she succeeded

This was one of those times. He had hit her once and he had regretted it for days because she didn’t talk to him for days. He rolled his eyes at her and turned to the window, wondering how things got so bad between them

“If you want to leave and take a walk, you can leave” he said

She turned and left the house, slamming the door behind her. He sighed and dropped his head. He picked up his phone and dialed his best friend’s number who was the second in command of the crimson’s pack, the Beta. He wasn’t picking and Jared got impatient. He tossed his phone on the coffee table and headed back to his room. He got dressed and headed out

*****

When she came back in, she noticed that Jared was out of the house. She walked to their bedroom and she dropped on the bed, tired and exhausted from all the yelling and fighting. She felt really bad for saying all those things to him but the damage was done. She cried so hard that she fell asleep, wishing her brother was here with her. Alice, her name rang in her head as she closed her eyes to sleep. 

Alice was nothing but a child when she lost her parents in an accident although she didn’t think it was an accident. She was coming back with her elder brother from school when they saw the former alpha in front of their little apartment. He had come to announce the death of her parents. Her elder brother, Liam was just thirteen and she was just ten. Her brother was the only parent she knew and when she turned eighteen, she was pronounced to be Jared’s mate and she immediately moved in with him. Her brother had left crimson valley to find his purpose like he had said to her on that unfortunate day. He left her on her own, in the hands of Jared

Jared and Liam were friends before he left. When Jared was crowned alpha, he had gotten so busy that he and Liam didn’t hang out as much as they used to but Liam felt if there was a suitable mate for his sister, it was Jared. He trusted his sister’s safety with Jared and he was sure she was going to be happy for the rest of her life. She was Nineteen now and she was sure that her brother made an awful decision in choosing a mate for her, not like it was his choice, it was fate. She had not heard from Liam since he left, more than a year ago. 

He came in and found her asleep. He was sure that she had cried herself to sleep. He sighed and kisses her forehead before getting a blanket to cover her up. He knew she didn’t make dinner because she never did when she was upset. She even barely ate on a normal day because she was always sad about the fact that she couldn’t access her wolf side and that was why she was always snapping at him like he did something to her. Every little argument always turned into a big fight and he wondered why. He just wanted a peaceful and happy home with her and that was looking really impossible now. He decided to drive about, hopefully he would get dinner for the both of them. He was still looking around when he saw her, someone that he hadn’t seen in a while. He drive past without stopping, hoping and praying that she didn’t see him pass. Raina, what was she doing in town? Was she here to ruin his life again? What was she after this time? A lot of questions ran through his head and he couldn’t get any answers.

He picked up his phone to call his Beta, Xavier but he wasn’t picking up. Jared didn’t know if that was supposed to worry him. He got the dinner and headed back home. When he got in, she was still asleep and he didn’t want to wake her up so he had dinner on his own and headed to the visitors bedroom to get some rest. Morning came quick for him as Xavier stormed into his house

“Jared! You need to come down here right now!” he screamed from the entrance of the house. 

Alice heard his voice and headed down the stairs

“What is wrong with you? Do you know what time it is?” she asked him

“Oh, good morning, beautiful. I am so sorry to have woken you up. I actually didn’t know you were in the house. Where is Jared?” he asked her

“I have no idea. He was not home by the time I fell asleep” she said

“Was he working late again?” Xavier asked her

“Like I said, I have no idea. He should be somewhere in the house though. Want something to drink? Coffee?” she asked him

“Not really, I already had a cup. I wouldn’t say no to your cooking though” he said to her

“Get your own wife and stop asking Alice to cook for you. Besides, we have a maid to cook for you if you want to get something to eat” Jared said

“Oh, now, you show your face? We have a lot to discuss! Something came up and we might be looking at a war on our hands” Xavier said

“I don’t know why but for some funny reasons, I have been expecting it! We have had peace for some time now and I was starting to find it really weird. So what pack is tired of the serenity of their city?” Jared asked, unmoved about the news of the war

“The blue moon pack apparently. Someone from crimson said her child was missing some weeks back if you remember” 

“I have been stressing a lot. I actually don’t remember” Jared said

“Martha’s child, Eddie. The one you told one of your guards to look into?” Alice said

“I did? Amazing. I don’t even remember any of it. Any ways, what’s wrong?” Jared ask d

“Apparently, Eddie was found this morning , dead and hung at the gate of the blue moon valley. His body was hung right there” he said

“Why does that sound familiar?” Alice asked

“Because six years ago, the Crescents did the same thing when they wanted to pick a fight with us” 

“The fight lasted for months and it led to the death of my father, the former alpha. Make a meeting with Fabian, the head of the Blue moon pack. I have two rules, we don’t kill our own and we don’t mess with children. Eddie wasn’t even eighteen yet and he was one of our finest wolves. Make a meeting with the blue moon and we would see what happens from there” Jared said

“I already reached out to him, I don’t needed you to tell me that. He declined and said he would not be meeting with any of us” Xavier said

“Reach out again. If he still says no, make it clear to him that I would come down to Blue valley and I would treat apart everything in my way. Tell him we can either talk or we can sh blood and it would not be the blood of my people!” Jared said, with anger seeping into his voice

“Yes your highness” Xavier teased

Jared rolled his eyes and shook his head. Xavier was never so serious. He was always joking about everything and making the environment lighter that it would normally have been. Xavier was one soul that you would never find upset but he was one hell of a fighter. He and Jared have been best friends since they were born. 

“Xavi, be serious here. A kid died, the whole valley is about to be thrown into chaos!” Jared said

“It is actually in chaos because when the body was hung, it was something that went round the valley quickly. It was hung right at the top of the gate for the entire world to see” Xavier said

“That is really bad” Alice said

“Tell him I want a meeting and if I don’t get one, he would have to deal with me!” Jared said

“I would give him a call again or just head down to Blue moon valley” Xavier said

“Do you think that is a good idea? They just killed a kid and you want to walk in there like you own the place to give the alpha of the Pack a warning from your own alpha who he probably hates?” Alice asked

“I can take care of myself Alice. You don’t have to worry about me. I don’t think he would be stupid enough to attack the beta of Crimson pack. Besides, if you look at this closely, something doesn’t add up. The last time we talked to these guys, we were fine and now he is killing kids? Something doesn’t add up here” Xavier said

“You are right and that is why we need to meet with him. If he agrees, set a meeting place right here in the valley. We do not want any surprises from them” Jared said