Jack

My body hurts.

There're bruises all over my body where that son of a bitch hit me. Yes, I'm a werewolf and therefore heal faster but it's not magic. It takes a while for the healing to work itself out completely. And it still aches like hell wherever he hit me.

It's only after I got home and took off my clothes to shower that I noticed all the bruising. Motherfucker. Funny enough, I've trained with warriors everyday for the last 5 or 6 years but still they were careful with me, not using their full force. I'm still a teenager after all. But that fucker came at me hard.

By his reaction, you'd think I raped his sister or something, Goddess forbids.

Let me make one thing clear: I have never been inappropriate with any girl in my life. Yes, I messed around before but I never struggled to get girls, fortunately. And I certainly never disrespected any of them whatsoever.

And even if I were to start now, I would never do it to Sarah. Forget about her being the Beta's daughter (Alpha), I actually like her. I have since we're kids. She's going to be my mate. There's no way in hell I would actually disrespect my own mate.

That's not how the bond works. Werewolves worship their mates, don't assault them. I only said what I did to be cute. I was trying to be courteous, romantic even. So the reaction from that shitbag is completely and utterly unwarranted. Fuck him!

My only consolation trough all this happening is that by now the entire town must have heard about him assaulting me, including the Elders. My granddad, the former Alpha, will have a field day with this. He's on the Elder Council, of course. And he'll push for my ascension with much more vigor.

When I got back from the bathroom, I entered our room wrapped in a towel and Tony gasped at the sight. Though he knew of the fight, he hadn't seen its effects on my body.

"Oh my Goddess! Does it hurt bad?" - He stared at my bruised naked torso in awe.

"It's better now, but yes. I only hope I left him just as bad as he did me." - I replied in a spiteful tone. Tony still stared at my bruises for a minute while I remove the towel to get dressed. I was already in underwear beneath it.

Later that evening, we're all gathered around the dinner table to eat. But there's only one topic on everybody's minds.

"Do you think the Elders already know about it?" - I asked uncle Gus before I took a bite of my steak.

"Of course! I called your grandfather as soon as we got home. He will make sure they hear about it. But by now with the kids at your school, the entire town must have heard it." - He replied with a grin he could not hide.

"I don't think that aggression was over Sarah. I think the root cause is something else." - Aunt Lidia chimed in.

"Yeah, mom. You should have seen the way he spoke to Jack when we entered the school. He was all over his face over not having presenting himself to the Alpha. It wasn't until Jack revealed who he was that Tyler backed away from us." - Tony replied, fear coloring his tone. His parents were wide eyed as they heard it.

"That boy should never be Alpha. It has nothing to do with being a bully or exercising power or strength. An Alpha's wisdom is to know when and where to show off strength and when not to. Your father knew that. Even his dad knows that." - Uncle Gus spoke, sounding annoyed.

At the mention of my dad, my face changes. Nostalgia grips me strongly remembering his lessons. He sought to teach me about being an Alpha since I could talk. It's a life long learning process. Noticing my absentminded self, my uncle rested a hand on my shoulder.

"You'll make an excellent Alpha. Just like your dad was, I'm sure." - He said, looking intensely at me.

"Thank you, uncle. I do appreciate your support." - I glance him with deep affection.

Despite the pain I'm feeling still, I actually had a good night of sleep. And by the time I woke up I was feeling much better. Even Tony realized it when he saw me in the morning that the bruising had subsided.

When we got to school, I was overwhelmed in love by everyone, from the students to the teachers, even the lady who serves our food at the cafeteria. Everyone asked how I was and told me I was a victim to a heinous attack. A completely unprovoked one.

Honestly, I didn't expect people to care about me this much this soon. But I guess the name Stonehold does carry a lot of water in a 200 years pack. Also, they're right. It was an unprovoked attack. Be that as it may, I still needed to make nice to the real victim in all of this, my future mate.

"Is he okay?" - I asked Sarah as I approached her table during lunch break. My tone was as respectful as I could sound.

"Physically, yes. He is. But I think it hurt him emotionally more than anything. My dad was real hard on him yesterday. And I think it stung more than he lead on." - She replied with the raw honesty I find so comforting, despite being scary.

"I wanna apologize to you if I made you feel inadequate in any way. That wasn't my intention. Or to disrespect you in any way, I hope you know that." - I said as I looked at her with pure affection in my eyes.

"There's nothing to apologize for. You didn't make me feel anything apart from maybe a bit embarrassed. But that's hardly cause for the reaction elicited by my brother. I get that he's protective of me. But in this case, there's no need. You didn't say anything offensive whatsoever." - She reassured me in a calm tone. She still blushed at the memory of my words.

"Well, I hope you know that I wish him well. And I don't blame him for anything. I mean, I would be protective of my sister too if she was still alive." - I spoke and watched as the faces of everyone in the table twisted in a guilty sorrow. Sarah looked at me with a saddened gaze.

"I'm sure she'd appreciate it. But you wouldn't need to beat anyone up over it. Us girls can take care of ourselves." - She replied. She knew there's nothing else she could say about Lilly, so she talked naturally and in doing so gave me the best answer anyone could've given me at this point.

"Of course, you can. Girls rule." - I replied with a soft grin. Then, I took my leave and went back to the table where Tony sat. As I walked away, I could hear the faint whispers of her girl friends talking about me to her and smiled.

Of course, I do blame him. It's not like he cursed at me. This were some serious injuries. But there's no point in kicking someone who's already down. Tyler had the momentum going for him as he was training with his dad for the ascension, no doubt. And his dad was campaigning for him to succeed for the last few years, I'm sure.

But no Elder is going to thrust in a loose canon for Alpha. The reason why our pack prospered and so our dynasty is because of the stability our name brought to the table. Everyone knew who we were and where they stand with us. And in this business, reputation is everything.

And that's something my dad always told me: we're only as good as our last deed.

I returned to lunch with Tony but still received the occasional visit from a student wanting to talk to me, be my friend. I welcomed them all. I may not be a political animal, but I was born to be Alpha.

The rest of the week at school went like a breeze. More and more students acknowledged my  right as the next Alpha, even bowing their heads to me. Though I would never ask them to, I loved the gesture I'm not gonna lie. It made me feel closer to my dad in a way.

Tony also got his bearings at school. He is more of a chill dude who avoided conflicts as much as possible, but his dad also trained him with warriors just like me. You have to if you wanna be Beta of the pack, even though I would probably have to make that turd my Beta. Still.

Plus, uncle Gus is a warrior so there's no way he's not gonna train his only son to follow in his footsteps at the very least. There's wisdom in knowing how to fight and choosing not to. And I admired that in him. It's funny how Tony and I have completely different personalities but we got along so well. I guess he's kinda like the yin to my yang or whatever. And I love the guy, truly.

I made the most of my turd free week and approached Sarah with caution. Since Tyler wasn't here to get in the way, I talked to her a little everyday. Just small talk, nothing major. I'm gearing up to ask her on a date soon. So Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we talked a little and she smiled at me every time. Her smile was the brightest light that shone trough my day and I enjoyed every second of it.

I also took the opportunity to sign up for the school wrestling team. I knew that was Tyler's pride and joy and there's no way I'm letting that kid shine in anything ever again. Sorry, bud. It's my time now. You could have tried to be my friend and we would be at least civil to each other. Now, the gloves are off. Completely.

"Are you feeling better, Jack? Did the healing cleared all the bruises?" - Aunt Lidia asked during Thursday night dinner. We're all at the house having a quiet evening like most school days.

"Yes, auntie. I had Tony look earlier and it's all cleared now, thankfully. Even my back doesn't hurt any more. Thank Goddess." - I replied, feeling relieved.

"It's like it never happened." - Tony said in an amusing tone.

"But it did. And I'll never forget about it." - I glared at him in a menacing tone. I didn't mean to threaten Tony, of course, but that turd will feel my wrath. That's a promise.

"You're not gonna expel him from the pack once you ascend, are you?" - Tony asked, taking a big inhale of air. His mom and dad got wide eyed at this.

"How am I supposed to expel the Beta of the pack? No, I would never do that. Plus, if I did my Luna would never forgive me." - I replied with a soft grin, just at the mere reference of Sarah.

Tony, Lidia and Gus smiled at my words. I could never expel him from the pack. I can't act retroactively to punish someone later for something he did while I wasn't Alpha, especially as a minor. It doesn't work that way. And even so, I could never expel Sarah's only brother.

"Do you really think she's gonna be your mate?" - Aunt Lidia asked me, grinning.

"I certainly hope so. That's who I want to be my Luna." - I replied, sincerely.

"Not for the lack of options for sure. The entire school female population stopped by our table at lunch to check up on him, especially after the fight. It's almost nauseating the stench of pheromones they emitted towards him." - Tony remarked with an annoyed tone. I could feel a sting of jealousy from him but I'm not gonna comment on that.

My uncle smiled at this. So did I.

"They're just being nice as I was hurt, it's no big deal." - I downplayed it. He's not kidding about the pheromones though. Sometimes I wished werewolves couldn't scent sexual desire. It's not a good scent to smell while you're eating. Though I can't be a hypocrite and say I never sensed it from Sarah and that always made my day. So, you know, small blessings.

"No one is that nice to me." - Tony rebuked in a joking manner.

"Don't worry, son. You'll get your mate just like the rest of us. Give it time." - His dad interjected, smiling at him, who sighed in return.

I loved family time with them. It's not like what I had with my family, nothing could ever compare to that obviously. But they're the ones who made me feel normal again. They gave me a family when I so desperately needed one. Tony gave me silent hugs when all I did was cry. Lidia gave me her comforting lap when I missed my mom the most. And Gus gave me a father, even when I completely rejected any sort of attachment.

Friday morning, we enter the school and I see Sarah talking to her friends like usual. Tony's right beside me as always. I shot her a cordial smile in passing. Later the day, I take advantage of a quick break between classes to talk to her alone.

"Hi, gorgeous." - I greeted her, who smiled.

"Hi, Jack." - She replied, blushing.

"Is it everything on track for tonight?" - I asked her about the dinner her dad invited us.

"Yes, it is. We're expecting you all at 7 p.m." - She informed in a calm tone.

"Great. Can't wait to have dinner with you." - I flirted, shamelessly.

"With my family. It's not just me, you know?" - She said and cleared her throat.

"I know, but a guy can dream... Speaking of which, would it be weird if I ask you out on a date?" - I take my shot while I can. She gasped at my question and her eyes fluttered open and shut for a second. It's adorable.

"Why would it be weird? Because of all the Alpha groupies I've seen at your table?" - She snickered, taking a dig at my 'popularity'. I smile awkwardly and gasped at her sincerity.

"No, I don't have groupies. I'm not a rock star. They're just checking up on me. But no, I mean weird because of--"

"I know what you meant. I'm just messing with you. No, it wouldn't. You can ask me." - She interrupted me, not letting me bring up the incident with her brother.

"So, Sarah Burke, can I take you out on a date?" - I asked her, not missing a beat.

"If you survive dinner tonight with my parents, who knows, I'll go on a date with you." - She smirked, making me giddy at her adorable smile.

"Great. See you tonight then." - I spoke as I took my leave. My smile was so wide even my wisdom teeth were showing.

"See you at 7." - She replied, grinning at me widely.

Honestly, as soon as the Council announce my ascension and she's revealed to be my mate I'm set for life. I don't even care about her stupid brother being my Beta. Yes, of course I'd prefer Tony. But with her by my side, I'm good to go.