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Chapter 15

Vince's POV

I remember the first time I met David, Michael's mate. I had just turned thirteen, Michael had been nineteen. David was turning sixteen, the age where a mate's scent can be discovered. Michael had known David was his mate for three years, but like most mates, the bond would only be at its strongest when both were of age. As much as I hated to admit it, David was an all-around good guy. He had gone straight to work after schooling to help take care of orphaned pups or the elder wolves within the pack, often assisting our mother and the other she-wolves in making sure they were well taken care of.

Michael had introduced us to him over dinner one night. At that point, I had only seen David in passing or seeing him briefly chat with mother over one of the elderly wolves they were assigned. He was polite, charming, and honestly a good match to my often rash and stubborn brother. Michael had told our father, Damon, that he was a friend, a close one that had the qualifications for being a great beta or bodyguard for our family. He was highly intelligent, placed top of his class, did a plethora of volunteer work, and had experience with working with other packs through internships and outside jobs he had with the humans.

And classic David, he brushed the compliments off, blushing and downplaying the qualifications he obviously had.

However, the look on fathers face during dinner seemed to suggest that Michael had more to say than suggest a job offer. There was a moment of silence before Michael sighed, and grasped David's hand. When Michael had dropped the news that David was, in fact, his mate and not just a friend, our father made a face we had never seen directed at any of us.

It was the first time I saw disappointment on our father's face. At thirteen, I didn't see anything wrong with David being his mate, but I hadn't known the gravity of what that meant, especially for our family. And as his disappointment turned to rage, our confusion had quickly turned to fear. Xavier, who was only seven had burst out crying, hiding behind mother as waves of unprecedented anger seemed to wash over our father. I could only watch in complete stillness as the events played out so quickly.

Michael had grabbed David's hand and had stepped away from the long dining table, Michael shielding David away from Damon. David, despite being taller than my brother, seemed to cower in terror as father stalked over to them.

Michael held out his hands, as father quickly approached them, pleading, "please, father. Don't–things can be different."

"Like hell!" he shouted before lowering his voice, "I will not have this happen again."

"Dad–"

"Get out!" He used his alpha voice, something he's never had to use on any of us before, which had scared all of us shitless, including our mother who had started tearing up as well, still clutching little Xavier to her chest.

That night, Michael and David were nowhere to be seen, and father had tucked Xavier and me to bed. He had calmed down significantly, but I could tell Xavier was still apprehensive as he squeezed my hand tightly next to me. He didn't always like sharing the bed with me, but he happened to stay in my bed for almost a week after that incident.

After our father said his good nights, he turned to me, mind-linking me. When you turn sixteen, you find your mate, and she'll be perfect. Michael may have fucked this up, but when you find your she-wolf, you'll become our pack's alpha. And if I find out your mate is a fucking male, I will, son and all..."

He leaned closer, whispering in my ear, "make your life a living hell."

I could do nothing but nod as he slowly walked out, his threat leaving an uncomfortable silence that left me sleepless for months.

I hadn't seen Michael or David for a few months after that, and when I did, it was like they had become an average pack member. They didn't interact hardly ever, and when they did, they seemed to dance around each other, barely touching. A part of me felt sorry for Michael. If only David had been a she-wolf, maybe things would've turned out far different.

And when Simon had told me we were mates, I had been scared shitless. I had almost forgotten his threat, and despite father being dead, I still feared what a male mate meant. He was probably rolling in his grave, wishing to tear me a new one. I was honestly surprised I hadn't seen his ghost trying to haunt me yet. So excuse me if I was angry that everyone seemed to feel sorry for Simon when really they should worry about the repercussions male mates, especially as an alpha, would have on the pack.

Now that I had to face my older brother Michael again, it left a bad taste in my mouth. I had kicked him and David out for a reason when I assumed father's role as alpha and hated that we agreed to meet face to face at the RCPP.

Our father, Damon established the Rogue Control and Protection Project roughly twelve years ago. According to him, our mother Marie had been the one to push for a more friendly border and allow their access to pack land if they needed medical assistance or seek asylum from other packs or rogues.

For the most part, our father seemed to revere the RCPP he had started up. Hundreds of rogues had been helped within the first few months, and it had seemed to make the overall safety and atmosphere of the surrounding territories friendlier and safer for both pack members and rogues. But shortly after, the program was failing. Rogues would flock to our pack seeking "medical attention" only to use the facility as a resting spot, a place to get fed and obtain free supplies to the point that the safety for pack members was quickly diminishing. Pups were rushed indoors, the elderly weren't allowed outside for more than a few hours, buddy systems were quickly being put in place.

When father died, I wanted to scrap the program completely, but I kept it for our mothers sake. I had completely overhauled the policies, making it harder for people to take advantage of it. Rogues were limited to medical emergencies only and would be granted three months for any follow-up. After that, they could only seek medical help from us after a year had passed, and if they wanted to become a pack member, it would take an eight-ten year process. Any rogues seeking medical attention were to obtain tracking devices so we could track their movements and ensure that they didn't overuse the RCPP.

The RCPP was a dilapidated building that hadn't really gone undergone any major changes since my father had built it. Of course, the medial supplies and tools were all top-notch stuff, as it had the same things as the main pack hospital had. We could house both rogues in human and wolf form, but this building was not nearly as expansive and comforting as the main clinic.

Walking up to it now, I wished I hadn't agreed to meeting with Michael at all. We were always at odds with each other, even before he had introduced us to David. He was a know-it-all, haughty at times, and relished in the fact that he was destined to be alpha being the first-born son. To him, I was always the second-best, too innocent and naive to be an alpha. But look how the mighty have fallen, and a part of me was excited to see him just to rub it in his face that I had become dad's favorite.

"Room four on the left," Xavier read from his phone. "There are three RC betas with him right now. Chase said he'll have some more on standby in case anything happens."

"He's dumber than I thought if he tries to pull anything." I opened the door to see a few of the RC betas stationed here greet me. Among them was Lucas's brother Craig, Bryce, and a couple of hunters. As I turned towards the room, Lucas caught up with us, along with my cousin Dwaine and Brady, betas that are stationed at the packhouse. It was probably overkill bringing all the top betas here, but I didn't want to underestimate him. There was no chance that I would trust him, especially with how "urgent" he was making this out to be.

I hesitated opening the door, but I knew that whatever he wanted to say to me or Xavier, we needed to take it with a grain of salt.