(Jed)

“Oh, shit,” I gasped. “Fuck these damn dogs. Shit.” I staggered to stop and took deep breaths. 

My lungs were on fire. I couldn’t keep this up, and they were gaining ground. I spotted a knoll and touched the gun sticking out of the back of my jeans. They were going to catch me—so fuck it—I was going to take a few more with me. I trudged up it and slid down the other side. Lying on my stomach, I scanned the horizon. The moon was bright tonight, so one thing was working in my favor. I removed the pistol and got into position. I might only have experience shooting BB guns and slingshots, but when it came to accuracy, I always won.

***

(Jax)

The car stopped, and Clark quickly opened the door. The backseat was very strange. It had two rows of seats that faced each other. Max followed and reached for me. Gathering me in his arms, he walked up the steps of the biggest building I had ever seen—in person, at least.

“Is this your house?” I whispered.

“Alpha mansion, rebuilt after the humans blew up the last one,” stated Clark. 

“You’ll be living here with my family,” said Max. “My parents live a couple of houses down, but we’ll be here with the alpha and my aunt.”

“Here,” I breathed. I scanned the outside. Even in the dark, the number of windows and shining lights was overwhelming. 

“Did you forget that you’re mating the successor to Midfield?” Clark glanced over his shoulder. “They’re not going to live in some rundown farmhouse.” 

I glared at his back. That was on purpose. My family’s house was just fine—perfect even, for us at least. The front door opened. A small werewolf lowered her head as we passed before closing the door. I spotted her motioning at someone in the corner. The human appeared startled, gathered the mop and bucket they were using, and hurried off through one of the numerous doors. 

“Wow,” I whispered when I saw the elaborate staircase that wrapped around a werewolf statue, which was standing with a man who looked to be wearing Native American clothing. The wall behind her was covered in photos. I swallowed hard. “Who’s that?”

Max stopped at the bottom of the staircase. “The first alpha. She traveled from Europe with what remained of her pack. They were taken in by a tribe. That’s her mate.” He motioned. “They fought together, humans and werewolves, against the Europeans, but in the end, the werewolves had to hide in the forest, while the humans of their pack were forced onto a reservation. The pack later reemerged and moved into the small town of Midfield. We slowly took it over, and today it’s known as Central.” He eyed me. “Did your parents forget to teach you pack history?”

I bowed my head. “We focused on reading.”

“Can you read?”

I glared at the floor. “Yes. I can read and write.”

“Good,” breathed Max. “Clark.”

The brown werewolf groans. “Yes?”

“History lessons.”

Clark scoffed. “Honestly, isn’t that mandatory?” He stomped up the stairs. “I’m busy enough.”

The two staircases came together above the statue. I lurched back at the giant portraits of the alpha. It had all three of Andreas’s forms. Similar, but much smaller, picture sets of other werewolves were positioned around them. I recognized Hector—the retired alpha. He was terrifying in pictures as well. 

Max continued to the next landing, which led to a hallway. Clark was ahead of us, muttering to himself. He opened the door and waved us through. At first glance, I wouldn’t have thought it was a bedroom by the size alone, but the giant bed made it clear this was Max’s room. It was as big as the whole main floor of my parents’ house.

He set me on the bed and wandered off while stretching his arms overhead. Max opened a door, and I peeked inside to what appeared to be a bathroom. 

I let out a sigh. This is more than all the fancy homes we had seen in movies and on TV.

Clark pressed on a panel on the wall. “The successor is home. Bring up food for him and his guest.”

“Guest,” I whispered. That was one way to describe it. 

The werewolf faced me.

I sucked in my lips. “What exactly are you to the successor?”

“His assistant.”

“Oh…” I looked away. “So you’ve known him for a while.”

“Since the academy. No one else wanted to be his roommate.” His tail flicked to the side. “It was the alpha’s poor attempt to keep his nephew humble. They should’ve let him have a private suite and spare the rest of us.”

Nodding, I picked at the blanket beneath me. “So, umm… I’m going to be his mate.” I took a deep breath. “What—what is he like?”

Clark let out a huff with a slight smirk. “Standard dominant with an alpha complex.”

I looked at him, confused. “He is an alpha, so why would he have a complex?”

He laughed. “You’ll find out.” Clark folded his arms and leaned against a desk. “What were the ranks of the werewolves who ran your little town?”

“Lower than you, I think,” I replied. “You’re taller.”

With an eye roll, he nodded. “Story of my life. I am a dominant, but it’s hard to look impressive next to him.” He waved his hand at the bathroom door. “Fucking size of a goddamn wall. Bastard just kept growing. Prepare for that. Pups that grow like weeds.”

I grew still at the mention of pups. I was going to have kids with the next alpha. My child could be an alpha. Holy shit—I’d never even thought I’d ever had kids. My mind was swirling at the thought. There was a light tap on the door.

“Enter,” stated Clark.

A human in a black uniform pushed a cart into the room and placed it near the bed before quickly leaving. 

“Humans work here?”

Shaking his head, Clark grinned at me. “Of course. If they can work on farms, why can’t they scrub toilets?”

I glared at him. “Humans are still living creatures. You talk about us like we’re cattle.”

Clark appeared amused. “So the red hair isn’t just for show.” He stood up straight. “They’re ranked below the lowest werewolves, and yet they think they’re better than the alpha. That’s my problem. Lower-ranked werewolves would be honored to work for the alpha. Humans see it as an insult. So, yes, I take it upon myself to remind them of their place so they don’t start going down a road of delusion and forget where they stand in the pack.” He motioned to me. “Instincts will help. You have that to look forward to.”

I glared at him in disgust. “If I call you an asshole, would something happen?”

Smiling, Clark nodded. “Probably nothing. Better not call Max an asshole, though. He does control what happens to your family. Whether or not you get to see them.” He sighed. “You might be interesting to have around. You can liven this place up. It’ll be fun to watch Max handle a mate.” 

The door opened, and I was startled when a tall human walked out, drying his shaggy, curly black hair. He was very muscular and broad. I didn’t know what to make of it. He was clearly not human.

“What were you telling him, Clark?” Max had small bits of red hair showing through from underneath. 

“Reminding him of his place as an omega.”

“Sub,” said Max firmly as he checked out the food cart.

“Omega in rank, sub in title,” breathed Clark. “I’m going to leave, so I will see you tomorrow. The announcement should be on the morning news.”

“Great,” muttered Max. “More damn drama.”

Clark’s eyes flicked to me. “So mating… now, later?”

“None of your business.” He gave him a closed-mouth smile. “You can go.”

Clicking his tongue, Clark moved toward the door. “Happily. Goodnight. Remember to mate with him before he keels over.”

Max shook his head when the door closed. “Hungry?”

I nodded.

He moved the cart over and sat by my feet. “Take what you want. You can eat by yourself, right?”

I nodded and lifted myself up. Grabbing an orange, I started peeling it. 

“What did Clark tell you?”

“You went to an academy or something. I ask how you met.”

“Midfield Academy, our pups will go to school there.”

“School,” I whispered. “I’ve heard the name. On the news.”

“It’s the top school in the pack.”

“Oh…” I ate a section. I was hungry, but I also felt off. “Umm… about my parents.”

“The alpha said they could have any house they wanted. They’ll be taken care of.”

“Can I see them?” I peeked at him.

Max shrugged. “Not for a bit. We need to let things settle. The press will be circling for a while.” He opened a bottle and glanced at me. “Don’t drink any of this kind.” He showed me. “It’s too strong for you. You’ll die of alcohol poisoning.”

I nodded. “I’ve never had alcohol.”

He gave me a weird look. “Aren’t you—” He looked around. “I was sure it said twenty-something.”

“Twenty-three,” I said. “I’m twenty-three, but my mother wasn’t going to give me something that could cause more damage.”

“Oh, good idea.” Max took a drink. “Let’s get some sleep. It’s been a day.” He let out a huff. “I never expected to get engaged today.” He put a bottle of water and some snacks on the nightstand next to me before wheeling the cart into the hallway. 

He tossed the towel around his waist next to the wall and turned off the light. The view was a lot. Too much for the growing headache I was already experiencing. My eyes snapped to my lap. 

Max climbed under the covers on the other side of the bed. “Oh, do you need help?”

I wanted to say no, but I honestly couldn’t do it myself. “Sorry. Could…?”

I froze when he scooped me up, tossed the covers to the side, and placed me under them. He yanked off my shirt, shoes, and jeans. I grabbed the top of my underwear before he took those off.

“Humans,” he chuckled. “So modest.” Max threw the covers over me. “I like it cold.” He put a sheet over himself. 

Letting out a deep breath, I closed my eyes. I didn’t think I was getting engaged today either. I was pretty certain I was going to be executed, but now I was lying in bed next to the future alpha.