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Book Seven: The Rival Alpha

Chapter 2

"Ow!" Mercedes groaned, moving her head away from the brush happy woman behind her.

Two older women stared at her for a moment. They were helping her get ready, and as they were friends with her mother, they always showed her some kind of love when they could.

"Well, if you would hold still, it wouldn't hurt!" Sylvia snapped. She was older than her sister Ruby; both had thick grey hair, which they kept in tight buns, and smooth cocoa skin. Ruby donned red glasses, while Sylvia wore black.

"Who knew your hair was this long?" Rose said, taking down Mercedes's braids.

"How much longer? I don't understand why Zeke wants me to be dressed up like this?"

Both women looked at each other before resuming their jobs.

Mercedes saw the exchange and shifted in her seat. "Do you know?" She asked worriedly.

"Child, will you hold still and stop asking so many questions." Sylvia stated.

Ruby hesitated. "He just asked that we make you presentable. Now you have three options. Bree pulled out these dreadful ones, so Sylvia and I decided to switch it up."

Mercedes looked over at the choices; she hadn't really ever dressed up as she didn't really go to events like this. Zeke kept her in the background. He liked to say that she was an embarrassment and if she knew what was good for her, she would stay hidden.

She saw a simple black dress and pointed. "That one is fine." She said, nibbling on her bottom lip.

The women shared another look. "Are you sure? This red one would be stunning on you." Ruby asked, and Sylvia nodded in agreement.

"I concur." Sylvie said, and Mercedes shifted.

She looked at the red dress, and it was indeed beautiful. A long satin gown with high thigh slits on both sides and a pair of elbow-length gloves were attached to complete the gown. She yearned to wear something as beautiful as that but know better than actually to do it. She knew Bree's signature color was red, and Zeke always complimented her by wearing a red tie.

She knew better, "I'm certain the black one is best." She answered, and Ruby sighed, handing her the black dress.

Mercedes started to walk away to get changed before Sylvia stopped her, grabbing her hands tightly. "One day, child, you're gonna have to embrace just how powerful you really are; you can't stay in his shadows forever."

"Never forget it was your mother that was the strong one; she led the pack as the strongest Luna to date." Ruby chimed in.

"Is she ready yet? The Elders are approaching!" Bree shouted into the room.

Mercedes looked at the two women with burning eyes before pulling away. "I have to get dressed, I can't be late."

Ten minutes later, Mercedes was guided out of the room by the two older women. Zeke and Bree looked at her both in shock; Mercedes tugged on her dress before looking up and seeing their expressions. Her normally French braided locks were combed out and put in a high curly ponytail; two spiral tendrils framed her face.

She wore little makeup, and her skin somehow still glowed underneath the low lighting. Her lips, dressed in a muted pink color, drew attention to her perfectly bow lips, and there was a small hint of pink blush accentuating her high cheekbones.

She watched as their eyes fell to her feet, which were in a pair of strappy heels, much to her dismay. The bodice had satin boning against a semi-sheer framing, showing far more skin, even covered than she anticipated. The long satin sleeves ruched her wrist, and the sweetheart neckline gave the illusion of being tamed yet unattainable.

Bree's eyes said it all as they were filled with jealousy. "What happened to the dresses I picked for her! This is all wrong."

Zeke shook his head, not that he would ever say it to her, but she actually looked perfect for what he needed her to do. "Bree, while I am sure the dresses you picked out were nice, this will do, besides she doesn't have time to change."

"But- But." Bree sputtered, but Zeke pulled her forward.

"That's enough, Bree. Mercedes, you will follow behind us. Do not speak unless directly spoken too."

"Yes Alpha," Mercedes said, taking pleasure in how unhappy Bree was.

Sam tugged at the collar of his shirt, secretly scolding Jake for forcing him to wear a button-up shirt knowing he'd have to button it up completely to hide his tattoo. He wasn't big on breaking rules, but the Elders frowned upon body art that was non-traditional, and many of his tattoos were just that. He scanned the room, seeing almost every pack leader was in attendance so far except Zeke.

Rolling his eyes at the thought of having to pretend that he actually liked that asshole made his blood boil. Right as he began to move from his spot to greet the Elders, a cool burst of air rushed over his body, stilling him in place. He felt his lungs fill with sweetened air before slowly deflating; searching around he couldn't tell where it was coming from.

"Hey man, you good? You were scowling." Jake asked, patting him on the shoulder.

Sam looked at his Beta. "Did… Do you feel that?"

"I mean, it is a little stuffy in here, but that's normal for Black Blood's pack house to feel this way. They hate the cold, bro."

Shaking his head, he looked around before the feeling hit him again. "It's not hot; it's cool, almost chilly."

Jake looked at him for a long beat. "Dude, we can't get out of this gathering, so if you're trying to fake being sick, don't. Come on; we need to greet Mathis."

Sam grunted; he absolutely loathed Mathis Stronghold. He was the head Elder and the oldest, which meant his family's lineage was the longest and, in Sam's opinion the most annoying. He had the strong belief that every pack should remain pure, meaning no intermixing with humans and that's where Sam and he butted heads.

Sam's mother was the first Luna that wasn't pure. She was of human mother and wolf father. She wasn't accepted by the Elders at first; in fact, Mathis took it upon himself to make it very clear that she was not fit to lead as their Luna. He couldn't help the chuckle that escaped when he thought how Mathis ate crow after his mother proved she could indeed rule beside his father as Luna.

She, much like Ariel Jones, was one of the fiercest Lunas, and at one point, their packs were joined. That is until that fateful night when everything changed, and Zeke became Alpha and ruined their union. It wrecked his mother when she was banned from Ariel and Magus' dedication, Sam only half understood where Zeke was coming from because his parents had been there the night everything happened; they were the only ones still alive. Zeke blamed Sam's parents for his parent's death. Well his parents and his sister.

Sam clenched his fist as he approached the older gentleman. "Mathis." He said and the older man scowled.

"I see they're still allowing your kind here."

Jake tapped Sam's shoulder reminding him that he was not to respond negatively.

"Seems so." Sam said through gritted teeth. "I heard you were thinking of extending more land to the packs. Is this to cover more ground because of the rogues?"

Mathis looked at Sam, surprised for a moment. "Well look who was actually paying attention, yes. The Rogues are gaining ground, we need to come together. I wouldn't expect a Mutt like you to get that."

"You are aware my mother is the reason why so many other packs are able to expand, right?"

Mathis snarled. "You're half breed mother was only able to accomplish that because her human mother inherited a great deal of that land. She didn't do anything extraordinary, just like you will never do anything worth remembering. You are a mate-less Alpha, the moon goddess does not acknowledge your tainted blood."

Jake, sensing Sam's anger rising, decided it was time to switch gears. "I heard your wife rejected your renewal, that must suck."

Mathis started to reply but Zeke appeared with his Luna. "I see Sam's still causing you problems, if you lift the no violence ordinance I can fix that." Zeke said playfully but everyone knew he was serious.

"And I see Zeke still doesn't know his place. You couldn't beat me when we were kids, what makes you think you can even touch me now." Sam smirked, knowing that would piss Zeke off, he was the only Alpha Zeke could never beat.

As Zeke and Sam stared each other down, Mercedes quickly rushed up, to stand behind Zeke, lowering her head as to not bring any attention to herself. It was at that moment, the chill hit Sam again. Stepping away from Zeke he looked around, confused as to what was happening.

"Elder Mathis, Sam's bravado aside, my Pack and I welcome you and the other Elders to our home. I do hope we can finish our conversation on increasing my land towards Willow's Creek."

Sam's attention snapped to Zeke. "Willow Creek is in my domain." He growled.

"It's neutral territory until you find a mate as stated in the bylaws. If you haven't found your mate yet Evans, it's not gonna happen. So naturally the land should go to an Alpha who can defend it."

Sam squared his shoulders. "Mate or no mate, I can defend that land and then some. You are the one that can't do anything without her beside you, it's like you learned nothing from your parents."

Mercedes snapped her head up at the mention of her parents. She'd heard all about their pack's rivalry with the Shadow Moon Pack but she'd never seen their Alpha. When she looked over her brother's shoulder the first thing she noticed was the tattoo on his throat. She couldn't make out what it was because his shirt was buttoned to the top but she could very much feel the intense urge to run her tongue along every detail. She shook her head, shifting on her feet remembering what he said about her parents, enraged her.

"How dare you fix your mouth to say anything against them! They were the only reason your pack even survived!" She thought but she was linked to the pack and knew by Zeke's expression he'd heard her.

Zeke's eyes widened, at her words. She'd spoken brashly about another Alpha even if he didn't hear it was still cause for punishment and she could tell that Zeke was angry, Mercedes never spoke out of turn, even in the link because she knew what was good for her. "Mercedes! Shut up!" Zeke hissed.

Mercedes stiffened, lowering her head again before wincing when she felt Bree's nails dig into her arm as warning.

"No one said anything, are you losing it?" Sam asked mockingly. "If this mythical Mercedes has something to say, then by all means let "her" speak."

Zeke fumed. "This is MY HOUSE! You will not make commands here regarding any of my pack members."

"Oh so Mercedes is real, then let's see what she has to say." He taunted, finding great pleasure in pissing Zeke off. Sam looked behind him trying to see who spoke but was only meant with the angry gaze of Zeke. He sighed. "Seems as though you still have imaginary friends."

Zeke yanked Mercedes forward as another Elder walked towards them as well as a few wolves. Sam looked at the woman thrown in front of him and felt the chill again, only this time it was stronger.

"Well, speak!" Bree snapped.

Mercedes shook her head as Zeke gripped her arm tightly, she had already screwed up, she was not about to do that again. "No Alpha." Mercedes said silently.

Pushing her backwards, Zeke smirked. "As you can see, we don't allow her to speak because my sister is better off out of the public's eye." Zeke said. "She knows her place, as everyone does in this house." He looked over to the Elder's. That is what I bring to the table. This kumbaya stuff Evans wants to do is great for a weak pack, but my pack understands to stay in their lane."

The Elders looked on, seemingly impressed at Zeke's control as Mercedes swallowed, daring to slowly lift her gaze to the Alpha of the Shadow Moon Pack, this would most likely be her only chance to see the man completely .

As her eyes caught his dress shoes, slacks and buttoned down, she figured that he was most likely like every Alpha around, ordinary with a God Complex.

She had never seen an Alpha in charge with tattoos like that as it was frowned on she found herself, absentmindedly licking her lips. As she let her eyes travel towards his lips which were shockingly bigger than she anticipated. As she caught eyes with the Shadow Moon's Alpha and her entire body began to buzz and tingle. Those green eyes bore into her as if he could see right through to her soul. She wanted to look away but something deep inside of her called to her.

It's him.

She felt dizzy, felt like she was drugged. She swallowed as she wiped her hands on her dress. There was no way, none that the Shadow Moon's Alpha was her mate. No way the moon goddess would be so cruel but then again that was the first time she'd spoken to her since her parents died

"Mercedes!" Bree snared, snapping her out of her thoughts. She stared at him once more before Bree pushed her away from them.

Sam was already ready to leave when Zeke was popping off at the mouth, it was Jake who basically calmed him down. It wasn't until Zeke pulled the female forward, did Sam freeze, that same cooling feeling he had felt came over him. The woman in front of him all but took his breath away. But the way his body reacted to hers, it was quite shameful. His eyes traveled her curves, the dress she wore left nothing to the imagination as his mind wondered if her body was as soft as it looked.

It was then he recalled the word sister. The woman before him was Zeke's sister? Sam had heard about Zeke's sister but had never officially seen or met her, just heard the rumors, about how Zeke blamed her for his parents death, how he punished her for it.

His eyes landed on the way Zeke grabbed her up and his primal instinct was to protect her, but what exactly would that look like? You never interfered with an Alpha disciplining his pack.

He looked away from her and managed to look back catching her in her eyes. Her beautiful brown eyes bore into his. His heart fluttered in a way it never had and he had to take a step back and force his eyes on anything but her.

Watching as her Luna shoved her made Sam growl inching forward, but Jake pulled him back.

"Sam! What are you doing?"

Sam snapped out of it, looking at Jake with a frown and then turned, watching the woman leave to grab the drinks. "Sorry, I don't know what came over me."

"Well you need to get it together, Elder Tinsley just arrived, which means they are all here." Jake reminded him.

"Good evening! I apologize for short notice on this gathering but we have grave concerns regarding the increasing number of rogues at the borders." Elder Vincent said he, like Mathis, came from an old family but unlike Mathis he was more open-minded.

"I have not experienced the rogues you speak of nor has my pack, how does this involve us?" Sebastian Smythe of the Greenridge Pack interrupted, earning a few warning looks from the other Elders.

The Greenridge wolves were… delicate. He was not lying about his pack not being exposed to the rogues, his land placement had a great deal to do with that. Greenridge was in the center of all of their territories and served as a hub for shopping, entertainment and escape for the surrounding packs. It was also a neutral zone, meaning there was absolutely no fighting, sparing or shifting done there. Sebastian ran his pack more like a country club and they were protected by other packs so when I came to needing them for a fight it was pointless.

"It involves all packs because these rogues are foreign to us, we do not know what their human forms are- which is why you were all required to show up dressed." Elder Vincent answered.

Sebastian stood, wagging his finger. "Again, I ask how that involves my pack? As you all know my wolves have very distinct markings that can't be duplicated."

That was another thing, Sebastian's family marked themselves and then in turn marked everyone in the pack from birth. They had bright red markings on their arms with a single silver stripe, it was done in the alpha's blood and very hard to recreate. So, he was right to question his need to be there.

"Sebastian, you are required to be here because you are an Alpha and you need to prepare yourself and your pack in case something happens." Elder Maxwell explained.

Maxwell was younger, in fact he was the youngest Elder. He assumed the role after his father died suddenly and unlike the other elders he skipped being alpha. That position was passed down to his younger brother Thaddeus "Tank" Dawson.

Maxwell and Tank were two large men with intimidating presences. Their deep voices and dark eyes made them almost too alluring to look at and no one dared to stare too long.

Mathis stood. "The rogues are a problem no matter where you are placed or your marking! They are a threat to all of us and it will take all of us to maintain them. A human was attacked and we can not risk the humans finding out about us." He spoke, shooting Sebastian a look daring him to speak again.

Sam's ears perked up when he mentioned the attack on a human. "What are we doing to ensure humans are safe?" He asked and everyone looked at him surprised he even spoke up.

"I understand your concern considering your… family's ties to the human kind but our main job is protecting our packs first." Mathis answered dismissively.

Sam's nostrils flared and he had to make himself calm down. "If we allow more humans to be attacked then the chances of our exposure increases. We need to set up a unit to patrol those areas so we can catch the rogues before they reach the humans."

"And I said-"

"The Shadow Moon Alpha is right." Elder Tinsely interjected. "We have to make sure the humans remain safe, another attack could send them into a frenzy. We will set up a special team to patrol and if it proves successful we may be able to contain it to just our territory."

"I will volunteer a few of my best for the first patrol." Sam said shooting Mathis a dark glare.

"As will I." Mike Chang of the Silver Moon Pack stated. "We have some of the best hunters.

"And we have the best fighters, they will be on patrol too." Santana Lopez, Alpha of the Red Dawn Pack.

Mathis grumbled, narrowing his eyes on Sam. "So I assume you'll be training these recruits, since you are so eager to get involved."

A sinful smirk crossed his lips. "Considering I'm the only one of us that is fit enough to do so,you'd be correct." Sam replied, his demeanor was calm but his tone was challenging.

"I'd be careful, mutt."

The other elders shared glances, feeling the tensions and knew better than to let this conversation continue. "I think it's noble that you're willing to defend the humans and we appreciate your willingness to train the recruits." Elder Cooter said.

Bree scooted closer to Zeke as the Elders spoke. "Volunteer our troops."

"What? Why would I do that? I will not have Evans training my wolves." Zeke snapped.

"Trust me baby." She whispered. "It will look bad if you don't and you know it."

Zeke stared at her. "Beautiful and brilliant."

"We are a team, I am your Luna for a reason."

Zeke stood clearing his throat. "It fills me with pride to know that the day I choose to host, we show such unity. I agree we need our troops trained so that when the rogues attack we are ready, however I shall be training my own troops. I will not be letting this mateless Alpha train them."

Mercedes jerked at her brother's words, she couldn't explain her reaction but she did not like him disrespecting the Shadow Moon Alpha.

"What is wrong with you?" Bree snipped. "Leave, before you further embarrass our pack and our Alpha."

Mercedes stared at her for a moment and Bree snarled. "Don't make me tell you again." She frowned standing and excused herself from the room quickly.

She muttered as she yanked her gloves off, she was tired of being pushed around and tired of having to deal with Bree.

She turned down another corridor not in a rush to get back to her chambers before stopping when she saw Alpha of the Red Dawn pack. Out of instinct she started to bow her head but was stopped when the Latina shook her head.

"We don't do that in my pack." She said and Mercedes could feel the authority coming off of her.

Shifting, she slowly lifted her head. "I'm sorry, I didn't think anyone else would be here."

Santana eyed her. "It felt like they were getting out the measuring sticks, and I never want to be a part of that." Santana said with a smirk. "We all know mine is bigger anyways."

A small smile crossed Mercedes' face as she tried to stifle her laugh. "Don't let them hear you say that… they might weep."

Santana stood taller. "You're Mercedes aren't you? The sister Zeke hides away?"

"H-how did you?"

Santana smirked. "You smell like your mom. She used to train me…why are you running away, shouldn't you be out there?"

"My… My mom? You knew my parents?" She asked.

Santana nodded. "I'm Santana Lopez, your mother came to the Red Dawn to train up the women soldiers who showed promise."

"I didn't know that, I don't really remember a lot about my parents… my brother doesn't talk about them around me anymore."

"Your brother is a character that's for sure and wrong for not telling you about your parents. I am certain your mom would want you to embrace the power the moon Goddess blessed you with."

Mercedes took a step back. "I shouldn't be talking about my bro- my Alpha this way. Did you need something?" She asked

Santana stared at her for a moment. "If you ever want to learn, to see what your mother did, come to The Red Dawn Territory and I will show you. But to answer your question I do no. I shall tell your Alpha the help you've given me." Santana said knowing better than to push.

Quickly, Mercedes shook her head. "No, please don't do that. Your kind words are enough."

Santana nodded. "There will always be a place for you at Red Dawn, should you need it." She quietly.

Mercedes felt tears burning but knew not to let them shed. "Such a gracious gesture, thank you."

Santana nodded, before walking away. Mercedes stood there for a moment taking several deep breaths and hoping like hell no one overheard them talking. She already knew she was going to be punished.

Until next time!