4

LUCIAN

Morning had come faster than I anticipated. It was either that or the fact that I spent the night awake, thinking about several things.

Being an alpha-in-training was the most coveted position in the pack, and as the eldest twin, it was up to me to live up to the role since I was next in line to lead.

Sometimes, it felt like a burden I would prefer to pass onto someone else so I could stay in the shadows, living life on my own terms.

But that was just wishful thinking. I had been training for this position since I was young, and it was almost time for me to take charge.

The only way the position would be passed on was if I died or if there were wolves who wanted to contest my credibility. These options were very unlikely, so I knew I had to prepare myself for the role.

From the private meetings I occasionally attended, I knew it wasn’t going to be a walk in the park.

There were so many people who looked up to me, and I couldn’t afford to fail. That both excited and terrified me in more ways than I’d like to admit.

Despite everything running through my mind, I couldn’t wait to show the council that I had learned everything they taught me and that I was ready to serve the pack and protect everyone.

What I detested about being the lead was the mating process. I could be paired with anyone, and of all the options I had to choose from, fate picked Ella Harper.

“The worst option ever,” I muttered, scowling as I ate my breakfast.

Kade had already left for school. He liked being early, but I had woken up late and didn’t feel like going anywhere. Still, I knew our mom wouldn’t let me stay home without badgering me and fussing if I claimed to be sick.

I’d go anyway, just a little late. I had a lot to think about. First, when I became the lead alpha, I would have to make plans to protect everyone. I needed to anticipate facing some resistance.

Right now, it didn’t seem like anyone had objections to my claim, but I didn’t want to be caught off guard. The only people I trusted with my life were my family, especially Kade.

Our pack consisted of the Blackthorns, the Harpers, and some lone wolves who needed a pack so they wouldn’t fall victim to circumstances. We accepted them into the fold, but we always monitored their activities.

They made the pack stronger with their abilities, but somewhere in our minds, we regarded them as potential threats, despite them being betas and omegas.

We had been warned of a potential threat before moving to this town, but so far, we had seen nothing that posed any external danger. So, we relaxed a little, integrated with the locals, and tried to keep our activities during the full moon a well-kept secret.

We had a strict rule about attacking the locals. It had been drilled into our heads since birth. The animals were fair game during our hunting season, but humans were off-limits.

Even when we were targeted, we were trained not to retaliate. Instead, we hid until it was safe enough to return to the pack for healing.

A lot of werewolves hated this rule because we had lost wolves who could have defended themselves but didn’t.

Most of the time, they were found dead in their wolf forms, curled up in hiding places because their wounds were too fatal, and they couldn’t make it back in time. This left most of the pack feeling disadvantaged, but we upheld the rule.

We knew that attacking humans would start a vicious cycle that would only harm our kind. Once the police started investigating the wounds our fangs would inflict, everything would go south, and we’d be forced to find another place to live.

Over time, we had upheld this rule. But once in a while, the wolves who patrolled with me found dead bodies with claw-inflicted wounds. We knew none of our pack had orchestrated the attacks, which made things more complicated.

It meant that someone else was behind it. It had to be someone outside the pack who didn’t know our rule. But when we searched for the culprit, we found no one.

However, we did a good job of cleaning up the wounds and leaving the bodies by the river so someone would find them and call the cops.

The verdict always concluded that the victims had probably been hunting on the other side of the water and were attacked by wild animals. No one was curious enough to dig deeper, and for that, we were grateful.

I swore the patrol team to secrecy about the matter, at least until we found out who was behind it.

This, along with other seemingly minor concerns plaguing the pack, kept me up at night and grumpy during the day.

“Kade! Lucian! If you don’t leave now, you’re going to be late!” My mom’s shrill voice rang from the kitchen, making me wince.

“Kade’s already left. I’m the only one here,” I replied, focusing on my breakfast and forcing myself to finish it.

“Lucian? Honey, you have ten minutes to make it to school. Are you sure you don’t want to leave right away?”

“I can make it in five minutes if I run through the woods,” I muttered, hoping she didn’t hear me, but I knew better than that.

My mother’s ears were too sharp. The only time she would miss something was if she wasn’t paying attention at all.

“You know you can’t shift or run through the woods faster than usual. You’ll draw attention to yourself,” she said as her voice got closer. She popped her head through the doorway. “Honey, are you okay?”

I rolled my eyes, stuffing my mouth with a forkful of scrambled eggs before turning to her and nodding. That question was my cue to leave.

If I stayed a minute longer, the fussing would begin, and I’d rather be in school struggling to stay awake through boring classes than here being doted on.

I got up, chewed my food, grabbed my bag, and downed the glass of milk left on the table.

“I already draw attention without trying. What difference does it make?” I said in a playful tone.

She chuckled. “You know what I mean.”

She took a few steps toward me. I knew what was coming next, so I leaned in to hug her as she spread her arms wide.

“I know, Mom,” I murmured, inhaling the scent of her perfume. “I’ll be careful. I always am.”

She pulled away, stared at me fondly for a moment, ruffled my hair, and walked away. “Watch over your brother,” she muttered as her silhouette faded into the distance.

I glanced around to make sure I wasn’t forgetting anything I might need, then left the house.