Chapter 109: Midnight Wolf Chapter 29

JASPERS POV I woke up to the best sight. Violet was lying next to me, her expression completely peaceful, her black hair spread over the pillow. I took a few precious moments to just look at her; I was one lucky guy. I stroked her cheek gently, silently laughing when her nose scrunched a bit. f**k, she was beautiful. I continued carressing her face, until her eyes fluttered open.

“Morning.” I said softly.

“Morning. What are you doing?”

“Just admiring the view.”

The cheek under my fingers turned pink.

“You’re corny.” She mumbled.

“I know.”

Suddenly, her eyes widened. “What time is it?”

I checked my phone. “Ten.”

“s**t! We have to go to the packhouse!”

I nodded, but my stomach tightened. I would be more than happy to spend the day in bed with her. Nonetheless, I rolled out of bed, going to the dresser. I tossed Violet a shirt, then grabbed clothes for myself.

“We can shift, and get dressed later.” I said mechanically.

“Okay.”

If she noticed the difference in my tone, she didn’t comment. Together, we left the cabin, holding our clothes. I shifted first, Vie following my lead. Hala and Ehno jumped at each other, sniffing and licking. Quickly reigning him in, much to his disappointment, we set off for the packhouse. Even though everything in me wanted to turn around and run the opposite direction.

“Why are you so nervous now? We knew this was coming.” Ehno commented.

“I know. I guess… It felt a little surreal, the idea of meeting my real Dad. Now it’s going to happen, and I don’t know what to expect.”

“Our Alpha might be wrong. He might not be our Father.”

“Yeah. Maybe.”

Deep down though, I knew I was about to meet my real Dad. I would know immediatly, and so would he; There was no need for a DNA test, wolves could sense their kin, even if they’d never met them before. Hala bumped into me, whining quietly. Was my distress that noticable right now?

I picked up the scents of the packhouse after a while, slowing down. This place was becoming more familiar to me. I dropped the clothes I’d brought from my mouth and shifted back. Once I was dressed, a now human Violet came to stand in front of me. She put her hand on my cheek, studying my face.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m good. Just nervous.” I said quickly.

“I’m here with you, you know. No matter what happens.”

I covered her hand with my own. “I know. Thanks.”

She gave me a quick smile, reaching up on her toes to k**s me.

“Come on. He should be here soon.”

I let her pull me out of the shadows of the forest, and I suddenly felt too exposed. Vie chatted as we walked, an obvious attempt to distract me. For once, it didn’t work. I felt too hot, and a little dizzy too. When we entered the house, I almost passed out in relief that nobody was there to greet us.

“I need to change.” Violet said, her hand slipping out of mine.

“I’ll wait here.”

As soon as she was gone, I regretted not going with her. The last thing I wanted, or needed, was to have this Alpha Warrick come in and see me standing alone in the corner. My mind was busy, playing out every which way this meeting could possibly go.

“Jasper.”

I jumped at voice that was so close. Mom and Dad were standing a foot away, looking at me with unreadable expressions. Only their eyes betrayed how worried they really were.

“Hey.”

“Are we late?” Dad asked.

“Huh? Oh, no. I’m just waiting for Vie to change.”

“Ah.”

We stood awkwardly, nodding to the various maids who passed us by. Mom was tapping her foot and biting her nails, while Dad stood stone-faced, giving nothing away. I imagined this was harder for him than anyone else; After all, he was the one I’d called Dad since I was six. Even if this went well, he would always be my father, the man who raised me.

Violet walked back to us then, wearing a black t-shirt and jeans. She took my hand, leading me down the hall towards the kitchens. Mom and Dad followed closely.

“Dad says we’re meeting in the common area. I should warn you, Alpha Warrick is already there.”

She glanced up at me, and I had no idea what expression was on my face. All I could do was focus breathing normally.

“Jasper, it’ll be okay.” She squeezed my hand lightly.

“We’re all here for you.” Mom said behind me.

They kept trying to reassure me, but I couldn’t focus. We’d stopped in front of a double door, and I scented him. And I knew. On the other side of this door, was my Father. The man who sired me, and then couldn’t bother to make sure I lived or not. The man who abandoned my Mom and me. My hands starting shaking as a wave of anger englufed me. Why did I want to meet him? No, I couldn’t, I couldn’t do this.

Before I had the chance to walk away though, the door on the left opened, revealing a smiling Luna Lily.

“Jasper. Violet. Mr. and Mrs. Cole. Please, come in.” She stood aside, gesturing for us to enter. Mom put her hand on my back, giving me a little nudge.

“Thank you Luna.”

“Just Lily, as always Linda.”

They stopped to talk for a minute, while my feet unwillingly moved forward. The room itself was fairly impressive; Every type of game system and multiple flat screen T.V.’s were placed around, along with a several tables with stacks of playing cards. I counted three refrigerators, and a couple mini fridges too. It was also large; I guessed a hundred or so people could fit in here comfortably. The walls were a nice purple, with a high cieling adorned with lights.

The thing atrracting my attention the most though, was the aura coming from the center of the room. Three long sofas sat around a low table, filled with food. Alpha Dimitri sat on one, facing us, his Beta on the other end. The couch paralell to theirs was empty, while the one opposute them had one occupant. I stopped walking, unable to go any further. There was a tense silence as I held my breath, staring at the back of this mans head.

My eyes followed his movements as his head tilted to the right, scenting the air. And then he was standing, turning to face us. I heard a low gasp, either my Mom or Violet, I couldn’t tell. I was too focused on the Alpha in front of me. His hair was the same shade as mine, but straight, and with hints of grey. It was cut shorter too. I guessed we were close to the same height, though he was much broader than I was. I saw myself in him, his nose, his mouth. But most of all, his eyes. The silver in them matched mine perfectly, giving no more reason to doubt. This man was my Father.

I was the son of an Alpha.

“Jasper, I presume?” Alpha Warricks voice was low, deep, and held an edge to it.

I nodded once. We stared at each other a minute more before he sighed. He turned to Alpha Dimitri.

“Well, you were right. This boy is definitely mine.”

“I figured.”

Turning his back on me, he sat back down. “Well, come over. Let’s talk a bit.”

Reaching behind me, I grabbed Violets hand. She held it tightly the whole way to the unoccupied sofa, sitting next to me. Mom and Dad took the seats next to her, while Luna Lily sat beside her Alpha. Everyone stared between me and Alpha Warrick.

“Who is this?” He gestured to Violet.

“My mate.” I answered shortly.

He gazed at her, sending another wave of anger through me. Anyone here could see the l**t in his eyes, and I was thankful when Luna Lily cleared her throat, getting his attention.

“Violet is our daughter.” She explained.

“Makes sense. She’s a beauty.”

“Thank you.”

I felt Vie shiver beside me, obviously uncomfortable. I released her hand to my arm around her shoulder.

Alpha Warrick poured himself a drink, sitting back. “I suppose you have questions.”

“One or two.”

“Go ahead.”

My brain stuttered, all the questions coming together too fast. I couldn’t process fast enough to form a coherent one. Slightly panicking, I looked at my Mom. The Alpha noticed, scoffing loudly.

“Come now boy. You need this woman to speak for you?”

Dad inhaled, his face turning a light shade of red. Moms mouth opened, but I shook my head at her.

“Okay. I guess I’ll start with the obvious one. Where were you all this time?”

He sipped his drink nonchalantly. “I have a pack to run.”

I frowned. Was he dodging the question?

“Why didn’t you ever come to me?” He asked.

“I didn’t know who you were. My Mom never told me who my Dad was.”

“Who was your Mother?”

“Natalia Black.”

“Ah. Yes, I remember her.” He swallowed the rest of his drink in one go. “Didn’t know she got pregnant though.”

“How could you not know?” I snapped.

Alpha Warrick shrugged. “She was a maid in the packhouse. I didn’t pay attention to the maids usually, unless it was to have some fun.”

Beta Ben made a disgusted sound.

“What happened? Why did she go rogue?” Luna Lily asked.

“Another maid caught her stealing. So I banished her.”

By now, my vision was red. So, he really didn’t care about Mom. Or me. He used her for his ‘fun’, and then kicked her out of the pack. He even had the audicity to insult her! If it wasn’t for Violet holding my arm, I’d have punched him already.

“Didn’t she have a family there?” Alpha Dimitri snapped.

“I don’t know. Don’t really care.” He looked back to me. “Where is she anyway?”

“Dead.” I said monotonously.

“Ah.” He picked up a piece of fruit, as if he couldn’t care less. He probably didn’t.

“What is your pack like?” Luna Lily quickly interjected. I could tell she was trying to diffuse the tension.

“It runs smoothly. I have a unique system that keeps everything going the way I want.”

“Unique system?” Mom frowned.

Alpha Warrick nodded. “There’s me and my mate and son at the top. Below me is my Beta and Gamma, and their kids. Then we have a few honoured pack members who live close to the packhouse.”

“What about everyone else?”

“They exist as warriors.”

I blinked. “Everyone?”

“Everyone. We recruit at age ten, and they are sent out on the field by age twelve.”

His tone said he was very proud of this… yet nobody seemed to know what to say. Me? I was vibrating next to Violet. This man was sending kids to fight, kids who weren’t anywhere near shifting! Who hadn’t even got their wolves yet! This was his ‘unique system’?

“Does that include your own son?” I snapped.

“Oh no! He is too valueable to risk. The others… merely pack members who serve to pay us their taxes and fight on our behalf.”

That did it. My self-control slipped, my rage coming to the surface. I was on my feet, nearly throwing Violet to the floor, but I would feel bad about that later. I was too pissed. I’d been in this room for less than twenty minutes, and I’d gotten all the answers I needed. This man was a pig, an a*****e.

“What is wrong with you?” I hissed furiously. “You think your pack members are only there to serve you? That they exist as maids you can f**k, and throw away, or kids to be sent to their deaths? If it wasn’t for those people, you wouldn’t even have a pack! You’re a sorry excuse for an Alpha!”

“Shut your mouth boy!” He jumped to his feet as well. “What have you got to complain about? Eh? You lost your Mommy, boo hoo. You’re living in one of the wealthiest, most powerful packs this side of the world! To top it off, you got the Alphas daughter for a mate. I’d say you’re doing pretty well for yourself.”

“Don’t you dare talk to my son that way!” Mom shouted.

“If he was truly your son, we wouldn’t be here.”

“Jasper is our son. We raised him.” Dad defended her.

“You raised a weakling!” He pointed at me. “What did you expect to get out of me? A hug? Money? All you’ll get from me is the acknowledment that you are of my b***d. But that doesn’t mean s**t to me.”

“It should.” Violet spoke for the first time, drawing everyones attention to her.

“Excuse me?”

“Get out.” She snapped.

“Excuse me?”

“I need to talk to my mate, and my family. You can come back in a few minutes.”

“Like Hell I’m going to let some little bit-“

“Uncle Ben?”

“Yeah, you may not want to finish that sentence.” Ben stood up, glancing at our Alpha. He was glaring at Alpha Warrick so coldly, even I took a step back.

“You heard my daughter. Get out.” His voice was calm, making it somehow even more menacing. The only one not effected was his Luna, who was nibbling on a sandwich. Alpha Warrick glared around the room, but eventually gave in, stomping to the doors and slamming them on his way out.

“What a f*****g douche.” Dad said.

“Should I stay with him?” Ben looked at Alpha Dimitri who nodded. When he was gone, everyone turned to Violet.

“What are you thinking?” I asked.

She pursed her lips. “Well, it’s obvious he’s your Dad. Which means you have the same rights as Garrett does.”

I furrowed my brows, not following her.

“By law, you have the right to challenge him for the title of Alpha.”

Her words threw me completely. Mom and Dad started talking at the same time, totally against the idea.

“I’m not saying you should. But it might make him stop and think.”

I sat down. I hadn’t even considered that being the son of an Alpha gave me the birthright to take over for him. Maybe I would have thought about it more, if he hadn’t turned out to be such a d**k. However, knowing what he was like now, I couldn’t help but think. I couldn’t imagine the people of his pack were very happy; Who would be, living under an Alpha like him?

“What about his other son?”

“He is only eleven years old.” Alpha Dimitri explained.

“What pack does he run anyway?” Dad grumbled.

“Silver Moon. It’s about an hour away, to the West.”

“What is it like there?” I asked.

“I’ve only ever been there once, and my trip was short. Not even a full day. Though, from what I could see, it’s a desolate place. Tiny houses, if you can call them that, but a grand packhouse. The few other nice places must belong to those ‘honoured pack members’ he mentioned.”

I shook my head in disgust. Alpha Warrick was a tyrant, for sure.

“Jasper.” Mom’s voice squeaked, her eyes glassy. “You’re not actually considering this, are you?”

“What would you do Mom? Or you., Dad? I’m the only one who can challenge him.”

“But you would have to leave! You would have to take over as Alpha!”

“Is that such a bad thing? If I win, I could liberate that pack. I could help them, do some good.”

Her lower l*p trembled, but Dad was looking at me with respect. He nodded, wrapping his arm around his mate.

“You do what you think it right Son.”

“What?!”

“He’s right Linda. Since when does B***d Moon turn away from those in need? It’s in his b***d- He’ll make one Hell of an Alpha.”

Mom pouted, visibly upset and grumbling.

“Bring him back in.”

Alpha Warrick came in, just as pissed as before. He shot Violet a dirty look, to which she smirked. I looked at my Alpha.

“Alpha Dimitri, I request the challenge take place in B***d Moon.”

He nodded. “Granted.”

“What challenge?” Alpha Warrick snapped.

I stood up, looking him directly in the eye.

“I, Jasper Cole of B***d Moon, challenge you, Alpha Warrick for the title of Alpha of Silver Moon.”

His jaw dropped. He stared at me dumbfounded for all of five seconds before he started laughing. It was a booming laugh that echoed off the walls.

“You know that’s a challenge to the death right, boy?”

“I’m aware.” I growled.

“Very well.” He grinned, a hint of bloodlust in his eyes. “I Alpha Warrick of Silver Moon, accept the challenge for the title of Alpha of Silver Moon.”