🐺💔The Man Who Rejected Her Was No Match for the King Who Wanted Her.👑

Chapter 1: High School

Sloane

"We heard your father was a murderer."

“Yeah, and your mother was too.”

“What does that make you? Huh, Slade?”

“Fuck you,” Slade snarls. He’s not afraid of these ranked wolves, but that doesn’t mean that he won’t get hurt if they jump him. There are five of them and everyone  of them is three years older than he is.

“I mean, if you’re offering, feel free to get on your knees,” one of the guys says, grabbing his crotch while the others laugh.

"Say it again. I fucking dare you," I say, striding up to the group of ranked members who are seniors, like me, and have surrounded my brother who is a freshman. I don’t hesitate to pull my fist back and punch the Beta taunting my brother in the face. I hear the satisfying crack of his nose breaking before blood begins gushing down his face and clothes.

All of them turn and look at me, taking a step back. I have a reputation of being able to put any wolf of any rank on their ass and it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve put more than one on their ass at the same time.

"You're not so big and bad when it’s someone your own size, are you?" I ask, turning my body to stand in front of Slade.

“You fucking bitch!” the Beta roars.

Every one of these assholes knows I can kick their ass. I've made sure I'm one of the strongest warriors in my pack and every pack. At first, it was to try and get the blessing of the white wolf from the Moon Goddess. But when I got my wolf, Aisling, at ten, she was a regular wolf. The disappointment hit me, deep in my soul.

I might have stopped training so hard at that point, except there was no way to stop the rumors that blew through my school like wildfire. My uncle may be a very powerful werewolf, and no one would DARE say anything in front of him or my Aunt Samara. But here in the school yard, no one gives a fuck. And now that my brother has started high school, the taunts have turned to him as an Alpha heir. He’s my younger brother and my need to protect him is strong. The older wolves taunt him and if I’m not watchful, I have no doubt that they would attack him.

My younger sister Aria has had it easy. She was raised with Theo, my aunt and uncle’s first born and heir to their pack. She has always called our aunt and uncle, mom and dad. But Slade and I haven't had it so easy.

“You’re going to regret that, Moaning Sloane,” the Beta grunts. He pulls his fist back, ready to try to get a punch on me. I say try because I already know I’m faster than he is.

"Lay a hand on her. I dare you," Benedict Winslow, V says. His voice is deadly calm, cutting through the noise of the onlookers who have started to surround us. He’s casually leaning against a wall, watching the interaction.

I bite off the growl. What the fuck is he doing here. Again.

"Sorry, Alpha Benedict," the Beta says.

He doesn’t say sorry to me. He doesn’t apologize to Slade. He only apologizes to the Alpha he’s afraid of pissing off. Fucker.

“What’s going on here?” I hear our principal ask. The crowd is thick enough that he can’t see us yet. My best friend, Scarlet, comes to stand beside me, quickly checking on Slade before putting her shoulder to mine, ready to fight with me.

“Get Slade out of here. Now!”

“But Sloane ...”

“Please, Scarlet!”

"You can't keep fighting my battles for me, Sloane," Slade says quietly.

"Watch me, little bro. Get back to class before you get in trouble," I tell him.

I'm constantly being sent to the principal's office. I don't care that half the time it's because I'm covering for Slade because someone was bullying him. No one needs to know that. I'm the troublemaker. He's the future Alpha.

Once they’re gone, I turn, facing the principal who is striding toward us, eyes locked on me. I glance at the Beta, seeing him smirk, like he already knows I’m about to be the one who gets in trouble and he’s the one who will walk away like he’s a fucking victim.

“Sloane Hartwell, why am I not surprised?” the principal growls.

“Principal Rollins, I can explain ...” I begin.

“Don’t bother. I’ll be calling your uncle. Again.”

“It wasn’t her fault,” Benedict says, pushing off the wall and walking over.

“Alpha Benedict?” the principal asks, looking from him to me. “What do you mean?”

Benedict turns to look at the Beta. “You started it, right Louis?”

Louis presses his lips together tightly. “Yeah, that’s right,” he growls.

Principal Rollins looks from Louis to Benedict to me, then back to Benedict. He looks like he wants to argue, but no one argues with Benedict Winslow. His family line goes back so far that he and his family are considered werewolf royalty. If I had been blessed with a white wolf, I might have been considered something similar. But since I wasn’t ...

Aisling whines in my head.

‘It’s not your fault, Ais. It’s mine. You’re perfect. I was the one unworthy of a white wolf,’  I tell her.

‘You’re perfect for me, Sloane.’

Goddess, I love my wolf.

“Fine, but I don’t want to hear of any more altercations where you are involved, Sloane. Do you understand me? And your uncle WILL hear about this.”

“Make sure he hears about the part where she broke a Beta’s nose. Perhaps you should contact Louis’ father and let him know that he got his nose broken by a she-wolf because he was running his mouth again,” Benedict says, making the others around us laugh.

Louis narrows his eyes at me, and I know this isn’t over.

“Get back to class!” Principal Rollins bellows and everyone scatters.

Principal Rollins looks at me. “If your father wasn’t who he is ...”

“He’s not my father. He’s my uncle. Everyone knows that,” I snap back.

“Stay out of trouble,” he growls, before spinning on his heel and storming away.

I turn and look at Benedict. "Why are you always where I don't want you to be?"

"I thought I was helping."

"Well, I don't need your help," I say pushing past him.

He grabs my arm, spinning me around to face him. My fist comes up, ready to punch him, but he doesn't flinch.

He smiles, his gaze falling to my lips. "What would it be like to kiss a woman as passionate as you, Sloane?"

"Well, hopefully someday you'll meet someone as charming as I am and find out. Since I have no interest in you, let go or I will punch you. Principal Rollins would love nothing more than have a reason to expel me.”

He holds me there a moment longer, his smile full of challenge and promise, before letting me go.

I turn and begin striding away.

"You know, when someone helps you, it’s customary to say thank you," he calls out behind me.

Instead, I give him the finger and keep walking. I swear I hear him chuckling, the bastard.

Chapter 2: Sloane

Benedict

“What’s up with you and the girl?” Ellis, my future Beta, asks walking up beside me. I’d felt him close by, ready to jump in if needed. Not that I would need him. He probably has the cushiest Beta position in the country, being my Beta. No one goes against me.

“The girl has a name. It’s Sloane. Use it,” I growl.

“Okaaaaay. What’s up with you and Sloane?” he asks.

“Nothing. But let it be known that if I catch an upperclassmen harassing a freshmen, specifically Slade Hartwell, they will become persona non grata with me.”

He looks at me, like he can’t believe I’m serious. But the look I give him would make a lesser man flinch and cower away.

“Okay, you’re the Alpha.”

“That’s right, I am.”

“So, you’re protecting her AND her brother now? And you’re still going to tell me that there is nothing between you two?” he asks.

“Have you ever seen me hanging out with her?” I ask, dodging the question. He’s a good enough Beta to see it.

“You don’t have to hang out with her, Ben. It’s obvious you’re drawn to her. Forgive me if I don’t see the attraction.”

I turn and look at my Beta. “Really? You don’t see the attraction? You think you could take her?”

“In a fight?” he asks, frowning.

“Yeah,” I say, already knowing the answer. Sloane is well known for her extreme fighting skills. She’s fucking impressive.

He grits his teeth. “No.”

“And that doesn’t intrigue you? How many Alphas have you seen her take out?” I ask.

“She’s strong, I’ll give you that. I’ve never seen her go up against you, though.”

“I’ve never given her a reason to go against me,” I say, turning to go to class.

“Afraid you might not be able to defeat her?” he asks, grinning.

In truth, I’m not sure I’d be able to keep my wolf from kissing her. Marrok has been drawn to Sloane and her wolf since the first time we saw her nearly eight years ago. He never tires of watching her and he’s insistent about us watching out FOR her.

I love my wolf, and I trust him implicitly. He’s never let me down and, as usual, he was right about Sloane. She’s incredible. I know the story of her past, everyone does. People used to tease her about it until she started knocking other wolves out with one punch. Then she got the reputation as a troublemaker. But the reality is, she doesn’t put up with anyone’s shit. No one’s. She doesn’t care who she knocks on their ass. She doesn’t care about your rank, your family, or how strong you’re supposed to be. If you go after her, or someone she cares about, she’ll take you down without a second thought or a moment’s hesitation.

“Maybe one day I’ll get to find out,” I say, heading to my next class.

Since we’re both seniors, I have several classes with Sloane. She has always ignored me in class. I don’t take it personally. She ignores anyone who isn’t Scarlet or Slade.

Scarlet is another wolf I’ve spent a lot of hours watching. Her dedication to Sloane tells me even more about the woman I’m so intrigued by. Scarlet is well liked by many people in school. She’s very outgoing and popular. But she’s never once turned her back on Sloane and surprisingly, Sloane hasn’t turned away from her. I find the dynamic of their friendship fascinating.

“Hey, Alpha,” a she-wolf says, drawing my attention away from Sloane but not before I see her roll her eyes.

I fight the grin as I turn the woman speaking to me.

“Hey, Christa.”

“So, I was wondering, I mean if you don't have any plans this weekend, would you like to come to my pack Saturday night?”

She’s biting her lip in a way that’s probably supposed to be sexy, or maybe demure. I can see her friends behind her watching the exchange. I get a lot of invitations to visit she-wolves in their packs, especially as it gets closer to my eighteenth birthday.

‘No,’ Marrok growls in my head.

I ignore my wolf. He only seems to have eyes for Sloane these days.

“Is there a special occasion I’m not aware of, Christa?”

She smiles. “It’s my birthday.”

“Ahh. I see.” And I do. She’s hoping I’m her mate. But I know, even without Marrok growling that he’d never accept her as his mate, that she’s not for me. Christa is more interested in the title of Luna than actually being one. My family is well established in the werewolf world. When I take my Luna as a mate, she will need to be the kind of woman who is ready and willing to work hard for the rest of her life. There are parties, political soirees, important events hosted by my pack with very important members of the werewolf community invited. Any Luna of mine will have her work cut out for her. She won’t be able to sit like an ornament on my arm. She will have a full-time job running the pack and managing outside requests and demands on both us and our pack on a daily basis.

My eyes flicker back to Sloane. She’s already a woman who works hard every single day.

I shake my head. My parents might disown me if they could hear those thoughts. Sloane is thought to be a troublemaker, her parents are known murderers. She’s not someone who would make a good Luna.

Marrok begins growling in my head, not caring if our parents approve of her. And I have to admit, I’m not sure I care if they’d approve of her either. There’s just something about Sloane that I’m not willing to walk away from.

“I need to check my schedule, Christa. But, if I can make it, I’ll be there,” I tell her, knowing that I have no intention of going.

“That’s great! I hope to see you there, Alpha.”

I take the seat beside Sloane. She always sits in the back of the room, probably not wanting anyone behind her that she can’t see.

I lean over, keeping my face forward. “How’s the hand?” I whisper as the teacher calls the class to order.

“It’s fine,” she says, crossing her arms over her body defensively.

“So, what are you doing this weekend?” The words come out of my mouth before I can stop them.

She slowly turns and looks at me. “There are any number of girls in this room who would swoon for you to ask them that question. I’m not one of them, so why don’t you just run along and find someone who is interested, because I’m not.”

“It was a simple question, Sloane. I wasn’t asking you to mate with me. I was just asking if you had plans for the weekend,” I say, trying hard not to get defensive at her response to me. I’m not used to women, any woman, blatantly rejecting my advances.

She gives me the fakest smile I’ve ever seen, then bats her eyes in a ridiculous parody of the girls around the school. “I plan to work on my sparring so I can take down even more Alpha assholes. How about you, Alpha Benedict?” she says in a voice that is about two octaves higher than her normal voice.

“I was just trying to be nice, Sloane,” I say, feeling defensive. I’m unused to being blown off and disrespected like this.

She turns and faces me, all falsity gone. “Stop toying with me, Benedict. Otherwise, I might lose what very little respect I have for you,” she snarls, then turns back to the front of the classroom.

I sit back, not at all sure how to respond to someone who is not only unwilling to accept my friendly advances but is also so obviously unwilling to even entertain a conversation with me.

And more than that, I have no intention of letting Sloane Hartwell lose what little respect she has for me just because my pride is wounded. For some reason, her respect means everything to me.

Chapter 3: Uncle Roman

Sloane

I somehow made it through another day of school. I can’t wait for graduation. One more month, then I’m free.

Of course, that also means that Slade will be on his own in high school, but I have to hope that Uncle Roman will work with him enough over the summer that he’ll be able to defend himself once I’m gone.

As soon as I get in the backseat of the car and see Uncle Roman’s disapproving glance in the rearview mirror, I know that Principal Rollins called him.

“You want to tell me what happened today, Sloane?”

I don’t look at Slade who is in the front seat. I don’t want Uncle Roman to know that I keep getting in trouble because he’s being bullied at school. I can’t help what happens next year, but for now, I’m more than capable of keeping it between me and Slade.

“Some Beta got mouthy with me, and I taught him a lesson,” I say, not at all sad that Beta Louis had to have his nose reset before going home. I wonder if he told his father that it was Sloane Hartwell who broke it, or if he made up some lame excuse about tripping and falling.

Uncle Roman sighs an exhausted sigh. “Sloane ...”

“Don’t worry, Uncle Roman. I didn’t kill anyone, and in a month, you won’t have to worry every time your phone rings on a school day,” I say, not wanting to hear it for the hundredth or maybe the millionth time.

He twists, putting his arm on the back of Slade’s seat and turning all the way around to look at me.

“You know I love you, right? You know Aunt Samara loves you?” he asks me.

I do know. I know they’ve never treated me any differently than they’ve treated their own pups. They offered to give me their name, which I accepted. They told me that I could call them mom and dad, but I’ve never been able to do that.

“I know,” I say softly, looking out the window.

“If you ever need to talk ...” he begins.

“I’m good.”

I glance at Slade, who gives me the look like he wants to tell them the truth, but I subtly shake my head before looking back outside.

“You’re a strong wolf, Sloane, but you can’t take on the world.”

Yeah? Well, maybe the world should stop trying to take me on. Maybe then I wouldn’t have to put on such a tough exterior all the time.

On the ride back to the pack, I vaguely listen to Uncle Roman talking to Slade. Instead, I wonder why Benedict Winslow is suddenly showing an interest in me. Why the hell was he asking what I was doing this weekend? It’s not like him to try and embarrass me. Up until now, that hasn’t been his style and he almost seemed ... hurt that I didn’t jump when he wanted to talk to me.

For some reason, he always seems to be around when Slade is being bullied and I’m punching some asshole’s lights out because of it.

And I catch him watching me. A lot.

I snort. Maybe I should just spar with him and help him get it out of his system.

“What’s funny, Sloane?” Uncle Roman asks. He doesn’t miss much, I’ll give him that.

“What do you know about the Winslow family?” I ask.

“The Winslows?” I’m thankful that he’s driving. If he wasn’t, I’m sure his gaze would be intent on me. “They are very well established in the werewolf community, they are a powerful family, although not as powerful as we are.”

I know a lot of our pack’s power comes from Aunt Samara. She has a white wolf like my mother did, all the way up until she murdered her mate, my father, because she didn’t think he was ever going to have a pack. Apparently, the most important thing to my mother was being a Luna. She even betrayed her wolf, causing her to lose the blessing of the Moon Goddess and making her a regular wolf, just like every other she-wolf. Just like me.

Aisling whimpers in my mind again.

‘It’s not you, Ais. I told you that. You deserve so much better. You deserve to have the stature that comes from being a white wolf. I just wish I could have given that to you,’ I tell her.

I don’t blame my wolf at all. I put the blame right where it belongs, on my mother. She did this. She ruined our legacy. My mother and Aunt Samara were the last of the white wolves, she-wolves descended from a pure line of Alphas. White wolves were well thought of and much desired as mates. Since my father was an Alpha, unfortunately born from a mistress rather than a mate, I technically should carry the white wolf gene. But because my mother betrayed the mate bond, killing my father, the Moon Goddess punished her. And apparently the sins of the mother are passed to the daughters.

I’m thankful that my sister Aria was too young when our mother died to understand the legacy that she should have been born with. She’s been raised to believe that she, like me, will have a wolf that is a regular wolf. However, I was only a year younger than she is now when our mother died. I knew about my mother’s legacy and expected to have a white wolf. But apparently, that line will only pass through Aunt Samara’s daughters from now on.

“Is there a reason you’re asking about the Winslows?” Uncle Roman asks.

“Benedict Winslow is in my class. He asked what I was doing this weekend and I was trying to decide if he was being nice or if he was trying to embarrass me.”

I watch my uncle’s eyes narrow in the rearview mirror, and I realize I’ve probably said too much. I don’t tell my aunt and uncle much about what goes on in school. There’s not a lot they can do about it and in truth, it would only make my life more difficult if they tried to step in.

“Is Benedict harassing you,” Uncle Roman growls.

“No. No, it’s nothing like that. I just ...”

I just what? Why did I fucking ask about him?

“He’s never shown an interest in me before, so I’m not sure why he’s suddenly trying to strike up a conversation with me now.”

“Did you talk to him?” he asks me.

“No. I told him to go find someone who was interested in swooning over him because I’m not,” I say, staring out the window again and thinking of Christa inviting him to her birthday party. As if she’d ever be worthy of being mated to Benedict. She’s as fake as they come, spending more time primping in front of a mirror than studying. She’s got the personality of a rock and about the same IQ.

“I don’t remember hearing that he’s been on your hit list in the past,” Uncle Roman says. I glance at him wondering if he’s keeping track of all the ranked members I’ve punched. Knowing my uncle, he probably is.

“No, that’s why I was surprised when he tried to talk to me today. He usually keeps his distance.”

“Well, from what I’ve heard, Benedict understands the legacy he’s about to walk into. He started attending pack meetings with his father in preparation to take over after he turns eighteen. I don’t know what he’s like at school or as a man, but in my interactions with him as an Alpha, I’ve been impressed,” Uncle Roman says. That’s high praise coming from my uncle.

We pull up to the packhouse and he turns around to look at me again. “So, maybe don’t break his nose until you know for sure that he’s being an asshole, okay?”

I grin at my uncle. “No promises,” I say before getting out.

He shakes his head, but I swear I see the hint of a smile on his face. My uncle has always indulged my need to be strong and even after I started getting in trouble at school, he didn’t stop training me to be a powerful warrior. Now, only he and Aunt Samara are strong enough to take on me and Aisling.

“Dad!” Aria and Theo yell, racing out of the packhouse to come greet us. He easily scoops both of them into his arms.

“How are my pups?” he asks, hugging them fiercely.

I smile. This is what a family should look like. This is what MY family should have looked like.

Aunt Samara is waiting for us on the patio.

“Welcome home, Slade. How was school?” she asks.

“Fine,” he says with the grumpiness of a teenager.

Aunt Samara takes it with a grain of salt and turns to me. “And you, Sloane? How was your day?” she asks. I can tell that she knows about my altercation with the Beta asshole, so I go for grumpy teenager as well.

“Fine.”

Rather than letting me pass like she let Slade, she pulls me into a hug.

“You know I’m here if you ever want to talk,” she whispers.

I nod, hugging her back. Her clean, fresh scent always helps to calm me.

When I pull away, she looks at me to make sure I know she’s serious before looking past me at Uncle Roman. “Hello, my mate.”

“Hello gorgeous.”

I don’t wait to hear them kissing. I know it’s coming, so I head inside.

“Oh Sloane? You’re grandfather Waylon is coming to visit this weekend.”

Great, just what I didn’t want. My biological father’s father coming for a visit.

Chapter 4: Family and Judgement

Benedict

“Sweetheart, we’re having an important political dinner this weekend. I don’t know if you have any plans, but you’ll have to cancel them. This is important,” my mother says when I walk in the door after school.

Oh darn. I won’t be able to go to Christa’s birthday party. What a disappointment. Not!

“Of course I’ll be there, mother,” I say, kissing her cheek as I pass.

“Bene! Wait up,” my sister, Bethany, says as she rushes into the house behind me.

My mother decided that we should all have ‘B’ names, Benedict – my father, Benedict – me, Beatrice is my mother and that left Bethany for my sister. Personally, I’d love to have pups someday with names that begin with ANYTHING other than a B.

“What happened with Slade? I know you know,” Bethany says. She and Slade are in the same year. It’s another reason I don’t like upperclassmen bullying freshmen. What if they were bullying MY sister.

“Slade Hartwell?” my mother sneers. “Is he as much trouble as his sister is? You should stay away from him, Bethany.”

“Oh mother, stop it. You’re the one who is always saying we should be above such things a judgmental behavior, but look at you. You’re ALWAYS so judgmental of the Hartwells,” my sister says, challenging my mother. I’ve notice that since she’s gotten her wolf, my sister has become quite vocal about the things she doesn’t like about our family.

Personally, I silently applaud her. I can’t speak out like she does. I’m too much in the limelight. But my sister has nothing to lose by being herself.

“Not the Hartwells, darling, just those adopted children of theirs, Sloane and Slade. Those two should never have been allowed into the packs. They’re nothing but trouble. I heard that Sloane girl beat up Alpha Carson’s Beta. What self-respecting girl does that?”

“Perhaps the better question, mother, is how did Alpha Carson’s Beta get beaten up by a girl?” I ask, jumping to Sloane’s defense. Honestly, I do it so often at school that it almost comes naturally for me now.

“Oh, not you too, Benedict. That girl is trouble with a capital T. You both need to stay away from them.”

“Let me ask you something mother. Would it change your mind to know that Louis and four other ranked members surrounded Slade, a freshman like Bethany, and were bullying him when Sloane entered the situation and punched Louis in his face, protecting her brother? Would it?” I ask already knowing the answer.

My mother can’t STAND Sloane and Slade. But she would never say anything outwardly in case she offended Alpha Roman and Luna Samara. Goddess knows we can’t afford to get on the wrong side of the most powerful pack in the country. But that doesn’t mean that my mother, who says we should not be judgmental, doesn’t have whispered conversations with her friends about why those two should never have been allowed in the packs to begin with.

My mother presses her lips together, knowing there is nothing she can say that will sound anything other than judgmental, before spinning on her heels and walking out of the kitchen. Her heels clap sharply enough on the tile floor, echoing around the room as she leaves, to tell me she’s not happy without having to say a word.

“Is that what really happened?” Bethany asks.

“Yeah, that’s what really happened.”

“Good for Sloane. Louis is an asshole,” she says.

I grin at my sister. “Don’t let dad hear you using that kind of language.”

She looks at me and smirks. “Where do you think I learned it from?”

I laugh and my sister kisses my cheek. “Don’t become like them. Please Bene. You’re better than they are. I mean, dad’s okay, but mom’s a shit,” she says.

“Good to know that I’m okay, but what did your mother do now?” my father asks walking in.

I glance at my sister who sighs heavily.

“I don’t appreciate her double standard, Dad. It’s not fair.”

“Who is her double standard against?” he asks.

“The Hartwells,” she says, watching our father carefully.

Our father, who used to being under constant scrutiny, doesn’t flinch and the look on his face doesn’t change. But I can see the tension in his lips. I probably wouldn’t recognize it if he hadn’t spent years training me to keep my face steady in the face of any type of news. Sometimes I wonder if he doesn’t ask my sister questions like this just so he can practice keeping his face from reacting to whatever is said to him.

“I’m assuming you’re talking about two Hartwells in particular?” he asks, his voice carefully modulated.

“Of course,” Bethany says.

“On that note, I’m out of here,” I say.

“Really Bene, you’re leaving me? You know dad agrees with mom on this.”

“And yet, you still brought it up,” I say, kissing the top of her head and nodding at my father before walking out.

“I didn’t bring it up! He was eavesdropping!” she calls as I head to my room.

It’s a good lesson for my sister. She needs to remember that there are always ears around and she should be careful of what she says, even in our home.

The rest of the night I spend doing homework. I’m not sure how many people in the school know that I’m currently in line to become Valedictorian, or that Sloane is hot on my heels to overtake me. Since I love a challenge, I have no intention of losing. But I’m not even sure SHE knows that she is in the running for Valedictorian. The only reason I know is because Principal Rollins called me into his office and practically begged me to do whatever was necessary to ensure that I became Valedictorian, so he didn’t have to give that title to Sloane.

A part of me wonders if he would fudge the numbers to make me Valedictorian even if I didn’t surpass Sloane. Since I would never want to get the title without earning it, I’m doing everything in my power to make sure that I do.

The next day at school is pretty much the same as usual, except I notice that Slade is walking around campus completely unmolested by upperclassmen.

“Thank you for getting the word out,” I say when I see Ellis.

“I’m not going to lie, there was a lot of grumbling about it. But you know that no one will go against you.”

“I do,” I say, watching as Slade passes some upperclassman. They try to stare him down, but no one says a word and he doesn't flinch at their glares.

“What if that was Bethany, Ellis? What if it was her or your little brother who was being bullied. Wouldn’t you want someone to step in?”

He sighs. “Yeah. Yeah, I would.”

Everything remains calm until after lunch. Then, I feel something from two of my pack members. As I hone in, I realize it’s fear.

I growl, following the pull to my pack members who are obviously in trouble.

“Alpha, what’s going on?” Ellis says, rushing up to me.

“I’m about to find out,” I snarl.

When I walk out of the hallway into the area where the school has its lockers, I’m shocked to see four she-wolves on their knees with their necks raised in submission. I stomp forward, pushing through the crowd who goes silent at my approach.

When I finally get through the sea of people, I’m shocked to see Sloane in front of the she-wolves. Her aura is so strong that it’s nearly suffocating. She’s the one forcing the she-wolves to their knees.

“Sloane!” I bark. “Let them go!” I command, letting my Alpha aura out.

When her eyes meet mine, I realize it’s not Sloane who is forcing the girls’ submission, it’s Aisling.

“No,” she snarls at me.

Chapter 5: Aisling's Fury

Sloane

“Do you think she even washes her hair?”

“I doubt it. Look at her. She’s a fucking disaster.”

I close my eyes and slam my locker shut before turning to face them. “Problem?”

“Yeah, I have a problem. Could you maybe bathe once in a while?” one of the she wolves asks me, looking me over as if I'm nothing more than something disgusting she stepped in and attached to the bottom of her shoe.

“And maybe comb your hair. Like have a little respect for yourself,” another says.

“Oh, you mean like you do? Should I slather make up on my face and throw myself at Alphas who don’t want me?” I ask.

The girls, there are four of them, laugh. “Oh sweetie. No Alpha would want you, no matter what you do to yourself.”

‘Shut them down,’ Aisling snarls in my head.

‘Let it go, Ais. They’re not worth it,’ I tell her.

“Yeah, because if you’re anything like your mother, you’ll kill your mate, right? Goddess forbid you actually find your mate. He’ll run screaming for the hills to get away from you,” another says and they all begin laughing.

I can feel her fury swelling inside me. ‘Aisling, no. Let it go,’ I say.

‘I’m done letting it go,’ she snarls, then shoves me aside and pushes forward.

“You all think you’re so smart, don’t you,” she snarls at them.

“We’re not the murderer bitch!” a she-wolf says, obviously not realizing that it was my wolf speaking, not me.

‘Aisling! No!’

But there’s no stopping my wolf. She’s furious and she’s had enough.

Aisling POV

I’ve sat back, listening to each and every one of these wolves acting like they are so much better than my human because of who her mother was. Well, I’m done. She may be willing to suffer their insolence, but I am not. I may not be a white wolf, but I AM an Alpha wolf, a PURE Alpha wolf. Apparently, this school of fucking assholes needs to be reminded of who I am.

I snarl, pushing my aura out and watching in triumph as all four girls fall to their knees.

“Say it to my face. I fucking dare you,” I snarl at them.

If I was in my wolf form, I’d have saliva dripping from my mouth. But I know Sloane dislikes that kind of display and she’s already going to be upset with me about this, so I refrain from letting my saliva drip on their faces.

Their necks go up, but it’s not enough. I listen to this every day. Every. Fucking. Day. And I am done.

“Go ahead! You were so bold talking shit to my human. Say it to me! Say it to my face,” I snarl!

“We’re sorry, Alpha,” one of their wolves says to me.

“Not sorry enough to control your human’s mouth, are you,” I snarl, getting in her face.

“We don’t control our humans,” another says.

My head snaps to her. “Then I guess your human has no problem watching as I make YOU suffer for her insolence!” I snarl.

All four wolves whimper and I’m just about to make them all lie down and show me their stomachs when I feel it. Him. He’s the only one at this school whose strength matches mine. Benedict Winslow, V. Or more accurately, his wolf, Marrok. And right now, Marrok is furious.

Well, he can fucking get in line.

“Sloane!” he snaps as he steps through the group of wolves watching us. “Let them go!”

I feel him push his Alpha aura out, as if that will stop me. But he’s not stronger than I am. He's not strong enough to push my aura back.

“No,” I snarl. “I am done! I am tired of insignificant, unintelligent wolves thinking they can harass my human or my brother just because they’ve heard the rumors about our parents. I will NOT release them. I am tired of sitting back while others forget who I am,” I snarl.

“What is going on here!” Principal Rollins barks, walking through the crowd of students. He scoffs. “Of course it’s you, Sloane.”

I slam my aura against him, watching him falter and struggle to remain standing. His neck raises in deference to my power.

“You are one of the insignificant, unintelligent wolves that I’m tired of dealing with,” I snarl. “You know nothing and you DO nothing to keep my human safe. What the fuck kind of principal are you?”

“Your uncle will hear about this,” he chokes out.

“Good,” I growl. “He’d probably worry I was dead if you didn’t give him a daily call about what Sloane was doing wrong.”

“Aisling, you have to let them go,” my dear friend Davina, Scarlet’s wolf, says. She walks up to me slowly with her hands in front of her in supplication.

“I’ve had enough, Davina,’ I growl softly.

“Alpha, we didn’t do anything, I swear! She just attacked us!” one of the she-wolves says, looking at Benedict.

I snarl, pushing my aura out over them again, and making them whimper and cower.

“Liar!” I snarl, the force of my anger making all the other wolves in the area raise their necks in submission.

“There is one thing I know about Sloane and Aisling,” Benedict says. I turn waiting for him to say something, anything that will make me lose the respect that I have for him.

He holds my gaze as he addresses his pack member. “Sloane never starts anything. She keeps to herself. But when someone else starts something with her or someone she cares about, she ends it,” he says. Then he looks at me. "And I know exactly who you are, Aisling. You are a pure Alpha. You are not responsible for the sins of your mother."

I can hear the respect in his voice and it’s that more than anything that has me stepping back, just enough to let him step forward.

“Sloane!” I turn to look at my brother who jolts when he sees that it’s me, not my human in control.

“Aisling,” he says more gently. “You can’t do this. You have to let Sloane come forward.”

He slowly walks up to me, not afraid, but giving me time to process.

“He’s right, Ais. Give Sloane control. We’ll handle this, I swear,” Scarlet says.

“I grow weary of the abuse that we suffer on a daily basis here at this place,' I growl.

“I know,” Slade says, walking up and holding my gaze. “We’ll figure it out. But right now, you have to give Sloane control. Will you do that for me?”

I smile at him. “I would do anything for you, little brother.”

He reaches out and hugs me. “I love you Aisling.”

“I love you too,” I say, holding him for a moment before pulling back and letting Sloane take control.

As soon as I step back, I feel her pull my aura back as well. Some of the students around us collapse to the ground, others begin panting as if they’re just now able to breathe again.

I quickly push forward once more and stare at the girls who have collapsed to their butts in front of me. “Do not forget this lesson, she-wolves. The next time I put you in your place, it won’t be so pretty.”

‘Ais, honey, you can’t do that again,’ Sloane says.

‘Watch me. If they want to fuck around, they will find out what it means to go against a pure Alpha wolf. I don’t care who our mother was. I don’t care what she did. If they want to see psycho-crazy, I will give them psycho-crazy," I say before pulling back and letting Sloane take full control again.

Chapter 6: Heart to Heart

Benedict

I watch as Scarlet and Slade help to calm Aisling. Her power is extraordinary.

‘Most people have forgotten that she and her brother are pure Alphas. Most people have forgotten her power because she doesn’t push it out, just like we don’t,” Marrok says, watching with fascination.

‘She could have put everyone in this school on their knees,’ I say.

‘Everyone but us. Did you feel her power?’ he says, purring in my head.

‘Yeah, I sure did. So did everyone else.’

“Young lady,” Principal Rollins growls, stepping toward Sloane. I’m not going to let him get Aisling all riled up again because he’s arrogant and stupid.

‘I believe the words were “insignificant and unintelligent”,’ Marrok says. He’s obviously enamored with Aisling and her power.

I step forward. “Sloane, why don’t you go with Scarlet and Slade. Aisling probably needs some time to cool off,” I say, holding her gaze.

She nods, looking around once more, before letting her brother and best friend lead her away.

“Alpha Benedict,” Principal Rollins begins ready to argue with me.

“Principal Rollins, the only reason you didn’t end up on your knees or your back in complete submission is because Sloane had some level of control over her wolf. I’d suggest that you walk away and leave Sloane alone for the rest of the day. Otherwise, you and the rest of this school might actually see how much power she truly has. Because as powerful as that display was, it wasn’t her full power.”

I see the fear in his eyes before he tamps it down. Then he spins on his heels, no doubt to go call Roman Hartwell and tell him that his niece is causing problems again.

“Well, that was fucking nuts,” Alpha Jeremy says walking up. He's Alpha to the other two girls who were harassing Sloane.

I turn and look at the two girls from my pack who Aisling had on their knees. I’m furious that they thought they could lie to me.

“Tell me what happened. The truth this time,” I growl, pushing my Alpha aura out.

Both girls yip and raise their necks in submission.

“We told her no one would ever want her. We told her that if she found her mate he’d run because he’d be afraid that she’d kill him just like her mother did to her father.”

Marrok growls angrily.

“And you think that I approve of you bullying another wolf? Or that you can lie to me about it, hoping to stay out of trouble?” I ask, my voice icy steel.

“No, Alpha.”

I glare at them, not releasing them.

“The two of you just earned yourselves eight hour patrols every day after school and on the weekends for the next month,” I growl.

“Alpha no! Please! It’s the end of the school year!”

“Perhaps you should have thought of that before you represented me and your pack in such a disgraceful way,” I snarl.

“That’s kind of harsh, don’t you think, Benedict?” Jeremy asks.

I turn and look at him. Unlike me, he isn’t a pure Alpha. So, if Aisling had pushed the full power of her aura out over the student body, he’d have been on his knees too.

“Are you willing to risk Roman and Samara Hartwell finding out that your pack members bullied their niece and you did nothing about it?” I ask, already knowing the answer. Just the fact that he would let this slide is repulsive enough in my book.

He glances at the other two she-wolves whose eyes go wide. “Alpha, no. Please!”

“You’ll survive one month. Our pack won’t survive an attack by the Hartwells,” he growls.

The she-wolves break down in tears. I ignore his pack members and focus on the ones from my pack. “Don’t embarrass me ever again,” I growl before turning and walking away.

The crowd parts for me, letting me through. As soon as I’ve passed them, I life my nose in the air and find her scent. I don’t know why I feel the need to make sure she’s okay, but I do. I could use the excuse that it’s because two of my pack members were responsible for Aisling’s wrath, but that wouldn’t be the truth. And I’m not the kind of Alpha who hides behind lies.

The reality is, I’m just worried about her.

I find the three of them out by the bleachers that surround the outdoor track and field area.

It isn’t until I’m almost to where they’re sitting that I realize Sloane is crying. Something inside me twists, hating that this strong woman has been brought to tears.

In my distraction, I didn’t realize that I’d been noticed. At least not until I hear the snarl.

“What do you want? Did you come to gloat?” I’m surprised that it’s Scarlet who is snarling. It’s not her style, not at all. But apparently, she’s as protective of Sloane as Sloane is of her and Slade.

I force myself to remain calm, keeping my tone even.

“I wanted to check on Sloane and Aisling,” I say, watching as Sloane quickly swipes the tears off her cheeks.

“You don’t need to worry about me, Benedict. I’m fine,” she says, not turning around to look at me.

“Sloane, or rather, Aisling, I want to apologize for my pack members’ behavior. They will be punished for what they did.”

She scoffs. “Don’t bother. It won’t matter anyway.”

“It matters to me,” I say, stepping forward, only to be stopped when Scarlet and Slade stand shoulder to shoulder in front of Sloane.

“You should leave,” Slade growls. He’s younger than I am, but his wolf is obviously not happy that his sister is upset. As a pure Alpha, his aura is stronger than most of the ranked members who are my age and he’s definitely stronger than any wolf his age. But he's not stronger than me.

“I’m not going anywhere until I know that Sloane and Aisling are okay.”

“Don’t worry, Benedict. I won’t go all psycho and kill anyone today,” Sloane says in her usual snarky tone.

“That’s not what I meant, Sloane.”

It’s quiet, and as I watch, both Scarlet and Slade turn to look at Sloane. Whatever she just said in the mind link was not meant for my ears. Both of them press their lips together tightly.

“I don’t like it, Sloane,” Scarlet says.

“I’ll be fine, Scarlet.”

Scarlet looks at me and if looks could kill, I’d be lying on the ground bleeding to death.

“Fuck with her, and I swear you’ll regret it,” she snarls, before wrapping an arm around Slade’s shoulders and walking down the bleachers, leaving me and Sloane alone.

I wait until they are out of earshot, then I turn back to Sloane. “Are you okay?”

She stands and turns, looking at me with red-rimmed eyes.

“I’m perfectly fine,” she says, sniffing.

“You don’t have to lie to me, Sloane.”

“What would you like me to say, Benedict? That I’m so fucking sick and tired of everyone blaming me for what my mother did? That I’m fucking tired of hearing other wolves threaten my brother because of who our parents were? That I can’t fucking wait for the day that I can leave this hellhole of a school, but at the same time I’m terrified of leaving Slade here without me to protect him? Is that what you want to hear?” she growls.

“I asked for the truth. Thank you for giving it to me. What can I do to help you?”

She blinks, staring at me like I’ve grown a second head. “Nothing. You can’t do anything to help me.”

“Why won’t you accept my help, Sloane?”

“Because I shouldn’t need it, Benedict! Because Alphas should be insisting that their pack members have basic decency. We should be treating each other as equals, not turning into judgmental bullies. Do you know how lucky they are that I don’t turn Aisling loose on them?” she snarls.

“Yes, I do. I know that Aisling could have put every one of the students, the teachers, and Principal Rollins on their knees today if she had wanted to. But she didn’t. Even after everything, she chose compassion,” I say.

“She chose ME! She’s the only one who ever has.”

“That’s not true. Scarlet chose you. Your brother chose you.”

“My brother had no choice,” she growls.

“Of course he did and he still does. But he chooses you, time and again. Others may not see you, Sloane, but I do. Others may not remember who you are, but I do. Others may not know that you combat hate with compassion, but I do. I see you, Sloane. I know who you are. And I respect you for the woman and wolf that you are.”

“What do you want from me, Benedict?” she asks, sounding exhausted.

“I want you to let me help you.”

“You want to help me?” she asks, looking at me like she has zero expectation that I will do whatever I can to help her. She’s wrong.

“Yes.”

“Protect my brother.”

“Done. I set that up yesterday,” I say, watching her.

“What? Why?”

“Because it’s the right thing to do and because you shouldn’t have to take on the world alone, Sloane.”

She narrows her eyes. “What’s in it for you?”

I smile, watching her carefully. “I get to maintain what little respect you and Aisling have for me.”

I watch her blink multiple times, then frown, and for once, watch her completely at a loss for words.