VALEK 

  Words travel faster than fire. 

By the time I step onto Ragriz soil, my phone keeps vibrating with notifications in their tens. Packs forum, social media, group chats. 

I peek in maybe once or twice. 

Alexandra Russo Seen Entering Paxon Territory with Alpha Reid. 

Ex-Ragriz Center Chooses New Pack? 

The humans watching from the outside don’t remember who she is yet, but our people do. Every single wolf in this territory knows what it means to see that girl wrapped up in someone else’s colors.

She chose them.

She chose him.

She chose him over me. 

The alliance might have kept us from open war, but no one ever said the enmity was gone.

And now… for the first time since my father died, Ragriz’s loyalty is being questioned.

I can feel it under my skin.

I slam the car door shut and stalk up the front steps of the estate.

And of course, the first person standing in the entrance, coughing, old, and shriveled is Coach Russo himself.

He looks like shit. With sunken in eyes, and lungs wheezing before he even spoke. You’ll think decades of being a hockey coach and a werewolf will make his old age seem stronger and healthier. 

Coach Russo’s current look counters the saying that athletes age better. 

“You found her?” he asks, voice weak.

I don’t answer. 

I move past him. 

He follows.

“Valek.” He says my name like he still has some kind of right to it. “Did you see her? Did you talk to her? Why didn’t you bring her home with you?”

I keep walking, toward the double doors.

“She’s not thinking straight. I know that girl. She doesn’t make choices like this. Someone’s…. someone’s manipulating her.”

No. 

She made that decision herself five years ago. 

My fists clench at my sides.

Valerie walks behind me, boots clicking on the stone. 

Coach turns to her.

Wrong move. 

“She’s my daughter!” He barks, "You should’ve pulled her by the hair if you had to.”

Valerie snorts. “No. You should’ve raised a better daughter.”

He stares at her.

Sneer drips from her voice. “She’s a cocky, arrogant little brat. You know that, right? She has no shame!”

“Shut up!” Coach growls.

“She belongs to us,” Valerie hisses. “And you let her walk away like a little bitch!”

“Valerie,” I mutter.

She doesn’t stop. “You didn’t raise a wolf. You raised a fucking coward. Not worthy to be called a Ragriz! She deserves to be brought in and punished!” 

I stop walking.

The doors open in front of me. My men step back without a word.

I don’t have it in me to scream. 

Not now.

“Give me space,” I say. “Nobody follows me in.”

And I walk through the door, shutting it so hard behind me the wood rattles in its frame.

Valerie’s voice cuts off.

I stand in the silence of the entryway, shaking with rage, or maybe sadness. My chest is tight and my teeth aches.

My wolf won’t stop pacing inside me. He’s hurt, not angry, not possessive. Hurt because we've waited for this moment, prepared for this, and she couldn't even look at my eyes more than once.

And this fucking house mocks me.

The stupid banner above the fireplace says Welcome home, Lex. Big red letters in gold stars. Streamers tangled in the corners of the wall. She always hated things like this, said they made her feel watched. 

A cake’s on the table. 

Half-frosted.

I made it anyway. 

Like a fucking idiot.

I stare at the banner till my vision blurs.

Then my hands quiver as claws rip through my palms, and my bones groan with the shift. I step forward, and a balloon squeals and bursts near my feet. 

And then, I lunge.

I tear the banner down with both hands, shred it in two.

“FUCK!”

Another balloon pops underfoot. Streamers fly across the room, I launch a chair against the wall. My claws rip the edges of the table, it groans as it crashes into the floor, the cake follows after. 

I match all over it, frost smearing against my shoes.

My fangs are out, spit dripping down my chin as I growl and tear and rip until the living room is nothing but broken pieces.

The door slams open.

“You’re such a coward,” Valerie growls.

I whip around, chest heaving, breath shaking.

Her eyes are glowing red and her fists are clenched. She’s already shifted partially, just enough to show she’s ready to snap my fucking neck.

“You should’ve rejected her when you had the chance.”

My voice breaks out of me roughly, “I never had a fucking chance.”

She storms in, stepping over the destroyed table like it’s dust, “Then you should’ve made one. You knew what this was turning into and you still let it ride out like some fucking love story.”

“I loved her!”

“Exactly! And now look what that’s done.” She jabs a finger at my chest. “You can’t think straight. You can’t even lead. Meanwhile, the Paxons are gaining the upper hand. You think they’re not going to use her? You think she’s not already on their side now?”

I step toward her. 

She doesn’t flinch.

“She’s not—”

“She is, Valek. The second Reid claimed her, we lost the only leverage we had. Now they’ve got her talent, and our secrets if they know how to break her down right. Which they do. And you’re here throwing chairs like it’ll bring her back.”

I shove past her. 

She grabs my shoulder and yanks me back.

“You think this is about you?” she screams. “You think this pain you feel is special? Our whole team is failing. Every fucking game is lost to the Paxons. And now there’s talk of someone leaking our plays to Reid Maddox. You really think that’s a coincidence?—” 

I freeze.

“You didn’t even notice,” she spits. “Because you, as a fucking ALPHA, HAS BEEN BAKING CAKES FOR A WOMAN INSTEAD OF LEADING! You should’ve rejected her when you had the chance.”

“I couldn’t reject her,” I shout. “I tried. Do you get that? I tried, and I couldn’t. I couldn’t make myself say it.”

Silence fills the room after that, only the sound of our heavy breathing, and my thoughts being very loud. 

You never tried to reject her. 

Yet, you lie. 

Valerie shakes her head. “Father must be proud of the man you’ve become.” The sarcasm in her voice grates my nerves. “Weak!” She growls. 

Claws dig into my palms. “SHUT UP.”

She steps closer. “You haven’t touched a woman in five years, and it shows. Your head’s not in the game. You’ve lost your edge, brother.” 

“I said shut the fuck up.”

But she doesn’t. 

Of course she doesn’t.

“You can’t even keep your focus during drills. You think the team hasn’t noticed? You think Coach hasn’t? Your dick’s in the way.”

Blood drips down my fists. “I’m your Alpha!” I roar and the whole room shakes. “You don’t talk to me like that!”

She spins on her heel, walks toward the door like I’m not seconds away from exploding.

Then she stops, calm as hell, and looks over her shoulder.

“I’ll have a line-up of women outside the estate every day from henceforth,” she says sweetly. “You better pick this time. Fix your head. Get your dick wet.”

I swear I’m gonna put a hole through a wall.

But she’s not done.

“Oh, and I’m watching,” she adds, hand on the doorknob. “Someone’s been feeding Reid information. Because he showed up at the airport for Alex like it was clockwork.”

She opens the door.

“That wasn’t a coincidence, brother. So unless your dick’s been making friends with the enemy, I’d suggest you start thinking with your fucking brain ALPHA.”