Chapter 14 A Crack in the Glass
1105words
I slammed the door behind me, surprised it didn't break. I strode down the hall, eager to reach my office as fast as I could. The pack house guards were shaken to see me filled with such rage; they weren't used to seeing their Alpha lose control so easily. I had spent years perfecting control over my emotions, not reacting on instinct. Adeline's words had cut into my gut so deeply that I felt like a dead man walking. I tried to comfort her and explain that there was much she didn't know about the circumstances surrounding Alpha Max.
My heart thudded hard against my chest. Adeline had cut me so deeply. No one had ever had the power to hurt me and my wolf with such ease. My wolf was even whimpering. I had no idea what she knew about my father and how he had passed, but she was right that it was indeed my fault. I rounded the back corner and stilled my footsteps before entering my office.
I couldn't hold my wolf in any longer; I had to let my wild side out. I had to release all these emotions I had bottled up. My black wolf immediately surfaced, searching for vengeance.
I sank my canines into the plush leather couch against the wall, feeling the cool leather soothe my teeth. I tore the couch apart instantly, pieces of feathers from the cushions flying throughout the entire room. It looked like the couch had exploded.
Next, I moved onto my desk, and with a quick flick of my wrist, I sent it flying through the office window. Glass shattered everywhere. I tore apart the bookshelf; my ears echoed with the thud of each book hitting the marble floor.
When destroying my entire office still wasn't enough, my wolf knew we needed a full release. We ran through the pack house at record speed and into the forest. We embraced the forest floor as our paws hit the ground, moving faster with each stride. We dodged sticks and logs, jumped over rocks, and must have run the entire perimeter of the pack territory multiple times before ending up at a familiar location.
The sound of water trickling shot a relaxing sensation through my body. My wolf purred and sat beside the waterfall my parents used to take me to as a child. This was my safe space, where I found myself when it felt like the world was closing in on me. I looked up to the full moon glistening down on my face, and the next moment, I found myself praying to the Moon Goddess.
"Moon Goddess, I ask you for guidance and direction, and I trust that you will lead me on the path you created for me. Thank you for blessing me with such a beautiful and charming mate, one I do not deserve and one who does not want me regardless. I regret every wrong I have done, starting with not being the leader I should have been when the rogues killed my father. I don't blame someone so amazing for being repulsed by a man with sins as thick as mine," I begged.
I had never prayed to the Moon Goddess before; I controlled my emotions like a magician. My prayer gave me an internal relief, as if a ton of bricks had been lifted from my shoulders.
As pure bliss took over, my mind linked to my Beta Don. "Alpha, where are you? What happened to your office? The guards said you went mad and then ran off into the forest. I've spent the past three hours looking for you," I sensed the urgency in his voice.
"Don, is everything okay? Is Adeline okay? Did something happen?" My wolf paced at the thought that something happened to Adeline.
"Addie's fine. I wanted to go check on her, but Sophia was adamant that it was better she went. They had a girls' night, but Soph said that Adeline was shaken. Whatever transpired between you two affected her. Come back here, and we can sort through it," he replied.
I let out a low growl. Sophia was my baby sister and the only female to ever have my heart. We were close as pups and remained close as adults. Sophia knew how to cause trouble, though. It worried me to think what she might have said to my mate. Did she tell her that I was her mate? I turned off my mind link and made my way back to the pack house, unsure what I would say to my Beta Don, knowing he'd have many questions.
I ran back to the pack house in wolf form, the cool autumn breeze flowing sensationally through my black fur. As my paws cracked over twigs on the forest floor, I realized I had made a decision about my mate. After spending merely one night with Adeline, I knew no one would ever compare to what she and her wolf did to me. If I couldn't have that kind of happiness, I didn't want a second-place kind either. I wanted Adeline— all of her, and only her—forever. I needed to wake up to her scent and feel her tight body next to mine every night for the rest of my life.
I would thank Beverly for our time together. I would explain I had decided to wait for my one true mate, if she even existed—and if she didn't, I would choose to die alone. I didn't want anyone to know, besides my Beta Don, who knew me so well he could sense it, that Adeline was my mate. I was sure many of my wolves were confused about why Adeline was at the pack house and what my obsession with her was. It didn't bother me. I just needed her near me. I needed her to accept me.
I knew Beverly wouldn't take the news well. She had dedicated herself to the pack, and I owed her for her commitment, so at least I would try to lessen the blow. I felt silly and chuckled to myself for ever second-guessing Adeline as my Luna. My Beta Don was right—she was powerful and strong-willed in her own right, and I found that so sexy. She was determined and intelligent; her constant challenging kept me on my toes. She excited me. I think I was already falling in love with her.
Above all, I was her Alpha and her mate. It was my duty, given by the Moon Goddess herself, to take care of and protect her with my last breath.
