The Full Moon Effect

Chapter 2: Loyalty

I've always imagined Florence and The Machine's "What Kind of Man" playing during this scene!

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THE WOLVES

I threw myself to the wolves,

only to learn of the tenderness in their howl,

and the loyalty in their blood.

-Isra Al-Thibeh

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Dad's harsh glance had me sitting up from my slump over the table. Alpha Jones' eyes twinkled in amusement, especially when compared to Leyton's stoic face. I ignored Castor though he tried to make eye contact with me all throughout breakfast.

I ate quietly yet quickly, craving the tea I normally drank in the morning. Without it, my senses were slow to wake, and I sat at the table even after almost everyone had left.

"Hurry up, Tara. Alpha Leyton wants all high ranked males and females on the training fields in ten minutes," Dad said, smoothing my frizzy hair down.

I groaned and slumped forward again once Dad left and let my forehead drop on the table.

*****

I arrived as soon as the first match began. Castor shook hands with a pale man with dark hair, his usual grin gone. His opponent, on the other hand, smirked and relaxed his muscles as they circled each other.

Alpha Leyton stepped up beside me, his gaze never leaving the fighting ring. "Our Betas are matched against Alpha Jones'. Since we're short two Betas, you and Bryton will be filling in the vacant fighting positions."

I raised an eyebrow. "Jones has four Betas?"

"Tara."

Castor took the first hit of the round, but rebounded like the punch had been nothing but a playful slap.

"I will fight for you, Alpha."

I stretched by his side and we watched the fight ensue. The pale man's smirk was gone now in lieu of a bloody nose. He was quick, but Castor was strong and packed quite the punch. Sweat glistened their skin as the sun peaked over the top of the trees.

At the end of their fifteen minutes, Castor and the pale man shook hands again and sauntered off in different directions, their moods reversed post-fight. Castor sauntered up to Alpha Leyton and I and stood on my other side. My father strolled up with the Beta he'd been conversing with and slapped the younger man's back before they shook hands. The younger Beta shed his shirt outside of the circle, but Dad kept his on. My lips twitched up when the second the match started, Dad assaulted the younger wolf with a ferocious punch. Gone was the friendly smile he donned before stepping into the circle. The other male laid on the ground astonished for a second before recovering and hopping back up.

Dad always had the element of surprise when he fought because he remained as limber as when he first became Beta. As our pack's oldest Beta, he was in charge of training, so he was still at the top of his game and could defeat me whenever he wanted. The only one who probably rivaled him in combat from our pack was Alpha Leyton. By the time their fifteen minutes were up, Dad had done some damage to the young Beta while he'd step out of the ring with only minor bruises. Still, Dad helped pull the Beta off the ground and his smile returned in doing so.

Seeing as Bryton was busy chatting up a girl, not paying any attention, I pulled my hair up into a ponytail and stepped forward.

"Tara." I turned back to my Alpha, who'd closed the distance between us again. The corners of his lips tilted up in a smile when he said, "His left knee took a nasty hit earlier."