Gray Valley

t w e n t y - t h r e e

"I CAN'T DO IT," I stated, as he came into the room.

"We have to make you Alpha today, Lyn..." Liam responded. "We have no other choice. Without an Alpha, the pack will fall apart."

A scream echoed in the room and I flinched at the familiarity of the voice. Oh, my Luna...

"It's already falling apart," I muttered under my breath.

I followed the scream out to the yard, where part of the pack gathered around the corner, huddling together. Sensing my presence, several moved aside for me and I walked forward, only to see Bryan in the center, his entire body shivering out of control.

I stared at them with confusion, before seeing that Michael held Bryan's arm tightly with his fingers, his claws digging into his flesh. That was slow death for a Brown Wolf, as it was a gradual release of Gray Wolf venom. It was the kind of death that would drive anyone insane.

"Let him go," I commanded. "Let Bryan Mitchell go."

Michael's grip momentarily faltered, as he was torn between hurting Bryan and obeying my order. In that second, Bryan flinched away from him, trembling and stepped behind me.

"What repulsive behaviour is this? Don't you realise that contaminating his blood can give him a fate worse than death?"

"And that was precisely my point," he answered snidely. "I am completing the noble act of putting a Beast in his place. He is a Brown Wolf. He does not deserve mercy, pity... Or affection. The only thing he should have is the most painful death possible."

"For the love of Luna," I gritted out between my teeth. "Just look around you, Michael Grant. Look at yourself and at him. Who is the real monster, here? Because, to me, it looks as though you are the heartless one."

"That's unacceptable and you know it," Michael snapped, his gray eyes darkening. "Brown Wolves are our eternal enemies. You make it sound as if they are our equals."

"Bryan lives a cruel fate. Yet, he still has humanity inside him. More humanity than our own. He has a pure heart. He loves his sister and deceased parents... They are all he ever thinks about. How many of us can be proud of such selflessness? None. We're all too selfish."

"That doesn't change the fact that he is from a race of Beasts."

"I never said he wasn't... But it's not about what you are. It's about who you are... And Bryan doesn't deserve to be defined as being a Brown Wolf. He deserves to be known as himself."

"This is why I said it was foolish to let her lead us," Michael announced to the pack. I began to lose my temper, as I felt the mark on my neck heat up. "Whether or not she is Alpha Wesley's child should be secondary because she is just a girl."

"You know what Michael? I'm done with you," I growled. "I am a girl; I am just a girl, but I will be your Alpha, so you must respect me! And if you do not wish to obey me or if you want my position, you must fight me for it!"

"I c-cannot fight you," he stammered, taking a careful step backwards. His eyes were wide as they were fixed on my own. Alpha Mark. My Alpha Mark was most likely surfacing. It was the only thing that explained his sudden agreement and terrorised expression. "I'm sorry I d-disobeyed you."

"You said it," a voice stated quietly. Liam. I turned around to see him walk through the parted crowd. "You just said that you will become Alpha."

It took me a minute to understand what he was implying.

"I'm not promising anything."

"It sounded to me as if you were." For several moments, we only stared at each other.

It was unnerving, actually. He could read me so well, I didn't think it was possible. Because although I didn't want to be the Alpha or get involved in the politics of Werewolves, a part of me - a part I couldn't control - was drawn towards the title. It was probably because of my Alpha Marks.

I was born to be the Alpha; It was my fate. That part of me craved to fulfil its fate. I couldn't suppress it from surfacing.

"How?" I asked.

"How, what?"

"How do you do it? How do you read me so well, Liam?"

"In the mate bond, the longer you love, the stronger the bond. And the stronger the bond the more you understand your mate. You've spent almost half your life with missing memories, Weslyn. In those years, you couldn't remember me... And so, you only unconsciously loved me. But that wasn't the case for me... I've loved you with my whole heart for years on end, even when you could no longer remember me. I know you, Lyn. I know you better than myself," he explained. "You don't want to be powerful; you don't exactly want to be a leader, either. But something inside you wants to be the Alpha... And I can sense it flawlessly."

"I..." There was nothing I could say. He had just said everything I was thinking. "I don't know what to say."

"Well, I do. I know exactly what to say," he turned to face the pack. "If we have no Alpha, this disarray will only get worse. Think about it, isn't she precisely what we need? Don't we need someone, who is not self-centered and has no intention of personal gain, yet strong enough to lead us. She not only carries the Grayson name, but also bears both Alpha Marks. I can't think of anyone more legible to become the Luna Pack's Alpha."

"For the love of Luna, Liam-" I began.

"Tonight is full moon... It is the strongest day to ascend her as Alpha. What do you all think?"

"You're right, William. There is no one more suited to the title." We were all surprised to see that it was Michael who spoke. "We will make the preparations for Weslyn Grayson to ascend as Alpha."