Fighting for Power (Howl of the Elements: Book One)

Chapter 3

***picture of Rocco***

Chapter 3:

Logan sat in the dining hall, surrounded by others from his pack. He was trying hard to get that female wolf out of his thoughts. She should be a nobody to him.

"We didn't manage to get many people this time, but we managed to score big with what we did," Logan's father, Rocco, voiced out over the crowd, "we killed their alpha male along with a few others, and managed to take their alpha female and daughter."

Logan stopped chewing his food and his heart stopped for a moment. She is an alpha? And that other wolf was her mother? That's why they looked so similar. What is going to happen to them? Surely they won't be treated like the others we have obtained.

There was a loud cheer flowing through the dining hall and he could see many of the pack members raising their cups and clapping their hands. Everyone was smiling and hollering. Logan knew that there would be a celebration. They have never gotten alphas from other packs before. This would really help towards their goal.

Logan shifted in his seat and slid his plate forwards on the table, unable to eat another bite. All he wanted to do right now was to sneak back to the warehouse and check on the girl, but he knew that would be close to impossible now.

*******

Layla was still curled up next to her mother, whom had now woken up. The men standing guard had backed off considerably, but were still keeping a close eye on any movements that her and her mother made.

"You shouldn't be here. You should be safe at home with the others," her mother said to her.

"It's better me than someone else. That's what an alpha is for, right?" Layla responded.

"Yes, but you are still my daughter and I'd rather know that you are safe than in danger's path."

"We will be safe, Mom. We will get out of this hell-hole and go back home to our pack."

"I hope you are right, dear, I really do."

Three men that Layla hadn't seen before walked into the warehouse. One of them walked with such confidence that it was obvious he must be the alpha of their pack. Another one of them had a smirk on his face as if he had just won the lottery, and the last of them followed close behind the first two carrying two medium size satchels as he stared at the floor in front of him.

"Welcome to our pack and your new home. I know you are probably upset, but keep in mind that we will try to make your living experience as comfortable as possible. My name is Rocco Knight, and I am your new alpha," the confident-looking man said as he puffed out his chest, clearly trying to define his authority.

He motioned his hand for the man behind him to walk forwards before turning back to Layla and her mother, "We have brought you both some clothing. So if you wouldn't mind shifting to your human forms and getting dressed, we can continue this conversation in a more civil manner."

The other man slowly slinked towards them, placed the satchels on the floor, and scurried back to the alpha. Rocco and the men nodded their heads at the girls and turned around at a small attempt at giving them some privacy.

"What do we do?" Layla asked her mother.

"We do as they say," Selena replied before shifting to her own human form.

Layla followed pursuit and quickly grabbed one of the satchels in front of them. She ripped it open and glanced down at the clothing. She pulled out knee-length red silk dress and stepped into it, zipping it up the back. She then pulled out a knitted black sweater and slung it over her shoulders before slipping her feet into the black pair of flats that were the last item in the satchel.

She glanced over at her mother to find her wearing a beautiful long silver dress topped off with bright red heels. Her brown curls bounced freely down her back to her hips. Layla looked in envy at how her mother always managed to look stunning no matter what the circumstance was. She subconsciously reached up to feel her own hair, just to find it a tangled mess. She sighed and let her arms fall down to her sides.

Selena looked over at Layla before announcing, "You may turn around now."

The men all turned at once and Layla could see a gleam in one of the men's eyes as he looked her mother over. His smirk grew into a satisfying grin, which on him just looked creepy in her opinion.

Rocco, the alpha studied both of their appearances before saying, "Very good. We will have one of our women help complete your looks, but you both are quite better than I had expected. Now if you could be so polite to tell us your names...?"

Selena cleared her throat before answering him, "My name is Selena Templin, and this is my daughter, Layla."

"Beautiful names, indeed, although your last name will change shortly. We will be having a celebration tonight, and then in a week's time we will host a wedding for you my dear. We have already selected you to marry our beta wolf, Leon Grant, here," Rocco said, motioning towards the grinning man next to him.

"What?!" Layla shouted, "my mom is not marrying-"

"I am already married, sir, so I will have to decline," Selena interrupted.

"That was not a question, nor will you have a say in the matter. Your husband is dead, therefore you are no longer married but now a widow. Also, you are now a part of my pack, so you will follow my orders unless you want to pay the consequences. Are we clear?" Rocco roared, his face flashing a look of anger before turning back to his calm, blank expression.

"Perfectly, sir," Selena simply replied.

Layla stood there in complete shock. Why is she bowing down to him? What is wrong with her? They can't possibly force her to marry that creep!

A/N: Sorry for the longer wait, I've been kind of busy lately. But now things should be calming down around here which means a shorter wait time for updates :)

Let me know what you think, would love to hear your opinions