Alphas *TO BE RE-WRITTEN*

Chapter 13: Moment Ruined

The phone rang and rang, and still nobody answered. I hoped that someone would so that I could get this over with. The time was now, and I had to do it before I decided otherwise.

Just as I was about to hang up, someone answered. "Hello?" my mom's voice sounded.

"Hey, Mom, it's me. Is Dad there?" I asked. My heart started pounding, hard.

"Yeah, let me get him for you," she said, and then there was silence. I tapped my foot, getting more and more nervous. How would he react?

"Hello?" Dad asked. I froze, but swallowed and forced myself to talk.

"Hey, Dad, it's me," I began.

"How are things going?" he asked.

"Pretty good, actually. That's sort of why I called."

I glanced back at Michael, who leaned against the wall, arms crossed, face straight. "What's the matter?" Dad asked. "You ready to come home?"

"Nothing's wrong, and no I don't want to come home. Ever. The Dahlias have shown me what a real pack is like, and I want to be part of their pack. I've been thinking about it for a while now, and I've decided to take Michael up on his offer of staying with him for good... as part of the pack," I explained. I felt my fingers begin to tremble so I clenched my fist.

There was silence.

"When would be a good time for me to come over and get my things?" I asked.

"What makes you think that you can just ditch your pack, your family, for another? Huh?" he asked. I could hear the anger in his voice.

"Because I can and I want to. There's nothing you can do about it," I replied easily. Now my confidence and attitude was there. I could do this.

"Put Michael on the phone," he growled.

I hesitated, looking at Michael. He nodded and stepped forward, holding his hand out for the phone. I handed it to him and started pacing a little as I listened. My father was pissed, and Michael only challenged him more.

Michael gave me a look, like he was asking me permission. I nodded, and he smiled ruefully. "You want her? Come and get her. But you'll have to get through me first," Michael snarled into the phone and then clicked the end button. He turned to me as he slid the phone into his pocket. "That should do it."

I smiled, but then my smile faded. "I'm still a little worried," I admitted.

He stepped towards me and rested his hands on my hips, pulling me closer to him. "Everything will be alright, Ren, I promise," he said.

I leaned into him and rested my head on his chest, letting myself trust him. It was nice, honestly, to have someone to trust. We stood for a few moments and then I pulled back, ready to address the next issue. "What about the ceremony?" I asked.

Michael smiled gently. "I've seen you fight, Ren. I know you'll win," he said.

I pulled away from his hands. "But it's a fight to the death."

His smiled faded into a sad smile. "Yes, it is. But there's only a few females able to fight. The rest already have mates," he explained.

"And those females are?"

"Well, Sarah, of course. Silver is able to fight, along with your other graduated classmates."

Silver. "Sarah and the others I would fight, but not Silver," I said slowly.

He gave me a reassuring look. "Silver isn't interested in the fight, trust me. She's already chosen her mate," he said.

That made me feel relieved; then my brow knit together. "Who has she chosen?" I asked.