Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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The calm before the storm. That was the saying and it was apt. Actually, it was more than apt it was
damn near perfect. Because Ex-Alpha Seth Zev was the calm, and I was the fucking storm. The kind of
storm that rips your house off the ground and sends cows all the way to the north pole.
"Take a breath" Seth whispered to me, as my hands practically shook with fury. I turned a glare on him,
one full of fury and pure acidity, but I was too angry to get any words out. We sat outside the
conference room – the Alpha's inside were discussing the situation. They'd been furious at first, more
than I expected, before deciding they needed to discuss it privately.
"I know you're upset with me, May, but I didn't have a choice. I've not always been the most lenient of
rulers and I have been head of the Alpha Council for the past twelve years. A lot of those Alpha's don't
like me, because of punishments I've given them in the past. If I hadn't resigned as Alpha, I would have
been killed. I have no doubt about it. That was why they're so angry that I stepped down as Alpha,
because they know they can't execute me now because it would be seen as vicious since being
stripped of my position is severe a punishment enough".
"You should have told me" I hissed softly.
"I know" Seth nodded, "but I also knew that you'd try and talk me out of it. And that was one of the
hardest things I've ever had to do, and I didn't need you to convince me not to do it. I hated not talking
to you about it, May, but you have to understand that I had to make this decision on my own".
I was quiet for a long while as I looked up at him. "You're an amazing Alpha...what the hell are you
going to do now?" I asked, voice breaking slightly with emotion. Seth offered me a small smile as he
put his arm around me, and pecked the top of my head.
"I'm going to be your mate".
"You're already my mate dipshit" I grumbled. Seth's lips tilted into a smirk for a few seconds, as his arm
pulled me closer to him. Still angry at him – for numerous things – I was temporarily calmed by his
scent and feeling. My head tucked into side of his suit and for a moment I closed my eyes and wished I Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.
could rewind back a few days.
A few minutes of silence passed before the door to the conference room opened again. Seth and I both
stood up, our hands instantly finding each other's as Alpha Quinn Danvers stepped out. He glanced
behind him before closing the door.
"You sure you wanna do this, ya'll?" he asked, in that ridiculously thick accent of his.
"I don't have a choice, Quinn, you know that" Seth sighed. "I don't want to give up being an Alpha, but I
have to do it in order to have a life with my mate".
Again that sadness, from losing his own mate, shone through Quinn's eyes. "I understand, Seth. And,
honestly, I think it shows real character. Mates are the most important thing". His deep brown eyes
glistened in raw pain. He offered us a soft smile, before opening the door and letting us back into the
conference room.
Seth and I sat back down at our seats, but Quinn remained standing. It seemed he was stepping up as
the head of the Council, since Seth couldn't do that without being an Alpha. I was actually alright with
that – out of all the other Alpha's he seemed the most genuine.
"We, the Council, have decided that Alpha Seth Zev has shown accountability for his actions and that
the punishment he set upon himself will be sufficient for the Council" Quinn announced. Seth breathed
out slowly, sounding both relieved and upset. No doubt he was beginning to really realise what he was
giving up.
It was all very fast after that. We packed up our bags and were heading back to the Equinox Pack
within a few hours. I managed a quick goodbye to Chris and my family, but it was fleeting. Dale and the
others stayed behind, but as we were no longer the Luna and the Alpha of the Equinox Pack anymore,
we had no reason or right to be there.
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Seth was silent as we were driving, not even the radio could cut through his thunderous mood. "Does
Dale even want to be Alpha?" I asked softly.
"Doesn't matter what he wants. He is the next in line, it's his duty. Either way he would have become
Alpha, whether I stepped down or if I was executed. I have no heir, so it would pass straight to the next
male bloodline".
"But he doesn't want it" I concluded.
He sighed heavily, "no Dale doesn't want it. He's never been good with responsibility, and in all
honesty, I would have rather given the position to Josh. But, there was another Alpha bloodline so it
passes to him before it passes to the Beta".
"Do you think Dale will be a good Alpha?"
He shrugged, acting as if he didn't care – but it was very obvious that he did. "We'll see".
"Isn't Sofia due to give birth next month? Dale becoming an Alpha and a father in the space of two
months, that's a lot to take on" I muttered, thinking of the Sofia who seemed sweet the one time I had
met her at Seth's parents' house. I wasn't sure what she'd be like as a Luna. Again, in reply, Seth just
shrugged. I quickly realised that I was no longer going to get much of a conversation from him.
Seth's bad mood didn't lift over the coming days either. The week following of his title being stripped, he
didn't leave the house much. He moped around, occasionally lifting weights angrily in the house gym. A
few people came over to speak to us; higher Pack members, his parents and even Javier and Shawna
came to check on me. But, Seth was in no mood for accepting guests, so I had to play bad guy and
send them all away.
I tried to cheer him up, but there is only so many times getting naked works. For Seth it managed most
of the times, but it was only a temporary solution and temporary happiness. And usually the moment I
was dressed again, the dark cloud had ascended.
Everything got worse when Dale – no correction Alpha Dale Zev – returned back from the Vernal Pack.
First Dale went to visit his pregnant mate, of course, before he came over to ours. I watched him walk
up the path to our front door nervously, from the bedroom window.
"Your brother is here" I commented to Seth, who hadn't gotten out of bed yet – despite the fact it was
almost lunchtime. Radio silence was the only reply I got. "Do you want me to send him away?"
"He's an Alpha now, he can do what he likes" he replied emotionally. Suddenly he sat up so sharply in
the bed that I jumped. "Actually, he's our Alpha now. That means that we can't send him away" his
hissed bitterly.
Dale knocked on the front door, as Seth climbed out of the bed. "I'm going out" he announced, not
bothering to put clothes on as he headed out the bedroom. A few seconds later the back door closed,
before I saw Seth – in Wolf form – speeding into the forest, from my same position at my bedroom
window.
Dale knocked again, making me sigh heavily, before I headed downstairs and answered the door. His
dark hair was messed more than before and there were stress lines obvious on his face. "Dal—I mean
Alpha" I said, correctly myself quickly.
My future brother in law cringed, "please don't call me that, May".
"You are my Alpha, now, I have no choice but to call you that" I replied dryly. I knew that it wasn't Dale's
fault that he was now the Equinox Alpha, but he was there to take some of my anger. I wanted to take it
out on Seth all week but I couldn't, it would have been like kicking a disabled puppy.
Dale ran a hand through his hair, messing it further. "Is Seth here?"
"Went out for a run about five minutes ago, you literally just missed him" I lied smoothly. Dale chewed
his cheek nervously. The fact he was nervous made me nervous – he was not going to make a good
Alpha. With Seth it didn't matter if he was shitting his pants terrified, he presented himself as confident
and dominant, so people put their trust in him. Dale was the complete opposite. It felt wrong him being
Alpha, it was like throwing an injured rabbit to the Wolves – quite literally. The other Alpha's, and the
Pack, were going to eat him alive.
"Is there something wrong, Alpha?" I prompted, raising an eyebrow.
"Well...I...yeah" he stuttered out. Rule number one of being a good Alpha, don't stutter. Ever. I could
have told him that and I was only a Luna for a few short months.
"Dale" I prompted, when the stammering continued.
"You and Seth need to move out" he burst out quickly. I paused, mouth opening but nothing coming
out. Dale quickly continued, "I didn't want to. But I don't have a choice. This is the Alpha's house and
Seth isn't the Alpha anymore, so legally I have to take the house over and--"
"When do we need to be out by?" I cut him off, speaking through gritted teeth to try and contain my
anger. I knew it wasn't Dale's fault, but rather the situation we found ourselves in, but it was hard for me
to dissociate.
"By Sunday" Dale answered, his blue eyes – almost identical to Seth's – shone in guilt.
"Alright, we'll be gone by Sunday. When can we choose our new house?"
"We actually only have one house available. It's the cabin over on the north side its--"
"I know where it is" I snapped. The cabin hadn't been lived in for a while, because it was the furthest
house away from the Pack village and was nearest the territory outlines. It was a good half a mile away
from where the rest of the Pack members lived – which was why Seth never put anyone in there, he
didn't think it was fair on them.
"And that is the only place we can move to?" I hissed out.
Dale nodded slowly, "the Pack is at full capacity at the moment".
"What about your house?"
"What?"
"The house you and Sofia are living in now. You're both going to be moving into here, so surely yours in
going to be free".
Dale's face flushed, "well Sofia wants to live between the two, because we already have the nursery
done in the other house and--"
"Got it" I cut him off bluntly. I couldn't deal with his rambling when I was this angry. Just thinking of
Seth's reaction was making my blood boil and my hands clench into fist. "We'll be out by Sunday" I said
to Dale, before closing the door in his face. It was rude and disrespectful, especially to an Alpha and
Seth's brother, but I couldn't look at him for one moment longer.
I never used to want to be a Luna, but I was an idiot. Not being a Luna was suddenly the worst thing
that had happened to me...and Shawna had made me sit through all five Twilight movies!
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