Chapter 4

The night was filled with little sleep for anyone, the events of the day continued to haunt the New Dawn pack as they felt the loss of their loved ones. After a few hours of lying in bed, Roxanne managed to fall asleep; which gave Aiden a break to take a walk and blow off some steam. He left the pack house and walked towards the woods. Once he was a good distance away he stripped off his clothing and shifted into his black wolf. His wolf ran with no destination in mind, the only purpose was to help Aiden tire out his overactive brain and to think about where the pack will go from this point.

Finally, Aiden backtracked and ended up on the cliffs to the right of the pack house. He sat there deep in thought. Thoughts of his parents, and all that they have lost in just 24 hours. He thought of the Rogue who was standing over his father’s body and the hatred he had for a man he didn’t even know. Finally, he thought of the relief he felt once he realized that Roxanne was ok and uninjured. As he lay there taking in the music the crickets and owls were playing, he closed his eyes in sadness. A short while later he opened his eyes and noticed the sun was rising, shaking the grogginess out of his head Aiden stood to his paws. He knew he needed to get back to his pack; otherwise, they would begin to look for him sooner or later. Once he arrived back to the clothes he had stripped off the previous evening, he dressed and somberly began his walk towards the pack house. When he arrived in the front yard, he was met with a curious sight. He stopped in his tracks and stared humorously as he watched David studying at the third-floor window in alarm.

“Is something interesting about the window Monroe?” Aiden asked as he chuckled at the fact David jumped with his comment. David’s concentration level was so high as he stared at the window that he didn’t hear Aiden approach.

“You could say that yes, look at this rose bush and tell me what you see Lock,” David asked the question to buy a little time. He wanted to make sure that he had his facts straight because he knew that this conversation wasn’t going to be a good one.

Aiden rolled his eyes at the stupid question, and then looked at the bush. “Well, in case your eyes sight stopped working today, I see flowers, leaves, and even thorns. Make sure you don’t touch them I will not be kissing any of your boo-boos today,” he replied sarcastically.

“I’m serious Lock, what do you see?” David demanded pointing aggressively towards the rosebushes.

“I see bushes that are in desperate need of trimming!”

David rolled his eyes and looked at Aiden again. “Ok, maybe the easier question for you would be: what don’t you see?”

“I don’t see the point of these stupid questions,” Aiden mumbled as he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “The bush looks normal!”

“Thank you! That’s what I wanted to hear. Now, hypothetically” if someone jumped out of a third-story window into this bush wouldn’t you see some cracks, broken flowers, or even clothing pieces in the thorns?” David questioned as he pointed to the bushes.

Aiden’s breath buckled and he turned to David, the anger level in his body began to rise and his eyes slowly started to turn gold from his wolf. “What are you getting at Monroe?” Aiden asked as he stepped closer to David with an aggressive stance.

“I’m saying that there is none of that, so obviously someone didn’t jump out of a window last night, you need to re-talk to your mate and get the truth,” David replied defensively.

“David, what the hell man? Is this because you haven’t found your mate yet that you are going to call my mate a liar?”

“Grow up Lock and look at the details and facts that are plain as day in your face. Something is very wrong with her story and until I get the truth from your lying mate I will not be your Beta. Also..”

...

A right hook instantly stopped him cold as he was knocked to the ground by his best friend. David groaned out in pain, slowly stood to his feet, and wiped the blood from his mouth. He turned and glared at Aiden who had an equal mixture of disbelief, frustration, and remorse on his face. David took a deep breath and turned to face the woods. He knew he needed to calm himself before they started brawling in front of the pack that had more than enough issues. As David continued to look at the woods in anger, he knew what he had to do. Without turning around, he took a deep breath and yelled to anyone who could hear him. “I David Monroe am no longer a member of the New Dawn Pack as of this moment. I rescind any link to my future Beta title and am henceforth a Rogue. Good luck with the Lying Ass Luna New Dawn.” Once he was done with his statement he turned to Aiden, the look of hate in David’s eyes was enough to make Aiden wince in regret. David then shifted into his wolf and sprinted for the woods.

The loss of the pack link of the future Beta caused the rest of the pack members to come out in panic and fear. They all gasped in worry as they noticed their future Beta shift and leave. Aiden sighed distraughtly, turned, and looked at the bush. After all that, he realized that David was right; there were no broken branches on the bush. Aiden rolled his eyes, he knew that this was something he didn’t have time to worry about and he needed to find himself a new candidate for Beta. As he began to walk back towards the pack house, he noticed Roxanne standing at the door with the rest of the pack. “Don’t you all have work to do? How about you go do it,” he demanded as the crowd quickly dispersed into the house.

“Are you ok?” Roxanne asked as she wrapped her arms around him.

“Yes, I will be fine,” he answered as he pulled himself free from her grip, and left her standing there on the porch. He brushed by her and left her wide-mouthed as he entered the pack house. He needed a shower and to get ready for his Alpha ceremony which was only in a few hours. He stormed up to his soon-to-be office and punched the wall in anger. The fact that David had left: not only left him without a Beta but also left behind 21 years of their friendship. Aiden plopped into his chair and threw his head in his hands wondering if he didn’t take David’s questions seriously enough. A quick glance at the clock and he realized that there wasn’t enough time to worry about it now, he jumped to his feet and went into his room to get ready for his Alpha ceremony.

Aiden stepped into the shower, exhaled deeply, and lightly banged his head against the wall. It has been a rough two days and he is not sure if he is even ready to be Alpha now. As the burning water rolled down his back, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The feeling of cloth running across his back quickly regained his attention and he turned around to find Roxanne in the shower with him. He kissed her passionately, pulled back, and rested his head against hers. “Can I mark you?” He asked her with a hint of desperation in his voice.

“Tonight, after the ceremony please,” she purred, I’d rather enjoy now before we get through the ceremony.

Nodding in acceptance he dropped the topic and enjoyed the shower with his mate. Once they stepped out, she went into a different room to get ready for the event; she wanted her to look to be a surprise. Aiden took his time, and dressed in a pair of black pants, with a white shirt and a tie. He styled his hair and was lacing his shoes when there was a knock on the door. “Enter,” he instructed as the door opened to Elder Otis entering the room.

“Are you ready Alpha?” Otis asked as he looked at his watch.

“I will be ready as soon as I go get Roxanne, I guess you heard we will not be doing the Beta ceremony this evening,” he replied solemnly.

“Yes, Alpha, I did. The important one is yours, the rest can wait until two best friends make up,” Otis said with a smile, and then he left the room.

Aiden took a deep breath, stood to his feet, and left his room. He walked down the hallway to the room Roxanne changed in; he softly knocked on her door and waited patiently. She opened the door and his mouth dropped in shock. She looked beautiful; she had a long black halter top dress with a slit up her left leg. Her blonde hair was pulled up into an up-do, and her makeup was done in a very subtle manner. She reached up and carefully shut his mouth as she smirked at him. Blushing, he looked at her and smiled, “I’m sorry, but you look beautiful.”

“Thank you. You don’t look bad yourself,” she replied as she checked him out.

Aiden grabbed her hand and led her down the hallway and down the stairs to the room where the ceremony is to be performed in. The pack was gathered and the mood was tense but still calm. This ceremony would give the pack a tiny bit of normalcy in a week full of pandemonium. He then whisked her to the front of the room and stood next to Elder Otis. The room quieted down once they saw the future Alpha and Luna step next to the Elder.

“Are we ready to get this started ladies and gentlemen?” Otis asked as he scanned the room.

The pack members nodded without any form of complaint or rejection which verified that the pack felt they both were right for the job. Elder Otis cleared his throat and smiled. “We shall begin then. Tonight we are gathered here for Aiden Lockhart’s Alpha ceremony and Roxanne Messick’s Luna Ceremony.”

“Aiden Lockhart, will you please come forward, do you swear to uphold the laws as established by the Werewolf Council, and treat the members of your pack with empathy, respect, and fairness?”

“I do.”

“Do you promise to put the lives of your pack before your own and do everything you can to keep them safe and protected?”

“I do.”

“Please step up to the chalice and take the knife.”

As Aiden began to walk to the front to his place next to the elder where the chalice was located, he was quickly stopped in his tracks when he heard the words he didn’t want to hear.

“ROGUES ARE ATTACKING!”