Page 13 of Alpha Mates

Hands falling like his expression, Aiden’s lip twitches before he mutters, “Prick.”

“Imbecile.” I fire back.

“Asshole,” he contests with a step forward.

“Simpleton.” I take a step of my own.

“Rodent.”

“Dimwit!”

“Mutt!” he snarls on a rough exhale that brushes my skin.

A growl warms my chest, and my barely contained fury burns my muscles as I strain not to give in to the hatred that has boiled between us for our entire lives.

Aiden’s canines extend past his lips in a threat I ignore as I take a step closer, invading his space and marking it with my scent.

His onyx eyes glow brightly, shifting into a fiery red that douses my anger in an instant. Shock fills the void instead as I blink in disbelief.

Only rogues have red eyes, and Aiden Calderon isnota rogue. But no matter how I try to deny that single fact, Aiden still glares at me with impossibly crimson irises.

“Your eyes—”

The squeak of the door’s hinges cuts me off just as Aiden turns away with a muttered curse.

“We’re ready,” a voice announces at my back, but I don’t turn to acknowledge them. I keep my eyes on Aiden and his hunched back until he twists and shoves past me. He rushes out of the room, and I step after him, ready to follow until I see the confused-looking wolf standing in the doorway.

“Julian?” she breathes with the tilt of her head.

Right, the coronation.

I head out the room, following familiar paths from the rehearsal until I’m standing at the left back corner of the stage. Aiden stands on the opposite side with black eyes pointedly looking ahead.

I force myself to ignore him while I try to focus on the sound of a praying elder as they devoutly bless our packs and their futures. It’s a while still before they finally call on us to take the stage, but when they do, I don’t hesitate to step into the light.

My heart lurches at the sight of the overflowing Hall. The unique bright eyes of my kind glow back at me, illuminated by Goddess’s light that pours in unabashedly from the open full moon panel.

Without prompt or request, every wolf in the auditorium stands to their feet to cheer and welcome Aiden and me. Excitement fills the space and the blood in my veins as I stand beneath the full weight of their attention.

Elders circle the stage in their numbers with our lunas. In front of them all, where the podium awaits, our alphas—our fathers—stand tall. I take my place at my father’s left while Aiden takes his to his father’s right, the two of us bracketing them as we face our packs.

My father raises a hand, and they quiet as they take their seats.

“Thank you. Thank you,” Aiden’s father, Samson, begins with a chuckle. “We are gathered here to witness and partake in a truly glorious event for both of our packs. Tonight, a new generation steps forth to lead us across Goddess’s aligned paths, and at its head are our alphas.”

“It is a day of celebration,” my father adds, his voice echoing across the space. “One we thank the Moon Goddess for as she continues to grant our lands and our people with continuous power. Our bloodlines are rich with her light, so we shall endure forevermore.”

“Forevermore,” I and those in my pack repeat automatically.

“We offer one last invitation of challenge,” Samson announces as he looks over the crowd, including those standing on the outskirts and in the balconies. “If any pack member tonight feels that they are better suited for the role of alpha than the ones who stand on this stage … come make your claim.”

The cadence of his words is polite, but the venom behind them is anything but. It’s a threat, almost daring someone to step up right now and taint such a day. None do. Relief loosens my chest, and I finally breathe.

Clapping his hands together, my father’s tone lifts. “May the transition of power commence.”

The cheering crests again as we step back, taking our positions at the centre stage, which puts us directly beneath the full moon’s light. Aiden and I kneel and bow our heads so we can only see the eyes of our fathers, whotake the same position opposite us. Around us, our pack’s elders gather, circling us in their symbolic attempt to safeguard the process.

I force myself to be still as a hush falls over the entire Hall, leaving no other sound but bated breaths as the elders look to the sky and call on the Moon Goddess. It’s through them that her power flows. Through them, her hand on our souls would remove an alpha’s power from one and settle it in another.