Chapter 2

Kaizen

My Ipare watch said it was only 8:23, so the Harvest would be in full swing, but I had no intention to join. Straight to bed. That was the plan.

I was annoyed and Jet lagged. My brother may have been standing king, however it was insufferable being around so many high class snobbish wolves. My mother may have been the third Princess, she even served on the council, being an Old One, holding a title of Risen One being unable to die… and my father the Horned Wolf, God of Retribution… a fairytale, as real as I was…. But that did not mean that I didn’t feel disrespected.

Out of obligation I backed my mother up on being the heir to her council seat, however that did not stop the Royal Council members from shoving their granddaughters in my face. This also happened to my brother, however they did this much less so. As standing king, they feared he would banish them for such blatant disregard for his rank.

For me, rank was almost a swear word. I wanted nothing to do with it. I'd seen my entire life how hard my mother worked for how little respect she gained. After all, they would never do it in front of her, our father, or her children, however it was still there. The off comments, the snide remarks here and there behind her back. And for me, the remarks of when I would settle down.

It may have been nearly an entire century since my birth, but in that time I did not desire, nor seek out a mate at 18. It was just who I was. I didn’t Want a mark mate. But if I were to be completely honest this Harvest… was that I was Tired of formality and speaking kindly to the pompous royal masses within the castle.

It almost felt as if attacks on my soul were being dispersed every time I walked through the magnificent double doors of the multistoried castle. I was still in this itchy suit. I hated restrictive clothes like this…... That in all its grandeur, and all the rank and Alpha status that I could have, that I would throw it away for a ham sandwich right now. To be fair that same thing could be said for my current rank of Beta. Since Tyson was gone, it would be up to me to reel in the wolves once I got home.

He'd actually asked me to be Alpha, since he was standing king. He was in Grandia, north of here by at least a thousand miles. He wanted me to step up.

Yup… give me a turkey on rye with no mayo.

That would be the better choice.

And that's saying something from someone who has a hard time digesting human grain.

It was Saturday night! The Harvest Moon at that. Tyson Begged me to stay, but fuck that, and Fuck Him Too for trying to make me. I should have stayed and gotten drunk, then retired early, but the festival in his honor was too much for a simple wolf like myself.

I’d be happy with old episodes of Order and Law, some wine, the company of the older, retired wolves, and the remote. That was an afternoon. A night with the pack… a night not having to force myself into being someone I wasn’t….

But with Grace, our little but honestly identical sister, gone to train how to use magic, I was stuck being the supportive sibling. I didn’t mind at first, but he was gone nearly every day from the pack. It left being Alpha on me, then I had to fly up there and pretend that I liked those old farts. The King had a council of 14 members, with my mother being his 3rd, or Left Seat. He ruled over every wolf, being double the size of all but me, my siblings, and my father….

Me, Tyson, and Grace are triplets. When we were young, we were so close, and looked so identical, that the only way you could tell us apart was scent, but now we’ve all branched apart… Tyson works hard to replace my mother’s grandfather, who sleeps to Rest from ruling so long…. Grace trains hard to find herself…

She won some tournament or another a few days ago, but I haven’t contacted her since. Honestly, it might have been sooner than that. I couldn’t recall since I’ve been so busy. The fight looked Good, and she won, but since she hadn’t come back, I figured she should enjoy her break….

IF she comes back, I know Assistant Gamma Adam will be So happy…. That just leaves me, the village fool. I tended to hang out with the other Betas of the family… Ruling was for Alphas anyway. I just wanted to be left alone, but stepped up because I was needed.

I realized as I turned right, I smelled human.

Nothing unusual. This area was marked off, and even with the fence, people still ignored the signs, the locked gate, and the Warrior guarding the entrance….

Except the gate was open. The signs were there, but I doubt a mortal would notice.

“Disobedience.” I growled. I smelled blood.

My Brother may have been standing King of the Wolves, but my uncle ruled over us all. He’d commanded a long time ago that humans were not to be killed on the spot. We were ruled First to see if they were able to be released first.

We were told that only Headhunters, illegal poachers of supernatural creatures, could be culled like that.

I would stop this, not because of the law… but because I felt something.

I didn’t know What. I didn’t like it, but there was no way I’d allow this feeling to go unaccounted for.

I pulled over and shifted, destroying all the clothes that I’d worn. It doesn’t shift with us. I was a wolf that towered over every other in my pack, being twice their size. My espresso blackish-brown fur rippled in the wind, while my horns spiraled like a mature ram’s. I inherited these, though I didn’t actually like them… they were a sign of the Horned One… the one who punishes. The one who sends people Below… my grandfather.

I never spoke with that man much, but I still carried his blood… and before I knew it, I was ripping out the throat of a Warrior. With my flaming bite being the Charred One… they became ashes in my mouth. So sweet was the taste of carnage…

This was the first time I didn’t hold back…. And I ripped limbs off torsos, crunching bone, tearing sinew.

The one who smelled of human blood screamed. I didn’t even recognize who he was, he just had something, no someone I wanted safe. She screamed. The girl was covered in blood, and all I saw was red.

[Boss its us!] yelled Marvin as I couldn’t help myself. I gored him with a headbutt, and ripped the throat out of Steven…. It was so fast… My horns gutted him from the bottom of his torso, through his chest cavity… I shifted… I looked at my clawed hands.

There was so much blood on them….

I looked at the girl, who as I took steps to reassure her, she shook more until her sky blue eyes kind of rolled in the back of her head…. I caught her…. I had no control of myself…

I bit her…. I snarled as I did so…

Her blood dripped down my chin…. She tasted like a fine aged wine… and I could feel my pupils dilate….

I had no control over myself…

She was the most delicious mortal I’d ever tasted, yet I did not kill her….

The girl passed out… but I’d committed a crime for this woman…

This was Murder.

Treason too…

I’d turned on my people for a Mortal… it all happened so fast… I didn’t know why… I looked at the shocked, horrified faces of the last two in the unit. I could kill them too and blame a Rogue no one finds…

I killed four wolves in the blink of an eye… but they were pack. Had they been Rogues, it wouldn’t matter. Business as usual; you’re protecting the pack and all that… but this was murder.

Fuck…

Why was I feeling pulled to this woman.

Why did I mark a Human?

There were murmurs of wolves as they appeared…

“Beta… come quietly.” Said Warrior Garlend…. He kept his distance, looking at me as if I were a Rogue.

This was My Unit… I killed my own wolves.

They looked at me with a combination of shock, fear, and horror…. What I’d done was unthinkable… I was to be their protector…. Yet… I didn’t even Remember what I’d done…. I only saw corpses….

For a Human. I still couldn’t believe it….

“No.” I said taking steps with this frail mortal in my arms….

Why did I hold her?