Alpha Xander: His Contracted Luna

The Alpha pack had entered into their rooms before the fall of night. It was gloam and dark. Awaiting no debacle in their slumber. Lying alone with hopes of what tomorrow brings, their hearts sang no melodies. Long admirers intertwined their bodies. A few awake laying waste to their guilty pleasures.

The halls were empty and the Manor was silent. Faye lay on her bed pondering in her thoughts. She had her mind deterred on the chance she lost to get back at Xander. There have been hurdles along the way, but she had grown to give in to where her loyalties lie-begrudgingly or not, Xander remained the Alpha.

They had settled on keeping the word to themselves. Not an end note, but not to stir up mutiny in the ranks. At times like this, they needed to build up trust in fending up their enemies and holding up their walls. Their barriers could be broken physically and mentally by unknown forces.

Xander was alone in the living room. The rays of the twilight narrowed on his dull green eyes. He palmed his hair down over his face. He had no comfort. No solace in what destruction is yet to come. He thought of Catherine. Was she safe, and had the enemy not found her in the mountains?

Shawn huddled in a corner by the stairwell. The bottle of whiskey dropped from Xander’s hand and rolled away from his feet. The Alpha reeled to his feet and wiped the sorrowful stain down his lips. He outside to the courtyard. Shawn turns to the kitchen, to leave out the backdoor.

Xander knelt by the fountain. He gleaned into his reflection. He remembered how he felt insecure around his father. He received little recognition living and breathing by his side. A tincture of condescension. A shadow over his happiness.

Truth be told, he never wanted this life. He wanted to live as a recluse in the wild. “That’s no man’s life. A man with no followers. He is as good as dead. Living to die not dying to live.” his father always said to him as a teenager.

He clamped his palms over the fissures.

To hell with you James.

Shawn watched the Alpha resent himself. He wished he had been there for Xander then and now. One of Xander’s oldest friends. When responsibility came along, they drifted apart. And barely kept on in each other’s personal life. Shawn tried severally. Xander always shut the door of closure and pushed him away. He was just a noble wolf under his hand.

Xander had terrible feelings of guilt. Dahlia. She was indifferent. Hair like a peach fuzz. She was fun to be with. They swam in the dark water alone when everyone was away. She was quick to smile. Xander loved her personality, but he failed to love her. Not because she was a werewolf born with a weak heart, but because she was born of a man who had a role to play in his father’s demise. Drew.

***FLASHBACK***

Out on the lake shore at dust. The two almost-destined wolves sat on the wet sand. Their feet washed in the waves. He stared at the far depths of the dark waters. She held her arm in his and rested her head gently on his shoulder.

“Are you sad, or you are scared you’ll not be happy again?”

She ran her fingers down his forearm. It was soothing.

“I have you now. You are here with me.”

He bobbed his head on hers. And smiled locking his fingers around hers.

“If there is ever a time… a time I am not here,” She raised her head from him. “You can find another that will make you happy. Happier than I did,” she looked into his eyes and palmed his neck.

“You are a special one,” he leaned in close. “There are not many special ones out there.”

“Take your chances,” she inhaled sharply. “I will die. And I will not live again. You… you get to do that-live and do many things again.”

“You say this like you are saying your goodbyes,” he withdrew his feet from the waves and crouched next to her. “Don’t talk like this Dahlia,” he fisted sand on the ground.

She stared looked away and stared at the lake, “A time will come. I will be very much weaker. So weak I won’t catch up with walks, talks or even care to remember.”

He crossed his arms around to console him, “Don’t think about the past. Think about the present, the time we are having now,” he kissed her forehead.

A tear rolled down her left cheek, dropping on Xander’s hand, “Promise me I won’t experience that.”

He embraced her, “What do you mean Dahlia?”

“Take away my pain before it gets too late,” she looked back at him. He was stuck in rue. “Promise me, Xander,” she squeezed his hand.

“What you are asking of me is-

“Just promise me. Please.”

“I promise.”

***THE PRESENT***

He buried his face in the fountain. His tears mixed with the bubbles of the precious white stones in the depths of the fountain. He slung back. The water sprinkled down from his hair splashing against his neck. He rose to his feet, wiping his face and his shirt. Shawn had to let him be. He watched Xander meander into the garden. He stepped back and turned to the back door.

The Alpha pulled up next to him like his entourage. His personal service providers. They must have been keeping a close eye on him since he left his chambers. Even Shawn failed to see them around.

“Go back inside,” Xander squeezed the water out the neck of his shirt. “I won’t say it again.”

Joni inched forward, “We just thought you could use the company.”

“Might as well take a stroll,” Manny itched behind his sweatshirt. “What do you?” he opened and turned over his palms.

Xander’s forehead creased, “Do I look like I need company?”

“Um… No, we just…,” Manny looked at Joni. “Let’s go back in man.”

“Yeah,” Joni nodded zipping up his hoodie.

Xander groaned, “Don’t just come up in my face next time. Get out of my sight.”

The delta and beta lowered walking away by Xander’s side.

***

Xander was out of the field walking towards the gates. A night stroll wouldn’t be bad, but he wanted to be alone. Marco crept up behind the walls of the gate. Xander walked out without detecting his presence. The Alpha started to pick up a steady pace to jog. He went down the narrow road.

The further he got away from the Manor. The night came closing in, and so did the vampires. Ophelia was stealthy with her cloak dashing in the woods. Finley was at a standing point at the end of the road, before the highway.

Xander noticed a ghostly apparition down his path in the night. He looked like he had seen a ghost, it aroused specters from his past. The wraith of James Marion.

Xander slowed down in his steps. The hooded cloak down the road sped fat to his side, like a blow of the wind. The Alpha was struck to the ground. Xander coughed up. He felt the air pumped out of him. On the gravel road under the street light, he turned to the thick woods, and a grey-haired woman stepped towards him pulling over her black cloak.

Another came from up the road. Xander was raised up from the neck of his shirt by the hooded cloak figure. The other two held the Alpha’s hand. He was restrained in their grip. No matter how hard he tried to let loose, his arm wouldn’t budge. They kicked at his legs, he dropped to his knees.

“Remember me?” Finley dropped his hood.

Xander gained quick recognition of the vampire that tried to attack Catherine in her apartment. He remembered him to be much skinnier and leaner.

Finley raised Xander’s chin up, “You do remember.” He smacked a fist down the Alpha’s head.

Xander lowered. The Vampire’s by his side held him up to take another hit. Finley was hitting down hard on the Alpha’s head. Xander’s head was bruising a cut.

“Not so strong now are you?” Finley roared pulling Xander’s hair to lift his face.

“Are we ripping his heart out or what?” Marco grinned. “Taking him hostage is not an option, I see his claws coming out and shit.”

“You packed the dose didn’t you?” Ophelia snapped. “We can keep him down with-

“Shit!” Marco furrowed. “I thought we were gonna kill him on the spot. Not dragging his ass to the base-

“Fuck that,” Finley groaned. “Break his wrists.”

Ophelia and Marco pushed Xander’s hands behind his back. The Alpha gnashed his teeth and struggled. He pulled back his wrists and it snapped. Xander yelled in pain.

“Quick do it,” Marco panted holding back Xander’s shoulder.

“You are going to feel the pain of your heart crushed,” Finley ripped Xander’s shirt. “Literally.”

“Let’s get it over with,” Ophelia said, worried wolves can pop out of nowhere seeing this is their territory.© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

“We have all the time,” Finley took his hand off Xander and leaned back on his stance. “Nothing’s going to stop us from ending this mutt.”

Manny jumped from a tree into the air. He jolted a kick into Marco. The vampire tumbled to the ground. The Alpha had an arm free. Ophelia fidgeted. He swept her to the ground with his feet. Joni attacked Finley from behind, but the vampire was cautious enough to block the attack. He caught Joni by the neck.