9 1640Words REINER Strange, I thought, hastily pulling on my pants. Really strange. One of the Omegas had just come to tell me that my mother had summoned me summoned me! for an urgent matter: that, though, didnt make any sense. First of all, I was the Alpha if anything, I was the one summoning people, and then… there were no urgent matters, as far as I knew. The pack was at peace, its economy was expanding steadily… everything was fine, for once. Maybe something happened to her. Didnt she go to the hospital for a check-up yesterday? I pursed my lips, worried, and left my room. I hope they didnt find anything wrong with her. It had been four years since my relationship with my mother had soured, but that didnt mean I wished her bad. I briskly headed towards my office, where Id been asked to go. Another strange thing. Why did my mother want to see me right there, where official matters concerning the pack were discussed? Luckily, my study was not far from my bedroom, but when I opened the door, a nonsensical scene unfolded before my eyes. My mother and my brother, Garrett, were there, along with two of the packs lawyers and one of the Council elders. Garrett was sitting in my chair behind my desk. I said bluntly. Thats not your place. That chair that office had been occupied by generations and generations of Blood Moon Alphas. A throne passed from father to son, a common tradition not only in our pack but in all. In our species, occupying the Alphas seat was not simply frowned upon. It was a blatant lack of respect, as well as a challenge. It wasnt something done lightly that wasnt a chair to sit in when youre tired. Garrett shot me a smug smile. A smirk I hadnt seen him make in years, and one that immediately made me want to wipe it off his face. Oh, I dont think so. Stop being an i***t and get your ass up, Garrett. I dont have the time or the patience to deal with your crap today. I decreed. It was already a tough day the fourth anniversary of Becky leaving me. I certainly didnt need… trouble like this. As I already told you, brother. I dont think so. Garrett repeated, still with that smirk. Faced with that challenging attitude, my wolf began to stir inside me. My eyes took on a reddish tint, and I felt my canines lengthening into fangs. Reiner, honey, its not necessary. My mother intervened. There was neither warmth nor affection in her words, just a strong, icy detachment. A detachment she had only directed at one other person before Becky. It was only then that the reality of the situation hit me. I had been summoned to my office. Garrett, my mother, the lawyers, and the Elder, they were all behind my desk, and most importantly, behind Garrett, who was sitting in my place. I was on the opposite side. All of that situation… eerily resembled a firing squad. I dont like this at all. Whats going on here? I demanded at that point. Perhaps you should sit down. My mother said. Like hell, Im sitting down. Someone better speak, and do it quickly! I growled. For a moment, the lawyers and the Elder looked at each other, nervously, but in the end, Garrett stepped forward. Very well, I suppose the responsibility falls on me. He said, the picture of calmness, rising from the chair. Youve been deposed, brother. Depos? What?! A hoarse, stunned, and incredulous laugh escaped my lips, and for a good thirty seconds, it was the only sound filling the silence of my office. Too bad no one was laughing with me. In fact, their expressions were so stiff, so unmoving, that they seemed like statues of salt. Very funny, I said. But April Fools was a month ago. How about moving, now? I have things to do, and I bet Jenny would appreciate some help with the baby. My nephew, Reed, had been born just a week earlier, making me the happiest and proudest uncle in the world. I hadnt been able to move on with my life after Becky left me. I hadnt even been able to think about being with another woman, having children with anyone other than my mate, so when Reed, the first pup of the family, was born, we were all incredibly happy. From now on, you will address my wife by the title she deserves that of Luna. Garrett replied. Knock it off. You got me with the joke, alright. Youve never been very funny, but… Theres no joke, Mr. Henderson. The Elder intervened, stepping forward and handing me a bundle of documents. As of today, you are no longer the Alpha of the Blood Moon pack with immediate effect. I suddenly felt my mouth go very, very dry. And on what grounds? I hissed. I am the rightful heir of my father. Ive led the pack for the past seven years, and I have done so with honor, justice, and excellent results. What the hell gives you the right to… The lack of a Luna and an heir. My mother pronounced. You should have listened to me, Reiner. For a long, endless moment, all I could do was stare at her, stunned by her betrayal. Since Becky had left, my mother had done nothing but propose girl after girl to me, all, according to her of excellent family and fertile. I had rejected them all. Becky might have betrayed me and left me, but she is my mate, was the only one for me. I couldnt imagine being with another, nor could I imagine another woman holding my child. It was precisely because of the love I still felt for her that I had never severed our bond: deep down, Id always harbored the hope that she would return. I would have taken her back without a second thought, without batting an eye. She was my love, my world, everything. In the end, though, she had broken it herself. I had tried to explain it to my mother, but there was no way she would understand. Only when I had exploded and yelled in her face that I would never look at another woman had she stopped. And from that day on, our relationship had become tense. Evidently, she had sided with the son who had always been her favorite the one who would give her more satisfaction. I should have expected it. After all, I knew she was very proud of her title as mother of the Alpha. When my father decided to appoint me as his successor instead of Garrett, the eldest, both he and our mother were furious. Garrett had refused to speak to me for years because of what he saw as an affront, and even my mother had suddenly become much colder for the same reason: she hated knowing that her plans for her favorite had gone up in smoke. I had more or less patched things up with my mother after I became Alpha, and with Garrett after Dad had died. The mere idea that there might be absolutely nothing true, nothing honest, on their part, in that reconciliation… was devastating. The duty of an Alpha is not only to protect and guide the pack. The Elder said. But also to provide it with a Luna and a solid line of succession. You, Reiner, have failed. Garrett has a wife and a male heir, so he will take the title of Alpha. In his generosity, he has already proposed your name as his Beta. A low growl rose in my chest, and I made no effort to hide it. Generosity, huh? I snarled. Garrett just gave me a smug smile. Youre not obliged to accept. Of course, I was if I wanted to stay in my pack, in my home. It was clear what kind of Alpha Garrett intended to be a tyrant, a spoiled brat put on a throne he didnt deserve and wasnt suited for. With people like that, either you accepted the role graciously granted to you, or you would suffer the consequences. It was evident that Garretts primary goal was to humiliate me, whether by taking my place and demoting me to Beta or throwing me to the bottom of the pack hierarchy, as Alpha he would find a way to do it. I had no intention of standing there and being humiliated least of all by him. First my wife, then my family. It seemed like a conspiracy. All the people I loved, and who should have loved me, ultimately betrayed me. And I was fed up with it. So, I forced a smirk onto my lips. Youve always had mommy to wipe your butt, Garrett. Youve always had what you wanted. Now you have my place too. Feel free to keep it. But you wont have my dignity. And despite everything, despite the hatred and anger burning in my chest because of that betrayal seeing the arrogant smug on Garretts face turn into the unsatisfied rage of the spoiled kid who doesnt get what he wants was cathartic. Ill never acknowledge you as Alpha. Do you know what this means, boy? the Elder thundered. I didnt hesitate to look him in the eye to confront him. Very few wolves chose that path. None of them were well regarded. Absolutely, I said. When I walked out of my office and out of the place I had called home since the day I was born, I was no longer an Alpha or a wolf belonging to a pack. I was a Rogue. 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