Chapter 1 Part 1 -Kieran

• “You’ve waited three years, through six blood moons, why don’t you just choose your mate from the pack and be done with it?” my father sneered from the head of the table.
• “Dad, I believe my mate is out there and I want the woman that the moon goddess intended for me. That’s the only way I can be sure that she is the right Luna for our pack,” I sighed as I cut into the steak on my plate.
• “Our pack will accept whoever you present them with. Love is just a bunch of drivel; she just needs to be fertile and bear the next heir for goddess’ sake!” he snarled.
• “Dad, I want the pack to love my mate just as I want to love her. Our pack needs the love of a Luna, it’s been too long since mom died,” I explained in defense. He’s been an insufferable bastard since my mother died and anyone with half a brain can see that the pack morale has suffered since.
• “Don’t you dare use your mother as an excuse to be weak. You are my heir, it’s about damn time you acted like it!” he shouted as his steak knife flew past my head.
• I looked up from my plate and slowly placed my utensils down while maintaining eye contact. “I’m not weak just because I want what is best for my pack. I believe I have had my fill of this, I’m going out,” I said as my chair scraped against the floor when I stood. I did it intentionally, it pisses him off.
• “We’re not done here. You were not excused from this table!” he shouted as I tossed my napkin down, never breaking eye contact.
• “Perhaps you didn’t hear me clearly. I’m finished here and I am going out. I’ll be back when I get here,” I said and turned to exit the dining room.
• He jumped up in a flash and was on my back with his arm wrapped around my neck. “You won’t disrespect me boy! I am your father and your Alpha!” he shouted, tightening his grip.
• I elbowed him in the gut and as his hold around my neck loosened, I spun around and planted my fist in his face. A shiver of excitement ran through me as I heard and felt the satisfying crunch of his nose. He staggered back and braced himself with the table, so he didn’t fall to the floor.
• “I said I was done here. Touch me again and I won’t ascend to the Alpha title, I’ll take it. You should probably do something about that, won’t want to get blood on your precious floor,” I growled as I turned and left.
• I stepped onto the porch of the Alpha mansion and breathed in the fresh air before I sent out a mind link. ‘Billy, Xav, Tommy, Tristan, meet me on top of the Blood Moon Hill. Someone bring me squares and suds, I’m letting Thunder out for a run,’ I said and cut the link. I didn’t need to wait for their response, they were my best friends in the world, and they wouldn’t let me down.
• I quickly stripped and tossed my clothes on the front porch before letting Thunder come forward. ‘Blood Moon Hill, Thunder. You take the lead, I need some thinking time,’ I told my wolf before I relinquished full control.
• I felt the first few seconds of his paws pounding against the earth as he headed off in the direction of our destination before I completely tuned everything out to be alone with my thoughts.
• I hate that my father is so hung up on me finding my mate that he has disregarded something so sacred. I have been tolerant of his asinine behavior because I know he has suffered since mom was accidently killed by hunters, but he doesn’t realize that he wasn’t the only one who lost her that day.
• I may be the future Alpha of the Cold Moon pack, but I am not ashamed to admit that I was totally a mama’s boy. My whole world crashed around me the day my mother was killed. In reality, that was the day I became an orphan, even with one parent still alive.
• Something more than the bond snapped inside my father that day. He instantaneously went from loving, to cold and callous. That was the first time he beat the hell out of me, the last time he attempted it was right after I got Thunder. That day, my wolf gave me the strength to end the torture. Not that he doesn’t try now and again like he did today, but he knows I am already stronger without officially holding the title of Alpha.
• I have never threatened him like I did today though. Could I really end the life of my last living parent? I mean, I have never been the sort to resort to unnecessary violence in the past, but it isn’t like this is a little spat that started today, no this has been going on for six years. Six years that I have watched my pack suffer, four of which I took the brunt of his anger. Yes, for the future of my pack I most certainly could end my father’s life and take the Alpha title that is rightfully mine.
• Why couldn’t the old bastard just leave me alone and let me find my goddess given mate? Then everything would be as it should be, with the exception that I intend to banish the bastard. The pack doesn’t need the reminder of how awful the last six years have been, there’s probably something to that out of sight, out of mind thing and I want him out of sight while our pack finally heals from the loss of my mother.
• The feeling of my bones snapping and reforming drew me out of my thoughts, and I came forward next to a tree where we kept clothes to change into after shifting. ‘Thanks Thunder,’ I murmured as we switched places in our mind.
• I heard the rumble of Xavier’s old pickup truck coming up the hill just before the sound of paws pounding the earth and the happy yips of my friends as they came into the clearing. I couldn’t stifle the grin that split my face seeing my ride or die best friends come into view.
• “Sup Kieran? Did they finally find oil on Uranus?” Bill snickered as he shifted back from his wolf, Rip. I just rolled my eyes at him as I tossed a pair of shorts in his direction.
• “Dude, I was out of smokes, so I swiped a pack from my mom. They’re lights instead of full flavor, sorry. The case of suds was full though, so there’s that,” Xavier said as he popped out of the cab of his truck.
• “Just tell me they’re menthol at least. Regular lights are like smoking air,” I replied as I caught the pack of cigarettes first and the lighter that followed. I read the pack that at least said menthol before I tore off the cellophane and flipped open the top and plucked one from the pack. I used the lighter which had a picture of a woman in a compromising position on it to light my cigarette and exhaled a sigh after taking the first drag.
• We passed the pack and lighter around as Bill opened the case of beer and passed one to each of us. I popped the top of mine and downed it in one gulp before anyone said a word.