Chapter 54: *”And just where have you been…?”*
Rankin Northmountain was furious as he could do nothing but obey the dual commands. given to him by Alpha Andrew and Luna Ember. They were not supposed to give a member of the Werewolf Council an order like this. No matter what that dinosaur from the Supernatural Council had said. Rankin tried to fight the order again and was viciously racked with pain before his body continued to obey the order he was given.
Rankin snarled internally, he hated pain, to the point he went to great lengths to avoid it. His dislike of pain had him eternally stuck as an omega level fighter. However, the joke was on all those other lowly omegas who thought he was one of them. He wasn’t, he was infinitely more powerful than those omegas, he was a Senior Council Werewolf. He was allowed to mate from the Frost and Northmountain Clans.
Granted the bitch was a reject as not all her coloring was right. If Leanna’s honey brown hair had just been a few shades lighter, the dual colors of her gray blue eyes less gray and bluer, and her peach-colored skin a few shades lighter, he never would have been given her. Rankin made sure to remind her of it every time he forced her to service him. He made sure
Leanna knew he was the only male who could stomach her ugly coloring.
He also made sure Leanna knew his title as a Council Werewolf was the only reason she
was still remotely accepted as a Clan member. Although she was treated as invisible unless it was necessary. Leanna was nothing more than a tool, and she knew it. It was beaten into her several times a week, especially after one of her suicide attempts. Rankin loved the utter devastation in her eyes when she woke up alive, after thinking she had escaped him through
death.
Rankin laughed internally, if she hadn’t been bound when she was a child, Leanna might have been able to fight back. However, without her wolf, she was no better than a lowly disgusting human. Rankin walked into the Werewolf’s Council building, and tried to fight the
direction his body was going in. More pain ran through his body, and he was sure that after
all this was over, he would go work his mate over to make himself feel better.
It took him less than ten minutes to get from the restaurant to the Council building and then the records department. No matter how much he fought the command to slow himself down, the paperwork was officially filed in just those ten minutes. Once done, he felt the commands he was under fall away. Once free of the commands, he started to panic, the Alphas of the Northmountain and Frost Clans were sure to punish him for this.
Surely, they would have mercy on him when he told them of the dual commands by the Alpha and Luna. Rankin practically ran to his office, slamming the door shut and locking it.
Once the door was locked, he let out the breath he had been holding in a gush of air. Eyes. closed, he turned around and leaned heavily against the door.
“And just where have you been, Rankin?” Came the icy cold voice of Clan Alpha Northmountain.
Rankin’s eyes snapped open and the sight that met his eyes made him freeze. It felt like his entire body had just been submerged in ice water. “A.a.a.alphas…w.w.what an… u.unexpected surprise. What can I do for you?”
“Why do you look so nervous to see us?” Clan Alpha Frost asked Rankin, his voice just as cold as Clan Alpha Northmountain’s.
Rankin did not know how he was going to survive this meeting with the two Alphas. His original hope, that they would have mercy upon him if he explained he had no choice but to obey, died a pitiful death in the face of their deadly gazes. In an utter panic and with no rational thought or plan in mind, Rankin turned around and tried to make his escape.
He wasn’t even able to unlock the door before he was painfully subdued. His scream of pain echoed in the room as his blood painted his office door. His screams would remain. trapped in the office, never to reach the other side of the door. All Council Werewolf offices. were made soundproof.
When Selena had made her appearance, there hadn’t been much time left of the one-hour lunch break. Selena had retreated inside Alora, and everyone was ushered to find their mode of transportation back to the school. Luckily, the school was only a five-to-ten-minute drive from the restaurant depending on traffic.
Alora, sitting in the back seat of Darien’s car again, wondered if she should text Damien and tell him about Selena. After a bit of thought that lasted the short drive back to the school, Alora decided to wait till Damien’s call that night to tell him. Alora hopped out of the car and happened to look down at her ankles.
The tattoos of her regalia stood out on her bare skin, the new ‘tattoos’ on her ankles, wrists, and under her collarbone, would definitely raise questions. It was too late to go back to Bettina and Allister’s to change into something that would hide them now. Alora let out a resigned sounding sigh, at least the tattoos were less flashy than the full-scale regalia.
Darien and Serenity had hopped out of the car and joined Alora in enough time to see her sigh as she looked at her ankles. Darien was about to say something to try and offer Alora a
little comfort. But it turned out to be unnecessary, as Alora shrugged her shoulders a moment later. With her head up, her spine straight, and her shoulders back, Alora now not longer looked beaten down. Now she looked every bit the part of a strong and confident. Alpha female.
Serenity leaned into Darien’s side, and he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her tighter. against him. Serenity was smiling at Alora, liking the change she was seeing in the female. It was like Serenity was seeing the true Alora, the one that had been hiding just beneath the surface under baggy hoodies and loose track pants.
Music was already pounding through the stadium, loud enough you could feel it from the parking lot. Pulling up and parking next to them, were the rest of the group that had gathered at the restaurant. Including one Supernatural Council Officer Brogden Terrawing. Having been told about the final exams and the challenges Alora had, he asked to stay and
watch.
Alpha Andrew and Luna Ember agreed with bright smiles. As the request had Alora, Darien, Serenity, Kain, Galen and Jaxon all professing how amazing it would be to have a Dragon Master watching their fights. The joy and excitement of the pups had all the adults. smiling as their hearts melted.
As a large group everyone made their way to the entrance of the stadium. Many families. and students were still returning, and the Dragon Master was quickly noticed. Alora felt. relieved, with all the focus on the Dragon Master, the sudden change in her appearance went unnoticed. When parents told the pups what Brogden was, they were just as excited about the sight of him as Alora’s group had been.
The group had to break apart shortly after entering, as the adults had to sit away from the students. But not without hugs of love for them all. Alora was given a loving hug from not only Alpha Andrew and Luna Ember, but also from Serenity’s mother Camille. While Serenity was given hugs from both her parents and Luna Ember. Serenity had squeaked at first in surprise, then accepted the hug with a wide joyful smile.
Darien said a reluctant goodbye to Serenity when they all reached the Delta fighter Class row of seating. Even though Serenity and her brothers had all three advanced to the Beta Class, they were to remain in their original assigned row until the next day. When they would be fighting to defend their new rank within their new fight class.
Alora and Darien just sat down in their seats when the lights above the stadium seating went off. Alora was again grateful for another lucky circumstance that would ward off questions about her new tattoos for just a bit longer.
“Welcome Back Students and Family members! I hope everyone had an enjoyable meal while you were out!” A roar of agreement from the crowd went around the stadium. “Now! We are back for the last battle, the battle to the top! The next challenges are the ones you don’t want to miss, as the Beta Class fighters try to fight their way into the Alpha Class!”
Another roar of excitement went around the stadium, this one louder than the last one. “First, the newly minted Beta Class fighters who submitted challenges to the Alpha Class during the lunch break! Let’s see who will advance to Alpha fighter Class level, and who will remain Beta fighter Class level!”
This time, the roar of excitement from the crowd was so loud, the stadium shook.
