Chapter One: Alpha
|Soul Banks|
Soul's mother inhaled heavily, before continuing to plead her case to her bullheaded son, and the rest of the pack, who all sat silently across the conference room and watched her.
"I completely understand your hesitation son, but as alpha your needs don't get to come first anymore. Sacrifices have to be made, and you have a responsibility to put the pack first."
Soul relaxed into his seat and tried to control his temper before responding to his mom. He was already nearing his breaking point, and one wrong move could push him over the edge. "I ain't ask to be alpha though. Matter of fact, I ain't ask for none of this. I got my boys to look out for ma, I got a responsibility to them boys to teach them how to earn and stay outta jail. A responsibility to my community to serve and protect them at all times. To do whatever i can to empower black youths in the hood, I went to fucking college for this shit! To change the narrative of what gang means." Soul said heatedly, and got on his feet. "I ain't ask your husband to drop dead and leave all his shit to me. Y'all can have it."
"No, we can't 'have it," Siren air-quoted. "It doesn't work like that and you know it. Besides, your little gang does not come before your leadership and commitment to your heritage. This is who you truly are."
Snow's phone dinged loudly at that moment, making the 17 year old girl shrink into her seat. She already knew her mother was giving her the death stare, even without looking. "Sorry." She mumbled, then turned her phone off.
The queen-mother didn't play that with anyone, not even her only daughter.
Siren turned back to her first born son impatiently. "All I'm saying is that we cannot afford to continue on this war part with the Sherwood pack, and marrying Ivanna helps terminate that option efficiently, it solidifies unity between us."
"So pimp me out like a one dollar hoe in other for peace to reign is basically what you're saying, got it." Soul countered flatly, in an incredibly bored tone. He was ready to get the fuck outta this place.
Siren frowned. "Don't be flippant with me. Peace aside, the pack needs an heir, and what better candidate to provide you one than a well respected princess?"
Soul scoffed rudely. "This all too complicated and archaic for my blood mane. Why can't the loose cannon give y'all an heir?" He asked, referring to his younger brother who was second in command.
"Hey!" Stone complained.
At the same time siren said, "he's not alpha, you are."
"Man whatever. I'm outta here, I got an outreach to plan." He marched out of the house, ignoring his mother's protests.
This was exactly why he still lived above the trap house in the heart of the hood, surrounded by his brothers, instead of the several acres of land the pack owned, which technically now belonged to him. He wanted to avoid conversations like this.
As he drove into the night, he boiled with rage.
He guessed it didn't matter to anyone that he'd never felt a sexual urge, or romantic feelings toward anyone his entire life.
When he was younger, his mom used to assure him that'd change the moment he had any sort of physical contact with his soulmate.
The moment he found the girl with the exact soulmark he had on his chest.
She'd also said that his eyes would turn green for an instant when that encounter happened, right before changing back to it's normal blue and black. As if he wasn't still getting used to the deep red shade that came with being alpha... whenever he shifted.
He sighed and shook his head in disbelief.
The same mom was now encouraging him to mate and make babies with a random female, solely on convenience. Even though the Sherwood's killed his father.
Soul hated his father, but still, it was just the principle of the thing. "Fucking hypocrites." He muttered.
He was so lost in thought that he didn't even see the kid that nearly rode his bike right into his car.
He stepped on his brakes last minute, stopping in the nick of time, right before he could knock the boy clean off the ground.
His heart started to beat rapidly, in a confusing manner. He growled silently, clutching his chest and willing his heart to resume it's normal pacing. It would be an astronomically horrible idea for him to shift in front of this human, who somehow disturbed his wolf in such a strange way. The sound of his heartbeat was all he could hear, it was deafening.
After what seemed like decades he was able to calm down. There was something really weird about that kid.
Soul looked up at the kid through his wheel-screen. The long haired boy gave him a nasty look, flipped him the bird, then stuck his headphones back on and went on his way.
Could this day get any weirder?
Soul's mother inhaled heavily, before continuing to plead her case to her bullheaded son, and the rest of the pack, who all sat silently across the conference room and watched her.
"I completely understand your hesitation son, but as alpha your needs don't get to come first anymore. Sacrifices have to be made, and you have a responsibility to put the pack first."
Soul relaxed into his seat and tried to control his temper before responding to his mom. He was already nearing his breaking point, and one wrong move could push him over the edge. "I ain't ask to be alpha though. Matter of fact, I ain't ask for none of this. I got my boys to look out for ma, I got a responsibility to them boys to teach them how to earn and stay outta jail. A responsibility to my community to serve and protect them at all times. To do whatever i can to empower black youths in the hood, I went to fucking college for this shit! To change the narrative of what gang means." Soul said heatedly, and got on his feet. "I ain't ask your husband to drop dead and leave all his shit to me. Y'all can have it."
"No, we can't 'have it," Siren air-quoted. "It doesn't work like that and you know it. Besides, your little gang does not come before your leadership and commitment to your heritage. This is who you truly are."
Snow's phone dinged loudly at that moment, making the 17 year old girl shrink into her seat. She already knew her mother was giving her the death stare, even without looking. "Sorry." She mumbled, then turned her phone off.
The queen-mother didn't play that with anyone, not even her only daughter.
Siren turned back to her first born son impatiently. "All I'm saying is that we cannot afford to continue on this war part with the Sherwood pack, and marrying Ivanna helps terminate that option efficiently, it solidifies unity between us."
"So pimp me out like a one dollar hoe in other for peace to reign is basically what you're saying, got it." Soul countered flatly, in an incredibly bored tone. He was ready to get the fuck outta this place.
Siren frowned. "Don't be flippant with me. Peace aside, the pack needs an heir, and what better candidate to provide you one than a well respected princess?"
Soul scoffed rudely. "This all too complicated and archaic for my blood mane. Why can't the loose cannon give y'all an heir?" He asked, referring to his younger brother who was second in command.
"Hey!" Stone complained.
At the same time siren said, "he's not alpha, you are."
"Man whatever. I'm outta here, I got an outreach to plan." He marched out of the house, ignoring his mother's protests.
This was exactly why he still lived above the trap house in the heart of the hood, surrounded by his brothers, instead of the several acres of land the pack owned, which technically now belonged to him. He wanted to avoid conversations like this.
As he drove into the night, he boiled with rage.
He guessed it didn't matter to anyone that he'd never felt a sexual urge, or romantic feelings toward anyone his entire life.
When he was younger, his mom used to assure him that'd change the moment he had any sort of physical contact with his soulmate.
The moment he found the girl with the exact soulmark he had on his chest.
She'd also said that his eyes would turn green for an instant when that encounter happened, right before changing back to it's normal blue and black. As if he wasn't still getting used to the deep red shade that came with being alpha... whenever he shifted.
He sighed and shook his head in disbelief.
The same mom was now encouraging him to mate and make babies with a random female, solely on convenience. Even though the Sherwood's killed his father.
Soul hated his father, but still, it was just the principle of the thing. "Fucking hypocrites." He muttered.
He was so lost in thought that he didn't even see the kid that nearly rode his bike right into his car.
He stepped on his brakes last minute, stopping in the nick of time, right before he could knock the boy clean off the ground.
His heart started to beat rapidly, in a confusing manner. He growled silently, clutching his chest and willing his heart to resume it's normal pacing. It would be an astronomically horrible idea for him to shift in front of this human, who somehow disturbed his wolf in such a strange way. The sound of his heartbeat was all he could hear, it was deafening.
After what seemed like decades he was able to calm down. There was something really weird about that kid.
Soul looked up at the kid through his wheel-screen. The long haired boy gave him a nasty look, flipped him the bird, then stuck his headphones back on and went on his way.
Could this day get any weirder?
