11. Boy Alpha

I love libraries. The familiar smell of books, the peace and silence as minds slipped into the realms within pages. I loved to cross my legs on the carpet and lean against a bookshelf, diving into a new adventure with no restrictions. No worries.
The library had been my sanctuary during both middle and high school-most especially in high school after I met Kane. I was already the brunt of most pranks but after that fateful meeting in the hallway, the bullying stepped up to a whole notch.
The story got out that I tried to force myself on Kane and he'd tried to let me down gently but I'd gone as low as to insist he was my mate. And naturally Kane had to do the right thing. Bring the delusional omega back to reality. I'm pretty certain Helen was the one who fabricated and spread the rumor but needless to say, I didn't gain any fans.
Luckily for me though, the library was the only place no one dared to try anything, the only thing they got away with was dirty looks or flipping me the bird if my eyes lingered too long. The school library had been my sanctuary then and without me realizing it, I felt the same about every other library too.
That would explain why I felt like crying when I saw the splatter of blood on the books behind the tied up Russian. His head was slumped to his chest, cloths soaked in what I imagined was more blood. It oozed into the wooden floorboards like red paint.
I cringed.
Couldn't they have taken him somewhere else?
Kane stood beside the bleeding man, hand and most of his sleeve stained crimson. But he didn't appear concerned with the mess or the blood on him. Up there, standing on the raised dais where all the hundred and twenty werewolves that made up our pack could see him, he was nothing short of cool authority.
He'd glanced at me absently when I sat down but now his eyes were on the rest of the room. "All apparent pack members are present," he stated. "The meeting begins now."
A woman rose near the front row. "Where the hell is the alpha?" She demanded.
Kane didn't blink. "You're staring at him."
There was a moment of shock (I nearly chocked to death on my candy), then the room erupted in noise. Disbelief, anger, support, protests, surprise, it was all there. And rightfully so. Theo had been our alpha for a good sixty years- werewolves aged slower than humans. The average alpha stayed in power for at least a century, some longer. Theo didn't even look aged, no older than thirty. It was unusual that he was stepping down. Unless someone else challenged him, someone who proved to be more dominant and had won.
When a pack member challenged the alpha the pack normally got together to witness the fight as a whole. The only exception would be if the challenger refused a large audience, but if there was a change in alphas everyone had to know immediately.
I guess now we did, I thought, studying Kane nervously. Why did he take over? And more importantly, what was going to happen to me? The mate Kane couldn't stand, couldn't get rid of before because my life wasn't in his hands. Now he was alpha. My alpha.
"Quiet."
All noise was shut down abruptly by the command. An alpha's command. I could feel the magic tingling in the air the urge to follow it- even though I hadn't even been talking- was irresistible. I pressed my lips together.
"Tomorrow I will take any challenge for the position. All of them. Right now we have more pressing matters to deal with," he tilted his head at the man strapped to the chair. "I will answer your questions one at a time."
A man shot to his feet. "Who were those people who attacked us on the bridge?"
Kane folded his arms over his chest. "Mercenaries. I don't know who hired them yet, I'll inform you when I do."
The man didn't sit, eyes shifting to the Russian. "Why don't we question him?"
"Already did, he wouldn't talk. And he's dead."
The man sat down, two questions at a time was the rule. This time two people stood up. They glowered at each other, each one willing the other to sit.
"Harris," Kane chose.
The other man sat with a scowl and Harris fixed his jacket smugly, looked towards his new alpha. "I don't ask this to challenge your authority, but do you think it was wise to kill the Russian?"
"I'm fully aware of what I did. I killed him because he and his companions hurt my pack."
My pack.
Harris nodded his head, accepting the stake of ownership. "I don't think they were planning on killing anyone though, shots were aimed at arms and legs. No shots to the head."
Kane shifted his gaze so he was addressing everyone again. "They weren't there to kill anyone, their real objective was a kidnapping. They took Helen."
In front of me, someone waved his arm. Darius. "And why is that, alpha?" He asked in a sing song voice.
Kane didn't seem irritated by his friend's tone. "They thought she was my mate," Kane replied calmly, uncrossing his arms.
"Thought?" Darius prompted over the murmurs that were starting.
Sapphire orbs turned to me, and I sent a silent prayer above. Look away.
They stayed on me. "They thought she was Ember," Kane said.
Several things happened in that moment. One, my stupid heart did a little flutter at hearing him say my name for the first time. Two, the noise returned full blast but this time people were twisting around in their chairs to get a look at me and while I was starting to hyperventilate at the attention, the guy beside me stood, hauling me up with him.
Meaty hands wrapped around my throat, squeezing a gasp out of me.
Eyes wide, I looked up, almost expecting to find Kane there. It wasn't, the man who had his hands around my throat was in his forties. He was bulky, his eyes a wild amber, most of his face covered in a red beard. Not someone I knew.
Kane sent him to kill me, I realized. He was getting rid of me in front of the whole pack.
The room had gone quiet but expressions were livid- no sane person would ever attack an omega with so many pack members around. But from my peripheral vision, I noticed there were also curious gazes, people who seemed more curious as to what would unfold than the fact that I was in mortal danger. I wondered if my mom was in the room- not that she'd come to my rescue either way.
Kane was as calm as ever. Surprise, surprise.
Meaty Hands turned narrowed eyes on Kane and the sneer he directed at him was disgusted enough to squander any of my assumptions that he was working for Kane.
He spat on the floor. "You're telling me some childish boy who bullies a girl because he likes her wants to be our alpha? Bullshit."
I was standing before my whole pack with my throat gripped by a psychopath and my life in possible danger but I still managed to blush furiously. They'd known I was being bullied by Kane all along. I didn't know what to say to that.
"The man currently choking said girl has no right to accuse anyone of being childish," a voice called. May.
There were growls of support.
"Coward," someone threw out.
"Shut up, I'm doing you all a favor," Meaty Hands shouted. "Boy alpha, if you want your so called mate back with her neck intact then step down from being alpha. Now."
Kane didn't move.
Meaty Hands clenched his teeth. "Wanna watch her die then?"
The next squeeze on my throat had black dots dancing across my vision.
Fool. Of course Kane wasn't going to abdicate his title because of me.
Squeeze.
I gasped for air that wasn't there, tears streaming down my cheeks as I struggled to break away.
The idiot really was planning on killing me.
"What are you doing, Em?" Ian. "You don't need anyone to save you. Save yourself."
I clawed at the hands on my neck, brought my leg up- he slammed his foot down on mine. My foot screamed in protest and I sucked in a deep breath. His hold had slackened.
Quickly, I sucked in more air, probably looking like a fish in the process but not caring.
You can do this, Ember. Without your mask on. Kick his ass. My fingers trembled but wouldn't curl into the fists like my brain was telling them. He cut off my oxygen again. I glanced around weakly. Eyes, so many eyes on me.
Save yourself.
Can't.
"Kane Wilder, if you keep me from finishing this imbecile's life, I promise you I will curse you to the ends of this world and the next."
Heads turned up. The library had a second floor, one that opened up into the first. Right above Kane, Aster stood on the wooden rail, her arrow locked and loaded. Inhuman eyes wide with fury.
"Let me kill him," she said, baring her teeth in a manner that was more animalistic than anything.
"No," Kane said. My heart sank. "I'll do it myself."
Then he was barreling across the room. There were shouts as werewolves jumped out of his way, chairs flying- a growl from Meat Hands as he raised me over the floor with a single hand. My feet dangled in the air like a doll's.
"Stay back," I heard him warn. "Or I'll kill her-"
Kane reached behind him and then he was in front of us, my eyes only catching a silver glint of a blade before I was suddenly released. There was a thump beside me, warm liquid on my face. Meat Hands screeched. And screamed.
I swallowed air, crawling away from the two men.
His hand. Kane cut it off.
"I'm only going to say this once, to all of you," Kane said, voice cutting across the room like a knife. He took a step towards Meaty Hands- or in this case Meaty Hand. "The next time any of you lay a hand on her, I will kill you. And by the time I do, you'll be begging me for it."
Meat Hand sobbed, shaking his head. "I won't, I won't do it again-"
Kane tossed aside his bloodied sword. "If you touch what is mine to protect, I will show you death."
His clawed hand whipped out, and Meat Hand slumped to the floor. Dead.
Without pause, Kane stalked over to me, glowering at the watchful wolves in the room. "Ember is mine."
He held out a hand for me to take, face expectant. Waiting for me to comply.
I slapped his hand away.
"I'm not yours," I snarled. I leapt to my feet, jumped over a chair and ran from the room.