The Alpha's Progeny [The Alpha's #3]

MALIK VLADIMIR

“There’s no way Clayton is going to win this,” Malik shook his head in disbelief of what he had just witnessed. “He’s stupid for even proposing such blasphemy!”

“I wouldn’t go as far as to call it blasphemy,” Orpheus chuckled before helping himself to another pancake; this being his fifth. “Stupid however, I cannot disagree with.”

“I can’t believe he’s managed to get so many pack wolves to follow him.” he shook his head in disbelief. “It’s like he’s brainwashed them.”

“I can’t say that I’m all that surprised.”

“What do you mean?”

“If you were older when I went away, you would have taken over the pack. But because you were far too young, Clayton took over for fifteen years,” Orpheus paused to shrug, a rather nonchalant expression on his face for someone who had just had their entire existence threatened. “I can’t really blame for staking claim over something that he’s been in charge of for so long,”

“So, you’re endorsing him?” Malik frowned in question.

“I’m definitely not endorsing him,” he snorted. “I’m just saying that I get where he’s coming from. Now, does that mean that he’s made the right decision? Of course not!”

“What happens when you win the challenge?” Malik asked, no doubt in his mind that his dad, the true Alpha of the Lupum Griseo pack was going to win and show everyone that his title wasn’t up for grabs. Even if he had been out of the picture for a questionable amount of time.

“You know that challenges can only end with one survivor.”

“But Clayton is your best friend,” he protested but his argument was weak.

“He used to,” Orpheus pursed his lips. “I’ll never forget everything that he’s done for me but this is pushing the boat out way too far. It would never have needed to come to this if he hadn’t challenged me ultimately, his death is on him.”

“You’re the Alpha. Surely you can turn down the challenge and spare his life.”

“And have him form a revolution to steal my title away from me? I don’t think so,” Orpheus snorted in question. “I know this is tough but Clayton knows what to expect. You don’t think he’s thought about all of this before challenging me? And in front of the whole pack as well.”

“What do you expect me to do? Step down from the challenge?”

“That would be the smart thing to do.”

“That’s where you’re wrong,” Orpheus snorted. “Stepping down would be the weak thing to do.”

“You don’t have to prove yourself to anyone. You’re the Alpha!” Malik continued to insist but he could feel that he was fighting a losing argument.

“Yes, and I’ve been away from the pack for fifteen years,” he dropped his spoon on the table in frustration. It clanged awfully loud, sounding louder than it ought to have been. “Clayton has been running the pack in my absence. Pack members trust him, love him. They’ve become so used to having him as Alpha. Even though I know most of them are excited to have me back, I also know that it’s going to be a strange transition. Intentional or not, they see Clayton as their Alpha.”

“That’s not necessary true.”

“It definitely is,” Orpheus denied with a gentle sigh. “I need to show everyone that I’m back and here to stay. I need to prove to them that nothing has changed, that I’m still the great Alpha that they used to know. Stepping down from the challenge would be showing weakness. And if I don’t accept this challenge from Clayton, someone else is going to challenge me and that’s going to keep happening until I can’t turn them down anymore. If fighting Clayton now means that I put an end to all of that, that I show everyone that I can’t be overthrown as Alpha, then so be it.”

“But at what expense?”

“Clayton is literally asking for it.”

“I think you’re making a mistake,” Malik whispered in defeat. With their enhanced supernatural hearing, he knew that his dad had heard him but after that moment, neither of them said anything else to each other.

The next time they spoke to each other was when they reconvened in the fields just in time for the challenge.

“Still upset with my decision?” Orpheus murmured as he stretched his arms above his head, sparing his son a sideways glance.

Malik nodded. “But I know you don’t have much of a choice.”

“Trust me, if I could avoid this, I would.”

Malik wanted to believe him. He truly did but Orpheus was far too eager for this challenge. Wanting to protect his title and prove to the pack that nothing had changed in the time that he was away been one thing, but almost looking excited to it was a whole other thing. He had believed that Clayton was his dad’s best friend but surely that couldn’t be the case. Not when the pair were ready to rip each other’s throat out to get to the top.

“I was starting to think that I would have to wait another fifteen years for you to show up,” Clayton chuckled as he moved to stand in the centre of the field. When his support group behind him howled and cheered at his comment, his lips stretched into a large grin and he puffed out his chest; feeding off their energy.

“You always were jealous of me.”

“Jealous of you?” Clayton snorted and rolled his eyes, as if he hadn’t heard a more absurd statement.

“If you weren’t jealous of me then you wouldn’t be challenging me for my position. And on the day I return to the pack, as well.”

“I’m challenging you because I think you’re no longer fit to be an Alpha. Not because I’m jealous of you,” he spat the foul words out of his mouth, his lips curling up into a sneer. “And if you’re tired, we can always postpone it a few days, Alpha.”

“The only thing that’ll be postponing is your death,” Orpheus snarled back and took a step forward. He towered over Clayton by several inches. Malik wasn’t sure what kind of prison the council had kept his dad locked away in, but the man didn’t look like he had gone a day in his life without training – something which Malik knew for a fact couldn’t be said about the acting Alpha.

“Okay, I think that’s enough trash talk for today,” the head warrior, Chuck, chuckled nervously as he stepped up to stand between them both. “Respectively, Alpha, Beta,” he paused to look at both of them. “You must stay in your wolf forms the entire time. This is a fight to the death so the challenge will not end until we have a sole victor. Do you both understand that?”

“Yes,” Clayton audibly confirmed while Orpheus merely grunted.

Malik stood back among the rest of the pack, watching in awe as both of their leaders dropped to the ground on four paws. He had no doubt what the outcome of it would be and it was just a matter of time, yet he couldn’t help but hold his breath the whole time.

He wasn’t sure if it was twelve or thirteen. Seconds, that was. Malik wasn’t sure if the light lasted twelve or thirteen seconds. Clayton had gone for Orpheus’ throat straight off the bat but Orpheus was smarter than that. Clayton went right and Orpheus went left. The former missed when the latter ducked. What Clayton didn’t see – at least not in time – was Orpheus coming up. And fast.

Orpheus drove his forehead into Clayton’s chin. Malik as well as the rest of the pack winced and grimaced at the painful attack – just as painful for Orpheus as it probably was for Clayton. As painful as it looked, it was enough to throw Clayton off target for a second. And a single second was all it took.

Clayton’s wolf stumbled back a few steps. Orpheus moved quickly to clamp his mouth around Clayton’s neck. Clayton growled and whined at the same time, desperately moving around to throw the Alpha wolf off him. But Orpheus was stronger. He clamped his teeth into the skin of his neck harder and more viciously, his sharp teeth and the fur around his mouth matting with blood.

Everyone watched as the life drained out of the Beta wolf until finally, Orpheus dropped him to the ground like he was a ragdoll – a plaything.

And to think all it took was twelve or thirteen seconds.

Most of the pack cheered at the victory of their Alpha. A small portion of the pack was stupefied, as if they couldn’t believe what they had just witnessed. An even smallest portion was sad over the death of the Beta wolf that had always been good to them, to everyone.

I was part of that last portion.

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Layla Knight

07.08.2021