Good Things: An Urban Fantasy Anthology Read online

  Still didn’t mean I wanted to be the alpha though.

  Roman rose from his seat and everybody rose with him. I retracted my fangs, because best friend or not, baring my fangs to the king was a bad idea. Though him and I were both tall and built like the predators we were, Roman’s pure African ancestry put him out of reach. He was built less like a wolf and more like a lion, with skin so dark it was almost another color entirely. He was not to be tried in any way, and I knew that better than anybody.

  Roman made his way over and stopped right beside me. He laid a hand on my shoulder and I looked at it before meeting his dark gaze.

  “Soon, Xavier,” he said to me. That was all. Then he stalked up the stairs and out of the hall in silence, not bothering to look back at a single one of us. I couldn’t be sure, but I swore I heard a couple of my pack members breathe a sigh of relief once the door shut behind him.

  “Can I request a favor, my lords?” I asked, realizing that the nobles hadn’t left with Roman. This trial wasn’t over quite yet.

  Marcus tilted his head in my direction. “Go ahead.”

  “Look, I know Kane messed up, but I’m asking you, please don’t exile him.”

  The nobles exchanged amused looks. “Convince us why we shouldn’t,” Jackson said.

  I grimaced, realizing they had indeed been about to kick Kane’s ass out of the fold.

  “We’re family,” I said again, as if they hadn’t heard me the first few times. “Family doesn’t turn their backs on one another, especially during the hard times. Family loves. Family forgives. What kind of pack would we be if we kicked a member out every time they let us down?”

  “That wasn’t a problem for Bartholomew,” Jackson replied, clearly referring to what had happened with Darien’s father.

  “I’m not Uncle Bart. I think we can work this out with the Gray pack. We can move past this.”

  “Oh no,” Marcus said. “You’re not working anything out with the Gray pack. Clarence would literally eat you alive. Leave the negotiations to us. Oh, and if my tone failed to clarify, that was an order.”

  I nodded, though I really wanted to argue them down some more. “I understand.”

  “Good. However, let me warn you. Kane is still your responsibility. We expect you to keep control of him and he is not, under any circumstances, to see the Gray female until we have reached terms with Clarence.”

  “You can’t do this!” Kane shouted. “She’s my mate! How can you keep a wolf from his mate? That’s torture!”

  “No, that’s life!” Stefan growled. “And sometimes life’s lessons are torture. Our order stands. Stay away from the Gray female, Kane Wesley, or the next time we summon you, the Huntsman will be with us.”

  I wasn’t scared of much, but just the word “huntsman” made me want to climb under my bed and hide. The Huntsman was an infamous lone wolf mercenary raised in the jungles of Africa. His first loyalty was to himself. His second was to Roman. He hunted down anyone and anything the king wanted him to. And if Roman needed an executioner? The Huntsman was happy to lend his services. It was said he was immortal and couldn’t be killed, but that was only because no one had ever tried to. He was no ordinary shifter, and if Kane wasn’t willing to accept anything else, he had better accept this. If he did anything to go against the nobles’ order, the Huntsman’s face would be the last one he ever saw.

  “I give you my word, my lords,” I said. “Kane won’t see Aspen or go anywhere near Gray territory.”

  I could feel Kane seething with rage behind me, but this time he stayed quiet. Good deal, because I was already over his arrogant ass. If I was going to do this alpha thing, then I was going to start now. That meant putting Kane in his place, if need be, and keeping him there.

  “That’s good to hear,” Stefan said. “A tough journey lies ahead of you, Xavier. It’s not easy being alpha. Seek the counsel of only those you truly trust. Seek wisdom. Stay close to God, and only blessings will come to you.”

  “Thank you,” I said. Roman had always been serious about his faith, so it only made sense that he would choose nobles who were too. I wasn’t crazy religious, but I was a believer. I appreciated the nobles’ advice.

  Marcus’ cell phone rang and he answered it without saying hello. He listened for a moment then hung up. Stefan and Jackson seemed to understand what had just happened without Marcus saying a word.

  “You must excuse us now,” Stefan said. He stood and the other two rose with him. “Our sire will be expecting us to arrive at his estate soon after him. We cannot keep him waiting.”

  “Of course,” I replied.

  “Court is adjourned then,” he said. “You’re free to go.”

  “Go with grace,” Jackson said. With that, the nobles filed out of the lecture hall and I was left alone with my pack.

  I turned to face them, hating how awkward it now felt to be around them. I’d walked into that room a fellow subordinate and now I was leaving it as their alpha. How in the hell had this even happened?

  Kane flopped back into his chair and stared blankly at the wall behind me. Clearly, shock had set in. He’d just been impeached as alpha and then told he couldn’t see his girl anymore. He would get over not being the alpha, but losing Aspen? Never. I just hoped that once the shock wore off, he wouldn’t start obsessing over her or get himself killed trespassing onto Gray territory again. I wasn’t above assigning him a babysitter, not when I knew how strong the bond was between a wolf and his mate.

  The rest of my pack hadn’t yet moved from where they’d been seated during the trial. Remy, who we sometimes called “Bulldozer,” crouched low to gather his momentum then pushed off, leaping over nine rows of seats to land beside me. None of us had hops like Remy, that was why Darien and poor Foster, who barely had any hops at all, took the stairs like normal people.

  “I wonder,” Remy said, “if the nobles were high when they decided that you should be alpha.”

  I punched him, but Remy was a solid wall of muscle and I was pretty sure he didn’t even feel it. “Honestly, I think they were,” I replied. “I haven’t even processed that I’m actually the alpha yet.”

  “Well, better you than this asshole.” He gestured at Kane, but our cousin was so out of it, he didn’t even hear the insult.

  “I told him this was gonna happen,” Eli said. He looked almost as distraught as his brother. “I told him it was either exile or they were going to keep him from seeing Aspen. But the alpha thing? I didn’t see that coming at all.” He glanced at me, then looked away.

  “I didn’t ask for this,” I said. “I was perfectly okay with Kane being alpha.”

  “I know, cuz,” he replied. “I’m just worried about him. This was what he always wanted and now it’s gone.”

  “Yeah, by the dummy’s own doing,” Remy said. “Breaking the treaty was literally the worst thing he could have ever done. He’s lucky they only threatened to sic the Huntsman on his ass.”

  “But it was his mate,” Eli said. “We all know what that means and I bet there’s not one of us here that wouldn’t have been tempted to do the same thing.”

  “Breaking the treaty or not breaking the treaty is the same as choosing to do heroin or not choosing to do heroin,” Remy replied. “It’s black and white for me. A true alpha would have resisted for the sake of his pack. Kane gave in without a second thought.” Eli couldn’t argue with that so he just shut up all together.

  Foster sat down beside him. “I’ll study lycan law and see if I can find some loophole that allows Kane to see his mate. I already looked over the treaty and it seems ironclad, but I’m nothing if not resourceful.” Eli gave Foster a half-smile and nodded his appreciation.

  “That’s cool of you, Foster,” I said, feeling the need to show mine as well. “Thanks.”

  “No problem. I’d do anything for you guys, you know that.”

  This was true, and Foster wasn’t even our blood. He was a Wesley, but he hadn’t been born one. My mother had saved him f
rom sure death when he was just a few days old. Unless the mother is human, shifters are born as wolves and shift for the first time usually about a month after birth. Foster had been born a sickly runt so his mother had abandoned him in the woods at the edge of our territory. We didn’t know what pack she was from, but whatever. Her loss, our gain. Not only was Foster a great friend, he was damn near a genius and was studying pre-law at Wesley College. He could have gone to any school he wanted, but Foster wasn’t one to venture too far outside of Mirage. I’d told him he would have to in order to go to law school. Just the idea of it had scared the shit out of him, so I’d let the subject drop and hadn’t brought it back up since. Besides, he was only a first year. He had plenty of time to get used to the idea.

  “I’m more interested in who you’re going to choose as your beta,” Darien said. He was the son of my father’s youngest brother, who’d been exiled before Darien was born. We all knew the story, but none of us ever brought it up. It wasn’t just a touchy subject for Darien. It was a touchy subject for all of us.

  “I don’t even wanna think about it,” I said. “None of you suckas are qualified.”

  “Man, whatever,” Remy said. “Just don’t pick Kane.”

  “I don’t want to be alpha.” Kane blinked like he was finally returning to consciousness. “Or beta. Or anything. I just want Aspen.”

  Remy groaned. “Aw, man. If this is what love does to a wolf, I’m going monk.”

  “Fool, you wouldn’t last a week,” Darien said.

  “Yeah, you’re probably right,” Remy laughed.

  “This isn’t funny,” Foster said, pushing up his glasses with a finger. “He’s really in pain.”

  “The price of betrayal usually is pain,” I said. At that remark, Kane finally made eye contact with me.

  “I didn’t mean to betray the pack,” he said, actually sounding remorseful. “But I swear to you, I couldn’t stop myself from going to her. The need...it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before.”

  “Said every asshole who’s ever free-based,” Remy commented, his expression flat and uninspired.

  Kane glared at him. “Screw you, bitch. I can’t wait to see how you handle having a mate.”

  “As long as she’s not a Gray female, I’ll handle her just fine, homeboy.”

  “All right, chill,” I said. “You heard the nobles, Kane. They’re going to work it out with Clarence so you might be able to see Aspen. Foster’s got your back, too. But if you do anything to mess this up, I’m not going to bat for you again. So get control of yourself, young, and don’t make me regret not letting them exile your ass.”

  Kane nodded half-heartedly. “I got you. Imma be cool.”

  “You better. Now let’s go. I don’t know about ya’ll, but my stomach is touching my back.”

  “Food sounds good,” Foster said, standing.

  “Food always sounds good to you,” I said.

  “This is true.” To be so skinny, Foster could pack it away like nobody else I knew.

  My pack and I exited the hall and I let all the others, except Remy, walk ahead of me. My cousin stared at me like I’d lost my mind when I stepped in front of him and blocked his way.

  “Should I be worried that you’re trying to get me alone?” he cracked.

  “Yo, shut up,” I said to him. “I want you to lay off Kane. He’s going through enough without you adding your bullshit to it.”

  Remy frowned. “Is that an order?”

  “Pretty much.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “Damn, okay. I’ll back off the whiny little bitch.”

  I shook my head. “See, this is why the rest of the pack can’t stand your ass.” I walked off, but Remy refused to let my comment go and followed me through the building and outside into the student commons. It was pretty cold out, especially for Georgia, but shifters didn’t really feel the effects of weather change. Our bodies were built to instantly adapt.

  “What do you mean the rest of the pack can’t stand me?” Remy pushed.

  “Are you really that dumb or do you just look like that all the time?”

  “I’m serious, X. The others don’t like me?”

  “You care?”

  “Yeah, I care!”

  I stopped walking. “Remy, you’re an asshole. I thought you were aware of it, but apparently not. You ride everybody, but then when they turn it back on you, the fangs come out and you’re ready to rip their throats out.”

  He looked surprised. “Damn, I’m that bad?”

  “Hell yeah. Nobody minds the jokes really, but you gotta learn to take that shit if you want to dish it out.”

  Remy was quiet a moment, but then he nodded. “I feel you, cuzzo.”

  “Good.” I walked off, and he followed me again.

  “So now that we’ve got that out the way, are you gonna make me beta or not?” I growled at him and he fell back. “I’ll take that as a yes!” he shouted after me.

  I didn’t stop to acknowledge his arrogant ass. Remy was the obvious choice for beta, but I hadn’t even come to terms with being alpha yet. I had a lot of thinking to do first, mostly about my ascension and pending metamorphosis.

  To be alpha, I couldn’t stay the way I was. I was no bitch, but alphas had to be the strongest wolves in their packs or risk being dethroned by some ambitious ass subordinate and his homies. An alpha’s metamorphosis was initiated during a ceremony presided over by the king himself. That’s what Roman had meant by ‘soon.’ A letter would arrive in a few days stating the date and time of the ascension ceremony and Roman’s return. I really didn’t have that long to wait, especially since we didn’t have an alpha at all. If Uncle Bart was still alive and had only decided to step down as alpha, the ceremony could have been delayed for weeks, months even. But with no alpha, I had two weeks tops to accept my new role and prepare my mind for the metamorphosis.

  Physically, a metamorphosis was brutal. I’d be out of it for days while my body transformed. Problem was, I’d feel every bit of it and would continue to suffer in silence until the process was done. For me, pain was just a part of life, but metamorphosis went beyond pain. It was physical devastation and I just wasn’t ready for it.

  But ready or not, this was happening.

  I was the new Wesley alpha and it was time to ascend.

  * * *

  The new school semester was about a week away so my days were still my own. I woke up just before sunrise the next morning and decided to go for a run. Normally, I would have dragged Remy out of bed and made him go with me, but this morning, I wanted to go alone. I’d barely slept all night because my mind was so busy running the possible scenarios of how my metamorphosis would end up. Was I freaked out? Hell yeah. It was times like this where I wished my dad was still alive to talk to. Six years had passed since he’d died and there wasn’t a day that went by where I didn’t wish I could take just one more run with him. If he’d been around, he would have helped me chill out and not be so anxious about the whole thing.

  I stepped out into the cold, morning air and immediately shifted into my wolf form–a dark silver beast with patches of white on my paws and underbelly. Running as a human was lame and I got a much better workout as a wolf. I took off into the woods behind my cabin at full speed, and I didn’t slow down for anything, not trees or other forest animals. I was pretty sure I ran over a few squirrels, but I didn’t care. Nothing was better than this. Sprinting through the forest at a speed I could never reach as a human was exhilarating no matter how many times I did it. Twigs snapped beneath my paws as I dug in and pushed myself as hard as I could go.

  Two hours later, I laid across my bed, exhausted but feeling pretty good. I showered, dressed, and then headed into town. Wesley College sat on the outskirts of Mirage surrounded by woods and not much else. The only semblance of civilization was downtown Mirage, if it could even be called that. I stopped to grab breakfast at one of the only food joints in town, Mama Patty’s Good Stuff. It was owned by one of the elders in our pa
ck, Mama Patty, and everyone ate there every chance they got. The food was bomb and Mama Patty was hilarious. There were times where I’d sat there shooting the shit with her for hours just because. She was that amazing.

  But that morning, I couldn’t stay and chat. I grabbed a couple of fried chicken biscuits to go, then headed to Genesis House, the retirement home in Mirage. I had been taught to always honor my elders and value their wisdom, so volunteering at the senior living home was a no-brainer for me. Besides, I found the elders at Genesis House entertaining. They wanted peace and quiet, but never even attempted to live up to their own expectations. They complained and argued with each other, and gave their caretakers one hell of a hard time. Elsie, my favorite, was the main shit-starter, and that morning, I found her in full rant mode as her nurse gathered up the dirty dishes from breakfast.

  “They’re trying to kill me, Xavier!” she shouted the second I walked into the room.

  “What happened this time, Elsie?” I asked, tossing my jacket over the back of the chair across from her.

  “They want me gone early. Can’t wait for the cancer to take me!”

  I smiled at Veronica, Elsie’s cute nurse. “What is this crazy woman talking about?”

  Veronica held up the tray of dishes. “She thinks we’re trying to poison her.”

  “They are! This slop they serve can’t possibly be considered healthy for anybody!”

  “Yet I see you ate every bit of it,” I laughed.

  “Well, what am I supposed to do? Starve?” She eyed the small paper bag I was carrying. “But if I had known you were going to bring me one of Patty’s chicken biscuits, I would have pretended to be asleep when Veronica came knocking.”