Her Savior Alpha
Chapter 21

Reily

Sun peeking through my bedroom blinds fell on my closed lids. Flickering my eyes open, I surveyed the scene: I was on my bed, blue duvet around me, ripped to shreds. The curtains were barely hanging, and claw marks decorated the wallpaper, running through some band posters. My desk was a warzone of clutter and books knocked off, scattered all over the navy rug. Entire body aching with dim pain, I stretched my neck forward to view my bed. Who knew I’d feel like a truck crashed into me after the night of my 18th birthday. Something pinned my right arm down and I realized it was a familiar head of curly brunette hair: Gina. I didn’t quite remember her yesterday, but I’m sure she was screaming and telling me to calm down at some point. Honestly, it surprised me that she made it through the night.

I was shirtless, with only a pair of short-covering the bottom of my body. Muscles tensed, sore, but they looked exactly how I’d wanted them to progress - I’d been on a journey to build muscles since a year ago, replaceing no aim for me other than hating Vera, grieving my family, and resenting my brother for leaving.

The brother in-question had wanted to spend my 18th with me yesterday.

“Look, I know we’ve had a rocky relationship since I’ve gotten back,” Clive had started off in a soft voice .He had stopped me on the way out of the dining hall after dinner. It was an abnoramlly warm evening, and I was whistling when Clive blocked my way, stepping out of the shadows. “But I’d really like to be there with you when you shift.”

For some reason, his offer passed me off more than if had never asked. I didn’t want to spend it with anyone, especially not that traitor-loving brother of mine.

Scoffing, I rejected his offer. “No thanks. I’m good on my own.”

Gina wasn’t so easy to peel off me. She visited me last night with snacks and insisted on being with me, even though she annoyed me at first. I didn’t want her to see me in such a vulnerable state, but she did, and she even stayed when with my wolf, a deep bubbling anger erupted into an uncontrollable temper tantrum. It was like my wolf opened the floodgates on all my repressed feelings.

Scanning Gina’s body in her little shorts and top, she looked fine, breathing lightly in her sleep.

Waking up from the night before didn’t dispel any of my rage, in fact, it hid in every corner of my veins, waiting for the the spark that would set off the bomb. This time, I was conscious to it, and felt every thought in my mind loaded with darkness and rage in its essence. With the newfound strength and sinewy muscle that came with the shift, and my limbs quivered with the need to tear something limb from limb.

Beside me, Gina shifted. Her beautifully curvy body stretched, head still in the crook of my arm. Awake, she turned to face me, large eyes with yesterday’s mascara blinking up at me. A seductive smile spread across her glossy lips. Even with day-old makeup that she slept with, she still looked gorgeous.

Stroking a hand down my chest, she whispered, “Good morning, you handsome hunk. So how do you feel on your first day with your wolf?” She fluttered her lashes at me, and I knew exactly what she was asking.

The reason why Gina wanted to be with me during my shift was to be the first to replace out if she was my mate. I hated to break it to her, but I didn’t feel anything different towards her than usual. Most wolves spoke of the process of replaceing your mate as a magical thing. While wolves didn’t necessarily need to replace their fated counterpart to mate with someone by choice, it was the ideal. It led to stronger feelings and a powerful devotion that overcame everything else. I still liked her just as well, but the only thing pressing my mind was anger. I smirked at her anyways. “Better than ever.”

“I would hope so since you have a hot girl in your bed.” She pressed her face closer, planting a slow, sweet kiss on the corner of my lips. Then, another one on my jaw. Her long leg hooked over mine as she turned over for better access. “Well, do you feel any different?” she whispered in a sultry tone.

I gripped her waist, sliding my hand under her shirt and up her side. “What do you mean?”

“When I do this?” She nuzzled her nose into my neck, sprinkling kisses down to my collarbone. “Isn’t it more electrifying?”

“Uh, you’ve always been electrifying.” I tried to distract her by pulling her up into a kiss, nibbling at her full bottom lip.

Getting sucked into the moment, Gina climbed over me, feeling down my chest.

It was nice and all, and I could feel my blood speeding at the contact, but my mind was miles away. I couldn’t stop thinking about Vera. And not in that way. Filling my mind were images of her surrounded by her little friends, the pipsqueak blonde and that rogue guy… and most of all Clive. It pissed me off that she had her little protectors following her around everywhere. I couldn’t even get glee from her being alone and shunned by the pack.

“Gina, wait,” I interrupted, holding her hands from her ministrations. “You’re irresistible, but let’s go have breakfast first. I could eat a damn horse.”

Thrown off by my abrupt ceasing of her coming on me, she paused uncertainly. She didn’t look pleased at all, but a few seconds later, she smiled. “Okay, let’s go, Rei.”

At the dining hall, we stopped by our usual table, Gina swinging our arms back and forth. Our group was all there; Darren, his buzzcut growing out a little, Kory with her long platinum blonde braid, and Zion, with his slick black hair in a high bun above his shaved undercut, all sat on one side. Martin with his signature red beanie and Trevor with his messy blonde hair sat on the opposite side, goofing around as usual. I leaned back on one leg, placing my hand on a hip, a victorious smirk on my face. Shaking my long locks around my face, I gloated, “S’up guys?”

Darren whistled. “Hey, birthday boy. Look at you, the confidence of your already overflowing with that wolf?”

“Looking more wild than usual, Reily,” Kory said in her deadpan voice, piercings glinting.

“Still sucks we couldn’t party all night and go crazy with you in wolf form,” Zion grumbled.

“Well, I knew it would get out of hand. Didn’t feel like cleaning a trashed house today.”

I jumped into a seat, feeling my hunger reaching a peak. Gina placed my plate in front of me, preferring to eat a granola bar while scrolling through her phone. I dug into the pile of sausage, scrambled eggs, hotcakes swimming in syrup, and hashbrowns.

As I tore into the sausage, my eyes scanned the crowded hall, falling on a group that stood out. Pitch black hair that was looking glossier than usual swished as Vera looked back and forth between her friends. She was laughing, Archer and Clive as well, so something Blondie was saying. She looked so happy compared to a month ago, so healthy and thriving. I couldn’t stand it. Did she forget what she did? How dare she think she deserved happiness? A fire raced inside of me. No, I couldn’t stand this anymore. If I didn’t do something fast, I would end up breaking this table in two....or worse.

Shoveling the rest of the food down my throat, I slammed my hands on the long table. Gina jumped. “I gotta go let out some steam,” I growled, getting up to leave. Barely hearing Gina’s “Wait!” behind me, I stomped out of the building to the sunny day that awaited me. Pace quickening increasingly, I hurried to the woods, cursing the sight of Vera, that bitch who seemed to suddenly have everything going for her. Why was she so confident and careless all of a sudden? What happened to huddling in corners and avoiding crowds in fear?

Ripping my jacket off, I willed my wolf to me, and with the force of my anger, my wolf seemed to come instantly. I ran through the trees, the smell of pine hitting my nostrils. Sticks cracked under my reddish-brown paws, the rest of my fur a dark golden-tan color, slightly darker than Clive’s with streaks of brown. Wind pushed the fur back, stinging my eyes, but they stayed razor-sharp and focused on nothing but letting out all the pent-up emotions my shift had awakened.

After the run, I felt refreshed yet even more energized. I felt all the furious fire within me had burned out, leaving a collected, sharp focus in me, one that made me want to take risks. I sniffed the air, trying to figure out where that bitch was. I needed to set things straight, make sure she and the pack remembered who was the boss. Notes of her disgusting vanilla scent come from the direction of the training ground. Breaking out into a sprint, I ran that way, tossing my jacket over my shoulder, sleeveless black shirt tight against my pectorals.

Reaching the grounds, pack members divided into their normal groups, the ones sparring, the new recruits, the newly-shifted, the solo-sparring, the weapons trainers. Sharper eyes landed directly onto Vera, who was sparring with Thelma, Clive watching nearby nodding every now and then, I zoomed straight towards them. They noticed me when I was a few meters away, sensing my threatening aura. The perks of being a wolf.

The girls stopped in their sparring, Thelma facing me, eyes turning dark in suspicion. Vera faced away, and her high black ponytail turning slowly, revealing her face, her skin glowing and rosy, lips plump and pink, eyes bright and alert. Her expression became wary as she met my eyes.

A wicked grin cracked across my jaw. “Little Vera, looking good aren’t you? It’s been a while since I beat you up, so I thought maybe this time, we could make it fair. Are you up for a spar?”

Thinly veiled fury sparked at my fingertips, arms tensing in anticipation. I was hungry for blood.

Clive stepped forward. “Reily-” but before he could come between me and Vera, the latter stopped him with a palm against his chest.

“No Clive, it’s okay. I want to do this.” She faced me with a fierce green fire in her eyes. “I’m ready to take you on, Reily.”

Licking my lips, I readied my stance. The others backed away to a safe distance, seeming to trust her. Even Clive listened to her. The sight was like pouring acid into my stomach - I wanted to throw up.

“Don’t be too overconfident, little girl,” I said as she crouched into a battle stance, protecting her face with her fists.

I made the first move, striking out with a fist powered by built-up anger since last night. She feinted left before it hit her right temple. My other fist came barreling towards her chest, hitting her crossed arms in front of her. Hmm, her blocks had improved. Impatient, I pushed forward, striking faster with my punches. One caught on her shoulder, but she avoided most of them for the most part.

Feeling humiliation build-up, I growled and twisted my hips, kicking right in her abdomen. It landed. Vera flew a couple feet back with an “Oof!” but caught her balance in a crouch, rolling forward and springing up in front of me again. This time, she clawed at me, nails driving into my chest. Her puny fist rammed into my appendix, making me stagger back. Where was this force coming from? In my astonishment, she managed another hit, sharp elbow to the chest, knocking the air out. Immediately, she drove a kick into my side, and I could feel my ribs rattle underneath my skin. Damn, I couldn’t let my guard down. No wonder she’d become confident; she’d actually been training rather than staring at a stupid dummy every once in a while.

“I see you learned a few moves, got a bit stronger. But I haven’t seen you shift yet. Is it because you look more like a bitch than a werewolf?” I drove into her space, jabbing her fast all over her upper body, too fast for her to properly block. One caught her in the chin, sharply whipping her head to the side. Pausing, she spit out blood before coming at me again, springing forward at my left, with a right hook awaiting contact. Hah, I was ready for her, protecting my left side with my own arm. But at the very last millisecond, she dove right with cutthroat speed, and all I could see was her black hair flying like a whip behind her as she slammed her other hand right into my liver, below my ribcage. Wheezing, I doubled over.

“You were saying, Reily? If this is what I do to you while human, maybe you don’t want to see me as a wolf,” I heard her jeering voice above me.

That’s it. No more underestimating. Summoning energy to collect myself, I lurched upright through the pain. Then I grabbed her throat, picking her up; ah, my favorite position. The sudden move stole a gasp from her. She struggled, hands grasping my forearm tightly, so tight that it actually throbbed and I feared it would bend bone. Her nails sank into my flesh too, but I held on.

“This is how it’s supposed to be,” I laughed, watching her wriggle and writhe.

Suddenly, she stopped moving, simply glaring down at me. I squeezed her throat more, wondering if she had given up. “Wow, big talk for a little bitch. Look at you, you’re already done. So soon? I thought you’d at least last a few minutes more than usual.” A few more seconds passed, and I grew bored. Ready to toss her onto the ground like a sack of flour, I readied my arm, but before I could do anything, she sent a kick straight to my collarbone, making me loosen my grip as I wheezed.

Vera landed deftly on the ground like a panther. Grinding her heels back in the hard sand, sank down low and pounced on me, arms that had somehow transformed from wiry noodles to defined, slim muscle wounding around my middle. Kicking off with her legs, she pushed, and I gasped with the force she exerted, which threw me flat on the ground. Recollecting myself, I realized Vera had her knee pressed into my chest, balancing on her haunches, elbow squeezing my Adam’s apple.

“Get the fuck off me,” I wheezed. After a few moments of pressing even further, until I choked, she finally released me. Standing up smoothly, panting slightly, but other than that, not a hair on her head was out of place, she waited to see if I would retaliate.

Seething in shame and anger, I glowered up at Vera. She dared to look down at me coldly beneath her hooded lashes. Don’t worry, Reily. I’m just a little bitch, aren’t I?” After her final words, she strode away.

Pushing myself up, I noticed Thelma following after her but Clive stayed behind, looking at me.

Oh, I would retaliate, alright. This was not over.