The Alpha and the Exile
Chapter 18

I rubbed the raw skin of my knuckles as I paced the cell. Frustration had gotten the better of me a couple times from being in this thing. God, I hate cells. With a growl I sat down on the cot and wait for something, anything. Just how long was Alice planning on keeping me here? I opened my fists then closed them again, as I remembered it was her that put me here. I should've known better than believe she would be different.

I growled as I kept flexing my hands, remembering the doc told me things like that could help the anger from getting out of control. The doc. Damn that was a raw deal. The guy was really goddamn annoying a lot of the time, but he wasn't so bad the other times. He was afraid of me, because everyone is afraid of me, but the doc didn't let it stop him from trying to help. He didn't deserve getting the crap beat out of him. That's for damn sure.

The sound of the door down the hall made me look it. I'd already been given lunch and that was the only time someone came down here. My eyes narrowed as I saw Koreyon standing outside my cell. I stood up when he unlocked the door, his expression serious. "I'm getting out on good behavior?" I ask with a sneer.

"My orders are to give you this," he said handing me an envelop. "And escort you to the border and make sure you leave. I'm also ordered to tell you that you shouldn't ever return."

Of course. Why was I surprised and why the hell did it hurt? I laughed when I opened the envelope seeing a bunch of money. Biter bile burned my throat. What was it with women giving me money and telling me to go away and never come back? Then I noticed the strange tone of the guy's voice. "Okay, so those are your orders, and?"

"And as my future alpha, I'm hoping you'll counter those orders?"

I laughed again. Say what? "Why would I do that?" Like hell was I going to stay where I wasn't wanted. Mate or not. I never wanted a mate anyway. They were as much trouble as I had thought. No thank you.

"Because if you don't Alice will be dead in about an hour, hour and a half and Mario will have made himself alpha."

I stared at him, not sure if he was serious or not. "She doesn't want my help. She made that clear when she threw me in here."

Koreyon sighed and shook his head. "The last six months she's been taught to stay strong, be the leader we need that she no longer knows how to accept help, even when she desperately needs it. Mario is the one that hurt Doctor Evans, I'm sure of it. Just as sure he won't let Alice secede the pack and he'll fight her. Alice is a nurturer, not a fighter and won't win despite that she's of alpha blood. Please. I'm begging you. Save her."

My hands tightened on the envelope as anger filled me. Mario, I knew that asshat was a problem. Why should I fix this? This isn't my problem. Alice isn't my problem. Hell, she didn't even want me around. All I have to do is just take this money and my life will be a lot easier. I tilted my head to look at the door. All I had to do was walk. Only that if I did...son of a bitch..."Let's go," I told him.

Koreyon gave me a half grin. "Thanks man, I owe you...God, probably my life."

I looked back at him, ready to tell him to stuff his sarcasm, but when I saw the raw appreciation on his face I nearly fell over.

As if that wasn't enough he kept going, "I'm happy to call you my alpha."

"Go fuck yourself," I told him, walking past him so he didn't see how his words affected me. I was so not going to do all pussy, chick flick bullshit.

"Sure Alpha, whatever you say," he said laughing.

The meeting was already started when we arrived, but I kept Koreyon and myself out of sight. In less than a minute I could tell this was less about some rogue attacks and more of a let's blame the new kid for all our problems. Worse yet, Alice was playing right into their hands, giving them explanations as if she owed them something. I didn't understand how she could be so bold with me, forcing me into therapy, but she was just a sniveling pup to these idiots.

"Alphas if I may have a word," Mario said, with a pathetic saintly look on his face as he presented himself as a challenger to Alice's position. Did the guy have no self-respect?

I watched as all the alpha's accepted, it was easy to read their opinions from their body language and it was easy to see who Alice's enemies were.

"The fight takes place now," one of the alpha's. This one obviously wanting to see Alice's blood on the floor. I didn't need the whole death as the only acceptable surrender to know that.

It pissed me off to no end to watch Alice just take it all and take a defensive posture. Did she really think her pack needed a martyr? You know what, I don't think I should be the one seeing Doctor Evans. Yeah, I got pissed and knocked an idiot's teeth out, but she was downright suicidal. Damn.

"Now wait a minute," I said, walking out from the shadows of the room and into the center, putting myself between the would-be martyr and Mario.

"Who the hell are you?" the sneering alpha demanded.

"Michael, what are you doing here? You were supposed to leave," Alice said then shot a glare to Koreyon.

"I'm saving your ass, Peaches," I told her, sending her a smirk. "Oh and we're going to have a talk about these suicidal tendencies of yours." She started to say more, but I gave her my back and took two steps towards the beta. "I am Mike Howe, son of the deceased Alpha Ryan Howe of the Black Mountain pack, and I'm Luna Alice's mate. I know I'm the exile here, but I'm pretty sure challenges are Alpha to Alpha."

As all the others tried to absorb that, Alice walked up to me. "Michael, you can't do this. You can't fight, it would ruin all the progress you made. Evan's said so. It's why I let you leave."

Irritation made my lip curl and I turned back to face her. "Peaches, when in hell did you get the idea that you or anyone else for that matter, gets to tell me what to do," I told her, letting a growl roughen up my voice so she'd know I was serious. I wrapped my hand around her neck and pulled her to me. "And for that matter, I could have left at any time since I arrived at the pack house to now." Then I pulled her to me again, but this time closing the distance between us. When I finished my little show of possessiveness, I let her go and turned back to the alphas. "I am Alice's mate, and as such I am the future alpha of her pack. This challenge should be made against me," I told them.

"There is no official claim made from him," Mario said, his stance said he was defiant and unafraid, but I could smell the fear on him.

"Oh so you want to challenge me on that too? Okay, bring it," I told him.

Mario took a step back. "He can't do that. He can't be here."

"Actually I can," I told him. "This whole meeting is a sham. This is not the way things are done people." I walked around the room glaring at them all. "Hell, no one could get rid of my father as bad as he was until he was pushed off a cliff." By another girl with suicidal tendencies. I am really not liking this pattern.

"I agree with the beta. We have no reason to listen to you," the sneering alpha said.

I gave him my best ass kicking grin. "Really? I bet some of the other alphas would disagree with you. Alpha of Blue Crescent hates me, but even he wouldn't keep me out of a challenge against my mate. If he was here he'd stop this in a heartbeat. Now, the only way any of you is going to challenge Alice is through me. So who's first?" I opened my arms wide.

Silence greeted me. No one moved forward. I looked to Mario. "Well tough guy? You willing to fight someone that can actually defend themselves or do you prefer submissive shrinks?"

He glared at me, his lips pressed tightly. "I don't know what you're talking about," he demanded. I lifted a brow and crossed my arms over my chest.

"I think," one of the alphas said. The one that had lover boy standing next to him. "That Howe presents a reasonable argument. Don't you agree Alpha Paul?"

The alpha in question looked like the poster boy for California Surfers. "Agreed, as long as this matter is settled today and stability returns to my territory."

The sneering alpha scowled at all of them. "Are we going to just forget who he is? Do we really want another Howe leading a pack?"

"What was it you said to the alpha of Blue Crescent," the alpha with lover boy said, a mocked thoughtful expression on his face. "Oh yes, why should we care what an alpha does in his own territory? So I ask you all this, why should we care now?"

"Enough," Alpha Paul said, holding up his hands. "I don't want to spend all day bickering about this. Steven and I, accept Howe's claim. That puts the ruling in our favor. Now Beta Mario, do you recede your challenge or will you fight Alpha Michael for control of the pack?"

Glaring at him, Mario spat out, "Yes."

"Finally." I let my arms fall and I shake them out. Just as Mario takes a step towards me, I shouted at him, earning a startled flinch from him. Laughing, I popped my neck then jumped towards him. I slammed my fist down on his left ear, then jerked my knee into his chin as he crumpled to the ground. With another roar, I stepped back, flexing my arms. This was fun. Though, it would've been better if I didn't have to hold myself back. If I hit the beta with my full potential, he'd be out already.

He got up, then grappled me. "You're pathetic, Howe," he said in a grunt. "Always a brute. You're no better than your father and you'll end up making Alice just another victim like your mother. You'd be doing her a favor if you just died." Anger surged in me, followed by the beast. He was wrong. Dead wrong. "Screw you," I swore, and with both my hands clasped together I slammed into him as hard as I could. The rush of breath leaving his lungs or the way he fell again to the floor did nothing to ease the anger or the wolf. I shoved him onto his back and slammed my fist into his face, feeling bone give and break under the impact.

Now that felt good. I hit him again, and again. Blood, his not mine, flew into the air as I kept hitting him. I paused and held my first high, blood dripping from it. Mario was still conscious, but only barely. His face a battered, bloody mess that was already starting to swell in some places. The beta was done for, but the urge to keep going and end him was so strong. The wolf howled in demand, urging me on, but I didn't move.

The thought of Alice and that I was sure she'd hate me if I killed the bastard - even though he deserved it, kept me from hitting the beta again. Crap. I was officially whipped. Didn't that just suck balls? With a growl, I stood up and grabbed the shoulder of the beta's shirt and dragged him over to Alice. Confusion and worry sat openly on her expression as I dropped him at her feet.

"He's done, by his own insistence I should kill him," I told her. "But you lead your pack, so I'll leave that to you."

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