The man folded his arms across his broad chest.
That was it.
Decision made.
Just like that.
"Luna brought you here," Aldric said evenly. "Which means she saw something in you. If you were truly a threat… you would already be dead."
He didn't say it cruelly.
He said it like a fact.
James swallowed.
So the only reason he was still breathing… was because the princess herself had personally escorted him in.
Good to know his continued existence was a courtesy.
It didn't escape him that no one here seemed morally opposed to thinning him out if it became necessary.
He could feel the stares pressing into his back.
Hundreds.
No.
Thousands.
The scents were overwhelming—fur, sweat, iron, leather, earth, dominance.
He felt small.
"You see," Aldric continued, pacing slowly in front of him now, "you are a newly turned Alpha. And you cannot control yourself."
There was no mockery in his tone.
Just experience.
"You are wild. You refuse to bow to anyone. And when you sense someone stronger than you… you want to challenge them. Prove yourself."
James' jaw tightened.
That was uncomfortably accurate.
The past few days flashed through his mind—every flare of temper, every instinct to square up, every irrational urge to push back against anything that felt dominant.
"It is good to have pride," Aldric went on. "But pride is only valuable if you can back it up. To be prideful and weak…"
His amber eyes sharpened.
"…is a sin."
The word landed heavy.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Just absolute.
James felt the air grow heavier again—not crushing like before, but enough to remind him exactly who stood in front of him.
"So," Aldric said, stepping closer, boots echoing lightly against cracked stone. "I will lay out your options."
He stopped directly in front of James.
"Option one."
His tone turned almost conversational.
"We let you go."
A small pause.
"You go back to pretending you are still human. Pretend you can live a normal life. Pretend you are not an Alpha whose blood screams power to every predator in the dark."
James' stomach tightened.
"You have already been introduced to the supernatural world," Aldric continued. "And my daughter tells me you have… a special affinity."
His gaze lingered knowingly.
"That means your scent will travel farther. It will taste sweeter. Hungrier creatures will pick it up."
He began counting lightly on his fingers.
"Vampires who want Alpha blood for strength. Fae who love desperate boys with power they do not understand. Warlocks who would carve you open just to see what makes you tick."
James' throat went dry.
"And if you are particularly unlucky," Aldric added casually, "a minor god might notice you. And gods have a habit of turning interesting things into tools… or pills."
James blinked.
Wait.
Gods.
As in actual gods?
He felt like he had skipped several tutorial levels.
"You would spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder," Aldric finished. "Hunted. Alone. Outnumbered. And eventually caught. And turn into weapon by the hunters."
Silence settled.
Option one sounded less like freedom—
And more like delayed execution.
"Option two."
Aldric's tone shifted.
"You join the pack."
The oppressive weight in the air eased slightly.
"We offer you protection. Territory. A name to stand under. You will not have to live the rest of your life waiting for something stronger to drag you into the dark."
He leaned in slightly.
"And you will be trained. Properly. You will learn to control your beast instead of letting it control you."
James stared at him.
So his choices were:
Live life on Super Hell Difficulty.
Or
Join the wolves.
"I… kinda like living," James muttered. "And I prefer my organs inside my body."
A nervous, wry smile pulled at his lips.
"So I'll take option two."
For half a second—
Silence.
Then—
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Aldric roared with laughter and slammed a heavy hand against James' back hard enough to nearly knock him forward.
"Me too, pup!"
Two seconds ago, this man had nearly crushed his skull with eye contact.
Now he was acting like a proud uncle at a barbecue.
Emotional whiplash. Again.
Thane stepped forward slightly, but there was no objection in his posture.
No argument.
Just acceptance.
The Chief had spoken.
That was that.
Aldric turned from James and walked toward the edge of the raised platform. He inhaled deeply, chest expanding, presence swelling outward like a storm front.
Then his voice boomed across the circle.
"We have a new pup!"
For half a heartbeat—
Stillness.
Then the sound hit.
A deafening cheer erupted from the crowd.
It wasn't polite applause.
It was primal.
Roaring.
Howling.
Boots stomped against earth and stone. Fists slammed into chests. Wolves howled skyward, the sound echoing through the village like thunder rolling over mountains.
The air vibrated.
James felt it in his ribs.
In his teeth.
In his bones.
It was overwhelming—
But not hostile.
Not this time.
Welcoming.
Predatory.
Claiming.
The most physically imposing of the elders—the one built like a retired war engine—looked mildly annoyed, arms crossed as if the noise was unnecessary.
The blind elder remained still, head tilted slightly as if listening beyond the cheers.
The scarred one simply nodded once.
The frail-looking elder looked like he might fall asleep.
And Thane?
Thane just exhaled slowly.
Resigned.
Accepting the order as law.
Because when Aldric decided something—
The pack followed.
James was beginning to understand how this whole pack thing worked.
At the very top stood Aldric. Slightly below him were the elders, old but sharp as rusted blades that had tasted too much blood. Under them was Luna. Then Thane.
After that?
He had no clue.
It seemed like strength ruled everything in this world. Titles didn't come from age or wisdom or politics.
They came from power. Being an Alpha felt like something you were either born with—or you weren't. There was no exam, no promotion. You just were.
And somehow… he was.
He still didn't understand how.
But just as he was beginning to calm down—just as the crushing fear of being slimed out on the spot faded—
A voice cut through the cheering.
"I object."
The cheers died almost instantly. Not slowly. Not awkwardly. They just… stopped.
The air shifted.
James turned toward the voice.
There stood a tall boy, maybe a year or two older than him in appearance, but there was something ancient in the way he carried himself. Wolf ears already protruded from his head, sharp fangs visible even when his mouth was closed. His eyes glowed faintly, predatory, dangerous.
A scar carved across his left eye—thin, jagged. Not from a werewolf. James could tell. The scent of the wound told a different story.
Something else had marked him. Something supernatural.
"You accepted him way too easily."
The boy's voice wasn't loud, but it carried. The kind of voice that didn't need volume to command attention.
James inhaled.
Battle lust.
That was all he smelled.
Not anger. Not concern for hierarchy. Not fear of disruption.
Just the pure desire to throw hands.
The guy didn't care about the speech he was giving. He just wanted a fight.
"He is Alpha-blooded," the boy continued, eyes fixed on James like prey that might bite back. "If he joins us, he disrupts the hierarchy. Where does he stand? Above us? Below us?"
He pointed directly at James.
"If he is to walk among us, let him prove he deserves it."
James frowned.
He had been turned three days ago. Three.
This guy? From his scent alone, he smelled like a warrior who had fought for years. Decades maybe.
Everyone here probably had absurd lifespans. If his binge-watching of supernatural shows meant anything, these people were not normal.
So this was unfair.
Yet—
His blood boiled.
Even if the guy hadn't voiced it yet, James could feel it in his veins.
This was going to end in a fight.
"And what do you recommend, Raze?" Aldric asked, already knowing the answer. He just wanted to hear the boy say it.
Raze smiled, his canines fully visible now.
"A fight for his rank. If he wins, he can be an enforcer." His eyes gleamed. "If he loses… he will be an omega."
James blinked.
He didn't read smut. Didn't read werewolf porn. So he had absolutely no clue what that term meant.
Whenever books started throwing around Alpha, Beta, Omega nonsense, he skipped over it. In the wild, there were parents, children, and whoever joined the group later.
That was it.
"What's an omega?" James asked, looking up at Aldric.
"An Omega is the lowest-ranking member," Thane answered immediately, tone flat like he was reading from a textbook.
"Often submissive. Tasked with calming tensions or performing menial duties. Omegas may be new members or those who have failed to prove themselves."
James slowly turned toward him.
"You actually memorized that shit?"A
Aldric looked genuinely confused. "Who the hell memorizes that?"
"It is needed," Thane replied without missing a beat. "Being able to classify each member into their respective group is necessary for a functioning society."
Aldric nodded. "Amd you wonder why i call you a living library."
Then he looked at James.
"Listen here, pup. An omega is basically where the kids go. The untrained ones. Or the old ones who can't fight anymore."
That cleared things up.
"But shouldn't that be where I am?" James asked honestly.
"Usually," Aldric said. "But you're a special case."
Ah.
James got it.
This was a power move.
Raze wanted to crush him while he was still new. Break him early. Establish dominance. Show everyone that even Alpha-blood could kneel.
Now whether he accepted or not…
That was on him.
James looked directly at Raze.
Then he laughed.
Not loud. Just enough.
"You've had your powers for… what? Years? Decades maybe?" James tilted his head slightly.
"I've had mine for three days."
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
"So let me get this straight," he continued casually, folding his arms. "If you beat me… what does that prove? That you can beat a newborn?"
A few snorts could be heard in the back.
"And if you lose?" James shrugged. "Then you just lost to a three-day-old pup."
He looked Raze up and down.
"That's a lose-lose situation for you, isn't it?"
The battle lust in Raze's scent spiked. Pride. Irritation.
Good.
James wasn't trying to box him.
He was trying to box Aldric.
If he framed this right, Aldric would delay the fight. Because letting a newborn Alpha get crushed immediately? That would look bad. Letting a veteran lose to a newborn? Even worse.
Aldric stroked his beard, amused.
Then, of course—
The old fuck spoke.
"Hm. You make a fair point, pup." His amber eyes gleamed. "Very well. The fight will happen… but not today."
James' stomach sank.
"You'll train for a month," Aldric continued. "Learn control. Learn our ways. Then you and Raze will fight properly."
The crowd erupted again—this time more controlled, more anticipatory.
Raze grinned like Christmas came early.
James forced a smile.
He wasn't having it.
He absolutely was not having it.
But if he refused now?
He'd look like a coward.
And that was something his blood wouldn't allow.
So he just nodded.
"Sure," he said lightly. "Guess I'll see you in a month."
Inside?
His mind was already running through every possible way not to die.