Chapter 4: The Disgrace of Cassiopeia

Caph had been shocked after Ran slapped him. His female friends usually appreciated such compliments.

So when he saw her across the clearing after the Full Moon Gathering was over, he made a beeline to find out what really angered her.

As he approached, he noticed her doing something unusual—dragging two burly werewolves by the scruff of their necks.

Caph stopped walking.

He decided he had no urgent need to talk to her after all.

That's when she began snarling at the Alpha of her pack.

Caph was surprised.

But now he thought he understood why he had been slapped.

It wasn't that she was immune to his charms. Quite the opposite, he realised. Ran liked it and she was pissed at herself for liking it.

After all, she wanted to become Alpha.

If Ran ended up liking Caph, then she would be forced to choose between him and her goal.

I wonder if I can make her choose the former, Caph thought. She was an interesting person. An intimidating female Beta with outrageous ambitions on the outside but vulnerable inside. He wanted to get to know her better. But judging by her reaction to him, she didn't seem to be his bonded mate either. He would have to keep looking.

'Caph!' his father growled, jolting him out of his thoughts.

The clearing was almost empty now. The pack in charge of the buffet had cleared the rickety tables and the bonfire had been put out. Without the hundreds of werewolves partying and making a racket, the clearing looked desolate.

'Why did you insult the Beta of Eridanus?' Celphus snapped. 'I told you not to embarrass Cassiopeia anymore than you already have–'

'Father!' Caph protested. 'I didn't insult her, I complimented her. She's the one insulting us by slapping me across the face for nothing.'

Celphus snorted. 'You deserve it. Making lewd advances on female werewolves after getting yourself suspended from college for public indecency.' Angry veins jutted out on the stocky Alpha's forehead as he straightened himself to his full height. 'You're a disgrace!'

Caph lowered his head and kept quiet. He had been called a disgrace more than he had been called by his actual name. Unlike Ran, Caph did not have the willpower to defy his Alpha or to stand up for himself. What could he say to a werewolf who expected him to be just like his brothers?

'Shift,' Celphus barked. 'We're going home. Your mother and I will have to decide what to do about you.'

As soon as he gave the command, his wolf form enveloped his morphing human body until a human-sized wolf with a majestic brown pelt stood where he did.

Caph did the same, letting his wolf form take over like a flood of hot water. His bones burned as they heated up to melting point and moulded into a suitable structure for the animal.

His wolf was reddish-brown like a fox and lean.

Weak, that was what Celphus saw every time he looked at his fourth son.

The two wolves sprinted from the clearing into the forest, heading north. Cassiopeia was located in Polemon County at the northern tip of the continent, far from Septrion County in the south. They ran for twelve hours without any breaks to get home.

Cassiopeia had been a prominent werewolf pack with vast territories before industralisation. But when the humans began to mechanise the world, they erected a new capital far from Cassiopeia's ruling hometown and this made the other packs more powerful.

Now, The Citadel only housed werewolves, Cassiopeia wolves who still kept the ancient and traditional way of life.

Celphus and Caph entered a refurbished castle much too big for the Alpha's family just as night began to fall again.

Jelsie, Cassiopeia's Luna and Caph's mother, rushed into the hall just as the two wolves shifted back into human form. Their wolf forms peeled back like a second skin and melted into water, leaving behind two men drenched in sweat and wolf.

After that, Caph was forced to sit through the retelling of his semester-long suspension from college and the details of the public display of 'affection' that led to his being charged for public indecency. His mother cast him distressed glances and made mournful noises but Caph picked at his nails and stared at various tapestries on the wall, disinterested.

Suddenly, Celphus's intimidating voice paused. He stared at Caph with glowing yellow eyes. 'The Alpha of the Eridanus pack offered me an interesting proposal at their Full Moon Gathering,' he said calmly, like the past hour of bellowing had not just happened. 'He suggested an alliance between our packs through an arranged marriage between Caph and his Beta, Ran.'

'What?' Caph exclaimed.

Celphus continued speaking, his yellow eyes filling with hope. 'If Caph marries Ran, we won't just be able to stop the ruin of Cassiopeia's reputation, this useless brat will also become the Alpha of an important pack.'