Chapter [Three]

As I slammed my bedroom door shut, I threw my schoolbag onto my bed. I breathed in deeply, trying to suppress my emotions. Kicking off my snickers, I walked up to my bed and plowed down upon it, glaring up at the ceiling. Muffled shouts reverberated throughout my bedroom. No doubt my mom was busy pummeling my father's face in. Wish I could have seen it, but I didn't want to be near him. A disappointment...

"Don't do that to yourself," Orion chipped in.

Shaking my head, I replied, "Why not? To him, I'll always be one."

"Then get over it and show him you're not. You have your own life to live. He's measuring his own against yours and judging you accordingly. You're not your father. Don't let his bloated ego get in the way of reaching your dreams."

I rubbed my eyes and sighed. "I know... but it still hurts hearing him say that. He'll never accept me for me."

"Then it's his problem, not yours."

A knock on the door interrupted our conversation. I stared at the door, dreading who was behind it. My father had a knack for storming into my room and berating me until he decided he got his point across. Deciding to take the risk, I called out.

"Who is it?"

A giggle rang out behind the door. "It's your mother."

Thank the heavens. I didn't want to see my father's face for the rest of the night. "Come in." I heaved myself off the bed, sitting upright just before my mom sauntered into the room carrying a plate of food.

"So?" She walked up to me and handed me the plate of food. Great! Pizza! "How are you feeling?" My mom asked while pushing a few strands of blond hair behind her ear.

I loved my mom's blond hair; it was just like mine. It was common knowledge that the lighter your hair color was, the more submissive you were as a werewolf, but I didn't believe it. The Luna, who was an Omega, was submissive as they came, but if you angered her, even the Alpha ran for the hills when it happened.

I huffed while taking a bite out of a slice of pizza. "As good as can be after Dad told me I was a disappointment I am to him."

My mom's eyebrows furrowed before she sat beside me. "Don't take it to heart, Caleb. You know your father. He always puts your grandfather's teachings before his common sense."

"Yeah..."

No matter how many excuses came out of my mom's mouth, the fact stared me in the face—my father would never have approved of me. I sighed, then continued devouring the plate of pizza. An awkward silence reigned over the room until I couldn't take it anymore. My mom always insisted on having a point in a conversation.

"I'm not joining the team again," I blurted out, licking my fingers clean. "Running around and acting like a brainless jock is not one of my life goals anymore."

My mom giggled and then patted my leg. "Don't worry. I will get your father off your back."

"How?" I glanced at her, wondering how. The old Beta never let go of his chew toys. "He's never going to let me quit."

"Leave it to me. As much as your father wants to think he's in control, he isn't."

"But he's a dominant," I countered, handing back the empty plate to my mom. "They always get what they want."

My mom stood up from the bed. "You would think so, but we, as submissives, have a secret weapon."

"And that is...?"

My mom made a clawing motion with her hands and said, "I have your father by the balls."

"Eww!" I shouted, not wanting to hear that. "I don't need to know that! Not ever!"

My mom laughed as she walked over to the door and opened it. She then turned around and said, "So... On a serious note. Are you ready for tomorrow?"

I shook my head and said, "Not really. I've realized that I will not be a dominant like Dad wants me to be." And another fact that I was gay as fuck didn't help the situation. Not that it meant that I would be a submissive for it, but I was a bottom to boot. I never once thought of myself as the 'top' in any relationship. Even in my fantasies...

"Oh, honey." My mom walked back into the room and crouched before me, placing her hand on my shoulder. "There's nothing wrong with being a submissive. Most dominants believe they have all the power in the relationship, but that's far from the truth.

"In any mating, the dominant partner is responsible for the submissive's well-being. However, the submissive does not have to be obedient like a well-trained dog. We have as much power as they do, even if they don't realize it."

"I guess you're right, but I don't think Dad will be as understanding as you. But in the end, it doesn't really matter... In a few months, I'll be off to college."

My mom smiled while running her fingers through my hair. "Caleb. No matter what happens tomorrow, I'll always be proud of you." She then stood up and leaned forward, placing a kiss on my forehead. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to see if your father and brothers cleaned up the mess in the living room. I swear... with the way your father act I ask myself if he's even an adult."

Soon enough, my mom left the room, leaving me with my thoughts. Her words of encouragement somewhat eased my fears. Whatever was going to happen on my birthday would happen. I just had to face them head-on.

🌕🩸🌲🌙🐾 Deputy Omega 🐾🌙 🌲🩸🌕

The blare of the alarm clock jolted me out of my dream. I slowly crawled out from under the covers and slammed the snooze button. Silence reigned over the room while I rubbed my eyes. Sunlight streamed through the red curtains, bathing my room in a reddish hue. With a grumble, I stood up and made my way toward the bathroom. Knowing my mom, she would have busted through the door wishing me a happy birthday while the rest of my siblings would ignore me as they usually did.

After a lengthy morning routine, I opened the bathroom door. The heavy shroud of steam whirled around as it met the cold air. With only a white towel covering my delicates, I made my way toward the closet while drying my hair with a small towel. Before I entered my closet, a cough snapped me out of my humming. Much to my humiliation, a girly shriek escaped from my lips. To make things even worse, my towel fell off, and my guest, who was on my bed, saw my butt and started laughing like crazy.

One of my hands quickly covered my crotch while I threw the towel I used to dry off my hair at the intruder. "What the fuck, you asshole! Couldn't you let me know you were here before I walked out of the bathroom?"

"And what? Miss the free strip show?" replied Justin, wiggling his eyebrows. "By the way, nice ass."

I didn't blush... Fuck it! I did! How could I not? I hurried to my closet, shut the door, and let out a string of curses. Justin's laughter made matters worse. I got dressed in a pair of skinny blue jeans and a red polo shirt before facing my dick of a best friend. The fucker was still grinning.

"Shouldn't you be busy humping a fire hydrant?" I hit back, trying to shove the limelight off my impromptu strip show.

Justin rolled off my bed and said, "Oh? Don't tell me you're jealous."

I scoffed and said, "Not in the slightest." That was not true.

Justin walked up to me while retrieving something from his back pocket. I had to gulp down my raging hormones as his muscles flexed under his gray muscle shirt. Out of instinct and the safety of my face, I grabbed the black velvet box Justin threw at me.

"Happy birthday, Cal," Justin said. Before I could react, Justin placed a kiss on my forehead and then wrapped his muscular arm around my shoulders. I gulped down a moan when his musky scent filled my nostrils, sending a short-circuit to my genitals. "Now let's go celebrate your birthday with a healthy stack of pancakes. My treat."

Justin led me out of my room and down the stairs while I stared at the black box. Even though Justin's gift brought a smile to my face, it also brought a bit of sadness. My secret crush was always touchy-feely, even for Alphas, who rarely expressed their emotions so openly. But for me, it was torture. I knew that my best friend would never see me in another light other than a friend or, better yet, a younger brother. However, even knowing that, I always held hope that it would have changed.

I sighed and then said, "Thanks for the present." I opened the box to find a moonstone wire-wrapped pendant. It was beautiful. "Wow. It's great!" I couldn't help grinning like an idiot.

Justin chuckled while we headed for the front door. "My pleasure. I knew you would love it the moment I saw it."

"Wait!" I stopped in my tracks. "Shouldn't we tell my mother where we're going?"

Justin opened the door and replied, "No need. Your mother and mine already left this morning. They're preparing for the party. Your mother wanted to wake you up and congratulate you, but my mom had other ideas." He shook his head while chuckling.

"And where's the rest of my family?" Not that I expected anything from them. They were always too busy to give a fuck, but the moment you forgot their birthdays, they would bitch about it until your ears bled.

"Doing what they always do. Your father and brothers are busy training the new recruits while your sister and her friends went shopping for new outfits."

I sighed, while walking through the door, placing the pendant around my neck. Selfish bastards, but what did I expect, a miracle?

**********

Half an hour later, both me and Justin were sitting in a diner eating breakfast. Well... I ate while the lumbering oaf devoured his mountain of pancakes as a starved wolf to a carcass. It was both disturbing and impressive. With the amount of maple syrup he used, it could give any human instant diabetes. And if that wasn't enough, the sheer presence of my friend made all the female customers (including the waitresses) nearly cream in their skirts. When he licked his fingers after eating bacon, it turned them on so much that they could explode with just a spark. Even I had a hard time not staring at him while he ate without a care in the world. Bastard.

I just shook my head and continued eating, trying to ignore the situation. Glancing out of the enormous window, I watched the autumn wind chase the fallen leaves across the parking lot. In all honesty, I was going to miss hanging out with Justin. This feeling of dread just wouldn't leave me alone. I knew that whatever happened later that evening would change my life forever. I began fiddling with the leather armband around my wrist. It was not as if I had any other choice in the matter.

"Yeah, so stop bitching," Orion grumbled out. "Today is a great day. I'll be able to run around on all fours instead of being trapped inside you."

"Am I that bad?" Taking a bite out of a strip of bacon.

"No. But how would you like it if you spent eighteen years trapped in a cage?"

"Touché."

A hand appeared in front of my face. My eyes snapped toward Justin. "What's the matter?" Justin asked.

I sighed and replied, "Nothing to worry about."

Justin pointed his fork at me and said, "Yeah, and I'm the pope. So spill." His eyes hardened the longer I stayed quiet. He always had a way of making me cave under his gaze, no matter how long it took.

I leaned back on the bench. "I'm just thinking about the future. In a few weeks, you'll take in your position as Alpha and then likely marry Alisha when she turns into an omega. I will most likely go off to college..."

"And you think we won't remain friends if it does?" Justin picked up on my way of thinking, as he usually did. I nodded with a heavy heart, finishing the last of my coffee. "It won't happen. There are ways we can keep in contact. You can return to the pack during the holidays, so it's not so bad."

"You can't know that. Being the Alpha is a time-consuming position, and your future mate will take up the rest. Especially when the Elders start yapping about you and Alisha giving them an heir to the pack."

"And who says I'm going to mate with Alisha?"

I scoffed and replied, "Everyone... Alisha is shifting tonight as well. She'll most likely turn into an omega wolf—"

"It's not set in stone."

"Then who? An alpha needs an omega."

Justin shook his head. "Not always. You know as well as I, that it's not always like that. Some packs have never gotten an omega, and besides, it's my choice in who I want to spend the rest of my life with."

I snorted. "Yeah. I want you to tell that to your parents and the Elders."

A scowl crossed Justin's face. "Well, fuck them. It's my life. I care about the pack, but I won't sacrifice my happiness just so that I can appease my parents."

"So you don't love Alisha?"

"I do..." Justin rubbed his stubbled chin. "But I don't love her as a mate would, and I don't think I ever will."