I had a deep-rooted seed of distrust growing in the pit of my stomach. Ever since my father had said that he would kill Ally, I knew that this need he had for me to claim Kimber was personal. There was no other way about it, so I was determined to play his game, but he wasn't going to win. I would walk out the other side of this and get her back. I would have my rightful mate and Luna standing by my side.

It had been months now, two to be exact, since my father had forced me to announce Kimber as my Luna and chosen mate. The longer I was having to hold up this farce of a relationship the harder it was becoming. Any time Kimber touched me, it felt like molten lava on my skin, so I avoided it when at all possible, keeping myself busy with the pack and 'learning the ropes' as my father called it. That meant I only had to suffer with Kimber a few hours a day, in the pack common areas and at night when we were alone. Thankfully I was able to be on patrol most nights, so I was able to avoid her then as well.

I knew that I was not being fair to Kimber, that I should tell her the truth, yet every time I tried the words would not come out. I needed Kimber to believe that we were mates if I was going to make my father believe that I was following his lead. I was truly disgusted with myself over it, because I realized the longer this continued the more, I became like the man I loathed, hating myself for it.

I was reviewing financial reports in my father's office when he broached the subject of Kimber, "Son, when are you going to mark your mate?"

I rolled my eyes and looked up from the reports I was reviewing, "This again, father? I told you she will become Luna after I become Alpha. " This was my stall tactic. I didn't want to mark Kimber and I wouldn't. My father and Beta Adam's would just think they had won.

"You know, boy, you are not Alpha yet, and I do not have to hand the title over to you." He threatened, "Not to mention Al ..."

I cut him off, "Don't mention her. You won; she is gone. " I said, playing into him. "I announced Kimber as you requested, so drop the act. You need to announce me as Alpha at the next meeting or I'll take it. "

My father growled at me, "You're right, she's gone." A glint in his eye, "I will announce you at the next full moon." He turned and left the room. That was easy, too easy. Maybe my refusal to mark Kimber was working, making him realize that I had the upper hand now?

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

My father and Beta Adam's stepped down at the next full moon ceremony, officially making me Alpha and Markus Beta. It was a relief because now I could start putting everything into motion, my plan to get my girl back. I didn't need to pretend anymore with Kimber. Once I had the Alpha title everything was going to change.

After the ceremony concluded, many of the pack members had come up to me, congratulating me and personally swearing their allegiance to me as the new Alpha. As I was making my rounds through the pack, talking to some of the members I felt an icy touch on my arm, instantly lighting me on fire causing me to recoil.

"Babbbbbyyyyyyy!" Kimber whined into my ear. "Can we go home now?"

"Mrs. White, thank you for your kind words. " My attention never deviated from her as Kimber joined in trying to pull me away. Kimber was now tugging on my arm, "I apologize Mrs. White, but I'll be right back. " I turned, pulling Kimber away from the crowd with me.

"What the hell is your issue?" I glared at her, causing her to instantly whimper.

"I just want to go home. I am tired and I have been missing you. " She wrapped her arms around my neck trying to pull me.

I carefully removed Kimber's arms from my neck, "Luke!" I hollered.

"Yeah, Alpha." He responded, walking over to where I stood with Kimber.

"Take your sister home, she is tired." I said, glaring over in her direction. I was hoping that Kimber would get sick of the cold shoulder I had been giving her and realize on her own that we weren't mates. I was growing more and more distant, but that only seemed to fuel this need that she had to be close to me.

"Sure" Luke said shrugging his shoulders. "Come on Kimber, let's go." With Lukas taking Kimber that allowed me to refocus myself back to my pack, the reason why I am doing everything I have been doing.

As I walked back to the crowd I was once again stopped, "Oh, son!" The melodic voice of my mother called.

"Hi Mom." I said pulling her into a hug. "How are you?" My mother was the sweetest person ever; however, she allowed my father to walk all over her, which I did not understand. Mates were supposed to be equals and my father treated her as anything but.

"I am wonderful! So proud of you! You are going to do wonderful things for this pack. " Lowering her voice, she said, "Better than your father." I gave her a sideways look, "I know a lot more than I let on, son."

I just nodded my head, "I'm going to do my best to fix it." I assured her, as my father came walking over.

"Ah, just who I was looking for. Son, now that you are Alpha, it is time to officially claim your Luna. "

My mother looked between us, "You know, I'm going to let you boys talk shop. This is my cue to leave. " Another thing my mother did was avoid conflict whenever possible, especially when it concerned my father and me.

"I intend two, father. Now that you are not Alpha there are a lot of things that I am going to do. And doing my way. " I said turning back away from the crowd of pack members, my father stomping behind me.

His face instantly distorted, "Now, you don't go making any mistakes." He jokes, "I would hate to see anything bad happen to Ally."

"Listen to me, father." Growling out the word Father. "I played your stupid game, and I won. Looks like I outsmarted you. Now, the least you could do is tell me why. " The glare I was receiving from my father would have a typical wolf cowering in the corner, offering submission, but it no longer worked on me. I was the Alpha now, I submitted to no one.

"Oh, boy, you still have a lot to learn. You didn't win. " There was something in his eyes that told me there was something he knew I didn't, but I wasn't too concerned with it at the present moment. I was more focused on getting answers to the questions that had plagued me for months.

"Just tell me why?"

"Her father was shit! Just like her! I wasn't going to have her mess things up. I should have gotten rid of her like I did her father. " Shock registered on my face.

"What are you talking about?" I shoved him, "What did you do?" My father lunged back at me, I let out a growl that had everyone cowering, we were now drawing the attention of the crowd. "Tell me!" I yelled. "What did you do?" The pack now stands witness to the fight brewing between their former Alpha and their new one. This is not how I had intended the night to go.

"Only what I had to do! He tried to overthrow me, stuck his nose in business that wasn't his. " I picked my father up by his throat, his feet now dangling in the air.

"Tell me, everything!" I could feel Knox coming into control, as he was growling in my mind.

"Mate, he hurts here! Kill him! " I was fighting the internal struggle to keep him at bay, knowing if I let him take full control, I would never get the answers I wanted. That Knox would eliminate the perceived threat to Ally.

My mother came rushing over, "Tate, put him down! Now! " She reached for my shoulder, touching me, I snapped my head to look at my mother causing her to gasp as I growled at her. Mother or not, she would not disrespect my authority in front of the pack.

I dropped my father, "Speak. Now. I will not ask again. " I could feel a shift inside of me that the person I once was would not be coming back. I knew whatever my father had told me would change everything.

Sitting on the ground my father glared up at me, the former Beta running into the circle to help him, "If you value your life don't touch him." I growled out, causing my fathers best friend to stop and back away, my mother didn't even dare go close to him, however before he could get far, I stopped him, "You can stop right there, Beta ." My tone letting everyone know I knew he was also involved in whatever story was about to unfold. "I know you have a part in this story as well." Mark was not far away and if he sensed what I wanted; he forced his father back to the center of the circle where my father was.

"You're an ungrateful shit!" My father said, picking himself up off the ground. "After everything I have put on your feet, after all I have done for you, this is the thanks I am getting?"

I growled at him, grabbing his face, squeezing it with my fingers, "If the next words out of your mouth are not an explanation, I will have you sent to the cells. Any way I will get the answers that I want. Both of you. " I said to my father and the former Beta, the threat behind my word registering with both of them as their faces turned to shocked expressions of horror.

My father pulled away, "You want the truth, here it is. You and that bitch Allison were mates. " I growled as he talked about Ally, "I knew from a time you were young, always so protective you were. I always hated her father, first he took her, then he tried to take my title. " My father was sneering at whatever memories this was dredging up for him.

He paused for a moment as if he was reliving a memory before continuing, "I loved her mother and she would have been my Luna if she hadn't found that man!"

My mother gasped at this, "But I am your mate." Tears welling up in her eyes, "You were going to choose another?"

"I never loved you. It was always her! She was the one I wanted. When I found you, you were just there to warm my bed and give me an air. And look! Look at what you gave me! " He roared, pointing at me. "An ungrateful, hateful shit! I should never have accepted you, Goddess chosen mate or not. " His words slashed at my mother, redirecting the malice he had for me to here. My mother did not deserve his ire and hate, she was too good of a person for that, her kind and loving heart now being torn to shreds by the one person who was always supposed to love and protect her. She dropped to her knees, now a sobbing mess.

I had no intention of hurting my mother, but it turned out that this personal issue ran deep, cutting us all to the core. My mother was unintended collateral damage, my heart was breaking for her making me want to tear my father apart even more. I glared at my dad, he was on thin ice growing even thinner by the moment, I wasn't above snapping his neck where he was standing.

A sadistic smile appeared on my father's face, like he was happy about finally getting this off his chest, "Now where was I... Oh yeah... As if taking her wasn't enough he was trying to take my title. He had been gathering evidence about my side deals, which he thought were 'shady' and 'underhanded'. Didn't approve of how I was managing pack funds, so I had him killed. "

"If you say he was a traitor then why wouldn't you execute him?" I asked. I knew the answer, but I needed him to say it.

"Because he had evidence. He was right, I was stealing money, filtering it to my own accounts. I couldn't just hold a trial and execute him, so that's why it was said he was killed in the rogue attack. " He chuckled, looking around at the pack. "You are all just gullible sheep; You would have followed me to the slaughter if I had wanted it. " I could see many mixed emotions on the faces of the people who surrounded us. Many were angry, even more holding disbelief.

"Where does me claim Kimber instead of Ally coming into all of this?"

My mother had finally composed herself and was listening intently, but chimed in, "What do you mean, Tate? Kimber is your mate. " My head whipped to my mother, who was now composing herself, standing tall and proud like the Luna that she was.

"No, mom she isn't. Dad forced me to choose her and present her to the pack. He said if I didn't, he would kill my mate, my Luna, Allison Thorpe. " This got the whole pack up in arms, they were growling at my father. The biggest sin anyone could do in a pack was threaten the Alpha or Luna. The pack always held an especially fond place for their Luna, as she was the mother of the pack, the light hand to the rough of the Alpha.

Looking back to my father, "I want to know! Why Kimber? " He simply looked at the Former Beta Adams; who's head was now hung in shame.

"Ask him." My father pointed.

"Well?" I said walking over to the former Beta, "Speak." He growled at me as I commanded him, to which I punched him in the gut, "Don't growl at me, I am your Alpha and you will respect me. Now speak. "

"I was the one who killed Allison's father, and in turn for my silence it was agreed that you would make my daughter, Kimber your Luna."

Then came a voice that I wasn't expecting to hear, "What ?!" She screamed, coming into the circle.

"Kimber what are you doing here?" I growled. "You were supposed to be home."

"Yeah, because we were halfway there when we heard the yelling and came back." She snapped at me. "Daddy, is this true? Did you sell me to someone? "

"I didn't sell you to anyone." He said, softening his gaze as he looked at his daughter. You could see the love he held for her, "I did it to protect you. To make sure you were always cared for. You deserved the life of Luna. " You could see the love and adoration he held for his only daughter. Although he showed it in a misguided way, but it was there.

"But you were trying to take me from my intended mate. Why? Why would you do that? " Tears were welling in her eyes, which was not something you saw often from Kimber, she was a fierce she-wolf. "How could you be so cruel as to ruin so many mate ships?"

The raw emotion that poured from Kimber radiated into the open field; everyone could feel it. I may not have loved Kimber as a mate, but I had spent many years with her and grown up with her. There was a part of me that loved her, and never wanted her to find out like this.

"You messed everything up!" Her father boomed at my father, "If you just controlled your son like you said you would, she would already have been marked and mated. This would be a non-issue! " He lunged for my father, throwing him to the ground. The two of them scuffled, throwing punches at one another, trying to claw at one another for a few minutes before Markus and I were able to fully pull them apart.

"ENOUGH!" I bellowed. Making them freeze on the spot. "Guards!" I called "Come here and hold these men."

Once I knew the guards were in control I turned to Kimber and my mother, "Luke take your sister home. Kimber, we'll talk when I'm done here. Mom go with them. And make sure they get there this time. " Turning back to the pack, I addressed the concerns I knew were now festering, "Everyone else is going back to your homes. There is much that I need to get sorted. As your new Alpha I promise to look into everything and provide a full report to you all on my findings. "

The former heads of the pack were now glaring at each other, looking like they were ready to kill one another. Returning my attention to the matter at hand, "Guards, take these men to the cells. Make sure they are not housed together. I want 24-hour watches on them and DO NOT, under any circumstances, let them out of the cells. Am I clear? "

"Yes, Sir Alpha." They responded immediately.

As they were walking away with my father, he turned to glare at me, "You are too late." When I asked him what he meant all he did was cackle back to me, refusing to answer allowing the guards to lead him away.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

It was safe to say that my taking over as Alpha is not going according to plan. I had no intention of outing my father quite like I had, but if he had just controlled himself a little more than it wouldn't have blown up if it had. Still, I couldn't find it in myself to feel bad about how things did happen, I was happy that it was all out in the open.

I walked back to the pack house dreading the conversation I needed to have with Kimber. When I walked in, I found her in our suite packing her things, tears streaming down her face. Lukas had been standing by the door when I came in, he just shook his head at me, and silently left. I don't blame him for being disappointed in me, honestly, I've done Kimber wrong in all of this. I probably should have said something to her, but I was just as much of a coward as my father.

Walking over to her I placed my hands on her arms, stopping her actions, "Let go of me!" She snarled. I immediately let her go, she turned to me with venom in her voice, "You knew! You knew all along that we weren't mates. "

I nodded my head, "Yes, I knew the last day of school." I could see Kimber mentally tallying the time in her head.

"ON MONTHS, TATE! YOU KNEW FOR TEN MONTHS! " Kimber yelled in my face and shoved me.

I growled here, "You have every right to be angry, but don't disrespect me Kimber."

"You mean how you disrespected me! I am going to be the laughingstock of the pack. How could I be so dumb? I loved you Tate. And here I thought you loved me too. " She stopped, sitting on the bed putting her hand on her head, "Goddess, I'm an idiot. Everything I did... I was horrible to her. "

"What are you talking about?" I questioned.

"Allison." She said, shaking her head as if trying to understand everything. "I thought you were mine, truly believed we were mates, that she was trying to steal you. And here, I was the one stealing you. I am horrible. " Kimber sobbed as she said the last words, truly believing the worst about herself.

I sat next to her and pulled her into a hug, trying to calm her down, "I'm sorry. I know this doesn't make up for it, but it doesn't excuse anything, but I didn't say anything because my father threatened her life. All I can say is that I am truly sorry. " And I was. I was sorry for the hurt, pain, remorse and rejection that I know Kimber was feeling right now at learning that not only had her father betrayed her, but the person she thought was her mate as well.

"You know I thought our wolves just hadn't identified each other yet, that they weren't ready. I should have known. I am so stupid! I can't believe I'm falling into this trap, I really thought... "Kimber closed her eyes and took a ragged breath. "You know she called you. That night at Alpha Ogden's, when I was on the phone? That was her. I told her off, staked my claim. If only I had known. Now I feel horrible, I am a despicable person. She told me she was your mate, but I didn't believe her. "