Alpha Asher
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Midika Crane
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Chapter 1
Book 7: Alpha Asher
Dear Alpha of Desire,
Iām writing to you with a humble request. Iāve seen your advertisements and news pieces, and I thought, why not give it a try? Iām just a regular guy in your Pack, but this could be a game-changer for me.
Iām a dad to two little girls, one twelve and the other eleven. Hereās hoping youāll give my application a thought.
Sincerely,
James Thorne.
***
James Thorne,
Weāve reviewed your application. Regrettably, we canāt accept it at this time.
Sorry for the inconvenience,
Alpha of Desire.
***
Dear Alpha of Desire,
Itās been a few years, and I find myself drawn in again. Your marketing tactics are quite effective, arenāt they? Iād like to request an invite to your grand party.
Itās the talk of the town, hosted by none other than you, the Alpha of Desire. Iām a single dad, juggling two jobs, with two daughters, one fifteen and the other fourteen.
Hoping for the best,
James Thorne.
***
James Thorne,
Weāve reviewed your application. Unfortunately, we canāt accept it at this time.
Our deepest apologies,
Alpha of Desire.
***
Dear Alpha of Desire,
Iām trying againā¦ I sometimes wonder if anyone from our side of town ever gets picked. Maybe the new Alpha Asher will consider my daughters and me.
Iām still a dad, now managing three jobs, with two daughters, one seventeen and the other eighteen. Iām not in the best of health. Who knows how much time I have left?
Fingers crossed,
James Thorne.
***
James Thorne,
Weāve reviewed your application. Regrettably, we canāt accept it at this time.
Best of luck,
Alpha of Desire.
***
Dear Alpha of Desire,
Iām writing to request an invite to your annual party. Iāve watched it every year, green with envy at those who get to attend.
Iām a nineteen-year-old newlywed, and my sister is twenty and, well, she needs to get laid. Can I say that? Our dad would have wanted this for us.
Hoping against hope,
Sky Thorne.
***
Sky Thorne,
Weāve reviewed your application. Weāre pleased to inform you that you and your sister have been accepted to Alpha Asherās annual party!
Your invitations, along with instructions and gifts, will arrive in four days.
Congratulations,
Alpha of Desire.
ALAYA
PRESENT DAY
āItās not you, itās me.ā His face remains stoic, giving nothing away.
āI really wanted us to work out, but we just donāt click. I hope we can still be friends,ā I say, trying to sound as sincere as possible.
Suddenly, his face lights up into a grin and he grabs my shoulders. āFantastic! Absolutely fantastic, Layā¦ā
āReally?ā I ask, excitement bubbling up inside me, despite the nickname I despise. āYou really think so?ā
āI have no doubt youāll land this job!ā His words fill me with relief. I let out a deep breath I didnāt realize I was holding.
My entire future hinges on this audition. If I donāt ace it, Iāll be living off my late fatherās savings for a few more months. The sooner I can stop relying on my deceased fatherās money, the less guilt Iāll carry to bed each night.
And to earn my keep through acting? Life would suddenly seem worth living.
āOnly two more days,ā I say, my voice shaky. I nervously fiddle with the strap of my bag. āI still have at least forty-five more seconds to memorize.ā
My best friend and partner in crime, Carter, drapes his arm over my shoulder, leading me out of the small theater company Iām a part of. Heās not particularly careful with my backpack, but he makes sure not to knock the coffee out of my right hand.
That would be a disaster.
āTrust me, they wonāt even have to think twice about choosing you,ā Carter assures me, his warm smile radiating confidence.
Carter hails from the Harmony Pack but moved to the Desire Pack four years ago when we were still in school. His advice isnāt always the best since heās a peacekeeper at heart, but his reassurances keep me going.
His calm, emerald-green eyes have been my rock since my father passed awayā¦ When I lost everything. My job, my sister to her new husband.
Donāt get me wrong, we still talk, but she knows I donāt approve of her decision to marry at nineteen. And to a banker? Heās as dull as watching paint dry.
Carter nudges me. āListen, I gotta get back to the family. You okay to walk home by yourself?ā
Carterās family is like my own. They almost adopted me after my father died, having learned my mother had suffered the same fate at my sisterās birth.
Carterās mother, a successful interior designer, is quite wealthy. Sheās known for decorating Alpha Asherās annual party, but she never shares the behind-the-scenes details with Carter.
This will be his first year helping out. The number of times Iāve heard the word excited from him whenever we walk past one of the advertisements is countless.
āI suppose youāre getting ready for the party, huh?ā
The whole pack is. From the east corner to the west, people are gearing up for the busiest time of the year. Tomorrow night, the party will kick off, and people will gather to watch the fireworks and listen to the music.
No one will see inside though. Unless of course, youāre invited. But no one from my side of the city will be, the only part of the city that has to live by the day as well as the night. Being known as the night pack doesnāt do justice to the commoners.
The perfect-skin and perfect-body entertainers from Main Street get all the jobsāand all the money. We are left working at coffee shops or hotel services, for the foreigners who canāt handle a life by night.
My dream is to act on Main Street one day. Live by the night and under the lights and be more famous than even the alpha himself. I want away from my life right now.
Carter spots a banner taped to a window. He pulls away from me, moving forward to grab it off. āThis is it. Can you believe Iām going to make it inside? Inside? What if I meet the alpha?ā Carter questions, his hair the color of burned wood from the forests of the Freedom Pack flopping around his eyes.
He can afford a haircut, unlike me, but wonāt get one. I stare at the poster. Carter has this wild idea that heās actually going to be attending the party.
He doesnāt get to show up dressed to the nines. He doesnāt get to drink and dance or do whatever the rich do at an event like that. He will be working, making sure they all have something to eat and drink all night long.
I still envy him, though. The poster gleams as I tilt the page toward the setting sun. It offers us a glimpse into the life of the wealthy.
They sit up on their hill, never to come down or be seen. A small dose of silver glitter shimmers across the paper, which is the color of rich violet. Curly letters in italic form twist tantalizingly across, inviting you to something out of reach to someone like me. This poster probably costs more than what I make in a month.
I examine the page: Alpha Asherās Wondrous and Amazing Annual Party! Curious to know what goes on behind the closed doors of the alphaās home? Your time has come for a glimpse into the most fashionable, auspicious party of the year. There is none other than Alpha Asherās! You may apply for invitation through hand written letter. We wish you the best of luck this year! Kind Regards, Alpha of Desire and his Team.
I roll my eyes. Bringing the page up, I get a whiff of the smell of blueberries. Odd.
āOver the top as usual,ā I say, thrusting the paper back at Carter. āYouāll have to tell me everything.ā
He nods, although he looks a bit apprehensive. A few months ago, he signed a contract, taking a vow of silence when asked about the party he helped create.
Already, heās been reluctant to give me details, which only makes me more curious. āSure thing,ā he says, then he glances at his watch. āIām gonna be late. See you tomorrow?ā
āOf course,ā I say, as he backs away from me. The sun sets around him, encasing him in a halo of brilliant orange and subtle pinks.
My friend is damn attractive, and he doesnāt even realize it. He tells me heās saving himself for his mate, which is hard to believe, considering our packās morals.
Mates are a burden. Donāt get killed. That exact motto is what our pack is known for.
Gloves are so fashionable for men here, I donāt think Iāve seen one without them; aside from Carter. He wants a pair though.
Main Street especially stresses the need for them, with certain entertainment agencies making it a mandatory part of the uniform.
Carter is quick to walk off, wearing his rather expensive sneakers his mother bought him. I, on the other hand, walk away wearing my worn-down shoes that look older than me.
As I dump my empty coffee cup into the bin, I listen to the sounds from Main Street.
The pulsating beats of music echo through the dark alleyways, reaching the forgotten backstreets where I reside. The rhythm is intoxicating, a tantalizing glimpse into the lives of the affluent. The ratio of rich to poor in this pack is skewed, with one impoverished individual for every five wealthy ones.
I just happen to be one of the unfortunate few who struggle to make ends meet.
***
By the time I reach my humble apartment, the sun has set. Itās a modest place, purchased with the money from my fatherās death. The moment I have enough, I plan to donate all the money Iāve received to a charity he would have supported.
My bed is a constant reminder of my guilt.
In reality, itās just a couch covered with blankets. The nights can get chilly here on the cityās outskirts, so if I run out of blankets, I resort to using towels.
Thereās a note waiting for me on the couch when I get home.
I drop my bag on the floor and pick it up. Itās from my sister.
Hey Lay,
Dylan and I stopped by this morning but you werenāt hereā¦
Want to come over?
I have some exciting news!
Your best sister ever, Sky.
I canāt help but chuckle at her self-proclaimed title.
Despite my reluctance to visit my sisterās luxurious homeāa stark contrast to my own living conditionsāher note suggests she needs to talk.
Knowing Sky, sheās probably upset about something Dylan did and is blowing it out of proportion.
I throw on a coat and decide to walk to her place instead of splurging on a taxi. Sky doesnāt live too far, but getting there involves walking through a wealthier neighborhood.
***
By the time I reach her house, night has fallen and the air is icy. Her house is brilliantly lit, which doesnāt surprise me. Skyās desire to outshine her neighbors is absurd, but she rarely listens to my advice.
Sheās well aware of how much sheās changed since our fatherās death, but she doesnāt seem to care. Why should she? Sky leads a life that many envy, especially those from our impoverished neighborhood.
I knock on her door, glancing at a garden gnome nearby.
The door swings open almost immediately, as if she was expecting me. There stands my sister, her cheeks flushed from wine, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Itās odd to see her so disheveled, her usually sleek black hair tousled and messy.
āCome in, quick,ā Sky urges, pulling me inside before shutting the door behind me.
I donāt spend much time studying her expression.
Sheās redecoratedā¦
Previously, she had maintained Dylanās dark and nondescript theme. Now, the main foyer is awash in hues of pink, white, and gold. Itās veryā¦Sky.
Iām surprised Dylan allowed it.
āWow,ā I comment, my gaze landing on a vase of artificial white roses in the corner, perched on a marble pedestal. āQuite the transformation.ā
Sky bites her lip as she loops her arm through mine. āDylan finally gave in. But thatās not why I called you here.ā
She guides me to a small two-seater couch and sits me down, but doesnāt join me. Thereās a certain look in her dark eyes that makes me uneasy. Sky is naturally beautiful, and she knows how to use her looks to get what she wants.
A flick of her sleek black hair, a flash of her dazzling white smile, and she has everyone wrapped around her finger.
Except me.
āSo, why am I here?ā I ask, leaning back on the stiff couch. I suspect Sky chose it more for its aesthetic appeal than its comfort.
āRemember how Dad always wanted to get invited to the Alpha of Desireās party when we were kids?ā
I swallow hard. Sky and I rarely discuss our father. She never visits his grave, claiming itās too morose and rundown for her liking. His illness hit us hard, and itās still difficult to think about the man who raised us after our mother died giving birth to Sky.
We tend to avoid discussing the family we no longer have.
āThe party he never got invited to, yes,ā I reply.
Sky squeals like a child, her heels clicking against the expensive floor as she jumps up. She grabs my hands and shakes them excitedly.
āI applied for both of us, and guess what!ā
I feel the breath leave my body.
āWe got invited!ā
āI canāt believe itā¦ā
As soon as the words leave my mouth, Sky dashes out of the room, her long hair and pretty green dress a blur. I consider following her, but she returns almost instantly, clutching a pristine piece of paper that smells faintly of blueberries.
She thrusts it into my hand.
Dear Sky Thorne,
We have reviewed your application.
We are pleased to inform you that you and your sister have been invited to Alpha Asherās annual party!
Your invitations will arrive in four days, along with your instructions and gifts.
Congratulations,
Alpha of Desire.
