Another Half

December 2010

Christmas Day

Despite the recent passing of his father and his declaration of war on the Saxe Oaks pack, Rex was determined to not let either entirely ruin the holiday spirit for his pack. While recruiting and training for war was more intense than ever, Rex ordered Aunt Magda to ensure everyone was taken care of during the holidays. Four days ago, he gave her back the black card he had taken away the day after they found his father, and her eyes shone brighter than the lights on the Christmas tree in the grand foyer of the pack house.

We have to get a real Luna soon, Nakon had informed him then. She’s going to sink this pack into debt with her ridiculous spending.

Later, Rex had said.

Rex had undergone the alpha transformation during the last full moon ceremony four days before Christmas Day, and he felt the power that came with his position in everything he did and said. His presence alone forced his people to stand at attention when he entered any room; entire halls silenced upon his entry. His voice had become deeper and stronger with confidence he never had before. Unsurprisingly, Rex had also noticed that his words carried power and were often heavy with it. No one disobeyed or questioned him. His father had warned him about all of this, but Rex never understood what he had meant until now. Rex realized how easy it was to abuse this power and become a tyrant. Within his pack, he could have anything or anyone he wanted, all he had to do was ask.

This you must not do, his father had often said. Your duty is to protect, to provide—-not to abuse those who look up to you, who depend entirely on you for support and survival. Their obedience is for their protection not to satisfy your desires.

Remembering his father’s words, Rex went to his office bar. After focusing for the past week on helping his pack transition from Alpha Brian’s tenure to his own, his father’s death was finally sinking into Rex’s psyche and he deeply missed him.

He poured himself his usual Rojo neat.

“This one’s for you, Dad,” Rex said, raising his glass into the air. “Merry Christmas.”

We have to start looking for a Luna, Nakon said.

Rex groaned.

Seriously, Nakon? It’s Christmas, Rex couldn’t help a whine. We have a pack to worry about, a war to figure out and fight, and my father’s death to avenge. Excuse me if I’m not interested in sex right now.

It’s not about sex, asshole. It’s about the proper order and authority of things, and you can’t keep scaring she-wolves out of the pack house.

Rex chuckled. They deserved it.

After too many nights of finding at least two naked she-wolves waiting for him in his bed, Rex began to lock his bedroom door. Unfortunately, these women began to pick his door’s lock. His solution came in a fit of rage two nights ago: He threw them out of the Pack House without letting them get dressed first and ordered them never to set foot in the Pack House again lest he executes them himself. They looked terrified.

“Why didn’t you just fuck at least one of them?” Ax had asked after the public naked she-wolf spectacle. “I mean, damn. You’re the alpha. Do you’ve any idea how many would love to have at least one she-wolf throwing herself at him? I mean, virtue is all fine and all, but—”

“And what would happen if one of them got pregnant?”

“Ummm…”

“Exactly. Luna by default.” It was something that his father drilled into him before he died. “Think with your head and not your dick, Ax. We have a war to wage and win. Focus on that.”

We’ll worry about finding a Luna after the war, okay? Rex said.

You have to stop mourning for Caroline, Nakon said. She’s gone from us.

By late morning, Rex was busy looking over orders and production reports in his office. He was poring over the Saxe Oaks order, surprised by the obscene amount of spirits to be delivered to their pack house immediately, when Sergio and Enrique walked in, the former staring at the floor, looking particularly guilty.

Enrique cleared his throat. “Alpha–”

“Stop right there,” Rex said, getting up from his desk and heading towards the bar. One look at Sergio, and Rex knew he didn’t want to be entirely sober for whatever they were about to tell him. “Looks like we need a drink.”

“Azul. Lemon. On the rocks,” Beta Enrique said, sitting on a barstool. Enrique was loyal to Rex’s father even in his choice of drink. “This is exactly the thing your dad would have done.” Enrique smiled, but his eyes continued to have that lost, far away look Rex had come to associate with guilt and sadness.

“I guess some things did rub off on me,” Rex said. “Sergio? Usual?”

Sergio nodded, and Rex served him his drink.

“I’ll never understand how you can keep drinking hand sanitizer,” Rex said, wrinkling his nose and trying to get Sergio to lighten up.

Sergio stared at him. “How can you say that? Vodka doesn’t taste like hand sanitizer! You fucking own the company now, and you–you…” He shook his head and knocked down his vodka neat.

Rex glanced at Enrique, who stared at him. “I hope you never said that to your father.”

“Nah. It would’ve killed him years ago. Kept it to myself until now. Why do you think I came up with bourbon?” Rex’s short laugh was brittle. He’d give anything, anything at all, to have his dad back.

They all sat at a barstool, but after a few minutes of drinking in silent contemplation, Rex cleared his throat. “So, what is it? It must not be urgent if you’re making me wait this long.”

Enrique shifted on his barstool. “Sergio here has something he has to tell you, something he should have told you by now.”

Rex turned to his right, at Sergio. “Well? What is it?”

Sergio looked down at his now empty glass. “I found my mate,” he murmured.

Something clicked.

“Is this why you’ve been avoiding me?”

“Yes,” Sergio said. “I didn’t know how to tell you, and I didn’t want you to smell her on me.”

“I have been smelling a she-wolf on you, but I thought—-” Rex sighed with realization. “What’s it been? Three months? I started smelling her back in September.”

Sergio gulped. “I’m sorry, I just—”

“Didn’t want to hurt my feelings?” If Rex sounded bitter, he didn’t care.

“Yeah, ’cuz it’s not fair. ’Cuz, ’cuz—fuck, I don’t know! She makes me happy and I’ve felt fucked up about it.”

“Because of me?”

Sergio nodded.

“So, your solution was to not tell me?”

“No,” Enrique said. “That was your father’s idea.”

“Dad knew?!”

Both nodded, and Rex got up from the barstool. He flopped down on one of the leather sofas in the office.

Rex knew this would happen. He was heartbroken over his own experience with Caroline, of course, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew and he had tried to mentally prepare himself for when his best friends found their mates. Rex expected his friends to find and live out their happiness, even if Rex would never experience that happiness himself. He was still coming to terms with these facts, but this was his lonely battle to fight. However, that is not what bothered him about this situation.

Enrique and Sergio soon joined him as they sat on the couch opposite him.

“What else are you two keeping from me? You are both supposed to be my most trusted confidants. I trusted you. What secrets about our pack do I still not know?”

Rex derived a sick satisfaction when he saw both men paled.

“I am sorry, Alpha,” Enrique said. “We should have told you when we told your father. When we asked him what would be the best way to let you know, he said to wait until the proper moment.”

Sergio jumped. “We waited and waited for the right moment your dad kept talking about, and then he died, and it all went to shit. And now, uh, Crystal’s pregnant, so I figure I better tell you before I have to tell you that I’ve become a father, too.”

Rex stared at Sergio. He wished he had another drink in his hand. At least a double. He wasn’t sure he could handle so much from Sergio in one go. Rex wasn’t sure how he felt about Sergio’s confession and good news, but he knew how a true friend was supposed to feel.

“Congratulations!” Rex stood up and encouraged Sergio to stand up with him. He embraced his friend in a congratulatory hug, and Sergio’s mingled scent with that of a she-wolf Rex had yet to meet was unmistakable. “I wish you both so much happiness and success!”

An urgent series of knocks on the door saved Rex from embarrassing himself further, and he let Sergio go. Before he could acknowledge the caller, Ax barged in.

“You have to come to the foyer, now!”

Rex recognized the two men with a package inside a black plastic bag waiting for him in the grand foyer. They were watchmen, and they both tilted their heads forward in respect when Rex entered the room.

“Good morning, Alpha,” both said.

“Morning. What do you have for me?”

One of them set the bag on the floor in front of them.

“A truck stopped at the pack entrance, sir. They left this bag before speeding away,” one of them said. “They were wolves, but we don’t know from what pack.”

Rex picked up the bag, and with one whiff he knew who had sent it to him.

This can’t be good, Nakon commented.

“Thank you both,” Rex told the guards as calmly as he could. He was barely keeping it together; he had also caught Caroline’s and his father’s scents. “I appreciate your dedication and work. Please. Enjoy the rest of Christmas with your families.” He took the bag and turned toward his office.

In my office. Right now, he said via mindlink to Enrique, Sergio, and Ax.

Once in his office, Rex set the bag on the dark coffee table in front of the sofas. The other three came in, taking their seats on the sofas.

The first thing Rex pulled out was a fancy red envelope with Merry Christmas, Rex!!! In gold glittery cursive letters. His heart sank. He was certain that was Caroline’s handwriting. It smelled of her.

Nakon growled.

Rex opened the envelope and pulled out a thick invitation to—-a baby shower?

You’re invited!

To Luna Caroline’s and Maverick Jr’s baby shower!

Except the baby shower took place over a week ago, on the day they found Alpha Brian’s body.

“What the actual fuck,” Ax muttered. They were all standing around Rex by now.

Wordless, Rex pulled out the other card, which turned out to be a Christmas card with an animated she-wolf putting several pups to bed.

Rex opened the card to oversized print letters.

Rex (or is Alpha Rex by now?),

Welcome to the Alpha Club! I’m sending you this as a Christmas gift from one Alpha to another because it’s taking up way too much space in my office and I thought you’d want it for your new office.

In case you need to know, he was a strong wolf, but just not as strong as I thought. He shit himself. No dignity whatsoever towards the end. What a disappointment. I’d remodel that office if I were you.

Hey, no hard feelings about Caroline, right? She’s pregnant, by the way. What can I say? I’m quick! I’ll have her send you an announcement when our alpha pup is born.

Happy Holidays,

Alpha Maverick

Rex couldn’t seem to be able to breathe.

“Fuck, that takes—wow,” Sergio said.

“He’s fucking asking for it!” Ax said. “And I say we give it to him!”

Rex put the cards back into the envelope and made a mental

note to burn them tonight while holding on to a bottle of Rojo. Other than that, he felt numb, so much so that without thinking he took out the box from the bag, figuring it was his father’s Raiders hat and his leather bomber jacket, neither of which was with his body.

He took off the lid from the reindeer-decorated box and took out a giant snow globe. Except it wasn’t one Rex wanted or even imagined.

His father’s cloudy eyes stared blankly ahead inside the giant snow globe, the skin showing signs of grayish-green decay as snowflakes and loose skin swirled around Alpha Brian’s head.

Merry Christmas, son! was inscribed with gold letters on the wooden base of the snow globe.

Rex gave the snow globe to Sergio. “Burn it.” And he left the room.

For the next two days, Rex used his Alpha command to order everyone to leave him alone. He spent it in a haze of bourbon and sleep.

Get up, Rex. It’s time to pull through, Nakon’s voice reverberated through his bourbon-soaked brain on the third day.

Shut up. I don’t want to hear from you. Rex sank further under the comforter of his bed. Not even Nakon had spoken to him during those two days.

Rex, you’re being pathetic. You’ve wallowed in your self-pity long enough. You’re doing exactly what Maverick wants you to do. Don’t let any of them defeat you.

Pissed off, Rex sat up and immediately grabbed his head with his hands. He was certain his head was shattering from within.

Yeah, well, and what do you recommend we do, Almighty Nakon? Keep training?

No. Go to war. Right now. While no one is expecting it. You promised you’d listen to me. Now listen to me.

January 2011

New Year’s Day

They never saw it coming.

Through Nakon’s eyes, Rex watched as his army of wolves relentlessly converged on Saxe Oaks at fifteen minutes past one in the morning. They had slipped into Saxe Oaks counting on Alpha Chett giving his guards and sentries the night off to celebrate the New Year and get drunk. Rex figured this out with the hefty order of Azul spirits Saxe Oaks made on credit. Rex had wondered how they planned to pay for that bill until he realized they were likely planning on not having to pay for it at all.

Nakon killed any wolf that crossed his path as he searched for the Alpha. In very little time, screams of pain and horror soon took over all sounds in the area. He needed to end this battle as soon as possible before any more life was lost.

He found Ronan, the Alpha’s son, in wolf form.

Intruder, the wolf growled.

Traitor, Nakon growled back. Murdered.

The fight lasted less than a minute, and Nakon continued his run through the pack town.

Where are we going? Rex asked inside of Nakon’s primal mind.

Pack House. The alpha is there, Nakon said as he tore off the arm of a male with a large machete.

By the time they arrived at the two-story Pack House, however, it was in flames. Nakon growled with approval. Ax’s omegas seemed to be doing the simple tasks set out for them.

“You can’t take my pack!” An older man screamed over the din of battle. “How could you attack like this? Your father would not approve of this!”

Alpha Chett.

Nakon gave the reins over to Rex, and the latter appeared.

“My father? The man betrayed?” Rex said with a humorless laugh. “What did you tell my father when he asked why you betrayed him?”

The pack house fire roared behind him, and Rex felt the heat on his back. He stalked toward Chett.

Chett widened his eyes. “You don’t understand! It was Maverick and Nash, I swear! They’ve been conspiring against you with—” He swallowed hard. Chett looked old and tired, and he looked around as if expecting something to happen or someone. “They said it was time to bring Azul down from its damn pedestal! We’re starving, Rex! You know this! Our packs—the crops have been failing! And you and your old man, rich as kings you are, look down on us and don’t help us!”

End him now or I will, Nakon growled.

Rex drew out his claws and thrust them into Chett’s chest. Chett screamed and wailed.

“You and your grandfathers all wanted to play at being alphas,” Rex growled.

He let Chett’s body slump to the ground.

Nakon took over and howled their victory across the valley.

And the fighting across all of the Saxes Oaks pack seized immediately.

*****************************************************

Author’s Note,

For your information, there is a slightly more detailed version of this chapter in Another Half: the Dark Chapters. It’s a bit more gruesome, but not much.

Don’t forget to like and subscribe if you like this story so far!

-Rio