In the Alpha’s Arms

Sense of Taste

If there was one thing his father knew how to do, it was get under Cole’s skin so deep it was impossible to think straight. How could the man turn him straight into a ten year old child all over again with just a few sentences. He felt like his insides were burning, the taste in his mouth, bitter and thick.

We don’t mix with their kind.

He cringed as he replayed the words in his head. Cole felt the tape tearing as he clenched his fists so tight he thought they would bleed. It had been years, several good, long years where he tried to decompress and remove his father’s voice from his head. And still a ten minute conversation sank straight into his subconscious. Made him doubt himself and all the decisions he’d made up to this point. Was he everything he ever hated? Even as hard as he tried not to be…

His mind shifted to Erica. They both grew up together in the same community though in two separate packs. Ace too, though his pack was outside the community boundary. He didn’t grow up being spoon–fed the same toxic shit but he’d dealt with the shit by proxy. They all grew up under the same ideology. One that condemned anything that was different or other. Like werewolves weren’t the other in the grand scheme of the world. There were far less of them than there were of the humans. Hence, the need to keep it a secret.

Cole’s father was the most distinguished pack Alpha in the community. And he didn’t believe in mixing. Mixing religions, mixing breeds like human and werewolf, mixing bloodlines like Alphas and Betas, mixing races. Any of it. A bigoted traditionalist through and through. Purity had a dangerous undertone whenever he said it. His father’s voice sounding the way bleach tasted. How many times had Cole had to learn that lesson? How many punishments had he endured? His father used that Alpha tone like a blade, cutting at all the pieces of Cole that dissented. It had pushed Cole to shift sooner than most, still a kid in every way when his wolf broke free.

Shifting brought relief from his father’s manipulations but not the punishments. Those days were by far the darkest he could remember. And yet Cole had resolved the torture in his mind. The things his father had done to him didn’t stick in his soul nearly as deeply as the teachings. They etched themselves in a dark, almost unreachable place. That was the source of his self–hate. The fact that his kneejerk reaction to new people, places, and things, was always one that sided with his father.

He thought of Lita. Alex hadn’t understood what Cole meant when he said his father’s voice was a hard thing to push out. He could never really understand because he hadn’t been there. The thoughts were insidious and painful, excruciating to unlearn though he’d been trying his best. Lita was human and the breeds didn’t mix. And that wasn’t the only thing his father would have said about her.

Cole often thought Erica understood that he didn’t subscribe to that belief system. That he couldn’t make peace with that way of living. But he could see clearly now that she resented everything he held dear. He could see the way her comments seemed to belittle and judge. She’d never outright say anything but she’d plant the idea in his head, the grating, familiar suggestion that they were better than other people. She’d pretended to support him either because it suited her, or because his father had sent her to help bring him back to the fold. Regardless the reason, he had been stupid to trust

her.

“Bro, what’s going on?” Ace caught up with Cole just as he was throwing his leg over the ropes of the empty ring. Bedlam would be there any minute, “You’ve only had your mate for a few hours so I’ll assume you’re starting a fight because you’re pining for make up sex already?”

down inside the ring, “Erica brought my

you killed him..” Ace flashed a smile but Cole could see his stress

charge,” Cole grunted, standing back up, “for now. Can you find

Ace pulled at his hair, “She’s with Jaz don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on Lita until you’re done. Then you have to tell her Cole. It’s not going to sound right coming from anyone else, okay? Jokes aside, she

here, find

‘I’m on it.

the sounds around her. She became hyper aware of something wrong inside of her. Pain. Her mouth was in pain. And something

onto her tongue. Lita swallowed. She must have bit her bottom lip hard enough to break the skin when Erica showed up. That woman had a special way of getting under Lita’s skin. Everything she did was passive aggressively insulting. Erica was talking to Jaz and

Sense of Taste

again, harder this time but again came up empty. It was definitely blood on her tongue but she hadn’t bit her lip after all. She pulled her finger back to inspect the red staining the tip.

tongue around, looking for the source. The heated conversation in front of her broke

to watch your fucking tone. Last I checked you ain’t a motherfucking factor. Take your rejection and go. Bow out with some fucking dignity,” Jaz put one hand on her hip, letting the other hang free like an invitation. Jazz’s voice had

mean? Was it the fact that Jaz was a human too or the fact that

like you‘ mean bitch because I’d prefer to know which one I’m beating your ass for?” Jaz pushed forward until she

your pick…” Erica

on, fuck that bitter bitch,

allowed herself to be pulled towards the door. In her heart, she didn’t want to give Erica the satisfaction or cause a scene at a time when they were supposed to be celebrating Stace’s first fight. Lita and Jaz pushed through the doors towards the bleachers. One by one they went back over

fucking hate her,” Jaz raged, shoving people out of her path, “So glad I don’t have to pretend not to anymore.

any better, I stole her man,” Lita laughed when