CHAPTER FOUR

"What?" I shouted out because I couldn't believe what Mesa just said. She begins, "According to the legend," but I cut her off. It's only a myth, right? Why, then, do you interpret it so literally? Mesa's face immediately wrinkled up in disdain as she said, "Before I became a witch, I used to be an understudy for the witches." "It was a terrible time in my life that I detest recalling, but at the time, reading provided the only solace I could find. You might not be aware of this, but the Blackwood pack—my first pack and also known as the witch pack—contains a sizable underground library full of spells, scrolls, and hidden books. It is quite large and old, and I lived there. "One day, I discovered the scrolls that contained the history of the Alpha system's initial indoctrination. The moon gave a very powerful witch a moonstone, which the three brothers shared. One piece of the moonstone belonged to each brother. Only one of these brothers, Zayne, Storm's progenitor, survived the indoctrination; the other two brothers perished. The only person the moon trusted to represent her was the original Alpha. "The stone that transformed Zayne into an Alpha turned blue after being kissed by the moon. He was given incredible powers and wisdom that day." The two additional moonstones, which were still white, followed the two brothers of Zayne, who died instantly. Due to the great diversity and sheer number of wolves, Zayne came to the realization that other Alphas were also required to lead certain regions with comparable customs, or, as we now refer to them, packs. Indoctrination was also required to do this, but Zayne was self-centered. He refused to give the witches his blue moonstone so they could indoctrinate other Alphas because he didn't want any other Alpha to compete with him for the moon's favor. "The witches tried several times to indoctrinate new Alphas using the other two ordinary moonstones, but every Alpha died. They died in an instant. Zayne consented to give the normal moonstones part of the power from his blue moonstone in order to resolve this issue. Just enough, not too much. When this was finished, the witches kept the other two moonstones because the indoctrination had been successful, but Zayne insisted on keeping his. The witches let Zayne keep the stone out of fear of Zayne and the moon. Since then, it has remained in his family. I stand there, dumbfounded, staring at Mesa. These kinds of tales are not told to us in my pack or at school. I find it absurd, to say the least, but judging by the way Mesa's silver eyes light up, I can tell that she fully believes this myth. I'm not sure if Aiden shares this opinion or if his unrelenting greed is driving him instead. Mesa moves closer to me and adds, "If the stone is shattered." The Alphas' power source will be completely destroyed. They wouldn't have any more unique qualities than you or I do. She takes my braid in her palm and says, "Their children will be just like us. They won't have that stupid Alpha blood and privilege running through their veins." So you intend to destroy the entire Alpha system, right? I scream, my mouth hanging open as if I'd just received an electric shock. People nod. That is evil. I scream. Aiden simply smiles. It's unnatural, I say. I disagree because I can't quite wrap my head around the idea of a society without alphas or a world without leadership. Mesa stroked my lengthy braid with her fingertips. "Pretend Max wasn't an Alpha. If only he didn't have that tyrannical Alpha wolf terrorizing everyone into submission. Would you have to flee from him? I gave it some thought. She was correct. Only their Alpha wolves can account for Alpha Max's and all other Alphas' omnipotence. I hope they succeed in the real world, just like the rest of us. A world without special privileges or the ability to annihilate others without giving them a chance to defend themselves. Even among the Assassins, morality must be gained. It requires extensive training. Why do these Alphas have it so easy because of their crazy wolves that demand respect if it is not inborn? But if there were to be no more Alphas, what would become of the entire werewolf community? I inquire, attempting to look at things from a new perspective. The person who says, "Democracy," is Aiden. Mesa chuckled. Do it for us, please. You won't have to worry about Alphas pursuing you if you seduce Storm and take the stone because they will be rendered so helpless unless, of course, they were trained like you, which the majority of them aren't, at least not to your level. You guys are worried that I might just take the stone for myself, though, right? I like the sound of immortality too." The one who looks at me suspiciously as if he's going to lurch at me is Aiden. I grin internally, pleased to have raised a few eyebrows. Mesa pulls on my braid with enough force to warn me but not damage me. Ava, Max, Storm, and the Assassins would be the least of your concerns if you accomplished that. When she leans in to mutter, "I'll hurt you myself, and I'll make sure it hurts so much that you'll end up begging me for death," she comes dangerously close to touching my ears. She continues to grasp my braid as she walks away, sending chills down my spine. Mesa frightened me. She absolutely terrified me. She was Aiden's brains, and she was nasty with her wild eyes and hair. Aiden was at least merely foolish and disobedient, but I've never understood Mesa's unwavering commitment to wickedness. According to what I understood of her narrative, life had mistreated her, but it had also mistreated me, so you won't find me plotting the deaths of the other fourteen Alphas, excluding Aiden. The Leader of the Assassins was the only person before Mesa who could match the fear she instilled in me. All I want to do right now is escape the clutches of a witch who physically has my hair in her hands because I didn't like it, and that's why I fled. Additionally, a highly strong witch is required to harness the powers of the blue moonstone. In addition to the fact that I doubt you know any witches besides me, I also know that even if you did locate a witch capable of channeling the seductive power of that stone, they would very certainly not be willing to do it. "Mesa, what do you stand to gain from this? I called her out, finally saying what I had been thinking for weeks: "I understand Aiden's greed, but I don't understand your motives for feeding and encouraging Aiden's greed." Mesa groaned. "Nothing. Simply put, I detest Alphas. "Why?" "Enough!" She yelled and grabbed my braid once again. She pulled it really firmly this time, and I yelled. Nothing would have satisfied me more than to choke this wicked "Now that we've made the deal available to you, tell us if you're in or out. Do you desire freedom? She released her grip on my braid and moved away from me. I sat there rubbing my scalp and yelling obscenities in my head. I said, "I'm in," and reluctantly extended my hand to shake hers. I couldn't sleep a wink, so I tossed and turned all night in bed. It would be an understatement to say that I wasn't prepared for tomorrow. The idea that Mesa and Aiden planned to wipe out the entire Alpha system wouldn't leave me alone. It would also be an understatement to suggest that their plan was diabolical. Sadly, they require my assistance to complete this, and I am in urgent need of my freedom. Mesa had a difficult upbringing. When she became pregnant with a human transported to our world as a sacrifice, her mother was an Alpha's Luna. Her mother cheated on her partner with a human while she was in heat. Mesa and her twin sister, who each had a different father, were born after her mother mated with her Alpha partner. Mesa's mother gave Mesa, who was not her mate's child, away to the witches from her first pack, the Blackwood pack, out of fear of losing her mate. Mesa's mother was never introduced to her, and her father was killed for mating a wolf—apparently against the rules for reasons I don't understand, or perhaps the witches just did it to make ends meet. I'm not sure, but I do know that Mesa's life was miserable for a while after that. The witches who reared her did not treat her properly, and she was not content. She was not at all happy, in fact. She attributes this to her mother's Alpha mate. I think this is the reason she despises Alphas. Perhaps she believes that things might have turned out differently if her mother's mate hadn't been an Alpha. Her tale, in my opinion, does not support hatred of Alphas, but it does support hatred of the mate bond. I don't respect a tie that compels you to pick your partner over your child since your child is not your partner's property and you fear losing your partner. After then, I don't remember much more about Mesa's life. All I know is that she formerly dated Alpha Axel, whom she still holds grudges against, and that after he dumped her, she later met Aiden. Because of their shared hatred and desire to destroy others, they are best buddies. Aiden doesn't even recognize that Mesa is the mastermind behind the show; he is merely the puppet. You know, if they were actually having sex and she was giving him bomb sex or whatever, it would make so much more sense, but they're not! I've lived with them for more than a month overall, and I can assure you that there is no romantic connection between the two of them. If Mesa's moonstone idea is true, then I'm not sure how she was able to transform Aiden into an Alpha without a moonstone, but I decide that's not my business for now. Mesa successfully managed to not only construct a pack for Aiden but also indoctrinate him as an Alpha. But the point is that if she is strong enough to produce an Alpha right in front of everyone's eyes, then I have no doubt that she is also strong enough to destroy the Alpha system and me if I get in her way. I yawn and sit up, giving up on sleep as I pull my hair out of its bun and run my fingers over it. It falls over me like a curtain, suddenly falling everywhere. I realize I didn't get any sleep all night as I glimpse the beginnings of the new day through my window. I snore again. Dawn has already broken, and after being up all night thinking about everything, I am so fatigued. Mesa appears at my open door and stands. My eyes are forced closed by the uncomfortably intense light when she turns on the lights. Mesa is closing the door as they open it. She is holding a pair of scissors. "Ava, get ready. The time has come.