Second Preview: Claiming the Alpha Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO PREVIEW: CLAIMING THE ALPHA

TRUE MATES GENERATIONS

RAW AND UNCORRECTED

MAY CONTAIN ERRORS

 

Chapter Two

 

“Beautiful wedding, isn’t it?”

“It definitely is.” Adrianna Anderson smiled to herself as she watched the bride and groom dance under the fairy lights, then let out a sigh. It was incredibly romantic and she was happy that Astrid and Zac were lucky enough to find love in each other.

The wedding venue was a glass conservatory on a Brooklyn rooftop, so while the snow continued to fall outside, it was warm and toasty inside. The whole place looked magnificent, but the wedding couple didn’t seem to notice their surroundings as they had eyes only for each other. The bride was practically glowing as her groom twirled her around and then pulled her back to him.

Adrianna turned around. “Nice to see you, sis. Been busy?”

Julianna Anderson smirked at her. “You know I’m always busy.” She crossed her arms over chest. “But, I had to see this for myself.”

“I think you’re a cynic.”

“You know I am,” Julianna snorted.

Adrianna chucked. Her middle sister was always so serious. Even now, dressed in a sleek gray pantsuit, her chin-length bob slicked back, she looked more like she was attending a funeral rather than a wedding. Working for the Lycan Security Force in the Special Investigations department was the perfect fit for her nature and personality. Her eyes—one blue and one green, as she shared the same heterochromia all the Anderson siblings had—showed a hardness that was way beyond her years.

“You don’t believe in love? And True Mates? Even though our own parents were True Mates?”

“It’s not that I don’t believe in True Mates,” Julianna said. “But I’m a realist.”

“I think it’s romantic.” She had, after all, seen the attraction and love blossom between Astrid and Zac and she liked to think she had somewhat of a hand in their getting together. “It’s hard to believe they’re the first True Mate pairing that’s come out in the past couple of years.”

“If I didn’t see Astrid survive being burned to a crisp when the mages attacked us at the Waldorf, I wouldn’t have believed it.” Women who were pregnant with their mate’s child were invulnerable, one of the few signs of a real True Mate pairing. “Too bad you missed it, since you were passed out in the bathroom.”

Adrianna stiffened at the mention of the failed ascension ceremony. They had nearly lost their lives when their enemies, the mages, had attacked. Her inner she-wolf, the animal she shared her body with, bristled with anger. It had wanted to attack, to protect them from the mages, but they had hit her with a confounding potion that knocked her out before she could even shift. Apparently, she and her twin, Lucas, were their main targets.

Apparently, she had been found in the ladies’ room at the Waldorf Astoria after the attack. She couldn’t remember how she got there, but since then, she’d been plagued by dreams of that night. A shiver ran down her spine.

Every night for the past two weeks, she would go to sleep, waiting for the dreams to come. She was sure they did, but as soon as she woke up, they seemed to fade away, leaving only small bits, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, forming together to form one picture: A flash of silver. Dark whorls of ink over muscled, taut skin. The image of a bird. A delicious vanilla scent. And last night, it was cobalt blue eyes staring back at her with a heat that made her skin burn.

Her wolf whined at the memory. Whined with what? It felt like a deep-seated need, a longing she couldn’t place. Her wolf, normally pleasant and placated, had been antsy since for some reason. It was restless and clawed at her, begging to be let out. She snorted at the thought. Let out in the middle of the city? No way. Lycans weren’t allowed to shift around humans. It was too risky.

“Hello, earth to Adrianna?”

Julianna waved a hand in front of her face and she snapped out of the trance. “Yes?”

“Jeeze, you’re such a head case.” Her sister glanced around. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Have you seen Lucas?” she asked, changing the subject.

“He’s fine,” Julianna replied. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize how this must be affecting you two, being twins and all.”

The attack at the ascension ball wasn’t the first time the mages had struck. It was actually the second, which is why their parents decided it would be best if she and Lucas weren’t in the same place at the same time. At first it seemed easy enough. It’s not like she and her brother were joined at the hip, but to actively avoid each other was different. Sure, she and Lucas could always call and message each other, but it was different not being to able to just have dinner or lunch together or even ride in the same car to work.  He even had to move out of The Enclave and was staying at one of the apartments their family owned on the Upper West Side.

“I miss him.” It was a tough choice, who would attend the wedding tonight as Zac had both been their close friend growing up. Lucas deferred to his sister, and Zac understood the situation. It was a difficult choice though she didn’t put it past her brother to find some way to at least be here for the ceremony.

“I know. He misses you too,” Julianna said in a somber voice. “But, I came over here because Mama wants to talk to you about something important.”

Adrianna bristled. “Now?”

Her sister shrugged. “Hey, I’m just the messenger. Let’s go, before she comes over here and drags us away.”

“Right.”

As she followed Julianna as they weaved their way across the reception area, Adrianna couldn’t help but feel like someone was watching her. She turned her head, but didn’t see anyone in particular looking her way. She shrugged it off and continued to make her way toward her mother. Francesca “Frankie” Anderson was talking to a group of guests, but when she spied her daughters, quickly excused herself from the conversation.

“Come with me,” she said, leading them away from the main reception area. They walked out of the conservatory and into the main building where Frankie ushered them into a small office. “The manager was nice enough to lend me her office so we could have some privacy.”

“We really couldn’t have talked at work?” She tried not to sound too annoyed. “Or at The Enclave? You know I’m only in the next building over.”

“It’s not like I haven’t been trying to get a hold of you, Adrianna,” Frankie retorted. “You seem to be having trouble returning my messages and calls lately.”

“I’ve been busy,” she said defensively.

Frankie sighed. “Look, let’s not beat around the bush. You know this has been coming a long time. Ascension ceremony aside, you must take your place as Alpha of New Jersey. Which means you need to actually live there. It’s your duty. Your right.”

She bit her tongue, not wanting to say what was really on her mind. The truth that would hurt Frankie so much. That she just didn’t want the position and was perfectly fine with her life. Her job as President of Muccino International was fulfilling, and she loved managing their worldwide chain of restaurants. Her life was here, in New York, and not in New Jersey.

Unfortunately, she came from a long line of female Alphas or Lupas. The New Jersey clan was matriarchal, one of the few in the world. Her mother was Lupa in her own right, as was her mother before her, and her mother before that. Being Frankie’s oldest daughter, she was next in line, and her mother’s impending retirement meant she would be Alpha sooner rather than later.

“You’ve ruled as Alpha from New York for most of your life,” Adrianna pointed out. “Why can’t we keep doing the same thing? The open border policy between the two territories has always worked.”
Lycan territories were clearly delineated and members of one clan couldn’t simply cross over to the other unless they had express permission. But, since Grant Anderson, Alpha of New York and Frankie Muccino, Alpha of New Jersey, were married over thirty years ago, they had declared that New York and New Jersey Lycans could freely travel back and forth between the two territories.

“It used to work,” Frankie said. “But we can’t take chances. Not anymore.”

“Why not?” Adrianna felt that famous Italian temper rising in her; she was still her mother’s daughter after all. “Why can’t I just rule from here? Or why do you even want to retire? Just because Papa is giving up his position as Alpha, doesn’t mean you have to as well.”

Frankie let out a deep breathe. “You don’t understand. Things are different now. Especially with the threat of the mages. We can’t let them win.”

Her mother’s voice faltered and for a moment, she saw something she’d never witness—her strong, tough-as-nails mother look truly distressed. She had every right to be, of course; the mages, their mortal enemies, nearly wiped them out back in the day. The Lycans fought and won, but still lost many good people.

She reached over to take Frankie’s hand in hers. “We won’t let them, Mama.” Sucking in a deep breath, she let the air fill her lungs and release the tension building in her body. “I promise. But you also need to tell me what’s going on.”

“I’m not just going to throw you to the proverbial wolves, you know,” Frankie replied. “But I’ve also been finding out about things happening in our territory.”

“What things?”

Frankie’s face fell. “You know I love your father very much. And all of you. So much so that I couldn’t bear to just leave you to be raised here in New York while I stayed in New Jersey or force you to be apart from him and Lucas. That’s why we had that open border policy, which allowed me to be Alpha of New Jersey even while I lived here. But, it seems certain forces have been taking advantage of my absence.”

“What forces?” This time, it was Julianna who asked the question.

Her mother’s brows furrowed together. “A group of Lycans have been banding together in our territory, forming their own organized group. According to my sources, they call themselves The Family.”

She raised a brow. “And you didn’t know about any of this?”

“I had heard about them,” Frankie said. “But it didn’t seem significant at the time. Frankly, New Jersey’s population isn’t really that big, and they managed to stay out of trouble. However, it seems their influence has grown in the last decade or so.”

Something told her this wasn’t going to be a fun conversation, but she had to know what she was about to get herself into. “What exactly have they been up to?”

Frankie’s brows knitted together. “Illegal gambling. Larceny. Bribing officials. Kickbacks from road construction. Loan sharking. Extortion. Racketeering.” Frankie looked distraught. “They’ve managed to stay under the radar of the human authorities thanks to bribes and connections, and the Lycan High Council has turned a blind eye because they haven’t directly harmed anyone or done anything to expose us to the rest of the world.”

Julianna placed her hands on her hips. “So what you’re saying is, the mob has taken over new Jersey?”

“I don’t know what to say.” Their mother’s shoulders sank and the lines on her face deepened. “As long as they didn’t hurt anyone, I thought it was fine. They’ve also done some good in the community, both human and Lycan. They’ve been known to do charity work and help people during times of disaster, like those hurricanes that devastated the shore.”

“Classic organized crime white washing tactic,” Julianna huffed. “You know, Al Capone established a soup kitchen during the Great Depression, right? And the Yakuza helped clean up that nuclear disaster in Japan.”

Adrianna glared at her sister. It was obvious their mother knew she had let things get out of hand, but there was no need to pile it on. Besides, what they needed were solutions, not blame. “What are we going to do about this?”

“I’m glad you asked,” Frankie said. “Because we will be meeting the head of The Family tomorrow. His name is Anatoli Corvinus.”

Adrianna’s jaw dropped. “What?”

“I’ve reached out to him and he’s agreed to a meeting. And I’m going to lay down the law.” Her mother’s lips curled up into a smirk. “I mean, I’m still his Alpha, and he will have to obey me. And you, Adrianna, once you’ve ascended to Alpha.”

Julianna let out a huff. “Do you really think someone who has amassed great power would just roll over and do what you tell him?”

“He has no choice,” Frankie said. “He can obey me or get out of my territory.”

“I have a feeling it won’t be that simple.” She didn’t want to say it out loud, but her sister had a point.

“That’s why you need to establish yourself as rightful Alpha,” Frankie said. “Consolidate and build your power. The first thing we’re going to do it have you establish your own Lycan Security Force. I’ve already sent out feelers that we’re looking for candidates. We’ll make it official as soon as we can, no need for fancy balls or ceremonies.”

“I want to help,” Julianna said. “I’ve been part of the New York Lycan Security Force for six years. And I’ve been trained by the best.”

Frankie smiled at her middle daughter. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

“This could be a new era for our clan. We could make things better and get rid of those scumbags.” For once during this entire conversation, Julianna actually sounded optimistic.

“New Jersey has always been led by the strongest women in our family,” Frankie stated. “And we will work together to keep our legacy.”

Adrianna looked from her mother to her sister and knew her fate was sealed. It still felt unfair, this whole deal. She didn’t ask to be Alpha. Didn’t want to be Alpha. But if she were honest with herself, she knew the real reason why she was so apprehensive. She didn’t know if she could be Alpha. Doubt crept in her mind all the time. It seemed so far away, the possibility of her even becoming Alpha this young. Her mother announcing her retirement had surprised everyone, most of all her. She didn’t feel prepared. Not at all.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and ignored the butterflies in her stomach. “All right. Where do we begin?”

 

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