Chapter 3

• Jack Rider
• I stood before the Alpha, looking at him with disdain. He wasn’t worthy of the title—pathetic and weak. It was clear he had only taken the position for the power and wealth that came with it. How pathetic.
• The members of his pack, the Crystal Moon Pack, stood to the side, visibly frightened—like pups too weak to defend themselves. His mate sobbed beside him, tears streaming down her face, begging for mercy for her mate. Well, she better cry harder, because I knew exactly how she’d cry when she was in bed with him, his short dick inside her.
• Was this really the Alpha who was supposed to lead his pack? He couldn’t even protect himself, let alone his mate or his pack. He was a useless Alpha, just like the rest of them—weak and selfish.
• The entire werewolf community feared me, even though I had no pack to lead, nor did I want one. I had no interest in the pathetic Alpha position. But I was the biggest wolf in the world, nearly as large as a Lycan. I didn’t need a pack. I made my own rules, and my job was simple—overthrow weak Alpha males like this one, take their money, and leave them with nothing. They all feared me.
• “What do you want, Jack? I gave you everything you wanted last time—so what now?” he finally found some courage to ask.
• But it didn’t last long.
• “How dare you question me?” I growled, punching him in the face.
• “Please… I’m begging you, let me be. I’ll give you more money, just please,” he pleaded, his eyes filled with desperation as he dropped to his knees, begging for mercy.
• I went around collecting money from packs like a tax collector. It was my only means of survival. All the Alpha’s knew the consequences of not paying their dues.
• I stared at him coldly, not feeling the slightest bit of sympathy. He was a weak excuse for an Alpha, and all I could think about was finishing him off. There was no reason for someone like him to be in such a position. An Alpha who couldn’t defend his position or his people was useless.
• “I’ll give you an hour. Once that hour is up, that’s the end,” I told him, barely containing my rage, the temptation to hit him again burning in me.
• I walked over to my car, parked outside. My right-hand man, Draco, grinned at me from the driver’s seat. He waved me in, and without a second thought, I got in, slamming the door shut behind me.
• “Well, Jack, you sure seemed to have a lot of fun back there,” Draco chuckled, showing off his pure white teeth as he drove us back to the mansion.
• “Shut up, Draco, or I’ll shut it for you,” I said in a threatening tone, but he only grinned in response.
• I pulled a cigarette from my pocket, placed it between my lips, and lit it with a lighter.
• Draco was annoying at times, but he was one of my closest friends. If he weren’t, I would’ve probably gotten rid of him by now. We all lived together—John, Ivan, Draco, and I. We were more like a group of warriors than a pack. None of us wanted to be controlled by weaklings.
• “No need to be so harsh on me, but I’m sure you’ll have no lungs or liver left with how much you smoke and drink every day,” Draco said, his concern evident.
• “We both know that even if I smoke ten packs a day, nothing can harm me. That’s the perk of being a strong werewolf like me,” I replied, exhaling smoke and leaning back in my seat.
• Cigarettes, alcohol, and sex were the things that kept me sane. They helped me cope with my restless wolf.
• Twenty minutes later, we arrived at the mansion, thanks to Draco’s insane driving speed. The mansion had been owned by a previous Alpha who had died—weak, like all the rest of them. Now it was ours, complete with a swimming pool, a gym, and a large sports field. It was a paradise for me and my men.
• We walked inside, and John and Ivan were waiting in the living room.
• “Any updates?” I asked impatiently, my mind still focused on the weak Alpha I’d just dealt with.
• “Yes, Alpha Viktor paid the money he owed,” John said. He was another one of my best friends, and my third-in-command.
• “Good. But Bruce is being an idiot and refuses to pay. I gave him an hour. If he doesn’t pay, he’ll pay the consequences,” I said, anger creeping into my voice.
• “Well, don’t worry. He knows what we’re capable of. He won’t be so stupid as to refuse,” John said, patting me on the shoulder.
• “Whatever,” I muttered, brushing his hand off and walking past them to my room. I shut the door behind me, undressed, and headed for the shower.
• I turned the water to the coldest setting. My wolf had been restless lately, and I was becoming angrier by the day. After my shower, I grabbed a towel, dried off, and picked out some clothes to wear.
• Today had been boring. I needed something more fun—something that would distract me from my wolf. Maybe a night out at the club and a new woman to have fun with—no strings attached.
• Just as I was lost in thought, there was a knock at my door. I called out for the person to come in.
• Ivan walked in with a serious look on his face, holding a letter.
• “What is it?” I asked without looking up.
• “We’ve got an invitation from your lady friend—the Queen of the Night,” Ivan said, tossing the letter onto my bed.
• I glanced at it. It was an invitation to a party.
• “She knows well enough that I don’t like to repeat women after I’ve been with them. I change them, so why is she sending me a letter?” I muttered, throwing it back onto the floor.
• “Well, you may want to hear this—she’s offering a good time for all of us. She’s going to provide more girls to satisfy our needs,” Ivan said with a glint of interest in his eyes.
• That sounded more interesting.
• “You know this isn’t just about me, right? It's time for the rest of us to have some fun too,” I said.
• Ivan smirked. “I think it’s decided then.”
• “We’re going to the club, and I’ll inform the rest,” I said, finally looking at him.
• Less than thirty minutes later, we arrived at the club. The music was blasting, people grinding together without a care.
• “Welcome, Jack. I knew you couldn’t resist a woman like me,” the Queen of the Night said, walking toward me. I rolled my eyes internally. I hadn’t even bothered to ask her name the first time I slept with her—it had been pure sex, nothing more.
• “To tell you the truth, the only reason I’m here is for the cigarettes, the free drinks, and so my men can get laid. But I’m going to find a new chick tonight. So, you should probably find someone else,” I told her, uninterested.
• “Didn’t you enjoy our last night together? How passionate it was. I can’t get it out of my head. Why don’t we just do it one last time?” she said, pouting her red lips.
• I scanned the club for a hotter woman, but none caught my eye.
• “Fine, just this once,” I muttered, surrendering to the temptation.
• “Good. Let’s go to my room for some privacy,” she said, leading me away from the crowd.
• Once we were in the room, things moved quickly. She was good in bed, knowing all the right positions. But that was all she would ever be—just a night of fun. I didn’t even care to know her name.
• Then, just as I was about to finish, a scent so intoxicating overwhelmed my senses. My world froze.
• “Mate,” my wolf howled happily inside my head. My eyes locked on the stunning woman standing awkwardly in the doorway.
• I growled inhumanly, pulling out of the Queen of the Night.
• “Mate,” I repeated, my heart racing.
• I wasn’t supposed to find my mate. Hell, I never even thought I had one.
• Her eyes widened as I walked toward her, naked, too angry to care. Before I could reach her, she ran, faster than I could’ve imagined.
• Little mate, you can run, but you can never hide.