Damon
Chapter 26
Kyle and I talked a great deal while the girls were away. He explained not just how Alpha power felt, but how it worked. We also got into what a typical day in the life of an Alpha looked like. The day-to-day stuff actually interested me.
I felt confident after talking to him that I could handle this job. Before the idea of being Alpha was too abstract to comprehend, but now I had a better picture of the expectations that would be put on me. Looking back through my life, I realized I’d been preparing for this since birth.
“After breakfast, we’ll head outside and do some tests if you think you’re up for it,” Kyle said.
I grinned and nodded. “Sounds like a challenge. Bring it on.”
Karis and the other girls walked down the stairs. I could see her eyes were wet. Had she been crying? My wolf kicked up the aggression level tenfold. Kyle felt it too, because he shot me a questioning look. Then my mate laughed, and I really looked at her and noticed she was happy. I immediately relaxed.
She had been upstairs for a while talking with Kelsey. I could hear that they were talking, but I was too engrossed in conversation with Kyle to listen in. I knew Karis would tell me about it later anyway. She shared everything with me.
I rose along with Kyle and Chase as the girls descended the last stairs.
“Well, come on before it gets cold,” Jenna said.
My stomach growled. I’d been smelling bacon frying and other delicious aromas for more than half an hour. Jenna had cooked up a feast: bacon, sausage, ham, eggs, pancakes, French toast, and fried potatoes. You name it, she seemed to have it.
I helped Karis into her seat, and then sat beside her. Food was passed around and plates began to pile high. Conversation was light and fun as everyone caught up with each other. I had always loved the easy banter between Chase and his siblings. It made me long for a family of my own at times. Looking at Karis, I felt like she was my family. Maybe that was a lot to put on her at this point in our relationship, but it was how I felt.
The ladies insisted on cleaning up, so we headed outside. Zander held Chase’s hand as they followed.
“You sure you’re ready for this?” Kyle asked.
“No idea what this is, but I’m up for trying anything,” I said.
Kyle chuckled. “Basically, I’m going to release my Alpha powers on you and I want you to resist.”
“What happens if I take you?” I asked, unsure of my own powers.
Chase laughed. “Doubtful, my man, but I’ll be here to stop it if it gets that close. And if after the first try you prove you really are that strong already, I’ll bring Kelsey out to stop you. No one has Alpha powers like hers.”
Kyle nodded. “She’s dropped full Alpha’s to their knees on more than one occasion. Just remember, you’re in control. It may not feel like it, but you are. The goal of this isn’t to overpower and force my wolf to submit to yours, it’s just a test to see how strong you are and how much control you actually have. We’ll test a few other ways too and work on control, but this will tell me what I’m dealing with.”
“Okay,” I said, sounding skeptical.
I guess I was waiting for him to get into a fighting stance or something, but Kyle just stood there. I felt a zap of power hit me and my wolf roared in my head. My body flooded with that warm liquid feeling. I didn’t push back, but I could hold my own ground. I tried to stay calm, but my wolf’s aggression was increasing by the second, demanding we attack. I resisted that urge and just held my ground.
Kyle retracted his powers and mine set free and zapped him. “Ow,” he said.
“Sorry,” I apologized.
He waved it off as nothing. “You did good, but I was expecting you to attack. Did you not feel the desire to do so?”
I gave him a funny look. “Of course I felt it. I thought you just wanted me to stand there and resist you.”
“True, but I didn’t expect you to be able to. That shows a great deal of control over your wolf, Damon. I mean for anyone, let alone someone just coming into his powers.”
I shrugged. “I was just doing what you told me to do.”
“Let’s take a break from that for a second. Right now, I want you to stare me down.”
“What? Not only is it impolite, but it’s stupid. Your wolf will take it as a challenge.”
“I can control him. Can you control yours?”
“Maybe,” I said, sounding more certain than I actually felt.
“Okay then. If you need to shift during this, then shift, but don’t break eye-contact. Got it?”
I nodded, thinking this was the dumbest plan ever. Everyone knew you didn’t look an Alpha directly in the eyes. It was a sign of disrespect and triggered aggression. It was used for challenges. Amongst young wolves, they did it all the time as a test of strength. But against an Alpha? That was a suicide challenge to the death.
“You’ve got this, D,” Chase cheered me on.
I readied myself and looked up into Kyle’s eyes. At first it wasn’t so bad. We just stood there staring at each other. I felt like an idiot. Then I saw it, the flick of animal in his eyes. The predator had awoken. Mine responded in kind. My entire body vibrated with sheer energy.
I felt the fur sprout across my hands and up my arms. I didn’t dare look away to see if Kyle was equally affected. As I slowly shifted to my most primal state, I never broke eye contact. It wasn’t long before the eyes I watched were also framed in fur, but we continued to stare. My body began to shake, but I held my ground.
Chase stepped between us and my wolf growled. We lost sight of Kyle, and the stare-down was over. “Time,” he said. “Damn, Damon. You were equally matched with Kyle.”
Kyle shifted and grinned. “That was incredible, dude. We can keep going if you’d like, but I probably need to bring Kelsey in to ensure you don’t claim Westin Pack for yourself and take me down. Dang, you’re strong. I had no idea.”
I shifted back to human form, too. “I had no idea,” I told him honestly.
“Your wolf is most definitely an Alpha, and a strong one at that. You’re going to do fine, Damon. You already have remarkable control. I was expecting a loose cannon from the way Chase was explaining things. I was braced for an attack the whole time, but you held back and stayed in full control.”
Chase hugged me. “You’ve got this, D. You’re going to be a great Alpha.”
For the first time since all this began, I actually felt the truth in his words. I could do this. I could be Alpha. And with Karis by my side, I knew I couldn’t fail.