Ezra admired the half-crescent moon as thoughts swam through his mind. This peaceful place was the only little spot in that town that remained untouched by the pack war.
Yes, there was a pack war going on.
It was more like a cold war between his Val pack and Rio's Velveta pack. It wasn't something that had started just a few days ago. This struggle had been going on for a very long time.
The war had started when a river was diverted through this area. Back then, the Val pack and the Velveta pack had been one. His grandfather had been the alpha, while Rio's grandfather had been the beta of the pack.
Everything had seemed harmonious at first, but after a few years, tensions began to rise. Rio's grandfather started gaining more power and influence among the masses. He wanted to become the alpha, so he challenged his grandfather.
He craved that power badly.
His grandfather was quite haughty as well. He underestimated the young man who had always stood behind him as his second. He thought it would be an easy win.
Things did not go as planned for either party.
The battle between the two ended in a draw. Both of them were equally powerful, and neither could gain the upper hand. The situation quickly became dire. They were both on the verge of killing each other in their desperation to become alpha.
The werewolf council eventually intervened.
A fifteen-day council was set up, with peace being its main goal. But since both parties refused to compromise, the council had no other choice but to separate the pack into two.
The river conveniently divided their territory equally, making it easy to give each side to its respective alpha.
After Rio's grandfather was assigned a pack of his own, he was blessed by the Moon Goddess with the power of an alpha. From then on, he became even more haughty. He wanted the entire pack to fall under his control.
His grandfather, on the other hand, wanted nothing more than to protect his territory.
And so, the struggle began.
They didn't outright shout at each other or throw knives across the border, but behind the scenes, they constantly used underhanded methods to fight one another.
Rio Velveta, who had inherited his grandfather's fucking blood, had also inherited his annoying habits.
From a young age, Ezra could remember that guy causing all sorts of problems for him.
From stealing snacks from his lunch bag to stealing his girlfriends, Rio would do anything just to annoy the heck out of him.
By this point, Ezra should have been used to his antics.
But Rio had touched his bottom line.
He had actually liked that girl.
And in the end, he had still lost her to that maggot.
"Gods, those Velveta assholes really know no bounds."
Ezra had always been slightly softhearted. Even though Rio had caused him so much trouble, he had never outright fought with him.
But things were about to change.
He wanted cold-blooded revenge.
He sat up with renewed determination.
"Why must I back out and let that asshole dance all over my turf? I'll show him what the Val pack is made of!"
He ran back toward the pack house in his human form.
"Ezra!!!! You fucker!!"
His sister was still screaming loudly just as he reached the door.
"Shit..."
It was late at night, and he really did not want to sleep in the forest. Taking a deep breath, he braced himself for all the shouting, screaming, and a few random objects that would probably be thrown at him.
"Sister~"
He threw open the door with a bright grin.
'Who would hit a smiling face, right?'
His sister apparently would.
She slapped him the moment he entered the house.
"You fucker, get down here!"
She was slightly smaller than him, yet somehow she managed to get him into a chokehold and smack the heck out of his back.
"Hiss! That hurts. Don't hit me so much. I'm a delicate boy who is just turning into an adult! Hey!!"
Wiggling out of her hold was next to impossible.
He eventually gave up and accepted the beating.
But he was not at fault.
It was all Rio's fault.
His resentment toward that guy became even stronger.
'I will kill that guy... Just wait. Tomorrow is going to be epic.'
After hitting him a few more times, his sister finally released him.
"Are you still heartbroken? Gina called..." she softly whispered.
"Don't talk to me about that sl... Don't talk about her."
He didn't use any obscene words to scold her because his sister would only start another bout of beating if he did.
"I'm just going to sleep."
She pouted, watching him walk away like a whining puppy.
"I'm sorry it didn't work out."
"I'm sorry too," he mumbled before closing the door.
Ezra plopped down on the bed.
The hard edges of his diary dug into his back. He pulled it out and hurriedly wrote down his new goal in life with great passion.
"I will make Rio's life a living hell. Just you wait, Rio Velveta. I will come for you."
The next morning, he woke up briskly and got ready for school.
Honkkkkkkk!!!
Hearing the honk, Ezra grinned and rushed toward the front door.
"Hey! You didn't eat anything!"
His mum rushed over to him with a plate of fresh toast.
Like a barbarian, he stuffed them into his mouth and gulped down the orange juice.
"Bye, Mum..." he said while chewing.
She frowned.
"Why is your son just like you?" she mumbled, glancing at his dad, who was in the same state of stuffing his face with bread.
Alpha Jan simply shrugged.
"Because we have the same genes?"
"Because he learned from you."
She slapped his head and handed him a fresh glass of orange juice.
"Eat slowly."
Ezra watched their loving exchange with a soft smile.
Honkkkk!!!
"EZ! Man, we will be late!!"
A shout came from outside.
"Shit."
Ezra rushed out.
"Bye, Mum! Dad!"
"Ezra, wait!"
She grabbed the door before he could get too far.
"Son, don't be heartbroken. You will find a girl who is right for you."
"Ugh, stop saying that, everyone. I am not heartbroken!"
He jumped into his friend's car and hurriedly patted his friend's back.
"Let's go before my mother starts a lecture about love."
The car zoomed out of his driveway.
"Heard about Gina," his friend Mateo whispered apologetically.
"Let's just forget about her."
Ezra sat down and secured himself with the seat belt.
"Mateo... I have decided on something. It's going to be dangerous, soooo... are you willing to risk it with me?"
"What is it? Are we going to try dr**s or anything? Let me warn you, my mama will not like it at all. She will beat the shit out of me."
Ezra rolled his eyes.
"Not dr**s. We are going to exact revenge on Rio."
The car suddenly veered to the side.
His friend hurriedly stopped at the side of the road.
"W-what did I just hear? Did I just hear your patience snap?"
"It's been long overdue. Let's show him what we Vals are capable of."
Ezra grinned widely.
Mateo just gaped at him.
Soon, his mouth quirked up into a mischievous grin.
"You came to the right person, my friend. Let's make his life a living hell."