The Mystical White Wolf
TWENTY-DEATH OF A BETA

Last Night Flashback:

Antonio POV

After Staci and I had told everyone the baby news at dinner last night, cheers and joy spread all around, but my Mother was the one with the most happiness.

She said she had been waiting on a grand pup for a while, so I mentally rolled my eyes. After all the cheering was done, my Mother wanted to announce an official dinner celebration to honor the arrival of her first grand pup this coming Saturday, and I looked at her with wide eyes and cleared my throat.

"Uh, Mother, can we hold off for a few days?" I asked her as she whipped her head in my direction and looked at me.

"What? Why?" she asked.

"I have some pressing news for everyone, and this may sound unnerving for some of you," I looked at the faces of my family and friends.

"Grayson challenged me to a fight, and I accepted."

"We will fight to the death," I heard gasps, but the loudest was from my Mother.

"Is he stupid or what?" I heard Carter ask, and I just shrugged.

"I don't care at this point."

"I'm tired of this wolf thinking he has a claim to Staci. I will end him for good," I growled.

I looked at Staci and saw the look of sadness in her eyes.

"The challenge will be this Saturday," I announced and looked into everyone's faces.

"After the challenge, I want those fucking rogues we have locked up interrogated."

"I want to know who sent them to my territory and why. No exceptions understood," I said, looking at my Beta and Gamma.

"Yes, Alpha," Carter and Juliano said.

End Flashback: (Still Antonio's POV)

Staci had finished her breakfast, which she picked over this morning. I knew the morning sickness was getting to her, but she quickly grabbed a light snack off the counter before she left for training.

"Don't overdo it," I called out as Staci turned, smiled, and nodded.

I had important meetings and phone calls today, but I wanted to get some training done before tomorrow's challenge, and I knew just the two to work on. I finished my breakfast and wiped my mouth.

"Meet me later at the training field," I told Carter and Juliano as they looked at me and then at each other.

"Is that a problem?" I almost growled as they shook their heads.

"No, Alpha," they both say.

I leave the dining hall and walk toward the elevator. Once I found out who sent those damn rogues to my pack. I'm going to pay that person and visit and rip his goddamn head off, whoever he is, endangered the lives of my mate and pack.

Ares growled in my head, agreeing that we would tear that person limb from limb, leaving nothing left. Then there's Grayson. I don't know what he thought when he tried to kidnap our Luna.

"Did he think that plan would work?" I thought as I stepped off the elevator and walked to my office.

Mom was in the process of re-decorating the other side for Staci. She had already cleaned out all her stuff, polished the desk, and ordered a new chair. Working with Staci beside me and having our pup in the office with us would be fun.

I entered my office and sat in my chair, turning on my desktop and pulling out folders. My office phone rang while my desktop was loading, and I answered it.

"Alpha Antonio," I said into the phone.

The deep voice spoke into the phone, and I knew it was one of my managers at the bank. A few days ago, we had an incident where an employee was trying to steal, and Mr. Mills was giving me a follow-up on the report before he emailed me.

"Thank you. Send those right over," I said and hung up the phone.

I worked until lunchtime, when my stomach rumbled from hunger. I decided to call it a day, head down for lunch, and train later with the guys.

Staci POV

It was 7 am, and the morning sickness was in full force, so I ate a banana, grabbed a water bottle, and headed out to training. I just needed to clear my head.

Everything was taking its toll on me with the new baby, the challenge, and the upcoming war. I arrived at the field I used for training earlier than expected and began doing warm-ups and stretches.

My mind was clouded as I ran a few laps around the track to loosen up my leg muscles. Antonio had a few things to take care of in the office today and would come to training later, but as I ran my last lap, I saw James and Todd approaching the field.

"Good morning, Luna Staci," they both greeted me.

"Good morning, James and Todd," I said as they waved.

"Congratulations on the new addition," Todd mentioned and nodded toward my belly.

"Thanks, it was unexpected. I see why my wolf was so antsy," I chuckled.

James and Todd never found their mates or had pups. They said they preferred it that way because of what their ancestors endured during the war. I felt sad for them but still understood their reason. White wolf blood is unique, and female white wolves are the rarest, so I've been told.

"Ready for training?" James asked as I nodded.

I got in position and waited for them to make their moves. I knew they would try to attack simultaneously to test my reflexes and senses. With Solaris's guidance and strength, I could outmaneuver their attacks and dodge their fire and water balls with my own.

We trained for an hour. James and Todd hit me with everything they had. I used my air and waterpower combined to deflect their attacks. Another hour into training, I started to feel dizzy and almost passed out.

"Woah, hey there," Todd said as he ran to my side.

"Maybe we should take a break for a while, huh?" he asked as he helped me to the bench. I sat down and drank my water.

"Solaris, is the pup okay?" I asked my wolf, taking some breaths.

"He's fine, just napping," Solaris purred, wagging her tail.

Realization hit me after what Solaris said.

"Do you know something I don't?" I asked my wolf as she snickered.

"Maybe I do. You'll have to wait and see," she said.

I mentally rolled my eyes and huffed. After resting for a few minutes, I felt hot and drank more water.

"Whew, is it hot today or what?" I asked no one in particular.

"It is a scorcher today. I'm glad we didn't battle with fire," James said, making me giggle.

Usually, my firepower becomes more prominent when the sun is hot and at its peak. It was making my skin hot and sweatier. Antonio had noticed the difference, but he didn't say anything about it bothering him.

"He likes it when you're hot and bothered, babes," Solaris snickers and sticks her tongue out, making me giggle.

After resting, I was feeling much better, so the guys and I continued light training for another hour until I saw my mate come outside to start training with Carter and Juliano.

"Damn, he looked good in his training shorts with no shirt," I thought.

I drooled over my mate. I had to clench my legs together and fan myself because Antonio's scent and the way his muscle flexed when he moved were doing things to my body and pussy.

"Let's call this an early day," Todd said, bringing out of my lustful thoughts as I turned and nodded.

"Ugh, damn, my hormones!" I thought as I walked to where they were training and watched with interest.

Antonio POV

"Oh, come on, Carter, you can do better than that," I told my Beta as I put him on his ass for the sixth time.

I dodged Juliano's attacks as Carter brushed off his ass.

"Hey, you seem on fire today? What's up with you?" Carter asked.

"I'm just feeling motivated today," I said.

I sidestepped Juliano as he was about to throw a left hook at me and turned to dodge Carter as he was about to try and kick me.

"Hey now, who said you could try and sneak me, Carter? That isn't your style," I laughed.

I swept his feet from under him as he landed hard on the ground.

"Hey, when you are training with an Alpha, you have to devise an executed plan," he chuckled from the ground. I helped him up.

"Shall we go hardcore today then, gentlemen?" I smirked as they gave me those naughty looks.

We fought back and forth against each other, making combination moves and fighting styles. We trained for four hours before calling it quits.

"Whew," I said as I took a drink of water.

"That was exhilarating," Juliano said.

I looked at him and saw a few cuts and bruises.

"Yeah, I just hope Marcie doesn't kick my ass for kicking your ass," I laughed.

Carter had a fair number of bruises and cuts.

"No worries, I'll be healed by dinner," Juliano said.

I was suddenly hit with the smell of strawberry shortcake and saw my mate standing a few feet away; she had a massive smile. I watched as she walked over, hugged me, and kissed my lips.

"Ewe, you're all sweaty," Staci giggled.

"I could say the same about you, my love," I chuckled as she swatted at my chest.

"We did a few light rounds. I didn't want to over-exert myself," Staci said.

"I'm glad you know your limitations, my love. I worry about you and the pup," I told her.

"Solaris kept the pup safe while we trained. She has become a big mama bear." Staci chuckled and ran her fingers through my hair.

After training, Staci and I returned to the castle to shower and have dinner. Carter and Juliano had left already to see their mates.

"Antonio!" I heard Staci moan out as I had her bent over and took her from behind.

Her back arched more as I pumped my cock harder into her soaked slit.

"Antonio, please!" Staci begged.

"Faster, baby," she panted.

I obliged and thrust my cock faster as she screamed, and I grunted.

"I'm going to cum, Alpha!" she moaned as her walls tightened around my cock.

Staci screamed as she squirted all over my cock and rotated her hips to keep the pleasure going. I loved the way her pussy contracted around my cock, making me growl with pleasure.

"That's it, my love cum for your Alpha" I pumped my cock a few more times into her core as I spilled my seed inside her.

I turned her to face me as my lips found hers in a passion-filled kiss. Our tongues intertwined and fought for dominance as Staci ran her fingers through my wet hair.

"Mmm," she moaned.

"I love you, Antonio," I heard Staci say.

"I love you too, my love. I thank the goddess daily for you," I told her.

She kissed my lips again as things started to get heated again. We quickly moved out of the shower to the bedroom, where we made love throughout most of dinner. After our full-day workout, Staci and I worked up an appetite, and I had the kitchen omegas bring up some dinner for us. Staci and I stayed in bed all night watching movies and cuddling; it's what I enjoy most with my mate.

Day Of the Challenge the Next Day:

Grayson POV

Today was the day I would get my mate back. Liam supervised me while I trained for those few days. That fucking Alpha even allowed me to have a punching bag in my cell so I'd have something to train with.

Otherwise, I mostly did stretches, push-ups, and sit-ups in my cell. I was even allowed to have my wolf back since they stopped giving me wolfsbane a few days before my training started.

"Ahaha, big mistake," I thought.

My Father trained me to be a Beta since I was five years old, and when I was old enough to join the warrior barracks at Crescent Moon, my Dad and Delta Daniel taught us how to take down and kill our enemies.

"You ready to get back our mate?" Gideon asked.

"Of course, you mutt, I'm going to rip that fucking Alpha apart," I told Gideon.

I was smirking at the thought of having Staci writhing beneath my body and screaming my name. It made me all giddy inside.

"She will be ours," my wolf said.

"You got that right," I told him.

A few minutes later, I heard a door opening and closing, and heavy footfalls could be heard on the concrete ground. I saw Liam standing there.

He looked smug, and I scoffed. I rolled my eyes, stopped punching the bag, and stood near the far wall.

"It's time," Liam said.

I watched as his gloved hands opened the cell door with some keys, and he put cuffs around my wrist; they weren't silver cuffs; otherwise, my skin would've burned.

We walked out of the dungeon toward a solid metal door. Liam knocked once on the door, and another warrior opened it, letting us pass through.

We walked down the long hall toward an elevator; as we stepped inside and Liam pushed a button as the elevator ascended, we reached the top floor where Liam led me outside where I had to shield my eyes from the bright sun.

Being in the dark for so long, my eyes had to adjust to the sun's brightness. After my eyes adjusted, Liam led us to an open field with training equipment and a track around it.

There I saw Staci and that fucking Alpha Antonio, with a few other people I didn't recognize. I looked to the other side, noticing Alpha Brady, Seth, my parents, and my younger brother Cole. I growled silently at Cole, seeing as he would replace me as Beta of the Crescent Moon pack.

"That title was supposed to be mine!" I thought as Gideon growled furiously in my head.

I sniffed the air and noticed Staci's scent was changing. My eyes widened as I realized she was carrying the heir to the Blue Eclipse pack.

"No," I whispered as Gideon snarled inside my head.

"That's supposed to be our pup!" Gideon roared.

Liam stopped in the center of the field, where Alpha Antonio stood directly across from me with Staci at his side. Liam took the cuffs off my wrist and stepped back out of the center as the older gentleman stepped forward.

He resembled Alpha Antonio. I assumed this was his Father. I just wanted to kill this fucking Alpha already and take my mate along with the title and be done with this shit.

"You can say that again," Gideon said.

As the older Alpha spoke, I pushed him to the back of my mind. Gideon was fighting me for control as he wanted to take over and kill Antonio. I had to keep him at bay before he got us both killed.

Antonio POV

I watched as my Father stepped forward. He looked at me and then at Grayson. I could tell it worried my Dad about my safety, but he had to remember I'm the Alpha, and growing up, I learned a lot from him and Uncle Ricardo.

"Alright, gentlemen, the rules state this challenge is to the death."

"The fight isn't over until the other opponent is dead, understood. There will be no conceding," I heard my Father say.

"Understood!" Grayson and I spoke at the same time.

I turned to Staci, kissed her passionately, and looked into her eyes.

"Don't worry, my love. I'll come back to you," I told her as I heard Grayson growl, and I answered with my own louder growl.

Staci stepped out of the center and stood by my parents as my attention went to Grayson.

"Alpha Antonio, Grayson, you may begin, Fight!" my Father said.

Grayson and I circled each other to see who would make the first move. Sure enough, Grayson made the first move by charging at me.

"Big mistake," I thought as I sidestepped him. He fell forward, landing on his face.

He huffed and got back on his feet, charging me again, and I dodged his attack. He was fighting angry, and you tend to make mistakes when your anger gets in the way. I studied Grayson's moves from when we first challenged each other and remembered what moves he favored the most.

I continuously dodged Grayson's attacks and threw a few punches as they connected to his face and body. I delivered a hard right hook to his face as blood dripped from his nose; he answered back with a punch that I dodged quickly and came back with an uppercut that sent Grayson flying to the ground as he landed on his back.

I heard him growl, and his eyes flashed black. Then he shifted into his dark gray wolf form, and I smirked.

"So that's how you want it, then?" I quickly removed my shorts and shifted into Ares.

You could see a noticeable size difference. Ares was much bigger, being an Alpha wolf, but Grayson was still considerably smaller. His wolf charged at Ares, saliva dripping from his teeth as Ares sidestepped and kicked him in the ribs, and his wolf let out a slight whimper.

Grayson's wolf snarled at me and charged again as Ares jumped over him, and his wolf slid across the field.

"Alright, I'm done playing with this pup. Let's end this," Ares roared.

"You said the magic words, buddy," I told Ares.

I watched as Grayson's wolf got back on his feet and shook his fur out, his hackles raised as he growled at us. Ares let out a scoff as Grayson charged at us.

Ares jumped and landed on Grayson's back as he bit down around his neck. Grayson howled and tried to shake Ares off, but his grip only tightened more until there was a snap as Ares broke Grayson's neck and dropped his lifeless body on the ground.

I shifted back as my Dad handed me a pair of shorts and put them on. Staci ran into my arms, crying her eyes out. I watched as Grayson's wolf shifted back into his human form as his parents and brother cried over his death.

"It's okay, my love. I told you I would return to you," I told Staci as she wiped her tears.

I noticed Beta Jarrod came forward.

"Alpha Antonio, I want to apologize for how my son acted towards you."

"That wasn't how I raised him, and now I'm forever grateful that you gave him an honorable death, even though I wish the events could've turned out differently."

"He brought misery upon himself, and I pray that the goddess forgives him," the Beta said as he sighed.

"Beta Jarrod, you have nothing to apologize for, and as for your son, I wished he would've chosen a different one than the one he chose to stay on," I told the Beta as he nodded.

"I would like to return my son's body to the Crescent Moon pack," Beta Jarrod said.

"That is fine with me, Beta Jarrod," I told him.

A white sheet was brought out, and Beta Jarrod covered it over Grayson's body as he and his other son Cole lifted Grayson's body and transported it to a van. I shook hands with Beta Jarrod and Cole as they entered the truck. Next, I shook hands with Alpha Brady and Seth.

"I hope that when the time comes, Alpha Antonio, you will call on us to help you with the war," Alpha Brady said.

"Of course, we are sister packs now. We defend each other."

"Oh, and Seth, I look forward to your Alpha ceremony," I told Staci's brother, his face widening with a smile.

I watched Seth and Alpha Brady enter his SUV and return to the Crescent Moon pack. I pulled Staci to my chest and held her close.

"Are you okay, my love?" I asked Staci as she nodded.

"Yes, the worst is over," she said.

"For now, let's just focus on moving forward," I told my mate as we walked toward the castle.