Avenging The Triplet Alphas
Chapter 20

Xavier's

POV

I lay on the bed, wondering what had gone wrong and how my sons had managed to fumble everything he had ever worked for. If they didn't manage to secure a mate, he would have to do something he never thought would ever happen. Handing over his pack to someone else was the last thing he wanted to do but he knew he wouldn't have a choice when push came to shove.

The pack was bigger than him now and he had to preserve its legacy by any means possible. Maria would know what to say, she was always good with dealing with conflicts better than he ever was and in times like this, he missed her terribly. Her death had been something that broke him and one he had never recovered from.

Falling like with her had been unplanned, she was supposed to be sports as his father had wanted, a means to an end. Their pack wasn't as well-to-do back then as it was now, my father had managed to gamble off most of our possessions and fortunes due to his addiction to drugs and gambling and he had placed us in a dire situation. His father had wanted to change that and she was supposed to be the to making all of that possible. He hated having to be the bad guy but he knew if he didn't do it, the Van Tyson pack would come crashing down and he would have nothing to rule over when it was time for him to become Alpha.

That was the last thing I ever wanted to happen and my father had managed to convince me to do just this one last thing, promising to give up gambling if he succeeded.

Getting the daughter of the richest wolf pack to fall in love with him would solve all of their financial problems and it would make sure that they lacked nothing ever again.

My legacy was at stake here, not my father's. I cared less for him and more for myself. I was an ambitious young man and nothing was going to stop me from fulfilling my dreams even if I had to go to the depth of the abyss to prove myself.

His mind filtered back to the first time he met Maria all those years ago in high school.

The air smelt nice despite the sleety rain that fell impartially on the cars in the parking lot and on the high-rise building in front of me. St. Jude's high school was a private day school located in the heart of Manhattan, New York.

St. Jude's high school was founded by my forefather and a couple of high ranking wolves in order to make sure supernatural wolves received quality education like their human counterparts.

I shivered as I wrapped my arms around my waist. I had always hated the cold weather, it made me fall sick every year. I fervently prayed that this year would be an exception. I brought out a cigarette from my backpack and lit one. Smoking was prohibited on the school grounds, but I had a habit of breaking school rules and since I couldn't get kicked out of school due to my status as the Alpha's son, I was allowed to do whatever I pleased.

I took a long drag of my cigarette as I watched her alight from the car. I quickly brought out my phone and stared at the picture on the screen, it was a bit blurry but it was her quite alright.

She walked between the archway of lavender dahlias situated just in front of the main building and wiped her palm across her forehead before her eyes settled on her brothers. Her eyes narrowed as she spoke to them.

She was my primary assignment and final test before I achieved elite status in the gang. I crushed the butt of his cigarette against the white wall, leaving a dented ash color on the freshly painted wall. The guard was going to have a fit when he saw the ugly mess but I cared less, I had more important things to think about and Maria Goretti was on top of the list.

Just like a three-card monte. It was the oldest con in the book. The three cards could be anything, but it is usually a queen and two low-numbered cards placed side by side face down on a table. The queen is the only card that matters and you have to find it. The dealer starts every game with the cards in his hands, face down, cradling the edges of the card with his fingers. Two in one hand, the queen on the bottom and the ten above it and a single five of diamonds on the other hand. He then throws down the queen, face down, and throws the other cards around it. It's easy to see where the queen has landed and follow it as the dealer moves it round with the other cards. A friend of the dealer bet on where the queen lies and gets it wrong. The mark then feels pretty confident, thinks he's got it all figured out and places a bet on where the queen lies. This time, with money on the table. The dealer throws the top card down first, keeping the queen last. The switch gets its prey every time.

We were playing a two-card monte this time. The only difference was we weren't switching cards this time, we were switching emotions this time.

***

Maria stiffened as she heard someone call out her name.

Nobody knew her by that name.

She had been at St. Jude high school for a few months now and she had successfully managed to keep a low profile despite her brother's flamboyant attitude. People knew her as Goretti because of who her father was. She had always hated that.

She had always preferred being called Maria but no one knew her by that name and no one really cared to ask.

A large hand slumped over her small frame broke her out of her train of thought.

She frowned as she looked up ready to let out a load of expletives but the words died in her throat.

God, he was beautiful.

His smile was etched perfectly on his bronzed face, his hair cascaded down his face partially shielding his black orbs.

The stubble on both sides of his face gave him a rakish look. Her alarm bells rang out loud in her head, telling her to steer clear of the incoming tsunami she was about to hit head-on but her feet refused to move. Never before had she been so smitten by a boy.

"Who are you?" She cleared her throat.

She bit back a smile as he feigned a dramatic gasp.

"You mean you don't know me?"

"Nope." She said, popping the p.

"And to be honest, I really don't care."

I watched her for a few seconds before bursting out into laughter.

Nobody had told me she was feisty and drop-dead gorgeous as a matter of fact.

The picture on my phone didn't do her justice.

She had a lively face, a full sensuous mouth with plump cherry lips, sparkling eyes that could change from a soft moss green color to dark jade in moments, depending on her mood.

Her skin was the perfect shade of caramel, accentuated by her petite figure.

Getting her to like me would be nearly impossible but I lived for challenges.

She shook my hand off her shoulder as she stared at me with a bored expression on her face.

"Let me introduce myself properly. I am Xavier Van Tyson. Everyone calls me Xavier."

I took her dainty hand into mine and kissed it, holding back my smile as she blushed.

"And you're going to be my tutor for the whole term. I thought it would be polite to pre-inform you before principal Adams did."

She opened her mouth to protest, but I held up a finger to silence her.

"He said it would look good on your scholarship application, you know, help you get more recognition and in return, I get good grades. A win for the both of us."

I put on my best smile watching her nose wrinkle as she bit her fingernails.

"So what do you say, Maria?"

"I'll have to talk to principal Adams during the break."

"Sure. He will give you the timetable as well."

I stepped aside as she walked past me, her hips swaying gently as she strode into the hallway.

I checked my watch and broke out into a little run.

I had to get principal Adams to let Maria Goretti tutor me for the rest of the term before she confronted him on the matter. I was pretty sure he would have no choice but to go along with my plan. It was quite outrageous, but I was very good at convincing people, everybody loved a pretty face but above all, I was the Alpha's son.

Nobody could say no to me.