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It had been nearly five years since Malcom willingly encountered another living soul. His solidarity wasn’t by choice. The solace he sought was forced upon him as punishment, one that he’d given up on fighting against. It’s what happened to any a wolf who openly took a stand against the wishes of the pack’s alpha.
Her name was Serene. She was beauty, peace and light, all things good wrapped up into one amazing being. She embodied the very meaning of her name, and Malcom loved her entirely, but the love he possessed for her was outlawed. With the wolf numbers were dwindling and entire packs quickly going into extinction because of an increased number of vampire attacks, it was made law that wolves were only to pair with their own kind. Malcom took a vow to follow that law, before he met Serene, before he fell in love with a human.
Vincent, his alpha, had allowed it, their flirtations, even the abundance of time they spent together. He would often joke about it; make quick jabs at Malcom over his involvement with the human woman. Vincent made a mistake when he assumed it was nothing to be concerned about, that the wolf could never love this human girl. Malcom was, after all, his second in command and had sworn to stand by the leader’s side through all things. As a beta male should, Malcom followed him without question in most cases. Vincent was the alpha and his word was law.
Though Vincent made light of their romance, it quickly became clear to Malcom that his feelings were more than the simple enjoyment of a beautiful woman’s company. He knew that his heart belonged to Serene and foolishly he approached Vincent with hopes of being able to be with her. He thought that he could appeal to the alpha’s softer side even though it had been many years since he bared witness to its existence. His mistake was the assumption that the alpha wolf possessed a side of himself that would allow him to overlook Malcom’s transgression. They were friends, had been by each other’s side for years. He assumed that Vincent’s fondness of him was more than the limited affection of an owner for his lap dog. Malcom was there to do the dirty work of their leader, and he always did more than expected of him, but apparently, that didn’t count for much. Hell, to Vincent, it counted for nothing at all.
When Malcom brought his intention to marry Serene to Vincent, his longtime friend became outraged. He scolded the wolf and told him if he ever saw his human love again that he would be banished and disowned by the pack. He not only threatened Malcom’s life, but Serene’s as well. Vincent, full of rage and feelings of betrayal, told Malcom that he was foolish. He branded him a traitor and threatened to strip him of his title should he ever make mention of the woman again. His threats were supposed to inflict fear. He assumed that Malcom would be easily swayed by the idea of losing his standing in the pack. Vincent was horribly incorrect.
Both men allowed their pride and egos blind their vision. Because of this they equally underestimated each other. Their inability to see outside of themselves, their own wants and desire led to so much heartache, so much pain to both themselves and their pack. Serene was gone and Malcom was left to roam the earth alone. He could never again attempt to find love or any form or normalcy. It would only end in disaster. Vincent would do everything in his power to make sure of that.