Chapter One

Partially cloudy, the horizon smiling, the orange and violet glow given off by the setting sun made it all serene. There was a certain peace that came in the slumbering and awakening of the sun. If anybody could ask him he preferred them both as they gave way to his favorite star of the sky,the moon. He wondered if the moon goddess shared his sentiments about it.

The land of the Rose-Noire pack stood below a gigantic mountain. It was very rich and fertile, surrounded by a thick forest of tall trees and a lake that joined   two streams from the East and West. The mahogany trees were in abundance, even more than the fig and eucalyptus. The green grass and other wild trees provided them with fuel. It was a tropical paradise.

All members of the pack were responsible for maintain the land and protecting it. Each clan had a specific task for making sure the whole pack had enough food. Some were responsible for the orchard and the vineyard, some tended to the livestock, others the grain fields. When it was time for planting grains or any other activity, the whole pack participated. They had a few salutaries, elders and guardians. When it came to hunting and scouting, every abled wolf took part in different turns. They also had the sentinels who guarded the pack borders for any threats and breaches. The pack  had one huge compound where all families had their houses. The omegas, pups and the weak lived in the big pack palace with the alpha, beta, delta and anyone else who wanted to live there.

Divine stood at the small balcony of his treehouse, took in deep and large masses of the air while closing  his eyes. He listened to the birds singing to the dozzing sun,the flow of the stream that was nearby and the paddling of deer's feet making contact with the dried leaves and hard ground as they ran in the forest. As long as he had that, all was well. He opened his eyes and turned around to go back in. He had to leave for his post immediately.  Protecting the pack in this way was better than sitting at a chair and barking orders at his subordinates.  A lot of the pack members might have viewed his current status as a disgrace, he on the other hand thought it was more fulfilling.

He looked at the crown resting perfectly on the bedstead. He wondered if he would ever feel comfortable wearing it. Did it mean what his uncle thought it did? He had never understood his uncle's ambitions for the pack,he was pretty sure that's what made him different from him. He did not like attacking others, he hated the feeling of fear. Would the pack embrace his ideas if he was given the chance to rule? He wondered. Shaking his head as if to drop the train of thought it had taken,he reached out past the crown and took the beaded bracelets his mother had made for him. She had been blessed with skillful hands. She was a beloved Luna and yet a fierce warrior. He would never tell a soul, not even his best friends but he missed his parents so much.

He climbed down the treehouse stealthily and walked to the house. Orion his best friend and Mikhail, his cousin and friend were getting ready to go with him.They were supposed to be his Beta and Delta. He felt bad for them. He had tried so hard countless times to make them go back to the main pack house but he failed. He had tried reasoning with them that this was his fate and only his but they did not budge. 

"If you're going to be a sentinel the so are we." Mikhail had said strongly. 

"But this will keep you from your mates and families for longer stretches of time. I am the one who has been exiled, the one who has been demoted, not you." He had said.

"No way brother, we are in this together remember?" Orion had said.

With that he let them do what they wanted, he thought they would get tired after a time and stop, it had been almost four years and they were still by his side. He was one lucky man.

"The big bad wolf is right on time!  Good to see you brother!" Mikhail said when he saw him walk in.

"Vines is never late or early." Orion said but it came out muffled as he stuffed his mouth with food.

"Seriously O, why do you eat like that?" Mikhail said making a disgusted face.

"He is a big man with a big appetite." Divine said in a low voice.

"Just like I like my women." Orion said getting up and wiggling his eyes. Mikhail laughed while Vines chuckled.

They knew that was Orion's way of hiding his pain so they refrained from pressinghkm about it. He had lost his mate a few years earlier when the Forest rogues attacked.

"Let's go now." Vines said gulping down a cup of water.

"Aye Aye captain!" Mikhail said in mock salute and Vines pushed him playfully.

They saddled up their horses and left for the border using a shortcut they had created from the house that was near the other sentinels shelter. Divine liked his solitude though so he spent most of his time when he was not on duty in the tree house. It was a literal house in a tree, bigger than an average one and designed in a way that made the ones on the ground look like child's play. Divine had planned it out with his father and built it by himself with the help of Mik and O of course. 

They entered the dirt road  which was lined by sisal on one side and wild lilies on the other. The ground was not too dry to make dust clouds as the horses' hooves touched it. They moved in rhythm with each other it became a marching beat. Mikhail was whistling an unknown tune that went well with the other sound while Orion started humming. Vines rolled his eyes with a smile plastered on  his face and nodded along.

They approached the northern gate soon. There was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Open the gate for the Alpha!" Someone shouted and the first wooden gate opened.

Vines wanted to tell whoever had shouted that he was not the alpha but knew it was a losing battle. Most people still called him alpha. Did they have hope that he would soon find a mate and take over from  his uncle? Even he knew that was a long stretch. He was one of those individuals who were not gifted with one. Many members of the pack thought Mirabelle, Orion's sister would be his mate. On his birthday of his seventeenth year, when the time had come for the ceremony to claim his mate he was shocked to see that it was not Mirabelle or anyone. She did not shine or make everyone else disappear. Even her scent was not alluring to him. His father thought they had been too early but the same thing happened in the next year.

His father died  after he turned eighteen in a fight protecting the pack from rogues and his mother soon followed not being able to cope without her mate. She became sick with grief and sadness then died from an unknown disease. He felt responsible for both of their deaths, when the elders called for his exile he did not even protest. He owed it to his parents to do something worthwhile and being a sentinel was okay for him.

They got off their horses and walked up to the guard house. The other sentinels bowed to them showing respect and Divine sighed. They gathered in the lower house to report any threats encountered in the day.  

"Seems all is in order then." Orion said when the last man gave his report and they all nodded except some two guards who looked at each other.

"Alvin, Levi, what is it? Speak up!" Divine said in a low firm voice.

"Well Alpha, there was a strange singing voice a few hours after you left in the morning. We went to checkbit out bit there was no one there." Levi said earning quizzical looks from most of them.

"Did you scout the whole place?" Divine asked.

"Yes we did, with others there was no one. Just a scent that was very faint and the song in the strange language."

"Very well, maybe it was nothing but report to me or Orion and Mikhail if it happens again, alright?"

"Yes Alpha." They both said and Divine clenched his jaw.

"Please avoid calling me Alpha, your real alpha will be offended if he heard that and have you beheaded." He said firmly.

Everyone shared a look as if protesting to this but kept quiet.

"Yes Sir." They all said.

"The day unit can go and rest, the rest of us  to our posts." He said and they scattered. 

"You see what just happened?" Mikhail directed the question at him.

"What are you talking about?"

"He is talking about you being a natural leader. They still take you as their alpha." Orion said hesitating with the last word.

"Well, I'm not their alpha now and they need to respect that." Divine said.

"That's the struggle wolves have, their instincts are telling them you're alpha and they can't fight that." Orion explained.

Vines sighed. "I know. I wish I could make it easier for all of you."

"One day at a time brother, one day." Mikhail said patting his shoulder.

The sun had gone down  and the moonlight was illuminating the earth. Divine and his friends stood at their post in the top tower. Nobody liked that specific post as it tended to get too cold in the night. For Divine, it helped him see a lot further and he had never been one to complain about the weather. His body adjusted accordingly.

After the moon had fully awakened and the border serene, a wonderful voice started singing. Divine became very alert trying to listen properly.

"What is it?" Mikhail said.

"Shhh. It's someone singing." He said.

The voice got louder and Divine got down from the tower,his friends in tow.

"Alp....Sir! The singing is back again." A lad came running to him.

"I hear it. It's okay. Go back to your post." 

They quickly opened the gate and walked out. 

"What is that she is singing?" Mikhail asked.

"It's a plea to the moon goddess." Divine said while Mikhail and Orion shared a look. The other sentinel just looked on.

They started looking around while they spread out. What would a eoman be doing all by herself in this forest.Divine suddenly stopped as a scent hit him. It smelt of fresh white roses, lemon grass,a strange spice and the morning after the first rain, a wonderful mixture. Soft yet warm, vibrant yet calming. He felt giddy all of a sudden. He needed to find this person. He shifted his eyes and ears to enhance his vision and hearing.

He rounded a thick bush and came to a large fig tree that had bowed branches making it look like a small shed. There below it lay a woman. He quickly scanned his surrounding to check for any danger. When he found no threat, he called to his friends through the mind link. He approached her and she got up as if sensing his presence. He was taken aback. Her face shimmered in the light glowing, she smiled weakly and it made her even more beautiful. She recoiled as the others arrived.

Had he been bewitched? Why was he seeing her that way?

"Do you smell it?" He asked the two through their link.

"She is a wolf but her scent is very faint." Mikhail thought back.

"Is she a rogue?" He asked again this time to Orion who like him had experience with rogues enough to scent it.

"No. Definitely not a rogue but she is injured."

Divine crouched down and touched her face. She was feverish but seemed to preen to his touch. He picked her up in his arms and stood.

"Vines! Brother! Wait you can't just pick her up....." Mikhail was saying.

He looked at them straight in the eyes and sighed.

"I think she is my mate."