Chapter 6

Zahra's POV

I head off in the direction of the training grounds, heading up the street towards the Alpha house.

As my father is the current Beta, we live on the road just down from the Alphas house.

Our tree lined street is also home to the other leadership houses. Opposite our large house, is the Gamma house, with the Delta house next door, and next to us on the other side is a Home for the head warrior. At the moment the pack doesn’t have a head warrior, he was killed a few months ago fighting rogues, and the Alpha hasn’t replaced him. So, for now the house remains unoccupied.

I reach the trees at the edge of the Alpha’s grounds and stop to stretch out, before setting out at a gentle jog. I jog slowly out towards the training field, it’s about a 10 min run, through the woods at the edge of the lake. 

Once there I dop my bag off by the benches at the edge of the training field and continue with my run, around the western edge of the permitter. I’ve got another hour before early training begins and anyone other than the patrols will be out here.

Because lets face it, I am the only one insane enough to voluntarily be out for a run at 4.30am.

Life in the Blood moon pack for most wolves is pretty good.

We have a great and strong Alpha- Alpha Lucas, he is one of the strongest Alphas in the Country. he is a ruthless warrior but a very fair leader.

His Luna, Luna Alison is caring and kind, and looks after all of us like an extension of their family.

Our warriors are some of the fiercest in the country, we train harder and from a younger age than many other packs. Alpha Lucas prides himself in-being feared on the battle field but respected in the board room.

The lives of most of the Blood moon members are happy and harmonious. Anyone would assume that as the daughter of the Beta, my life would be a cake walk, and in many ways it is. Compared to many wolves in the world I live in a safe secure pack, I receive training, and an education, and I live in a nice house.

But behind the facade of being perfect Betas, my life is lonely, and loveless.

My mother died when I was born. I don’t know why, no one has ever explained what happened, but from what I gather, there were complications after my birth, and she couldnt recover- that’s quite rare for werewolves, our advanced heeling usually means we can recover from most things, but as I said no one will explain it and I’m forbidden to ask questions about my mum.

Because he lost his mate, his other half, my dad is distant. He’s a great Beta, he does his duty and although he's strict he trains my brother Zachary, ready to take over the beta position when the time comes.

But he mostly ignores me. 90% of the time it’s like he only has one child.

He won’t talk to me, unless it’s to discipline me. He won’t answer my questions and he won’t acknowledge my presence, unless there are other wolves near buy, so he won’t allow me to be in his company with other wolfs in order to avoid this all together.

However, every now and then my dad gets drunk, and when that happens, he very definitely acknowledges me, with his fists and his feet. For some reason this only ever happens when my brother is out. Which means it’s happening more and more recently.

Two years ago, I had an epiphany. My brother and his friends were out celebrating one of their birthdays, and after a day out, they returned to the Alpha house for a BBQ and pool party. Meanwhile, my dad got completely wasted. When I came downstairs for dinner, he started in on me, blaming me for his mate's death and berating me for being a "useless, weak, ugly runt." He shouted that I was no better than an Omega. Then the beating started. Over the years, what began as occasional slaps escalated to punches and kicks, targeting my body where clothes would hide the marks. That night, he broke most of the ribs on my right side and my wrist. I'm fairly certain he damaged my kidney too, given the bruising and the blood in my urine that followed. But I never went to the pack hospital to find out just how bad it was.

As I lay huddled in my room, trying to minimize my movements to let my body repair, I was too young to have shifted, so healing was slower and I was in agony for a whole week. Each night, I cried myself to sleep, wallowing in self-pity and isolation. Fortunately, it was spring break, so nobody at school missed me. My father's cruel words replayed in my mind, gnawing at me, making me feel like maybe they were true.

By the end of that week, I realized something important. Despite everything, I was still a Beta female. Maybe unwanted, maybe unloved, but absolutely not defeated. If I wanted a life away from my father and this pack, I had to become strong. I decided right then and there to train, to become a warrior. No one will ever make me a victim again. Warriors are always in demand, and being Blood Moon trained will make me an asset to any pack. But I don’t just want to be good. I want to be the best.

I’m going to work hard here, prove myself, and then take it to the next level. My ultimate goal is to join the Royal Guard or better yet the Alpha King's Elite Task Force. These aren’t just warriors; they’re the best of the best, a team of highly skilled individuals who carry out dangerous covert missions across the kingdom. Getting in is next to impossible, but there are a few options; Number one, graduate from Night Howler Academy and then apply. Number two, do well in the Alpha Kings Tournament, and number three Become an Elite Warrior of the pack and enter the Elite Trials.

The Advanced Warrior Training Academy in the Night Howler pack. The four-year program is the most prestigious in the country, taking only five candidates a year from across the kingdom. They train warriors in advanced combat techniques, preparing them for leadership roles or recruitment into the Royal Guard or the Elite Task Force. It’s the hardest path I could choose, but the training is unmatched. If I can secure a spot, I’ll have a shot at becoming one of the most skilled warriors alive. They however only take you once you finish school. I have read and re-read the entry criteria and it says: “candidates must have completed high school before applying” nowhere does it mention a candidate must be over the age of 18! So that’s my current plan, apply as soon as I graduate!

Failing that, the Alpha King’s tournament, is held every four years, is the best way to get noticed, it’s a series of competitions, mainly combat based but there’s some strategy and team work elements, its open to any wolf in the kingdom over the age of 18. The prize is one hundred thousand dollars and an invitation to join with the royal guard. The next one is next year though, and I’ll only be 15, too young to compete. So, that’s my back up plan: enter at 19 if I’m still here.

However, if neither of these plans works out, my backup-backup plan is to become an Elite Warrior for Blood moon, and enter the Elite Warrior trials. They are held every ten years. and they are like the Olympics for Elite warriors. Most packs have a team of elites. And the trials are a way for packs to brag about who has the best warriors.  Blood moon as won three of the last five. Something the pack is very proud of. It would be an honour to compete. The winner is automatically included into the Alpha Kings Task force. However, the next one isn’t for another 7 years, which means waiting until I’m 21, I really hope to avoid still being here at 21. I doubt I can survive it here until then.

That's why I'm out here running at 4:30 AM. I’m getting faster, cutting my time down from an hour to just 40 minutes for this part of the perimeter, and I’m barely winded by the end.

After my run, I head to where I left my bag, pull out my water bottle to hydrate, and then grab my Chemistry textbook. Settling down, I start to read, using the time to prepare mentally for the training session ahead.