Chapter 3: The Alpha’s Instinct

Nathan’s POV

I’ve had enough.

It’s the same-old routine.

Another pointless council meeting, another round of accusations and demands, all spoken in the same clipped tones and veiled insults. The room practically reeks of ego and desperation—none of it mine.

“I’ll find a Luna when the time is right,” I say for the hundredth time, teeth clenched.

The elders don’t like that.

“Do you think you’re above tradition?” one of the elders barks out as he slams his hand on the table. “The pack needs stability, and for that, you need to be mated! You’re not some rogue Alpha who gets to delay mating on a whim.”

Murmurs of agreement rise around the room, a few louder than others. My gaze falls on every one of them. Graying, rigid, and stuck in their centuries-old way of thinking.

I lean back in my chair with arms crossed over my chest and give them nothing. Instead, Carter, my closest friend within the pack and my beta, steps forward.

“Why don’t you all let Nathan get on with protecting the territory instead of nagging like a bunch of shrews?” Carter’s voice has a deceptive lazy tone to it, the edge beneath, cold and sharp as his fangs, easily coming through. “It’s not as if any of you have a Luna worth introducing, unless you want him to marry one of your daughters.”

An uncomfortable silence follows his words, thick with the unspoken fact: none of their daughters had been chosen. Not a single she-wolf in the pack had managed to stir my wolf enough to matter, let alone provoke a mating bond.

Not that I would have gone ahead with the mating regardless.

“Still,” one elder persists after a short pause. “A proper Alpha needs a mate to control their aggression. Even if you think you’re fine now, as more time passes, you’ll find your emotions becoming more and more unstable!”

I shouldn’t, but I can’t help myself and roll my eyes. “You make it sound like I’ll, out of nowhere, jump and attack members of the pack.”

“It’s not entirely unreasonable,” another elder intones.

Alphas are creatures made of aggression. It’s a simple fact, born because werewolf society favored the strong. To be the strongest in the pack didn’t mean to be the most aggressive, but the rise to the top was never smooth. No Alpha in Crescent Ridge’s history ever took on the leadership position without a few challenges.

But the elders aren’t worried about this piece of common sense.

This is the problem with packs that have such a long and deep history like ours. The original founders of the pack could be traced to a thousand years ago – and sadly, so could most of our current rules. An entire millennium had gone by, but the council remains stuck in the past, on old traditions. Granted, traditions could set the foundation and raise a powerful pack, but in the long run, if there is no change, old traditions become nothing but a shackle.

As the youngest Alpha of Crescent Ridge pack at only twenty one, I feel this more deeply than our founders.

I’m not at the stage of my life where I want to look for a lifelong partner, but the elders don’t care; they care about tradition and unmated Alphas usually wouldn’t remain both unmated and Alpha of the pack for very long.

Alphas who took on the position before they had a mate were few and far between in our pack’s history in the first place. Still, being a special case, because I was so young when I rose to Alpha, the council hadn’t said anything about it for a year. But once my position in the pack became more stable, the Luna talks started.

I’ve already grown quite sick of it.

Too bad for them. I’m not about to pluck a helpless mate out of nowhere just for their peace of mind.

I straighten, scraping my chair back with a deliberate violence. My wolf restlessly paces just beneath the surface. I’ve played the responsible Alpha for long enough.

“If we’re done here, I’ll be taking my leave. As for the Luna issue; drop it. This is my final warning. I’ll find a Luna when I’m ready, until then, keep your noses out of my business.”

Gasps and growls resound, and Carter winces like I’ve just insulted their bloodlines. But I don’t stop as I turn away, and he falls instep just behind me to my right as I exit the room. Instantly, some of my irritation loosens.

“You know this is only going to make them dig harder,” Carter points out.

I let out a snort. “I know. They may be old fools, but they’re brave, I’ll give them that. But it doesn’t matter.”

You’d think we don’t have any actual issues to talk about, but they’re constantly worrying about my love life. No one can force me to do something I don’t want to do. No matter who it is.

“I still wish you wouldn’t pick a fight with them,” he continues, frowning. “We have rogues pushing at our eastern borders and the human town growing closer to our northern territory. Not to mention all those packs reaching out, looking for an alliance. If you don’t address this, they’ll start to whisper about how you’re handling things.”

“They’ve been whispering since I first took the title.” I heave a sigh and roll my shoulders, feeling uncharacteristically restless. “Forget about them. I’m going out for a run. Don’t follow me.”

“But–”

I raise a hand, halting his complaint. “I feel suffocated, Carter. I’ll be fine by myself.”

It will be the full moon tomorrow night and I can go out and run and hunt, but I can’t wait. I feel an itch beneath my skin, my wolf wanting to come out, and I’ve felt this way all day. While it’s a common occurrence the closer we get to the full moon, I’ve learned to contain myself.

Maybe I was so irritated by those guys that even my wolf is upset.

Regardless, I need to let off some steam or else I really might snap at someone.

Carter remains behind as I exit the house and head straight for the tree line. Wind blows through the trees and I’m instantly assaulted by the smell of fresh leaves and warm, wet earth. With each step closer, my excitement grows.

It’s different from usual. I love running through the woods. In fact, I love it more than hunting with the pack, because then I’m not doing it for fun, but out of responsibility. It isn’t anything to get so excited about.

Today, it feels like something deep within the woods is calling to me. And my wolf can’t help but answer.

I’m half-running by the time I’m a foot away from the trees. In the next step, my wolf bursts out of me, leaping into the woods on all fours.