Chapter 1 - The Beginning

Third person POV 

“Beta Leon, have you found anything that could be of importance yet?” Alpha Radar spoke as he worked his way through the office bookshelf, each thump of a discarded book on the floor was another notch on Alpha Radar’s already stretched last nerve. The ripping sound of book pages mixed in with the clattering of office items falling to the wooden floor and rustling papers was a ticking time bomb. Soft curse words whispered throughout the room as his Beta rummaged through the large solid oak desk of the previous Alpha’s Office. 

"Nope, only bills, warrior stats, and a load of useless junk." He exclaimed, clearly disgusted. "You think there's something hidden in here?" He asked, questioning, as he yanked open another drawer and dumped its contents onto the desk.

“Yes, I am certain.”  Alpha Radar rubbed his tired eyes and then let out a sigh. He looked down at himself still covered in blood and dirt from the recent battle, but a shower or a bath will have to wait. He knew there was something important in here and he had to find it. His wolf was sniffing the air and pacing in his head, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was causing him to be on edge.

About a month ago, Radar held the position of Beta in the Crystal Lake Pack. As the second in command, he took great pride in his responsibilities. However, he started noticing that his older brother, who was also the Alpha, was losing focus. This had a detrimental effect on the pack, causing it to fall into disarray. The Alpha would often be absent for weeks without any explanation, leaving with some of his closest warriors without even a word. When he did return, he would be covered in blood and have a strange glint in his eyes, only to disappear again into the night. Even when he was home, he showed no concern for the well-being of the pack members. Food was slowly becoming sparse, and if anyone dared to disagree with the Alpha, he would subject them to torture as a reminder that his word was law. His dark aura and evil soul granted him the name “the Dark Alpha.” The power he radiated from darkness became his obsession.  

At the same time, reports of missing shifters of all breeds and their packs being burned to the ground started flooding into the magical creature council. Like a black plague working its way through the different shifter packs, no one knew who or what was behind it all.

Radar tried not to suspect his brother, but each of his disappearances coincided with reports of missing shifters. He even tried to involve the council, but no evidence was found. Radar would pray regularly to the moon goddess for some wisdom and guidance. He pleaded with her to do something. His heart ached for his pack, but it also ached for his brother.

The moon goddess, Selene, had heard Radar’s pleas for help and came to him in a dream one stormy night, saying “I have seen your heart Radar, and it pleases your goddess. You are an Alpha by birth and so shall you be an Alpha in name to the Crystal Lake pack. The Dark Alpha has lost his way and is a plague that will destroy my children and the children of other shifter gods. I need you to find the place the Dark Alpha protects and destroy everything within. I will grant you great strength at the next full moon to conquer the darkness that is of the Dark Alpha. Heed my words, do not let any part of his darkness linger or it will return tenfold. Do not hold onto any of the darkness, or the same fate will fall upon you.”

He had never won in a sparring match with his brother before, but the moon goddess’s request of killing his brother made Radar sick with grief. Fighting his brother tugged his heart in different directions. The alpha was his brother in blood and in family, but the darkness in him was destroying the pack Radar loves so very much. Is putting the pack before family for the greater good something he could do?

After weeks of planning in secret with a small group of loyal pack members, he challenged his brother for the title of Alpha of the pack. When the full moon shone brightly above the battlefield, he was filled with an enormous amount of power and strength. With the moon goddess gift, Radar defeated the tyrant of darkness in battle, The Dark Alpha. Leaving him dead on the battlefield alongside his loyal warriors and followers. Kneeling down on the ground, his family bond shattered, staring into the lifeless eyes of his once powerful big brother. Tears flowed down his blood-stained cheeks as he spoke. “Brother, may the moon goddess free your wolf from the darkness that has taken you from me.”