The Phantom Alpha

My phone vibrated against the glass nightstand beside my four poster bed. All I had wanted was four hours of rest, but sleep was eluding me these days.  Ever since my father, Alpha of our Selenian Pack had died six months ago, I was woken up within minutes of closing my eyes. "What do you want?" I snapped after reaching for the device and answering the call.Reed's deep, husky voice sounded from the speaker. "Luna, there's been movement on the eastern boundary.""Did you send scouts?" I asked even though I was fully aware he had already had.Reed was my Beta, second in command, and a great one at that. He had assumed the position after his father, also a Beta was killed in the same battle that claimed my father's life.  "Of course. Ivan and his team swept the lower canyon. Lionus and Devin took the ridge." He said in a manner that made me think he was offended I even had to ask. "They didn't find anything. There was no activity on

My gaze softened as I looked at the handsome Beta standing in my entryway. Reed Vonn looked like a male model with the body of a professional athlete. His toffee colored hair was kept short on the sides and longer on top. The cut accentuated his boxy jaw and played into every girl's all american boy fantasy. It wasn't until high school that I found myself attracted to Reed. Before that, we were just best friends that would play pretend-battle and shift to run together in the woods at night after school. My dad and I would go over to their house almost every day of the week so Mrs. Vonn could make us dinner while he and his Beta talked over business. She enjoyed taking care of us after my mom passed away.Junior year of high school is when Reed and I's relationship matured into something new. A group of girls had been been trying to flirt with him in front of me in the hallway. I felt intensely territorial over him and possesively took his hand in mind. I twirled

I threw open the door to the old gymnasium and was greeted by the shouts and grunts of my pack, who were paired off into training groups. The place smelled of sweat and blood mixed with rubber from the wrestling mats and bleach that was used to clean the narrow planks of hardwood flooring. My warriors could be seen in every corner of the one hundred year old gym. They were throwing punches and kicks, rolling to the side to avoid impact, and hurdling over backs to put their opponents into chokeholds. This was the first training shift of the day. One would be in human form, since both versions of our bodies would be strengthened if one was. The first daily session was always in human form since we couldn't shift in daylight. Transforming into our werewolf bodies was only possible at night- or on the lucky days when the moon shown in the sky even while the sun was still out.At night, we would train in our preferred fighting form. As soon as the moonlig

My breathing stilled and I willed my legs to move backwards in order to get me out of this murder scene, but I couldn't feel them anymore. I tried anyway and stumbled back, bumping into something hard- Reed. I gasped for air,  feeling as though I had been holding my breath for minutes. My saw spots in my vision and felt my body swaying. My knees buckled and Reed caught me before I could crumple to the ground. He spun me around and held me to his chest. He supported my body weight while I hyperventilated, tears spilling from my burning eyes. "I've got you." He said, trying to prop me on my feet. "I've got you, Bri. It's ok. You're ok." My sneakers finally found the carpeted floor and Reed wrapped his arms around me, squeezing me tightly to his body. "Breath with me, calm down.." I clung to his shoudlers as I tried to control my rapid intakes of air. I felt his chest expand slowly beneath my head, his shirt wet with my tears. Reed cradled me

I peered around the yard, looking for any sign of the trespasser. When I didn't hear, see or smell anyone, I followed the fading scent up to my back porch. The sweatshrit and pants I had set down were now rumpled on the grass and the letters- they were gone. I quickly shifted back into human form, anxious to have my hands to rummage around for them.  An engine screamed into my driveway and I could hear gravel fly into the nearby boulders as the tires screeched to a halt. I was on my hands and knees, searching frantically in the lawn for the lost papers.  Reed ran around the back of the house and spotted me. "Luna!" He rushed over to me. "I heard your call. What's wrong? What are you doing?"  Thundering paws sounded throught the forest behind us, alerting us both to my pack warriors approaching.  Reed, not wanting to the rest of the wolves to see me naked, grabbed the sweathshirt from off the ground and threw