Welcome To The Pack
"You are going to love this place Zaya." My mother said as we entered the lands of Blood Moon pack. My father remained quiet as she tried to convince me this was the right move.
"So, you keep saying. I still don’t understand why we had to move so far away from the only home I ever knew and my friends." I was still angry with my parents. We lived on the outskirts of a human town for as long as I have been alive. Ever since I heard we were moving, I thought about running away. I only had one month left in school and would turn 18 soon after that. In most cultures, I was practically grown. But every time I tried to leave, I felt compelled to stay.
My father’s parents were exiled from his pack when he was only a boy for healing a slave. Both were great healers. My mother’s parents were rogue. Soon after my parents mated, my father's parents passed away. Only then was my family invited back into our pack. The Blue Stone pack. But my father refused. He felt my mother, being born into a rogue family would not truly be accepted.
My father taught my mother to be a healer. Together they made a great team. When the Alpha King heard of my parents’ healing gifts, he immediately requested we join his pack. My parents accepted his invitation with no hesitation. They longed to belong to a pack. And they tried to make me understand how strong we are in numbers.
I, myself, did not care if I belonged to a pack. I missed my human world. My human school and my human friends. I would also miss my human boyfriend, Luke. He may not have been a wolf, but he was strong.
After we entered the Blood Moon pack lands, the atmosphere changed. The wind was stronger as we drove towards what looked like an elevated forest. There were so many trees and in between them were random houses. After passing the wooded area, we came across a small marketplace. There were clothing and grocery stores. It was small but charming. It took us almost an hour to reach the gates of a mansion. There were a few guards near the gates which were almost twice as tall as me.
My dad rolled the windows down to speak to the guards. "My name is Zane, and I was invited by the Alpha."
"Let him through." The guard yelled as my dad rolled up the window.
As we drove further up the driveway, my father looked at me through the rear-view mirror. "I know you are still angry with us for making this decision Zaya. But from this moment forward you must behave yourself. Pack life is different. There are rules you must follow. I cannot tell them all to you as I, myself, have only lived the pack life for a small amount of my life. But you must know this rule above anything else. First, always obey your Alpha, the Luna, and the Beta. In that order. Be respectful. Everything else you can learn as you go."
"Yes, father." I responded as I looked out the window. I wanted to cry but the anger inside me wouldn’t let me.
We exited the car leaving our belongings. As we approached the doors of the mansion, a group of kids holding flowers ran past me almost knocking me over. A pair of hands reached out grabbing my arm. I was saved from falling over and embarrassing myself. "Watch out little pups." He said as they continued running without missing a step.
"Sorry, Godric." They yelled back.
"Are you ok little one?" A strong demanding voice asked. He released my arms.
"I’m fine." I said to him not noticing I was still holding his massive arms.
My dad cleared his throat as he watched my hands still clinging to my savior. I jumped back releasing my grip. My face was red with embarrassment. "Sorry." I held my hand down. He simply smiled.
Just then the doors to the mansion opened. And a couple walked through the threshold. "Zane! Yalia! I’m so happy you could join us. And you could not have come at a better time. Remembrance Day has just begun." My father and mother bowed as the tall man greeted them.
"Alpha Ken, this is our daughter Zaya." My father reached for me to join them creating a picture-perfect pose.
"Nice to meet you Zaya."
My father grunted again clearing his throat. I stumbled as I gave a halfhearted bow. "Please forgive my daughter alpha. She is not familiar with the pack ways."
"It is ok. I know she gives no offense." He gave me a light smile. "This is my Ariel. My Luna.
"The Luna reached for my hand. "Welcome my child." She groped my face. "Your beauty is unlike any I have seen." She looked at my parents. "Truly an extension of both of you. I am so happy to know you have accepted the Alpha’s invitation to join our pack."
The Alpha continued. "I see you have met my son, Godric." He looked to the guy who had just saved me from falling to the ground." He is the Alpha’s son? No wonder why he is so well built. The Alpha was a few inches taller than my father and his body was strong like a young man. Yet the greys on his hair let me know he is much older. Godric was almost as tall as Alpha Ken. We studied each other as our parents continued to talk. Godric looked a lot like the Alpha with high cheekbones and a strong jaw. His eyes were a shade of honey brown. His body looked like it was completely made of muscles.
The only thing he didn’t inherit from his father was his hair. Which was a sandy brown, matching the few strands his mother had that were not yet grey. Those honey brown eyes watched as I fidgeted with my hair. They went from my face to my chest, to my pale pink toes hanging out my sandals. Due to his stern demeanor, I could not tell if he liked what he saw or if he was unimpressed. Either way, I was uncomfortable.
Our gazes were interrupted by mother fixing my hair. She pulled one of the curly red strands back from in front of my face. She hated anything from being out of order. That was also her way of telling me to pay attention. I stopped staring at Godric and began listening to the Alpha.
"You guys will stay here in the big house with our family and a few others. The Beta can show you guys your room and Godric can show Zaya her room. She will be with some of the younger crowd on the west wing. You will be in the East wing. After you guys get settled, please join us in the field on the side of the house. The Luna and I must start the festival."
My parents bowed. My mother tugged on my sleeve to remind me to do the same. The Alpha and Luna left us standing there. Godric grabbed my hand and lead me into the house.
"Let’s go. We don’t want to miss too much of the festival." We left my parents standing there as they waited for the Beta to arrive.
"What about my bags?" I asked as we entered the house.
"Don’t worry. One of the workers will bring them up."
"Workers?” I questioned his comment.
"Yes. We have a few wolves that work here in the Alpha’s house. Two cooks. Four cleaners. And two errand runners."
Those were the only words I heard as we fully entered the house. Compared to our two-bedroom flat, this place was like a castle. The space was overbearing. We walked past a library and what seemed like a living room before we made it to the stairway which was split midway to the top. East and west. The middle of the stairway continued past the split to a third floor.
"Young adults to the west and adults to the east. The third floor is the Alpha and the Beta." He looked back at me to ensure I was paying attention. "I hope you are listening; I would hate for you to get lost." He said in a grim tone.
I simply nodded as he continued.
"This is your room." He pointed to the first room in the hall.
"That was quick." I said out of nervousness.
"This is the room we normally give to the children of our visiting guest. For now, this will be yours until they can find you a permanent accommodation." He opened the door for me and waited until I entered. The room was almost twice the size of my old room and had a private bathroom.
"This is nice. I would have never imagined." I said under my breath, but Godric smiled letting me know I was heard. He was still standing in the doorway, never stepping foot in the room.
"Ok, now we must go outside. The festival has already started." I left my beautiful room.
As he walked back toward the stairs, I asked "Who do the rest of the rooms belong to?"
"The room across from yours is another guest room and it is currently empty. The room next to yours belongs to the beta’s daughter, Hailey. The room across from hers belonged to one of the elder’s grandsons, but he has moved on to another pack. The last two rooms in the hall belong to me and my brother."
My eyes jumped to his in confusion. The alpha did not mention another son. "You have a brother?"
"Yes, he is running around here somewhere."
"Now please little one. We have to get to the festival."
"Zaya."
"What?"
"My name is Zaya."
"I know your name."
"Then why do you insist on calling me little one?" I asked him. This was the first time anyone had given me a nickname and I wasn’t sure how to feel about it.
"Don’t worry. I’m just referencing your height."
"I’m pretty sure there are plenty of people shorter than you. But don’t worry. I will be sure not to hold that against you."
After a few seconds of silence, I realized I had just smart-mouthed the alpha's son. I stopped in my tracks and placed my hand over my mouth. My father warned me of being respectful. Less than an hour of being here, I have already dishonored him. Godric grabbed my hand slowly and pulled it away from my face. Then he continued towards the festival. I wasn’t sure what the punishment was for being rude towards the son of an alpha, but I was wondering why Godric let me get away with it.
The Festival When we left the house and entered the field, my worries of offending Godric soon left me. I had never been around so many wolves before. Their scents hit me all at once. There were little wolves and big wolves. Many were surrounding three large bonfires. I stopped in the middle and began taking it all in. Godric leaned down so I could hear him clearly. "Have you never been to Remembrance Day?" I shook my head no, "I haven’t but I heard a lot about it." He started pointing towards the bonfires. "You pick a bonfire, sit, and listen to the elders tell stories. That’s Past. That one over there is Present. And finally, the one with the larger number of seats is Future." My eyes lit up when he mentioned the future. "So, you heard of the prophecies? Why don’t you head over there? I must check in with the alpha before I can sit and enjoy. I will find you later." I watched as Godric made his way across the
The Beginning I was awakened by a small knock at my door. My eyes peeled open, and the sun was shining brightly through the window. I turned over trying to avoid the bright light. I heard the knocks again and finally rolled out of bed. When I opened the door, a tall girl was standing before me. "Hi, I’m Hailey. You must be Zara?" "Zaya. My name is Zaya." I said wiping the sleep out of my eyes. "Sorry. I thought I heard someone say it was Zara. My apologies. The Luna sent me to tell you breakfast is served in thirty minutes." "Thanks, but I’m not hungry." She gave me a crazy look. "Someone also said you were human raised. Never been in a pack. But I didn’t believe it until now. It’s custom that we all eat together in the main dining hall every morning at 8 am. That’s in 29 minutes." "Oh, sorry. I did not know. I’ll be there." I closed the door as she walked away without a word. I went to the restr
Alone in the Pack My mother reached for my hands to calm me. "Honey, remember what your father said about behaving." But it was too late. The anger in my eyes was already showing. I snatched my hands from hers and stood above both of my parents. “You are leaving, and you weren’t going to say anything.” My father didn’t look at me. Instead, he looked to Alpha Ken. “Alpha, I am so sorry. Forgive her. Please continue.” When he didn’t acknowledge me, I hit the table shaking the plates and cups around me. That finally got his attention. My father looked at me and spoke. “Zaya, please calm down.” I was hurt by him. And now everyone in the room was staring at me. I stormed out of the dining hall. Leaving everyone behind. Before I exited the dining hall, I heard the Alp
Dinner with The Alpha Alpha Ken was standing in my doorway. His head almost reached the top of the door frame. "Is it ok if I come in Zaya?" "It's your house." I sat up on the bed and he took a seat on my couch. "We missed you at breakfast Zaya." "I wasn’t hungry." "I understand you may not be feeling well, but we have rules here and it's important to abide by them." When I didn't respond he continued talking. "Listen, it may not seem to be that big of a deal but when we come together for breakfast in the morning, it's more than just a rule. It's our way of showing up for each other. It's our way of communicating and showing everyone that no matter what happens, we are still here. I can't imagine what is like to just be thrown in this life but I promise you will learn to love it." I was shocked. I thought Alpha’s were supposed to be hard asses. Rude and unkind to show strength. But Alpha Ken was kind. "O
A Morning Run The next morning I was awakened by my phone ringing. I reached around the nightstand until I found it. "Hello," I said with a raspy voice. "Zaya? Are you okay? I called you all day yesterday." I could sense the irritation in his voice. "Luke, I’m sorry. I wasn’t feeling well. I literally slept all day. What time is it?" I asked seeing the dark sky through my window. "It’s almost 5:30 in the morning. I was getting ready for school. Did I wake you?" "Yes, you did. But it is ok I was about to get up anyway. I figured I might run before the day starts. I saw a path that leads into the forest." "I’m glad there is a place for you to run. I know how important that is to you. But I’m more excited to hear your voice. How are you?" I blushed at his words. "I miss you too Luke. And I’m fine." "I wish I had more time to talk but I’m going to be late for practice. I just wanted to get yo
Training Day Did the Alpha just say what I think he said? A rogue attack was coming. I could hear some of the pack members gasping in surprise. Some even growled out of anger. "Do not worry. You warriors will get your chances to protect what is ours. I am taking some of our most skilled warriors to help diffuse the fighting. We leave in a few days. For now, everything will continue as normal." I looked to Godric and Alex. They both looked unfazed by anything the Alpha just said. Maybe that was the role of an Alpha’s son. To seem strong when everyone else is panicking. Alpha Ken left breakfast along with the Luna and Beta. A few other people followed them out. No doubt to discuss the matter further. "You should eat little wolf," Godric said feeling my eyes on him. "Training won’t be as easy. Especially for someone who hasn't trained in years." I listened to him and ate my food in silence. All the while, watching everyone
New Friends I embraced myself. Expecting her claws to dig into me. After a few seconds and no contact, I opened my eyes to see a large hand around her wrist. "Sophie!" I heard Godric’s voice. "You know better. This training is to strengthen your human side, not your wolf. Wolves are not to be released on the field." He spoke to her in a tone I haven’t heard from him before. It was cold. I could hear her wolf whimpering as her eyes returned to their brown color. He let her arm go. "You could have hurt them. Neither have their wolf yet. How would they have defended themselves?" When she didn’t answer, he said, “You are dismissed for the day." "Why? I didn’t touch either of them!" She protested. He shot her a look, and she quickly closed her mouth. She left the field without saying another word. Then he looked at the rest of us girls and simply said, "You girls can move onto the crossbow training." We made
No One To Call Now I realized where the panic, fear, and anger had come from. There was only one way Godric could become Alpha. According to Anna, either Alpha Ken would have to give up his title or he would have to die. And since Alpha Ken was nowhere to be found I assumed the latter. I swallowed hard realizing the worst had come. "Are you guys saying what I think you're saying? Is Alpha Ken dead?" The pit of my stomach began to knot over. I was sick just thinking of the thought. Alpha Ken had been nothing but kind to me since I got here. He made sure everyone made me feel welcome while my parents were away. And then it hit me. These two had just lost their father. "I'm…I'm so sorry to hear that. Are you guys OK?" Alex could hardly make eye contact with me. And Godric wouldn't stop looking at me. Finally, he said, "There's something else you should know." "Godric. Gently." Alex said. "Gently." Godric nodded to