Chapter 1

 

The earth beneath her feet was damp with the remnants of the night’s rainfall. Moss and dirt sticking to the underneath of her feet as she walked the dense forest that surrounded her. Fog clung to the ground and tickled her bare legs as she walked.

She had no destination in mind and instead took solace in the peace that the forest brought to her. She often wondered on her own, she preferred to be a lone wolf.

She let her fingertips brush over the leaves of bushes and the bark of the surrounding trees as she continued walking. It wasn’t long before the forest began to melt away and she found herself on her usual cliffside, overlooking the vast lake within their territory.

The rock beneath her feet felt rough against her bare soles as she crouched down. Her knuckles resting against the natural surface as she used her other hand to trail along each crevice and curve of the stone. She looked out at the lake as she did this, breathing in the view. Her mind at peace.

Her ears perked up as she listened to the howl that echoed around the valley, bouncing off the mountains, she blew out a breath. Knowing it was to be expected after not showing face for a few hours.

Her father was calling her home.

She stood to her full height and stretched out her limbs, relishing in the feeling of her muscles removing any stiffness from her body. The cool air caressing her skin as it blew softly against her. She breathed in, picking up on the scents of her territory.

The scent of the pack was strong in the air and strongest in the east, at the centre of the pack. It was always easy to find the way home.

She let out a light sigh as she turned away from her breath-taking view and climbed down from her perch. It didn’t take her long before her walk through the forest turned into a full run. Muscles pulling and stretching as she lunged over fallen trees and large roots. Moss and wet leaves brushing against her feet.

Her advanced agility allowed her to break through the thinning tree line within minutes. Her run slowing to a walk as her breathing evened out. The centre of the pack was set within a vast clearing protected by the forest. Built by her ancestors as they made their stake on the territory the new world had brought them. Scottish blood ran through their veins, diluted over time as the pack evolved. Their brutality and fire, however, still lived strong.

Small cabins and huts filled the clearing with a central fire sat at the centre. The heart of the pack. They ate together, celebrated together and mourned together. The bond between them was breakable only by death.

She drifted between the dens of her people, letting her fingers drift over softs furs out to dry and inhaled the delicious smells of cooking meat over the smaller fires. The small chatter of the people filling the air like static to her ears. Her mind drifting as her feet found their way towards her father.

He wasn’t hard to find.

He sat atop his chair beside the pack fire. Built by the first Alpha of their pack it was tradition for it to be the alphas seat.

The seat of their power grounded within the heart of the pack.

Power emanated from the very pores of his skin, unbearable to weaker wolves among them. Strong broad shoulders held up a head filled with thick shoulder length black hair streaked with grey. His age beginning to show after the extended longevity of life their genes gifted them. His body covered in scars from their harsh lifestyle stood out in stark contrast against his tanned skin, worn as medals of honour.

An Alpha did not keep his title without physical altercations.

His bushy eyebrows hid his vibrant hazel eyes as he looked down in contemplation, his pointer finger on his right hand resting against his cheek. He looked up as she approached, a frown marring his features as their eyes met. His hands moved down to clasp in his lap as he slumped in his chair.

“Where have you been?” The question floated in the air.

His voice always held a deep timbre, gruff like a sore throat, but always filled with a slight amusement whenever he spoke to her. She moved over to his side and dropped herself onto the floor to his right, legs crossed over one another with her hands resting against her knees. She stared into the pack fire as she situated herself, twilight was upon them and soon the pack would be gathering for their nightly meal.

Her father was patient for her answer, he was always patient with her and her overrun emotions. His patience with her kept her beast at bay, the power he emanated calming to her inner animal.

“I was checking the borderline,” She told him simply.

“Were you now, and what about the patrols?” He asked her, a slight grumble rising from his chest as his interest peaked.

“Not doing their job thoroughly enough, I picked up on three different scents,” She told him, annoyance lacing her tone.

She breathed in a deep breath, clearing her mind as her beast pushed at her. She didn’t take kindly to imposers on her territory, it unsettled her. Pushed her beast to the forefront of her person. To the edge of her control.

“We should expect visitors soon then,” Her father stated brightly.

She flashed her teeth at him, elongated canines snapping against her straight teeth as her eyes flashed. Her beast just beneath the surface. Her father growled at her, snapping his head towards her as his eyes flashed to vivid gold.

“I understand the wolf does not appreciate imposters but know your place. You doubt me in my old age,” He told her through sharpened teeth.

He didn’t break eye contact with her, there was never a winner between them when it came to dominance. Her beast never relented in its fight for survival. They both looked away at the same time, a draw in the fight for dominance. She stood as his protector because of her utmost respect for him. Without an Alpha, there was no pack.

 

Her father was centuries old. He’d seen three wars before welcoming his family to the world. The world around them had changed swiftly, they lived by the old ways and therefore lived off of the forest. At her father’s side, she had lived for decades herself and seen many atrocities at the hands of mankind, making her more protective of her father.

Although age brought power to Alphas and their packs physically, the mind was an arena of its own. Packs were built from strong leaders, an Alpha and a Luna. Her father had lost his Luna, her mother, some time ago and had slowly declined ever since. The normal wolfs eye would not catch it but she did, his usual strong frame was slightly stooped. His eyes no longer held the sharp glint they once had. It was only a matter of time before someone would try to stake their claim.

Not that she would allow it.

“We should not welcome strangers into the heart of the pack,” She told him.

The thought of newcomers displeased her. She was barely comfortable with her pack mates. Preferring to keep to the edge of the territory during the day, checking their borders were secure and retiring to her den at night. Her den was set just into the tree line of the clearing, hidden from view, and completely isolated from the main pack.

“They may not be a danger, we must always be open to new members,” Her father said positively.

The only fault in her father as an Alpha was his positivity. Threats were around every corner. Lone wolves were on the rise. There was unrest between the packs. Alliances being broken. And still, he thrived on seeing the good in people.

They were better off keeping to themselves, their way of life was already a mystery to other packs. They were seen as almost a myth, hiding within the deep forests of the north like ghosts. They hadn’t attended a meeting with another Alpha for at least a decade. Their anonymity is what kept them protected.

They didn’t need any unrest. Her nerves had been on edge the past few months, sensing something bigger was coming, she just didn’t know what. It had her guard up at all times of the day, the feeling almost fraying her nerves, but she still kept her edge.

“What is it, something has been troubling you?” Her father asked, sensing her unrest as she became lost in her thoughts.

Her father placed his hand over her own, his grip firm in a reassuring gesture. She let out a deep breath as she met his gaze once again. The easiest way for wolves to express their feelings was through touch. The bond between an Alpha and his pack mates allowed him to feel as if he was them, the ability to feel the full emotion they were wanting to convey.

She, however, could not be accessed so easily. Her beast thrived on blood and death, a true war beast. A feral wolf. She had no emotional link to her pack mates; she didn’t cower under the power of an Alpha.

Completely wild and unpredictable.

“I cannot tell you,” She told him softly.

It must be shown.

She let her head fall to her chest, breathing heavily as her father moved her hair away from the back of her neck. The cool air causing her flesh to prickle against the evening air. She felt her father’s hand hover over her exposed neck, the tips of his claws trailing over her skin, before he sunk them deep into the flesh.

She roared silently, eyes blazing with her beast, as his claws made contact with the top of her spine and the base of her skull. Her body froze as did his as the connection was made. Eyes closed as she watched images flow beneath her eyelids. Her fear and distrust seeping into the display as she displayed the new scents at their borders, the suspicious activity she would pick up on now and again. It was enough to put her paranoia into override, her beast never at peace within her. Constantly pacing, constantly bloodthirsty.

 

The exchange was quick between them, her father retracting his claws as she regained her composure. An exchange as physical as the one they had just shared was a two-way experience and it took immense willpower to keep their minds apart. Her fathers will was once strong, but as his claws retracted she caught the glimmering images of her mother and brothers locked behind his eyes.

“All is not as it seems, perhaps we may not be so welcoming to any future guests,” He stated, retreating into his mind in contemplation.

He slumped back into his chair as he thought over what he had seen. He did not take her beast likely and interpreted her as best as he could for the welfare of the pack. What he did with her signs were of his own decision.

Her father’s throne was about to be challenged.

Others sensed weakness within the pack.

“Not guests. Contenders,” She said ominously, staring into the glowing fires before her.