Chapter 1

The wind blows slowly radiating a serene feel as the morning hours begins to drift into the afternoon. Children sit outside the royal castle of the pack playing happily showing their powers to one another. The castle exudes power with its several round towers piercing the sky as the first structure one will see of it. It is connected by reinforced, vast, solid walls made of very rare and expensive golden stones. Refined windows are scattered here and there across the walls in a seemingly random pattern, along with overhanging crenelations for archers and for other ideal defense mechanisms. A regular gate with massive metal doors, a regular bridge and strong defenses of well trained and skilled castle guards stand at alert all around its perimeter.

Though, it is still some thirty minutes before noon, the sun is beginning to get harsher on the skin. Yet, the children and people outdoors never care as they enjoy every feel nature shower upon them.

Since the playing children are still considered youngsters, they are barely clothed in anything, neither is it seen to be a ridiculous act. They consider it to be a normal action among themselves until they become marked into the pack on their eighteenth birthday.

The most well-known and popular White Fur Pack among the werewolves is situated in the northern part of Alacia, a kingdom said to be founded by two different couples who were deeply in love with their respective partners and loved one another as friends.

Everyone residing in the kingdom of Alacia looks peaceful as everyone go on with their own businesses. One won't have to guess what is behind the unity among them. That's just because of the love the founders and ancestors of the pack rooted in the kingdom before their demise.

However, despite the unity the members generally share among the people of Alacia, there is a great internal strife that has been going on for years within the White Fur Pack. This is not something known by all members of the pack, but only few of them. Importantly, any royal member of the pack is greatly aware of the strife as they are being taught and informed from childhood.

One of the first causes of the strife in Alacia is the fact that Alacia can only be ruled by the werewolves. After Alacia was founded, the couples helped different people and beings to live with them as they believed that no being is mightier than the other and every being needs to be accorded the same respect, whether human or not. They organized the order in which the different creatures live with each other and for easy adaptation, creatures of the same kind were granted their own space to enhance their growth and sociality.

Not caring about the other species living in Alacia, the werewolves of the packs wanted ultimate control after the demise of the founders. The few werewolf packs in Alacia went to war for the throne and for the title as the 'Alpha King', which led to a long time of bloodshed before the position fell into the hands of the White Fur Pack royals. They finally got what they wanted after every creature agreed to let them rule as long as they follow the founders' rule of love and peace despite being different.

This did not serve as a solution to other strife, but solving that particular one let the new found peace be maintained within the inhabitants of Alacia and no one complained about the rulings of the wolves until........

*

*

"Yay! look over there, look at the loser." one of the playing children yells very loudly attracting the attention of others to a teenage boy who sits alone on a piled-up mount of stones, staring into space. He is the only fully clothed one among them. His fair skin and mildly long black hair complimented his looks as he is so handsome and his beauty stands out among his peers.

"Oh, he's there? No one ever noticed." another kid says out aloud while the others giggle, all focusing their attention on the boy who pretends not to hear them.

They move closer to him and encircle him on the spot with the girls crossing their arms on their chests. Still, he ignores them and focuses his sight into space.

They move closer to him again, shrinking the circumference around him and the little boy have no choice than to pay them a forced attention.

"What do you guys want?" his masculine voice asks sounding calm and aggressive at the same time.

"Ohoo, future Alpha is getting angry already." they mock him.

"If only he could show us his powers with all those angers of his." another kid comments, and the girls within the circle laugh.

The boy can no longer bear the mocks anymore, and stands up immediately. He pushes them aside, breaking their formed circle, and runs straight into the royal castle, then into his room.

Entering the castle, his father sees him but neither of them cares about the other. He locks his room door behind him and squats slowly, leaning his back on the door and bursts into tears.

Sixteen-years-old Emal is a tall, young and handsome teenage werewolf. He is the last pup of the ruling Alpha Marcus of the White Fur Pack, who is also the Alpha King of Alacia, a man known far and wide for his ruling abilities and great achievements.

Unlike every other growing pup in the pack, Emal has been unable to show any powers since birth aside from his great sense of smell which only himself knows about. Alpha Marcus tried all he could to make sure that he comes out of his shell and show some powers, all proved abortive.

Yet, he crowned Emal as the next Alpha of the pack. Not that Emal is the only male pup of the Alpha. In fact, he's the fourth son with four older siblings preceding him. Three boys and a girl.

Darius, the first and oldest pup of the Alpha has grown into a strong wolf and very respected in the pack. He's very known to be hardworking, but the quality he has that stopped him from becoming the prospective Alpha is his rudeness and lifestyle with girls.

Darius can be very rude to anyone no matter who you are or what you are. All he cares about is his sexual satisfaction and drinking rampage. He spends his leisure period in the popular clubs and bars in Alacia where he gets to get laid by so many girls, some of which are human. Nothing in skirt passes him by without him getting into it as long as it catches his fancy. Somehow, he knows how to control his strength while getting intimate with a human female.

Just like him, Shawl, who is the second pup of the Alpha also likes flirting with girls. Though, not as much as that of his brother. What disqualifies his chance of being the Alpha is his selfishness. One quality a leader, an Alpha of a pack must not have. He never cares about whatever happens to anyone or the result of his actions as long as he's not affected by it.

The third pup, Xander, is gifted with a gentle soul, but he's not so much brilliant for an Alpha and could be easily used as a puppet by the pack enemies.

And Matilda, the only princess of the Alpha, is very strong and sensible, caring and elegantly beautiful. Everything an Alpha need is all in her, but the fact that she's a girl scares the Alpha.

If he pronounces her as the next Alpha, she would no longer be safe from the clutches of the enemies within and outside the pack thereby giving other royal families the privilege to take the throne. Something the Alpha didn't want is the throne eligibility moving from his family to another.

*

*

A sudden hit on the door sends Emal on his knees far away to his bedside. He raises his face to look at his father and he faces the ground in shame. He does not like showing anyone the weak side of him but suddenly, he bursts into more tears and moves closer to his father.

"What's wrong with you?" the Alpha queries with a dominant tone. The tone which exudes his aura and how powerful he is. There is no need for Emal to say anything because his father knows well what has happened.

His lack of powers has made him the subject of bully by the pack youngsters, most especially the pups of the other royal families.

"What can I do father? What else can I do?" he sobs.

"I tried all I can to be like everyone else. Still, nothing. If I can't be more than everyone, at least I can just be like them and I'll be fine. But why can't I?" he laments painfully.

His words anger his father and that earns him a thunderous slap on his cheek. Emal looks up slowly. It isn't because he is shocked, but he is in pain. This is not the first time he'll receive such from his father.

"You are the next Alpha; you can't be a weakling. You've got to try harder and push those silly thoughts aside. Who says you can't be more than everyone else? You're going to be the Alpha and you have to be stronger than everyone else. In fact, you must be and you will be the Alpha of the pack, and Alpha King of Alacia!" the Alpha roars.

"But, till when? Till when will I have to endure all this?"

"Till the moon goddess wants!"

With that, his father turns around to leave his room.

"I'm going back to school tomorrow." Emal announces.

"Are you sure?" the Alpha asks and he nods affirmatively.

"Fine! If you think you can handle it."

Immediately the Alpha left, Shawl enters too, seeing the way Emal sits dejectedly. He walks up to him, mocking his looks.

"Oh boy, you've become such a crybaby." He sneers at the young boy.

"When would you deem it fit to act like an elder brother to me? Have I ever hurt you in any way? Why are you always so harsh on me?" Emal cries the more, his heart becoming so heavy.

"Why? Is that even a question you should ask? Well, you don't have to obey what father has said because you won't be able to be the next Alpha King." Shawl's eyes change color to a scary red, trying to intimidate Emal.

"I never wanted it in the first place!" Emal yells at him, standing on his feet.

"Better, you ungrateful brat. Bastard of the pack!" Shawl said amidst gritted teeth and Emal staggered back, slumping on his bed. That was not the first time he would be called that way, though other members say it behind closed doors. However, the rumors sadden him so much.

"Am I really a bastard? What the hell is going on with me? Who the hell am I?" Several questions ran through his mind and he shouted frustratingly as tears rolled down his cheeks consistently.