Chapter 1

Alonso's POV

The smell of coffee woke me up. As it does every single morning. The guards and maids are so afraid to disturb my sleep, that they never utter a single sound. I wonder how a maid somehow sneaks in to put my morning coffee on the table without making a noise.

I sit up on my bed and stretch my muscles once before grabbing the coffee mug, walking towards the window.

It is all Blue Moon Pack, for as far as I can see. Some people prefer calling it the capital pack. I was nineteen when my father passed the crown to me. And it had been four years since that happened.

I take a sip of my coffee, taking in the beauty of the Royal garden. My mother's special roses are in bloom at the moment. These roses were gifted by a witch when I was probably four years old. I have a faint memory of chaos, and it was my father who saved the werewolf race from it. That's when my pack's witch Monica, offered these roses to my mother. As a token of appreciation.

A knock on the door makes me stand straight but when I caught the subtle scent of honeysuckle, I loosened myself.

"Oh, you are up already" Venus says as she walks to me and stands beside me.

I turn my head to look at her, taking in the moment to smile at her. When she is not noticing.

She is my Beta and my best friend. And she would realise that she is more than that to me tomorrow. She is turning eighteen and she would recognise me as her mate.

It's been a torture, really. To have her at my arm length distance and still unable to hold her in my arms. There were many weak moments where I just wanted to tell her that she was my mate. In hopes that I could be pulled out of this torment.

But I want her to choose me without any influence. I want her to recognise me as her mate on her own. I want her to hug me and kiss me on her free will and not just because The Alpha King told her that he was her mate.

"How convenient is that, that the full moon festival is the day after tomorrow?" She asks me and she finally looks at me.

Her brown eyes boring into my blue ones.

"My father is making a big fuss about it. He says there is a surprise for everyone," I say, finishing the coffee and placing it back on the table.

"So you are telling me you don't know about it? Bullshit," she groans throwing her aubern hair onto her left shoulder, the wind making it even messier. Oh the amount of times I just wanted to run my fingers through her hair. I still do.

"I know you are not big on surprises. But maybe you'll like this one," I say. And I am not hinting the one my father has in store for all of us, but the one she is definitely going to be surprised about the other one.

We both stand in silence until she nudged me with her elbow before walking out. That means it's time for the morning patrol. Usually I used to do the morning patrols with her father, Conrad Gratley. But a few months earlier, Venus offered to learn since she is going to be the Beta soon.

I take a quick shower but walk out in my joggers instead of my formal attire. People make way and bow down to me as I move forward. I plaster a smile for them, and nod my head here and there in appreciation and a greeting.

I run my fingers through my black hair, as I finally reach Venus who is walking real slow. Or maybe she is just waiting for me to catch up.

"Or maybe, the world doesn't revolve around you," my wolf chimes in.

"Oh someone finally woke up," I say and find words to say, because he is a grumpy person in the mornings. Sometimes I walk on eggshells when talking to him in the mornings.

"And why didn't it occur to your dickhead, that maybe I am grumpy because I am regretting choosing your dumbass as my other half?" My wolf asks me and I shut him up.

My wolf, Thunder is an all black wolf. And his love language is roasting. If he is nice to you, then I am sorry he doesn't like you.

Once we are done with the patrols, checking the security at the four checkposts, Venus and I head to have our breakfast. Usually at my place because I hear the report from Venus's father as I have my breakfast and Venus sets my schedule accordingly.

I can't wait for her to shift tomorrow. Once she realises I am her mate, then we can stay together all day, every day. I am The Alpha King and she will be my Beta. My Queen. My mate.

"King?" Conrad's voice brings me down from my thoughts and I look at him, focusing on what he is trying to say.

"I'm sorry, Beta Conrad. What was it again?" I ask him, doing my best focusing on him rather than his daughter who is staring at me in confusion.

"The Full Moon Festival, King" he reminds me again and I nod.

The Full Moon Festival tradition happens once every year. Total 12 full moons and sometimes 13 in a year. And every full moon, five packs celebrate the full moon festival in five different continents. Then the baton is passed to the neighbouring pack that will celebrate their Full Moon Festival the next month.

And we recieved the from the Red Stone Pack a few days ago. So now we are glamming up to celebrate the Full Moon Festival this month.

Once we discussed about the Full Moon Festival and the guest list, I resumed to my Alpha King duties. There were several meetings lined up with Alphas of various packs. The topic of the discussion was the concerning rise of the Rogues.

It's as if someone is building an army of Rogues out there. Because typical Rogue behaviour is that they wander everywhere and create a mess, when they pass through the borders of a few packs. But the scenario is different here. They are forming in groups. Now that's a pack behaviour that Rogues don't often follow.

I skipped my lunch but sneakily ate an apple between the meetings and the signature signings. By the time I was done, it was already evening.

I walked to the clearing before heading home. My wolf needs a release. He is not someone who cannot be contained. The longest he had gone without shifting by far is four days.

I strip naked behind a tree and jump in the air, landing on four paws instead of two legs. My vision grows even more clear and I realised I am looking at the world through my Wolf's eyes.

Thunder tips his head back, howls to his heart content before running along the border. I sink back in the back of Thunder's head and watch him feel free. Feel the air combing through his dark black fur.

But his movements came to a halt all of a sudden. I look around through Thunder's eyes. The sunset is calm. But why is it this calm? Why aren't the birds chirping? I look up and realise there are no birds here.

That's when a Rogue jumps from a bush, landing just a feet away from me.

"Really? Such cheap stunt?" Thunder's growl boomed and I bet the Rogue understood it, because it let out an angry snarl.

Thunder did not even think twice before pouncing on the Rogue and sinking his teeth into the Rogue's neck. This is unsettling to watch but I am used to it now.

The stinky almost black blood sprayed on Thunder's fur but he didn't let go until the Rogue was surely dead and he let his last breath go. The black blood is not even visible on Thunder's black fur.

Thunder looked around to see if there's anyone else, knowing very well that another Rogue ran away after witnessing what happened to his friend.

And maybe that would be good to send a message to whoever there is out there, gathering the Rogues.

Finishing the run and putting on my clothes, I rushed to the borders again and double checked the security by myself. I am the Alpha King and I rule the capital pack. If someone enters the pack and makes a nuisance, then the world will hear about it. The fingers start pointing at me. And I cannot afford that at the moment.

My father was waiting for me at the pack house with dinner served before him. I walk further, to take a shower before having dinner but my father's voice stopped me from doing so.

"Sit with me. For a while," he says and I don't say another word. My feet automatically take me to him.

"The Ocean Howlers are arriving for the Full Moon Festival," I hear my father say and I just stare at him, waiting for him to say more.

The Ocean Howlers Pack has the biggest Naval Fleet in the continent. They had been our strongest pack for centuries now.

"The Alpha family and the Beta family," my father says again.

Then who takes care of the pack in their absence?

"And there is something I need to tell you-"

His words are cut short when a mindlink surprises and startles us both at the same time.

"Venus is having an early shift. In the clearing!" The mindlink from Conrad stated.

I looked at my father once, nodded at him and ran out before listening what he had to say. At this point, I don't care about any other thing. Venus is shifting. My mate is shifting. And it's time she recognises who I am and what I am to her.

It's finally time.