KALEN
Breathe in. Breathe out. Repeat.
My legs pumped, gaining momentum and speed with every push. A surge of adrenaline rushed through me. I forced my legs to push harder through the obstacle course. Sweat poured off of me, showing me just how difficult this course was. I fucking loved it.
I leapt from the top of the rock wall to the wooden beam that was suspended in the air. The sweat pouring off of me was not all that helpful when trying to balance so that I did not plummet to the ground. I was not really one who enjoyed healing from broken limbs. That sucked, so I always tried my best to avoid it.
A whizzing sound was heard from the right, and I dropped down just in time for another log to fly over my head. Grandpa Mike took great pride in designing his courses, always wanting to find new ways to keep participants on edge because that was when their survival instincts were tested.
I jumped to my feet again and took off. There was a springboard at the end. I pushed off from it and flew through the air to grab onto the hanging trapeze bar. From there, my body flipped, landing not so gracefully against the mat.
My body bent in half as I tried to catch my breath. There was a round of applause, catching me off-guard because I thought that I was alone. I bit my lip to try and stop the blush from overtaking my face before looking around to see who all witnessed my course run.
Thankfully, only my parents, grandparents, and Matteo were here. He would become my Beta when I took my title.
Howdy there. Kalen Anderson at your service. I was the Alpha heir of the Dark Moon pack and would become the first female Alpha that this pack has ever had. It was exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time because of it being history in the making and all that jazz. My life was spent training for this. Sadly, I had already needed to prove that I was every bit as capable of being the Alpha of my pack simply because of my gender. Why gender was the qualifier was beyond me.
Matteo brought over a towel and my water bottle. He was my best friend and would be the best Beta just like his father was for my parents. Nobody would guess that he was fifteen because he looked and acted much older than that. His maturity was just one of the things I loved about him. He took his position in leadership just as seriously as I did.
“Thanks,” I said, wiping the sweat off of my face and taking a big gulp of water.
“Anytime. Damn, K. That was definitely impressive. You beat your previous time by thirty-two seconds.”
Hell yes. I pumped my fist in the air because that was awesome. I might have been a competitive person. Perhaps a little bit but nothing major. Okay, that was bullshit. I got the competitive drive from both of my parents. Those two were always up for competitions. Mom was a little bit more driven than Dad, but it was not by too much. It was always fun to see them go head-to-head.
Dad bumped my shoulder with his, pride shining in his eyes. He was always the biggest supporter of his children, cheering us on no matter what the cause was for. I was blessed to have Alpha Theo Anderson as my father.
“Are you ready for a new year of school?” he asked me.
I rolled my shoulders as I thought about it, attempting to push the truth down deep and locking it away.
This year was going to prove to be the most difficult year of my entire life, but he did not need to know that.
It sucked when you got glimpses of the future and knew some of what was to come. How did you separate the present and future when you saw both running parallel at times? The glimpses did not always make sense either. Many times, it was similar to a jigsaw puzzle. Each piece would add to the overall picture but were not always in order.
“It’ll be good to take the next step in life.” I shrugged my shoulder. “Nika is itching for a run. What do you say, Papa Zen? Feeling up to stretching your legs?”
Papa Zen shimmered through and let out a low growl, challenging Nika to a race. Dad’s wolf, Zen, had trained Nika until she was just as lethal as he was.
Everyone else placed their bets on who would win. Grams put her bet on Papa Zen. She always bet in favor of her son because many times other people would not. This was another instance of that as the rest put their bets on Nika.
I ran over to the partition, stripped off my clothes, and folded them. I would grab them later to wash.
Then I let Nika take over. Shifting did not hurt and was very smooth. The process was really cool and was something that we had practiced for years to be able to fully accomplish. Imagine a wave – first her snout and then the rest of her body followed through the ripple effect. She also shifted the fastest out of the entire pack.
Nika was a large silver wolf with golden eyes. She was very clearly an Alpha wolf, standing just about the same size as Papa Zen. She was a very proud wolf but was also humble at the same time.
She crouched down and flicked her tail at him. He flashed her a wolfish grin before shooting off.
‘Cheater,’ she called out as she took off after him.
‘What are you going to do about it, slayer?’ he countered.
She tilted her head back and let out a long howl. Her shoulders dipped a little as she maneuvered the trail. It was the one that Papa Zen had created for Mom’s wolf, Mama Moira, when Dad built our family home for Mom.
He had always called her Slayer since she first awakened because he could tell immediately that she would take after Mama Moira and would be a badass who would be able to slay her foes if it ever came to that.
We wanted our parents to be proud of us no matter what that entailed. Sometimes, it felt like my being was pulled in two directions.
I was not just the Alpha heir. I also hailed from the Quolia bloodline, one that was blessed by the Moon Goddess herself. The females of my line were called Vessels and blessed with power and abilities so that we could protect those who needed to be protected. Not every Vessel had the same abilities or amount of power. It was determined by the Goddess and according to our purpose in life.
Mom was one of the most powerful Vessels of our entire line. Grandma Tris, her mother, had been preparing me since I was a pup. It was mentioned before I was born that I would hold even more power, and that daunted me to think about. Apparently, I had even somehow tapped into one ability while I was still in her womb and created a shield to protect her one day.
Was it selfish of me to wish that my life was just destined to be ordinary? I shook that thought from my mind because it was indeed selfish. I had been chosen to help protect others. That was an honor I would do my best to be worthy of and to uphold it.
They raced until they were both exhausted. Luckily, we kept spare clothes here, so I grabbed one of the dresses that we stashed to make it easier after shifting.
Dad was already sitting on top of the large ‘thinking’ boulder where we would often sit and talk things out.
I climbed up next to him and put my head on his shoulder, while he wrapped his arm around mine.
The sun was setting, and it was absolutely gorgeous. I thoroughly loved our territory. It was a really beautiful place to live. Right now, we were sitting in the forest, looking at the sunset being the backdrop of the mountain range.
“You know that I’m always here if you ever want to talk, sweetheart,” he said softly.
Dad and I have always had a close relationship. Mom and I were both Vessels, and she was able to bond with that side of me. Dad, however, was able to bond with the Alpha side of me.
“I’m nervous,” I admitted. He remained silent, letting me get it all out. “Leadership Training is going to be a fucking nightmare. I’m sure you know just how many sexist ideals run rampant there. I hate that I always have to defend my position. It really hinders progress as a whole. Instead of acting like future leaders, many act like childish dicks. There was even a damn petition going around at the end of last year for me to be banned from Leadership Training because I was female.”
He sucked in air when he heard that. I had not told them about that last year because I did not want to cause any unnecessary stress or tension. I knew that they would have fought for me without fail, but I could fight my own battles.
They had enough to deal with when it came to leading this pack but also being a part of the Supernatural Council.
The Council was set up to represent and help govern the various supernatural species. They offered protection for vulnerable populations. They also ensured that laws were not being broken, such as the trafficking of any species. Another example that they saw a lot of was when packs were led by pieces of shit and tortured their members. It was the Council’s duty to ensure that the innocents were protected and the guilty were punished no matter what the species was.
“What did you do in response to that?” he asked, raising his brow curiously. His emerald eyes that matched mine twinkled with mischief.
My hands flexed before I popped them outwards, a smirk making its way onto my face with the memory.
“I grabbed the petition and took it down to the training room where quite a few of the idiots related to those signatures would be. Three of the Alpha heirs were there, so I challenged them. One-on-one. I only got through two before the third one ducked out of the room. I stared them in the eyes and told them that being Alpha was about more than just the title. It was about being capable of walking with respect, dignity, and honor. Then I turned on my heel and left.”
Dad threw his head back and laughed as if that was the funniest thing he had ever heard before.
“That’s my girl,” he said proudly.
KALEN‘C’mon, Alpha Kalen. We don’t want to be late,’ Nika chirped.‘Sure we do. School is vastly overrated. There’s no need to even go. We could easily pass every exit exam. Mom graduated when she was fourteen. There’s no reason why we have to finish out the next two years.’My wolf rolled her big golden eyes at me and stuck me with a no-nonsense look. Sometimes, sharing my mindspace with someone else royally sucked because nothing remained secret. She knew my emotions as well as my reasons.Something about today would set things in motion. What that was, I had absolutely no idea. It could be anything from crossing the street to meeting someone specific to insulting an idiot. There was no telling what it would be. I was absolutely fucked if it was the last one because too many idiots loved to voice their opinions of me and my position within a pack that was not even their own.I was wearing a pair of black ripped skinny jeans that was paired with a white lace V-neck short sleeved top
KALEN‘No matter where you go, you are representing Dark Moon,’ Dad had said multiple times. ‘Act and react as an Alpha. Remain collected and calm, but don’t let people walk over you.’Dad always gave me great pearls of wisdom. They became mantras that helped me get through times when I wanted to just slap a bitch or realign someone’s nose.Did I have anger issues? No. Calm was my general state of being. I just had a low tolerance meter for bullshit. Case in point – right now.We were changing for Training Ops. It was a class that was geared towards those who were seeking to become warriors and Enforcers, but anyone could take it. This class was mandatory for leadership though because we had to be the best of the best for our packs. Ensuring that they remained safe and secure was of the utmost importance.There were petty bitches snickering and talking about Sera. She was the sweetest person you would ever meet. She never talked down to anyone or made them feel like shit.“It makes me
MADDOXIt was really fucking ridiculous that I was forced to attend an academy this year. I would love nothing more than to tell my father to shove it up his ass and leave me the fuck alone, but I valued oxygen expanding my lungs a little too much for that.Why did I have to suffer through all of this fucking bullshit just because my old man had a vendetta? I was nothing more than his errand boy – a good soldier who was not meant to question his orders.The morning had been shaping up to be a complete letdown. Sure, there was a hot chick who practically offered herself up to me. I enjoyed my fair share of females, but I did not go for the desperate types. I craved a challenge, something to keep me intrigued.The hot chick that was wrapped around me had nothing on the green-eyed beauty that I had caught eyeing me. She was fucking fine in those clothes, but I bet she looked even better out of them and spread wide open for me.I wondered what her name was, but I was not about to ask anyon
KALENJade had somehow convinced me to go to the party tonight. It was not that I disliked parties, but I knew that being around idiots while they were drinking just made them into even bigger idiots.She convinced me by saying that me ditching out on the party would make David feel like I worried about retribution. I knew that she just used it since she knew it would get me to agree, but she did have a slight point. Thus, I conceded.She and Ava took it upon themselves to make certain that I was all decked-out, teasing me I would look like a fucking knockout at all times if I put in half as much effort as I did on shaving time off of my obstacle courses.I simply told them that I did not care about looking like a knockout. I dressed up for myself when I wanted to. It was not like I would be dating because I had made the decision a couple of years back that I was going to wait for my mate. I wanted him to be the one that I dressed up for and the one that got all of my firsts.Now, I di
KALENI tried to push Zion’s words out of my head for now because they could mean anything at all.We found Ava and Matteo by the bonfire. They were chatting away with some of their friends from the academy who lived on campus.Someone covered my eyes from behind. It was easy to guess who it was by scent alone.“I wonder who this could be,” I deadpanned.She just bounced around and gave me a big grin. Blakely was super gorgeous. She was the eldest triplet of Uncle Dante and Aunt Ziyah, Alpha and Luna of the Shadow Falls pack. She was a wolf/Fae hybrid and really fucking powerful on both accounts. Plus, she excelled in combat magic.Blakely was just as gorgeous as she was lethal. 5’9 with curves and muscles galore. Black hair with natural white highlights. Light blue eyes with amethyst specks in them. Her skin tone took after her Light Fae heritage with it being pale ivory with a dusting of shimmer, reminiscent of diamond powder, but hers was a bit more subtle.“Having fun?” she asked,
MADDOXMy eyes had been completely transfixed on her from the moment that I saw her at the party. I thought that she looked hot in regular clothes. I thought that she looked sexy as hell in her gym outfit. Nothing could really get better than that right? Wrong. So, fucking wrong.Neo was growling up a storm as I checked her out. Goddess-fucking-damn! Never had I seen anyone that looked that good.I kept my distance until I saw her head to the dance floor, and I prowled on over there. I needed to know what this beauty’s body felt like as she danced with me.My hands splayed onto her hips, gripping a little bit. It felt like we were the only two on this dance floor right now. The way that her body felt against mine…Then she turned to face me and laced her arms around my neck. Her eyes were so expressive, pulling me straight into them.This dance was a great beginning to what would end up being a great night if I had anything to say about it. I wanted to see these moves when she wore abs
KALENNot surprisingly, Maddox did not approach me once school started. I figured that he had taken the not-so-subtle hint.I could not have been more wrong because he bombarded me when I got to the lunchroom and asked if we could go somewhere to talk privately after eye-fucking me. I told him, and I quote, my knee to your tiny dick should have been conversation enough.Zion had the forethought to make his way to me the moment that I had come through the door, so he threw his arm over me, and we walked away. Maddox growled either in anger, embarrassment, agitation, or he just thought he was a scary puppy. Any of those options would fit, especially the last one.I would not have minded speaking to him if he had not eye-fucked me then asked if we could go somewhere private to talk. Not after what happened at the party.Then Grant and Gabriel, the Alpha heirs of the Nightshade pack, came over and asked me to play along. All of us were close because our parents were, so we were essentially
MADDOXHer eyes flicked to mine, filled with surprise and determination. I had no idea what caused the surprise, but it seemed that she was figuring out that I was not just a handsome face. I managed to land another hit on her, but she got two in on me. Those would definitely bruise.I was a damned good fighter. I was trained to be lethal when need be. Beauty was on an entirely different level though. Truly, I had underestimated her when she claimed to have been trained since she could walk. It certainly proved to be true though. This level of expertise was proof.I got an elbow to my jugular, making me nearly falter, but I pulled myself together. In turn, she got a hard deck to the jaw.Round and round we went, clearly both refusing to give up. She had landed more hits on me in total, but I was a determined fucker.She got a perfect roundhouse kick in with enough force that I was unable to stop my plummet down. Of course, she wasted no time in taking charge of the situation."Do you