BlackCreek City was small, yet big at the same time. The forest it was named after surrounded the busy city, making it beautiful with all the greenery that it grew. It was a peaceful place for both werewolves and humans alike. It took a lot to get it this way, where everyone lived in harmony. But happiness is never achieved without facing hardships as well.
At least, that's what he was taught.
"Now, before we get there," his father sat up straighter and started to straighten out his clothes. "Tell me about what you have studied of the Alphas. I don't want you going in there without having the proper knowledge."
"Alpha Nir is of the Noble Pack," Shiro started. "Calm and collected, he is known as an understanding leader and peacemaker. Alpha Roger of the Dynamic Pack is known for his bold points of view and loves telling things frankly. He despises being ran in circles with words."
"And the final pack?" his father pushed. They were approaching the community center, where all the Alphas held important meetings with each other.
"Alpha Jett of the Valor Pack," he started slowly. For some reason, that name resonated with him. There was a certain feeling it gave him when it slipped off his tongue that he couldn't quite understand at the moment. "Is an Alpha of confidence. Well known for his fighting skills as well as his ability to work well with the other packs, he strives to be the best he can be."
"Good," his father answered. "Now you are only to talk when you are spoken to, understood?"
"Yes, Alpha," he nodded. The community center was right in the middle of the city. It was the best spot for all of them to talk so that they didn't have to place any rules on who's territory to visit when these meetings took place. It was always heavily guarded. When he got out of the car, he caught onto the scents of the guards. Most of them he had fought with the day before. It seemed as if it was the Valor Pack's turn to guard.
It was fun fighting with them. Shiro hadn't fought alongside another pack before. Since he was next in line to lead, his father tried to protect him and kept him from fighting too much unless it was something dire. He especially didn't like him fighting alongside the other packs.
He had never met the Alpha of the Valor pack until then. But he would never forget how intense those orange eyes were when they met his for the first time. He wasn't expecting the Alpha to thank him for his help. It was difficult to look past your pride and accept help when you're a leader. Shiro admired him for that.
They walked into the building quickly. The other three Alphas were waiting for them. There was much to discuss.
"Remember what we talked about," his father mind linked with him. "Do not speak unless you are spoken to."
"I will do as you say," he told him. He wasn't one to ramble on anyway. He was simply happy to be there.
The door opened slowly, showing the three men sitting at the table. Alpha Nir was the first to notice them. His dark blue eyes were like the ocean at night. His dark brown hair brought the color out more. It was cut short and neatly swept on top of his head. The short beard was what gave him a look of nobility.
Alpha Roger was the next to lay his eyes on him. Those fire red eyes looked like an explosion of dynamite. His orange hair matched his fiery look. It was short like Nir's, only his beard was much longer. His moustache grew out long as well and curled at the ends. Shiro had learned from his grandfather at a time that the Dynamic Pack had Viking ancestors.
The last pair of eyes that landed on him were to a man that looked much younger than the other two. The muscular man wore a tight dress shirt, and had black hair that curled. It just barely missed his shoulders, giving him more of a wilder look than the rest of them.
But Shiro knew who he was. Those orange eyes were too intense to be anyone else. And Shiro could never forget his scent. It was all over that part of the forest that he had fought in.
They were also the only ones that could stare at him that intensely.
"Alpha Sakdah," Alpha Nir smiled. "I'm glad you were able to make it."
"But of course," his father smiled back. "I wouldn't miss such an important meeting."
The Reverence Pack was the only one that wore kimonos. It was to respect the ancestors of the pack, as they had been the first to come from overseas. While most pack members wore normal clothing for their every day use, every pack member wore one at celebrations.
The other three packs wore regular clothing. For some reason, he hadn't been able to focus on the details of his surroundings like he usually did. His gaze was drawn to the tight shirt on the younger Alpha. As much as he tried to keep his head bowed out of respect, he couldn't help but be drawn to the man.
No. He couldn't.
He had to stay in control.
But those eyes kept beckoning his to look at him. And there was something about his scent that reached out like arms to him. It was strong and thick, like fog. It drew him closer.
"Who did you bring with you, Alpha Sakdah?" the man asked. His voice was low but clear. Shiro remembered it fondly from the mind link when they fought together the day before.
"Ah," Alpha Roger smiled. "I believe we forgot to tell you the original reason for this meeting, Jett."
Those orange eyes looked away from his for a second. Instead, they looked at the other Alpha with confusion.
"I thought this was about the hunters," he raised an eyebrow.
"It is," his father announced. "However, it just so happens to be my son's eighteenth birthday." He motioned towards him. "This is Shiro Wang, the next in line for my title of Alpha of the Reverence Pack."
He shook the oldest Alpha's hands first. He had met them when he was young. And they seemed happy to see him again.
"Alpha Jett," his father said as he walked to shake his hand. "I believe you're the only one who hasn't met my son before."
"Actually," the man smiled. "I believe we met yesterday." He put out his hand and met his gaze again. "It's nice to officially meet you, Shiro."
"The pleasure's mine," he smiled. It wasn't until their hands met that he realized what was going on. Shiro wanted to pull back from the strong grip. But that would send the wrong message to everyone in the room.
He should have seen the signs: the way that he looked at him; the intensity of his stare; the way that his voice beckoned to him like a siren to a sea captain. He had studied body language and what they look like in both a political setting as well as in a normal setting. He should have seen this.
Shiro should have known that this was going to happen. The Spirit of the Moon had been giving their pack no time after their eighteenth birthday to wait for this. He should have known enough to prepare himself. For he had no idea that the spirit was that angry with him.
Instead, he let himself be transfixed with an Alpha from another pack. Another leader which could easily reject him simply because of their political positions.
Instead, he let the Spirit of the Moon trick him into thinking that today was going to be a good day. And he had fallen right into her trap. For, he had no clue that she would mate him with the Alpha of the Valor Pack.
He couldn't tell until he felt the sparks that flew from their hands. It made him want to run at him and hold him forever. To hold and be held. To love and be loved.
But he knew he couldn't.
Control. That's what Shiro had spent his whole life mastering. The mind was a tool, and a powerful one at that. Shiro used it to hide his scent. For the Alpha could easily tell what he was through that alone.
The handshake only lasted a second or two. He made sure of it. The man seemed curious about him, but Shiro could see that he didn't feel it before he had blocked his scent and his mind off to him.
His heart and soul were crushed under his own controlling tyranny. They longed to go to his mate. But he knew he couldn't. He couldn't open himself up right now. Not when they were supposed to have an important meeting. Not when he hadn't even finished his schooling, or got his title as leader of his pack.
Not with his father there.
So, he wasn't just a warrior after all. Jett knew there was something different about him from the moment he saw him. Why Sakdah decided to keep him a secret until now was beyond him, though. The alpha was short in size, yes, but it was easy to tell his strength just by how the man stood, and the look in his eyes."You two met?" Alpha Sakdah questioned. He was a lot taller than his son. He knew the man to be quite a pain in meetings. He only liked to talk about his pack, and that was only when he needed something. But that was the only time that Jett really saw him. The Reverence Pack kept to themselves, even when they were going to school in the same place as them. The children kept to each other and rarely befriended anyone other than the ones that were in their pack."He and his warriors aided me in our attack on the hunters when they came to my territory," Jett explained. He wanted to keep looking at those dark eyes, but they had started to avoid him for some reason. They were sof
"Modesty. Humility," his grandfather said. "These were the words that shaped how a good leader should act. Not just in how they dressed, but through what they said as well. And a leader that is not humble can never truly understand what their people are going through. You cannot change this pack for the better if you do not understand the issues that the people are going through.""But what about bravery and respect?" Shiro asked. He loved these lessons, but sometimes they didn't make sense."Those are important traits to have, Shiro," his grandfather smiled at him. The wrinkles made his smile spread over his whole face. "But you must remember that it takes bravery to be humble. Modesty is a sign of respect."Shiro wished that he didn't remember so vividly sometimes. Being able to remember someone who he could not see any longer gave him a pain that had not dulled since he was thirteen.But he had to remember. For memories of a person was what kept them alive. And his grandfather woul
"Why do I have to go with you?" Alex whined. His face was smushed against his fist as he rested it on the armrest in his car."Because I need someone to keep me sane while I wait for him," Jett said. His best friend provided some much needed comedy for the day. Jett had been up to his elbows in work as the pack raised its defense around their territory. So far there was no sign of any of the hunters' friends. So, either they wiped out an entire town of them, like he had thought before, or their friends were just waiting for the right time to strike.It had been two days since they came. Jett wasn't going to put his guard down that easily. He knew plenty well just what the Noble Pack had to go through. They were actually planning funeral services for their warriors next week. Nir had invited him personally to it."I hate driving up here," Alex said. For a big muscly dude, he loved to pout. It looked hilarious on him. Like a giant lap dog upset that he couldn't go outside and play."It'
"Why was he following us?" Geo mind linked with him."I'll explain later," he told his beta. He didn't know the full reason why he had been tailing him so far away from their territory. He just had a hunch that he'd rather not focus on at the moment.All it would take is one slip of the mind and he could catch onto their bond. Shiro couldn't have that. That would only cause more problems. Problems that could potentially ruin his future. While the Spirit of the Moon might be mad at him for going against nature at the moment, he could take her punishments for it. It wouldn't be for too much longer.And he had been training his whole life for this.He was glad that Geo didn't try to press him. He must have known that something had happened yesterday. Shiro would thank him for his patience later. Right now, they brought his car back to the pack house. They never took his car where they were going."This place is always so beautiful," Tammy looked out the car window at their home. "I wish
"That's not possible," Jett told his sister."To be mated to another Alpha?" Bree laughed. "Trust me, Jett, it's very possible. It just means that he'll have to be brought to our pack, since you're the leader of Valor. That definitely makes you the strongest.""Oh fuck!" he started pacing again. "I didn't even think about that!""Why is this an 'oh fuck' moment?" Bree was still laughing. She had no idea just how much of a problem this was.Jett had waited six years for his mate, hoping that he could find the one that he could spend the rest of his life with. They could grow old together, and help teach one of Bree's sons how to lead when they wanted to retire. She had two at the moment, and they were really tiny, but they were the next in line to take his place when they got old enough."Because he's not just an alpha, Bree," he started pacing more."Jett, you're so dramatic sometimes," his sister tried to suppress her giggles. "Will you just tell me who it is already? I'd like to mee
"Strength is all in the mind," his grandfather told him. "It doesn't matter how you look at the end of the day, or who you are. Strength comes from within.""How will I know that I am strong then?" he asked him. His grandfather was so much taller than him. He never felt like he was growing at all with his grandfather standing next to him."You will know you are strong when you must use that strength," he said. "And it is only then that you will be able to realize just how much of that strength you have.""Shiro, are you even listening to me?!" Tammy snapped him out of his thoughts. They were at lunch at the time."You were talking about how worried you were about your finals tomorrow," Shiro said. He had been distracted quite a lot lately. But he would not let his mind grow stagnant like it wanted to. He had to stay sharp."No, Shiro," Tammy pointed at him. "I'm worried about you and your tests tomorrow.""It would be best that you worry about yourself, Tammy," Shiro shook his head. "
"Shiro!" Geo's voice came in his head. He sounded alarmed. "Where are you? I can't find you anywhere!""Something came up," he told him, still running for home. "Grab my back pack from the bench by the forest. It has my keys in it.""What happened?""I'll tell you after school," he said. "I'm heading home early for the day."He broke of communications with him after that. His mind was too shocked at what had just happened. And the pain from leaving his mate like that was rippling through him. He used it to fuel himself to run faster.It wasn't until he got onto their territory that he noticed a familiar scent. If it were any other circumstance, he would be happy to find her here. At the moment, though, all he wished was to hide in the deepest hole that he could make.She still found him, though. Hiroko was always good at knowing when something was wrong. She ran right next to him, not saying a word to him. He knew that she could smell the scent that Jett had left all over him. He knew
Oh, how he wanted to punch something.No, not something. He wanted to punch himself."Why are you back up here again?" Bree asked. "What happened?""I'm a fucking idiot," he paced on the roof again. "That's what happened.""What happened?" Alex climbed up there with them. "Did his girlfriend come over?"It looked like Blake was climbing up as well. Great. He might as well just have a damn party on the roof at this point!"No," he rubbed his face, his body moving faster than before as he walked back and forth along the peak of the roof."What did I miss?" Blake asked."Jett found his mate," Alex said. "Long story short; it's Shiro, he was supposed to talk to him today about it; and now it seems he's fucked up.""Wait," Blake looked shocked. "No one told me that he found his mate! When was this?!""Why are you all up here?!" Jett snapped at them all. He was already losing his mind, and all of his friends were too busy celebrating the mate that had just ran from him."I mean," Blake poin