Chapter 1: Welcome back

Alice’s Point of view

As I land after a 6 hours trip, I see my best friend Sam in a car. He welcomes me with a big smile and grabs me by the waist to make me turn in the air while laughing. Goddess I missed him!

"How was your trip?"

"Very good. That was intense but I met a lot of future Alphas and kick their asses."

He laughs. "I bet you did. Come on we need to hurry. Everyone is waiting for you, especially Alpha John and Luna Mary."

I smile at the mention of my parents’ names and climb to the passenger side. The airport is located 30 minutes from my home, which is very convenient. As only child, I will succeed my father at the Alpha position when I will turn 21, in 3 years and I will lead the Blue Moon pack.

It’s very uncommon for a woman to take the Alpha position because most of them have a boy as first child. When they don’t, it’s the first boy who takes the position and the big sister has to leave the place.

No, it’s not a joke. It’s the 21st century and we still apply old rules. Luckily, it’s very rare. 

To give you an idea, I’m a first-born girl and the one before me was in China, 90 years ago. She got mated to an Alpha in Japan so she left her pack to live with her mate and became his Luna. The Alpha title went to her young brother.  

I, on the opposite, didn’t want to leave my place to anyone. I had worked too hard for that, trained harder, learned more than anyone before me. I’m not worried about a brother because I don’t have one but I’m afraid of what a mate will do to me. 

A mate is someone given by the Moon Goddess for you to love and cherish forever. Both feel a pull towards each other and feel attracted. We can find that person at the age of 17 but it can take some time to find him or her.

So if we find each other, he will probably want to take the Alpha position and I will be his Luna. It’s the Alpha’s mate, his equal but I think it’s degrading. And there is no such thing as a male Luna. And my mate will just have to show up to take the Alpha position when I was the one working all my life for it.  

Since my parents didn't have any other children and I haven't found my mate yet, my father had no other choice but to name me as his heir when I turned 18. That made some noise in the werewolf world because they think I’m too weak, just because I’m a girl. 

Some even asked for another to take the position. They taught about the second in command, his Beta, Sam’s father. That’s the moment he chose to do is coming out. Because his mate will be a man and a pack can’t be ruled by two Alphas, he can’t be an Alpha.

I told you that the werewolf world is closed-minded.

More than that, I had to fight for him to be my Beta and seeing how unflexible I was, other Alphas asked for the Third in command, the Gamma’s child, to step up because Sam is an only child like me. But unfortunately, her name is Melanie. And she’s also an only child. 

Without siblings, we grew up together and it seemed natural for me to name them my Beta and my Gamma. Even if it was a year ago that King Matthew gave us his blessing for my father's decision, other Alphas are still looking for another solution, in case I couldn’t find my mate in time. 

So, when I went to the castle this summer to train with future Alphas, I wasn’t welcomed. They all underestimated me except for the First Prince Benjamin who was with us. As our future King, he has to train more than us, every summer since he’s 10.  

On the other hand, we train with our pack warriors all our lives except when we turn 19. We spend the summer at the King’s cattle to train with the best warriors of the entire world. Those 2 months allow us to know the future Alphas of our age and bond with them. Plus, it’s very beneficial for heir’s of small pack who don’t have a lot of warriors to train with. 

This year was very particular. First because I was there (and never a future female Alpha went here) and second because it was the last year of Prince Benjamin. He turned 21 this year and will take his father's place, King Matthew, at the end of the year. 

Indeed, we need to have a King. There are rules that every werewolf has to follow, otherwise it will be anarchy. 

On our way to the packhouse, I relate to Sam my experience in the castle. He’s not very surprised that I’m one of the best warriors because our pack is one of the most powerful in the world and a strong pack makes a strong Alpha. Plus, I've been training all my life to be up to the job.

However, he is astonished when I tell him that I became friends with our next ruler and with some future Alphas. Once I showed them what I’m capable of and after getting to know me a little, some of them accepted me. 

Once arrive and welcome by my pack members, I repeat my story to my family and my friends and I can see the pride in my father’s eyes. 

"My baby girl is a badass!"

"Dad, you can’t call me baby girl anymore."

"You will always be my baby girl" He says with a wink, making me roll my eyes. "Tell me, did you find your mate there?" He asks, full of hope.

I sigh. "No, I didn’t. But I received a proposition."

"Really?" Asks my mother. "Was it the Prince?" 

I laugh and rolled my eyes. "No mom. I told you we became friends but that’s all. No, it was the future Alpha of the Blue Lack pack, it's a medium one. He was one of the first to accept me. A week ago, he asked me if I wanted to be mated to him because ‘my pack needs a strong leader and he will be so good for the job’." I says angrily. "I quote: I’m the best you can hope, I’m handsome and a good fighter, you won’t have another opportunity like that. Plus, we will make beautiful pups."

They are all shock by this indecent proposal.

"What did you answer?" Asks Melanie.

I look at her mischievously "Nothing. I broke his nose and I left." All the room laugh except for my father. He looks at me with concern. 

I know he’s worried about me and prays the Moon Goddess to send me my mate quickly.  

"So. What happened when I was gone?" I ask. "Any problems with rogues? Or with the Red Moon pack?" 

At their mention, the atmosphere becomes heavy and everyone looks at my father, whose hands are closed in fists. Sam clears his throat, catching my attention. 

"There was an incident 4 days ago. We found them on our land. They said they were tracking a rogue who was on their land and ran off on our and because we weren’t at the border at this time, they crossed it to follow him. The things is, when we went there, we didn’t smell anything. Alpha John and Alpha Mark almost fight but thank Goddess, Alpha Jack went there in time to stop them. He wasn’t far when he heard us."

I sigh. That’s so complicated. I wasn’t even Alpha of my pack that I was already tired by this war.  

The 3 biggest packs of the counrty are neighbors. One of them is mine, the Blue Moon pack and we are at war with the Red Moon pack. They want our land for decades and do everything they can to provoke us. We have a border in common and there is almost a blood bath every month. The fragile peace is maintained by Alpha Jack of the Silver Moon pack and the King himself. 

Both our pack have a border in common with them. But the situation is so tense and for so long that King Harry, King Matthew’s grandfather, decided to do a neutral ground on the center of our 3 packs, where they were most of the fights. It counts a city including schools where we have to go. To give you a comparison, it’s like a donut cut in 3 equal parts and the hole in the center doesn’t belong to anyone.

I think King Harry hoped that we would make peace by growing up together but generations later, the situation has not changed. It’s as much war at school as it is on our borders. Although we are forced by the King to go to the same building, the teachers have arranged for our two packs to never be mixed up to the high school to avoid fights. 

This year, I'm entering college and it's the first time I'll have to cohabit with them. As the next Alpha, the leader of their enemy, Reds will do everything they can to make my life a living hell. But I’m not scared of those mutts.

And if they think their next Alpha who is in college too will protect them from me, they are damn wrong.