HENRY'S POV
I don't need a mate. I always tell Cedric, but he has made it his purpose in life to ignore me. I stare out the window of the throne room as he rattles on about the eldest daughter of a Beta in the pack that just joined the alliance.
I prop my hand on the chair, holding my temple as his voice echoes in the empty room, about to hurl out curses in frustration when my own Beta's voice suddenly fills my head.
"The border has been breached." He announce in a fear filled voice. Eli, my Beta and friend was never one to be afraid, but this is the third breach this month and even I am worried.
"Level of threat?." I ask and Cedric finally stops talking to notice my eyes glazed as I communicate orders through the link.
"A level one, single crazed rogue." He says and I close off the link. They know what to do.
I stand from my throne and Cedric bows. I groan at the quiet smile on his lips as I anticipated another hour long rant as to why I need a mate.
"The pack is beginning to worry at the frequent breach." He voices, I cast him a glare, knowing fully well that when he says 'The pack' he means himself and the council of elders.
Cedric is our fifty-six year old butler, now sprouting a patch of white hair, served my father and has been by my side since I became Alpha at age 16. As annoying as he was, he saved my life during the usurping. He is also one of the ten members of the council of elders my father created.
"They don't need to worry, our front line warriors are more than capable to neutralize any breach." I tell him as a matter of fact. But I should have known better, Cedric is never one to back down. Not when the last mating moon of the year is near.
"The shield is weak, we need to power the fire p.…." A loud growl from me has him cowering, the rest of his words dies in his mouth. I was well aware of what was happening with the shield, he didn't need to remind me. Not when I spend every night at the pedestal a symbol of my father's treaty, watching the red glint that has kept our pack from hunters and rivals for years, go dim.
"I'm stressed as it is, I don't need you breathing down my neck on this matter Cedric, set the stupid meeting with Blue Ivy." I snarl and leave him, bowing under my aura, I don't release him till the door to my room closes.
Cedric means well, I trust the man with my life, but he is too obsessed with the whole mate thing and the age long Prophecy. I punch the surveillance computers on my table, and sent them crashing to the ground.
"Calm the fuck down." I growl at my own wolf.
I turned twenty-six a week ago and I am yet to find my mate. Cedric says its what's making my wolf more on the edge. Unlike humans, we find our fated mates early, predestined by the moon goddess and settle down.
A wolf can only recognize his mate under the mating moon, when he is at his strongest and when she is near. A lot of factors goes with the mating process. One would think finding a mate is hard because of these rules, but the number of mating I've witness in my years as alpha proves other wise.
Most mates are members of the same pack, so once the mating moon comes, the bond snaps into place and they claim each other. The only exception is me. As an alpha and the last living line of royalty, I got my wolf earlier so since I turned 16, I've had to attend almost mating moon ceremonies with no luck.
This has opened room for many scandals especially with women. More than 10 women have come forth with the claim of carrying my child. I am not exactly known with celibacy. And werewolves in heat are very likely to get pregnant easily. With the monarchy, there is system to royal bloodline, an expecting mother's test that they all failed, so after a while I guess they all gave up trying to use a child as means to becoming Luna.
Four years ago, Cedric, after repeatedly asking if I was gay, said maybe my mate was in another pack. Since then, the mating moon became a joint celebrations in the alliance, each pack taking turns in hosting. But I barely attended, much to his dismay.
And every time, he rattles on, trying to convince me to go. I have held up so far, but with the recent happenings, Cedric's rattles non stop.
The weak shield, also translates that I'm weak, and a weak Alpha is not who my father was or who he raised me to be.
I had big shoes to fill. My father, King Howard II single handedly stopped the war between us and hunters, creating the shield as a sign of the treaty. He sent me to a human military boarding school during that time to protect his heir. But after the war, he changed, left me alone among the humans only to die in the hands of his brother, trying to save my mother.
The shield has changed much over the years, it used to be powered by a thin blue wall of fire, when I became king we started experimenting other technological methods mostly because our pack lands kept increasing. Currently it is mainly a magnetic electric field, powered by reflective solar systems concealed deep in the forests. But the heart of the power house is still run on pure fire. Occasionally when the power house is down, a crack opens in the shield, creating a portal door once opened, it take a few days to close it back up so Rouges use this portal door into the pack.
Cedric tells me that a mate will make me stronger, but all I have seen was how it ruined my father. A great king.
I was ten when he died, I had to become alpha at 16 or my uncle, Ray would kill the entire pack. Red Fire was in chaos when he died, a few members followed Ray to form the Black Lotus pack that had since tormented us.
HENRY'S POVMy uncle Ray hated that my father signed a peace treaty with the human werewolf hunters who we have been at war with since time immemorial.As a kid, I liked Uncle Ray, he would let me fight with him, hunt with him. But my mom never liked him much, or rather she was very wary of his reckless lifestyle. I heard my mom and dad argue about Uncle Ray's position and power in the pack a few times. But my dad refused to make him any less than Beta, he was his older brother, if situations were reversed, he should be king.My dad told me many times how hard Uncle Ray trained to become king. It was all he ever did with his life, but when that didn't happen and the throne was passed to him instead, Uncle Ray turned to alcohol and the lifestyle my mom so hated.Even with the subtle tension here and there, I had no reason to see that he could be capable of hurting me or my family. But evil takes root in ones heart deeper than anybody can imagine. I was ten, I could barely understand po
AZALEA'S POVThe whole pack school was in uproar as I arrived, chaos and excitement, over the news of our pack hosting the next mating moon ceremony for the alliance. I graduated Highschool a year early and decided to take a gap year till I got my wolf instead of going to college right away. I took a job as a Teaching assistant to Grade 7 and 8 of the school.It was a great job, but it attracted a lot of weird looks and attention when people my age were still in grade 11 or 12 freaking out over prom, or in this case, the dangerous Alpha of Red Fire pack of the North coming to visit for the mating moon ceremonies which is simply a modern werewolf version of debuting to the ton. Ladies get all dolled up for hours to attend an exclusive party in the hopes of finding a man. You only qualified to attend if you have shifted, the rest of the children stay away from the actual mating process.Eloise always goes, and returns with the same surly expression on her face and irritable mood.Mum wh
HENRY'S POV"My king, I'm not sure this is entirely advised." The whinny old man shudders and I smirk."You wanted me to go to Blue Ivy, we're going to Blue fucking Ivy." I tell him."But I didn't say in the middle of the night with no guards or soldiers."I snort. "Cedric, I trained those soldiers, who would be protecting whom?."Every soldier has fought me one on one before they are sworn in. I usually do it just for the sake of it, and because my wolf enjoys beating people to a pulp but if they pass or tap out before thirty minutes of sparing, they are cut. They need to be able to withstand pain, no one of Black Lotus is less of a fighter than I am. Ray was my first combat teacher, he is a brutal fighter and has taught all his soldiers same."So are you coming or not?." I ask him with a grin, without thinking about it, his eyes glaze over and he smiles. I nod and turn away for a bit of privacy as he links his mate and family about our trip.My wolf is restless, happens a lot, I was
AZALEA'S POV“Why don’t you pick on somebody your own size.” I hear a deep voice that causes my stomach to summersault a couple times. Almost immediately, a pleasant smell fills my nose and I shiver.I try to look at him, but the jock he’s holding up is obstructing as if he heard my thoughts, he turned and planted the jock, dangling on a locker. With the obstruction gone, I finally see him. “Then again, I’m not really your size.” He says with mockery deep in his voice but non of it on his face.He’s older, like 5 years older kind of older, he’s definitely not a high school student. I’ve never seen him before, not that I know a lot of people, but his aura is strong, very strong and dark to forget.His hair is long, longer than I’ve seem most men’s, he seems to be having a black thing going on cos, his hair is jet black, and so are all of his clothes down to his shoes, except an orange ID rope is handing out of his back pocket, the only thing of color on his body.I can only see his sid
HENRY'S POV"Then again, I'm not really your size." I don't go around bragging, but I've only met a few people that I don't tower over. I slam his back to a locker, holding him there, with one hand.He kicks and puffs, trying to free himself, after a few seconds, he stops, finally realizing that he can't do anything."Hey!, I'm just a kid, man!, you can't hurt me." He shouts on top of his voice like a pussy."Kid?." I almost laugh, but I had to keep up my big bad wolf thing going on. We had an audience that dropped her tongue when I picked the guy up. I'm used to the reaction."You're like 20?.""What do you want?!." He whimpers."Apologize to the lady." I tip my head at her."Yeah right!." He scoffs and I almost end him, he seems to be one of those stupid people that don't think women and men are equal, he's a piece of shit. I knee him in the groin, almost breaking the little thing."I didn't give you a choice, apologize to the lady and you may still be able to continue your cursed li
AZALEA'S POVI was adopted, found, really, by a bush of Azaleas, hence my name. My adoptive parents had 2 children before me, a boy and a girl, and a set of twins after me, also a boy and a girl, making 5 kids in all. They love us equally but leave us to ourselves most of the time, busy with pack duties and also personal, duties - they're so into each other, it's gross. Dad could never, even if he tried, keep his hands off mom. Kai, our eldest brother says that’s how it has always been. I dream of a love like that, a man who would love me flaws and all, obsessed with me even when all the hairs on my head turn grey, and me, him, even when he can’t walk straight from arthritis.Kai and Eloise, my older siblings don't like me much, I guess they feel like I intruded, on their perfect little family. They have never really come out to say out rightly, but they do these subtle things like, make me do all their share of chores, and just stay away form me until absolutely necessary.My younge
AZALEA'S POV"Kai what are you doing!, get out!." I manage to order, but it did nothing to help."Why, I've not had my fun yet." I walk backwards, putting distance between us. "You know, I've always thought of what your skin would feel like in my arms, those perky breasts in my mouth…….." He laughs in a diabolical way, I've never heard before, pushing his brown hair out of the way, I walk away with each step he takes towards me."Kai, you're drunk and in my room! Get out, before you do something stupid." I shout, by now, all sense being quiet and respectful out the window. But he doesn't listen."Kai, stop right there, I'm going to shout!.""Of course you are, when I show you all the pleasures of the world." In a swift movement, he is right in front of me, his hands on my neck, I try to run, but he's fast, I reach for something to hit him with, my eyes dilating as he restricts my air flow. His hands begin to rake my body in a very, very disgusting way, I manage to pick a pen holder a
AZALEA'S POVWeeks LaterI stand in front of my mirror, a deep scowl etched to my face, taking off my hat. I wouldn’t generally say I hate myself, but I'm so different and its not even the cute kind.I dyed my hair yesterday but somehow, overnight, the ends had grown an inch and a half longer. I used to be pretty bald as a kid, my hair was so short that I could only put them in little pig tails, but age 13 or 14, my hair started growing like some sort of lab freak.Mom had been excited, she said it only meant I would have a pretty wolf, my hair was supposed to be the color of my wolf. I didn’t believe her, not more than do I now. It has been years and said pretty wolf is yet to show up.It wouldn’t be that big a deal if the inch I grew over night wasn’t bright silver in color. I drop my face into my palm, biting my lip for a minute to mute out the scream of curses I was going to let out, I didn’t want to call any attention to myself. Unlike Kai, all pressure has been on my older sis