Rosalie Murdoch

15-year-old Rosalie Murdoch opened her eyes as the afternoon sun hit through the window of their car. She let out a groan and rubbed her eyes, the nap was not long enough. She checked her iPhone, it was 2:30 on a Saturday afternoon and they had been on the road for the last six hours. She sat up and stretched, her muscles were stiff from the awkward sleeping position.

"Where are we, Mom?"

"We'll reach in about 20 minutes. You need to wake up and fix yourself up, dear. Your hair is a total mess." Her mom smiled as she looked back at Rosalie. Amelia Murdoch was a stunning woman. She had angular facial features, long blonde hair that hung straight to the middle of her back, matching her pale complexion. At age 35, she had a body of a twenty-five-year-old. She did not look a day over twenty-five. Being a werewolf was a blessing for the skin.

"We'll be arriving there in a half hour or so." Amelia reminded her daughter.

They were returning from a much-needed vacation. Scott Murdoch, the newly promoted Beta of the Silver Moon Pack was an imposing figure even sitting behind the wheel. His six-foot five frame barely fitted in the driver's seat, and he was 240 pounds of solid muscle and bone. His light brown hair was kept in a flattop.

"Yes, Dad, we've been over it. We are going to attend the coronation of the new Alpha." Rosalie said.

She did not want to return so soon. But the ceremony was extremely important for the pack. The Alpha Sullivan had suddenly died, leaving 18-year-old Chris as the heir. Rosalie had a dreamy look while thinking of Chris, he was cute. All the girls of the pack had a crush on him. She wondered who his mate would be. Rosalie was just fifteen, it would take her three more years to find her mate. It was protocol for unmated sons and daughters of Alphas and Betas to be brought to all ceremonies. There were so few of them, and mating were especially important for their survival. Alpha Sullivan was a good man, but he was dying. He had blood cancer. Its rare among werewolves but sometimes it happened. Chris was being trained to takeover as an Alpha since he was fifteen.

“It’s sad that Alpha Sullivan died while we were away.” Amelia said dabbing her moist eyes.

“Yeah, but it was expected. That man was suffering. May Luna bless his soul.” Scott said a silent prayer.

For a 15-year-old Rosalie, funerals were a boring affair. She was looking forward to spending time with her best friend Melissa.

**********

Rosalie crouched low, her eyes locked on her 'prey', as she took a leap and lunged with her fingers spread open. Her best friend Melissa shrieked in shock as they rolled down the slope and fell into a pool of mud. They giggled, splashing mud at one another as if it were just an ordinary day at the estate. It was few hours before the ceremony. Since the girls were getting bored, they had decided to play.

"Oh, dear! mom's going to kill me," Rosalie lamented looking down at her ruined dress.

"Don't worry let us go to my places, you can borrow one of my dresses," Melissa offered.

They did not realise a pair of eyes had been looking at them from a distance.

"Who are they, Jasper?" 18-year-old Chris Reynolds asked curiously; his gaze followed the muddy, giggling girls walking away.

Jasper gave a scrutinizing look at the girls.

"That's Rosalie and Melissa, Rosalie is the daughter of Beta Scott and Melissa is George’s daughter. They are very mischievous girls, always up to something, " he answered shaking his head in disapproval.

"You won’t believe they broke the front lawn's fountain while they were, playing chase, those girls are a menace!"

Chris snorted. "They seem harmless!"

"Ah, they're harmless enough, just naughty." Jasper said with a wide grin, "you must focus on your coronation today, you look so much like your father. I still remember when he was preparing for his coronation." Jasper's voice was filled with pride. "He would have been so proud of you, Chris."

Chris sighed. "I hope I can lead the pack like him. I miss him."

"We all do." Jasper nodded.

Amelia had got the shock of her life when she spotted her muddied daughter and her equally bedraggled friend running around in the garden. She wasted no time in dragging her away and pushed Rosalie into the bathroom.

"What am I going to do with you, Rosie?" she asked as she took off her daughter's muddy and torn dress. She turned on the tap on in the tub.

"Go and clean yourself, it's coronation day and you have been running around in the mud spoiling the dress! Hurry up or we'll be late for the ceremony later." her mother said as she took the dirty dress and threw it into the bin. She was furious. Rosalie pouted as her mother left the bathroom, locking her inside. She was not going to be free until she had cleaned herself. She stared at the warm water in the bathtub.

"Who wants to attend that boring ceremony anyway," she grumbled, but to avoid her mother's anger Rosalie was soon splashing happily in the bathtub.

"Don't waste your time playing, Rosalie Murdoch!"

Her mom shouted again; Rosalie pouted.

"Your dad has just been promoted, but this girl has no shame! What would Alpha Chris think about our family?" Her mom grumbled to herself.

Rosalie hated it when her mother disciplined her, but she was right. What would Chris think? Rosalie thought horrified.

‘I hope he didn’t see me playing in the mud,’ She thought. Rosalie took a bottle of shampoo and poured some onto her palm and started to lather it up on her hair. This sucks, she thought as she started to soap her body with sweet fragrance soap. But I should look presentable for Chris.

Rosalie watched as her mother put the finishing touches of her make-up.

"Mom, I'm not a Barbie doll," she stated, cringing as she touched the silk material of her horridly pink dress.

"Nonsense, Rosalie," her mom replied as she applied lip gloss on her full lips. She stared at her reflection in the mirror for a moment, feeling satisfied with the result. She turned and looked at her daughter. "You look stunning tonight, Rosie."

Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"Mom, I'm going out to take some fresh air," she stated, not even waiting for her mother to answer.

Rosalie pushed open the door and trotted in her high heels down the corridor; various members of the pack walked past her. They were chatting and laughing about the coronation tonight. They looked beautiful and handsome in their penguin suits and long slinky dresses of assorted colours. Rosalie wished she could wear one of those pretty gowns instead of this horrible poofy frock. But she neither had the body nor the poise to carry that. She was still a child. She hurried past the hallway, as she ran down the grand marble staircase; her heels made a loud clinking sound. She shuddered in embarrassment, but she ignored it as the overwhelming feeling of being watched started to make her anxious.

She knew that she was not as beautiful as any of those older female wolves. They had perfect curves and full bouncy breasts. She wondered if she would ever grow into such perfect beauty. She pushed open the main door and ran gingerly down the short steps. The heels bothered her, but she kept on walking to that one place, where she felt calm.