Chap 1

I woke up promptly at 6 a.m. At that moment, there was no period of disorientation or confusion about where I was. Sleeping and waking to me was like the flick of a light switch. I could go on or off at a moment's notice. It was the way I had been trained. No one could ever have a hope of launching a surprise attack against me.

Moving sinuously, I slid out of bed and with sure fingers made my disarranged bed. That was another thing about me. I always left order in my wake, cleaning up after myself all the time. An orderly mode of existence always spoke of an orderly mind; that was my mantra. Stepping quickly into the shower, I took a quick bath. I had a job to do this morning, so  I pulled on my favorite articles of clothing; tightly fitting black trousers, a black shirt, and black sneakers. My auburn hair had already been cut short ages ago. It lay across the nape of my neck. Winding a piece of rubber band across my fingers, I fastened my hair together, getting the runaway strands out of the way.

I surveyed myself in the mirror, my green eyes staring back at me. Whistling, I wore my black mask and reached down. I removed the silver dagger which I always kept strapped to my calf. I brought it out from its sheath and inspected it.  Its business end looked wickedly sharp- sharp enough to slice through flesh like butter.  Nodding my head in satisfaction, with a wry smile that did not bode well for anyone who crossed me, I transferred the knife to the front pocket of my trousers and went outside. 

My pack was quiet at this time of the day. No one was stirring yet. The activities of the day had not yet begun. My eyes darting everywhere, I walked noiselessly toward the pack's borders, blending into the shadows. The few guards I met on the way had no idea of my presence, even though at one point I stood a hair's breadth away from two of them. This was my daily routine, one I would not break even if today was my 18th birthday. It was something I lived for every morning- killing evil rogues, ridding my pack of those who wanted to cause annoyance.

I was the first female Beta in werewolf history, a position I had gotten by sheer hard work and relentless training. As the Beta in charge of training the pack's guards, I had gotten my position by killing a lot of challenges. I was faster and more ruthless than my male counterparts. I had pushed my body to the limit of endurance building strength, stamina, and speed. It had eventually paid off. 

I arrived at the border of my pack and went further into the woods. I saw no suspicious activity. My heart sank a little. Maybe it was one of those days when there was no human prey to hunt. I paused. My sharp eyes caught a flash of movement. I could make out two figures in the distance. One of them put something to his eyes that glinted. It looked like binoculars. They were probably spies then. Lying on my belly in the high grass, I crawled towards them noiselessly. 

As I got closer, I could see that both of them were tall, heavily built men.

". . .will not be expecting us. This is the best time to strike. Hopefully, we can kill their Alpha. It will disorganize them."  One of the men was speaking. 

I crawled till I was directly behind them. Grinning, I looked closely at them. They were planning to kill my Alpha but had no idea that death had come to pay them a surprise visit instead. Slowly, I rose, taking care to make as much noise as possible. Surprised, they turned back, their eyes widening at the sight of me with a silver dagger in my hand. They did not look afraid though. Their expressions changed to contempt when they saw I was a woman.

"Hey, sugar." One of the men drawled, strolling towards me. "Why don't you put that dagger down before you hurt yourself?"

His partner chuckled. I smiled and nodded at him. Taking a step toward him, my arm raised, I plunged the dagger into his heart. He fell, dead before he hit the floor. His partner stared at his body in shocked disbelief. He recovered his wits quickly. In his anger, he came at me with his bare hands, forgetting to use his knife.

"You little bitch. I-" 

I slashed at the hand in front of me. He screamed in pain. I stabbed him through the heart also. I wiped the blood-stained blade on his shirt. It was almost too easy. I shrugged. Perhaps I would have more of a challenge next time. I left their bodies there in the high grass. Some pack guards would eventually come this way and discover them.

I hurried back to the pack, not wanting to be late for my training session with the guards. 

The training session was long and grueling for the guards as I taught them new fighting techniques. We had just finished when I heard Alpha Scott clearly in my head through the mind link. I shut my eyes in concentration.

"Allison?"

"Yes, Alpha," I replied.

"The Lycan king Dante will visit our pack this afternoon for the annual mate choosing. You are aware it's our pack's turn to host the ceremony, right? You are to assemble all the she-wolves in the conference room."

I gritted my teeth at the mention of King Dante. I disliked him. No, I detested him. He was famous- or infamous- for his messy private life and savage behavior. What made me detest him the most was his attitude towards she-wolves. He seemed to think that our only purpose in life was to serve, get pregnant and give birth to wolves who would continue the line. If I had my way, I would not want to be there when he arrived at my pack. After all, the chances of him choosing me as a mate were non-existent. Involuntarily, I  shuddered at the thought.

Alpha Scott seemed to sense my hesitation.

"Don't be stubborn Allison. Assemble all she-wolves including warriors and Omegas."

"Yes, Alpha." I agreed, resignedly.

The mind link connection stopped. Even though I had my reservations about carrying out my Alpha's orders, it wasn't like I had a choice. He had given me direct orders and I had no choice but to obey. I set about ensuring that all the females in my pack were in the assembly hall before King Dante's arrival. That was another thing about Dante, he did not like to be kept waiting. He seemed to think that the whole world revolved around him. I disseminated Alpha Scott's instructions to the pack's guards and in a short while all she-wolves in the pack were assembled in the conference room with an expectant air. Looking at all their faces, I wished with all my heart that none of them would have the bad luck to get chosen by Dante. 

I made my way to the back of the conference room. I felt on edge and uneasy like something was about to happen. Leaning against a pillar, I dug out my phone from my back pocket and scrolled through, hoping to distract myself. I found myself staring unseeingly at the screen after a while. The feeling of disquiet intensified with every passing moment.

Suddenly, I felt a hand lightly touch my arm. It was Alpha Scott making his way to the front of the room with an entourage of guards. I bowed deeply. He took in the frown etched on my face.

"Behave, Allison, please." he cautioned again, wagging a finger at me as he and the guards left.

I rolled my eyes.