Chapter 1: Not a normal day

"Run," her mother had told her.

And her mother hadn't been the only one to say it.

It was the first thing her wolf had told her.

Her sister had shouted it the last time she saw her.

And, Dahlia Stuart always did.

"Lia!"

The male voice called after her as she ran through the woods. Dodging foliage and fallen trees with a practiced ease.

"Stop!" He shouted.

"He wishes," Nova, her wolf snickers in her mind as they break through the treeline and slows to a walk.

She stands on the riverbank and grins. A couple of figures exit the trees.

"You win," a tall brunette girl says as she joins her. "As usual."

"You say that like it's a bad thing, Jael," Lia grins.

"Why do we even try?" A lean boy, in his late teens says after he clears the trees.

"Because it's good practice," an older man says as he nears the group. "You can run laps at the track alone if you prefer."

"She always wins," the boy complains.

"Winning implies competition," Jael states. "Or is your ego to fragile to handle-"

"Jael," their trainer for the day cautions.

"What? He's a sore loser, every time. Shouting at her like he's some kind of authority, he is such a-"

"I am not," the boy glares.

"They why complain?"

"Because I don't see the point," the boy says crossing his arms over his chest.

"Oh Vincent," a voice says. "It would be wise to remember that packs need members with many different talents. Her speed may be an advantage to us all some day. Warriors, hunters, trackers, they all need more than brute strength and bite force."

They all turn to see a smiling woman approach them with a young man and a warrior as her guard.

"Luna Mira," the instructor greets the Luna of the Haven River Pack, lowering his head in respect.

"Roger," she nods. "I brought you a new student." The Luna turns to the young man. "Sorry we are late, the tour took longer than anticipated. This is young Alpha Tyler Benning. He is visiting for a time from the Valor Moon Pack as part of the new exchange program the allied consulate has created. Tyler, these are some of our most promising young pack members. Warrior Roger Wingate and the other instructors work very closely with our Gamma and Delta on creating a training program that is more than just the basics."

"It is an honor for you to join our team, Alpha Tyler," Roger says, showing the future alpha the respect expected. Earning a smile from the Luna.

"Just Tyler is fine," the young alpha says.

"Well, I will leave you to it," the Luna says as she and her guard leave to return to the pack house.

"Why don't you all take a few minutes to stretch before we head back to the training grounds for the rest of the session." The group would usually complain about having to stretch again, they had done so before the initial run, but the new addition had them all uneasy. They just follow Roger's instructions.