Chapter 1: Rude Awakening

My phone vibrated against the glass nightstand beside my four poster bed. All I had wanted was four hours of rest, but sleep was eluding me these days.  Ever since my father, Alpha of our Selenian Pack had died six months ago, I was woken up within minutes of closing my eyes. 

"What do you want?" I snapped after reaching for the device and answering the call.

Reed's deep, husky voice sounded from the speaker. "Luna, there's been movement on the eastern boundary."

"Did you send scouts?" I asked even though I was fully aware he had already had.

Reed was my Beta, second in command, and a great one at that. He had assumed the position after his father, also a Beta was killed in the same battle that claimed my father's life.  

"Of course. Ivan and his team swept the lower canyon. Lionus and Devin took the ridge." He said in a manner that made me think he was offended I even had to ask. "They didn't find anything. There was no activity on the cameras either."

"Then why are you calling to wake me up?" I said grumpily, letting a small growl rumble through my chest and reverberate through the line.

Before becoming Luna, I was used to getting a full eight hours of sleep in every night.  I was still adjusting to this new life, and sleep deprivation only made the transition more difficult. Not only was I missing the only family member I had ever had, but the responsibility I felt to fill his shoes as pack leader was overwhelming. Not having time for naps or a solid night of rest was making me one cranky bitch.

"This is the third time this month a motion sensor was activated and we haven't found anything. I don't know how they're going about it, but I have a feeling it's them."  Reed's worry was barely detectable.  Anyone else would only have heard a steady, strong Beta, but I knew everything about Reed and could sense an uneasiness in his tone.

"Well, I'm awake now so just come over to discuss it." I commanded. Without waiting for his response, I ended the call and rubbed the remainder of sleepiness from my eyes. 

Begrudingly throwing off my black velvet comforter, I threw my feet over the bed and stretched my arms high over my head, noting how sore my shoulders were from yesterday's training session. I forced myself up and walked over the dark hardwood flooring to my bathroom, pulling up my waist-length, honey colored hair into a messy bun.  I never had time to style it now so this was my go-to look every morning. I gazed at myself in the bathroom mirror, squinting against the bright lights of the vanity and noticed just how much my appearance had changed in the past few months.

Long gone were the soft curves of my short frame. Months of training for six hours a day had given me a figure that most women would envy.  I was more toned today at twenty-two than I had ever been in my life, although I still kept the fullness of my breasts and hips. Not to mention, the workouts had done wonders for my ass.  As much as I appreciated my new body, I resented why I now looked like this. I had tripled trainings since Dad died.

I leaned closer to the mirror and sighed at the dark circles forming under my eyes. It was nothing a little concealer couldn't fix. After quickly applying some light makeup and throwing on some workout clothes, I made my way down the spiral staircase from my loft and into the kitchen of my rustic, yet modern A-frame home. I beelined for my coffee maker and popped an espresso pod into the machine. Caffiene was an absolute life saver lately. Once I had poured just the right amount of vanilla creamer into my steaming cup of joe, I plopped down into a kitchen stool by the island and slid my laptop closer. 

Several new email notifcations popped up as soon as I had opened the computer. Meeting schedules, budgets, and updates on new recruit performance were just a few of the topics that riddled my screen.  I scanned through the documents, typing quick replies to all before logging into our "Command Center" software and opening the log of camera footage.

We had motion activated sensors that were frequently being tripped, along every perimeter of our territoty. Most of the time an alarm went off, the culprit was a wild animal or a the wind blowing branches of the massive cedar trees into camera view.  Occasionally, the alerts were caused by enemy werewolves trying to breach our land. In the last year, none of these scouting wolves had made it farther than one hundred yards into pack land before being captured and ripped apart by my warriors. 

I clicked on a tab that contained footage from the eastern perimeter cameras and reviewed the videos marked Flagged: Potential Breach. I saw nothing - absolutely nothing. The tree branches in view were still and the night vision lens made it clear that no animals or Selenian wolves had set off the alarms.

I leaned against the back of my stool and massaged my temples. Reed's paranoia must be rubbing off on me .

Opening my email, I typed a message to the director of technical support. "Cameras 4E, 5E, and 6E need to be serviced immediately. Respond to this email when this has been taken care of. -Luna Briar."

My laptop chimed as another email was delivered to my inbox. This one was from Joseph, my stategic analyst. He was once again urging me to set the date that we would launch an attack against the enemy pack and eliminate their Alpha. The next attack could be the one that would end the war my ancestors fought for centuries since the newest Alpha had yet to produce an heir. Once he was destroyed, the Phantom pack would no longer have a leader and would be absorbed into Selenian.

I didn't care about having more pack members, that was never the driving force behind our offensive stikes. Of course I wanted to stop the fighting that had claimed so many lives, but what I desired more than anything was to kill the new Alpha. I dreamed of ripping his into his throat with my sharp canines and watching the light drain from his eyes, just as he had done to my father. And just as my father had done to the previous Phantom Alpha. 

The time would come. I would get my revenge. But was I really ready now? I had pushed the date of our strike back already by saying our new recruits weren't ready and that we needed to gain more intelligence, but I knew my procrastination couldn't continue. 

Slamming my laptop closed, I folded my arms against the granite countertop and brought my forehead down to rest on them. I slowly rolled my head back and forth against my skin, attempting to ease my ever present headache. 

It had only been forty-five minutes since Reed's phone call had pulled me from my sleep and I already needed a break. I craved just a few minutes of reprieve. Just then, I heard a knock at the front door and knew my relief had just arrived.