Power

Summer is here again with its hot and dry state for Idaho. It bathed over me, swirling the tall trees and shrubs around. Mixed with the smell of Citronella, my father's sweet scent whacked me, followed by the sound of his huge footstep approaching.

I was just returning from a run from the wood and had shifted back to human with my skin still tingling; my wolf was half close to the ground.

With a smile on my face, I sat up and turned toward him.

"Dear, Father."

The minute I noticed his somber mood, my heart plummeted into my stomach. The heartbeat races.

"What could be wrong?" Without waiting for an answer, I popped up to my feet and employed my Alpha heir power, trying to feel if anyone in the pack had been mortally killed or injured.

I didn't notice anything unusual, so why does he look so troubled?

"Father?"

He faked a smile, but the expression wasn't vivid enough.

"You are been summoned by the Alpha King. It’s time."

I started at the rigid white paper in his hand. Embossed lettering paced on the page, striding in golden spins, and there was no mistake in the logo. We all knew that symbol at the top of the paper, an official statement from the Alpha king. I tried to stabilize my pulse while my heart made a try to escape my chest.

"Already?"

Gulping the lump at the back of my throat, I squinted and decided not to cry. Tears were not suiting an alpha's daughter. No one wanted a leader whose first intuition was emotion. I had got to be strong for myself and my pack.

But before I could resist myself, words tumbled out: "I supposed I had another year at home."

"So did I," my father said with his nostrils, flaring.

His eyes gleamed with emotion. Was it fear? Wrath? As quickly as I saw it, he reined it in. Of course, a shifter must control their emotions at all times lest they lose themselves to their animal instinct.

"But you are of age."

He broadened the letter as if he could not stand to touch it any longer, and a cry formed in my throat.

These mountains, this blue sky, the trees covering our land … the grief of leaving home tore through me. I was bred of this place, bounded to the earth here like all of our pack. To go to Alpha Islet, to leave my pack … the thought made my stomach swirl.

I would not be permitted to see or speak to anyone from home for four years, only letters—and only if I could find someone to bring them here, to the mortal realm where our pack was exiled. Judging by the frequency of visitors, the odds didn’t fall in my favour.

I yanked the paper from his hand, angry with the inKelly of the system.

"They don't even like our clan. We all know it! I hate that we have to play by their rules.”

My father frowned at my outburst.

"It is the way of the alpha, and our pack needs you to lead. Without training your magic, you won’t be ready to take over when I die.”

I scowled, knowing the other option. Those who refused the summons to Alpha Islet were convicted to life sentence, traitors to their alpha heir blood and pack. One hundred per cent not going to happen.

My father cleared his throat. "The pack will need a strong leader when I'm gone. You must train. Show the other packs we have sufficient power to deserve their respect."

I wanted to protest or pout, but at nineteen winters old, and as the alpha's daughter, I needed to act like I had my crap together.

So I took a deep breath, shoving my emotions away to deal with later, and nodded. "I'll make Orbit Clan proud."

He opened his arms, and it took me an awkward moment before I understood the gesture. My father was not one for unnecessary affection.

He taught me to be strong and to never show weakness unless it served a purpose. While I struggled at times with adhering to his strict doctrine, having him fold me into a stiff hug meant this was a big deal for him.

As his arms wrapped around me, I felt the lump in my throat grows. Peering up, I looked into his eyes, the same pale blue as mine—the only part of him I had inherited.

Only, my eyes burned with unshed tears while his glittered like crystal, hard and sharp.

"Do you wish you had a son?" I whispered.

He pushed my silver-white hair away from my face, shaking his head.

"Never. You’ve been your mother's greatest gift to me."

Before I could blink them away this time, the tears spilt down my cheeks. I thought of the stories my father had told me about the woman who died giving birth to me and gave him a small smile. My father rarely talked about my mother. It must’ve upset him too much.

I was the only piece left of her. My father's commanders had urged him to take a breeding companion after her death and try to have a male heir, but he refused. It was just me. Me and Dad.

"Show them what you are made of, Fia." He bopped my chin, and just like that, I was brought back to my sparring tasks as a child.

He had said the same to me before every match. Reaching up, I tracked the white Orbit moon, our clan's alpha mark, on his forehead, and my fingers thrummed with energy. His link to our clan’s magic always gave me little zaps when I touched it. His mark was an exact match for the one on my head.

I needed to be strong like he’d raised me, regardless of the rumours about the other packs and the stories of what happened on Alpha Islet, even though I wouldn’t see him for four years.

"Hold down the fort while I'm gone," I said, pulling away.

"I'll be back before you know it—an alpha heir, ready to serve." I saluted him with a silly grin, hoping to keep things light.

Pursing his lips, he cleared his throat. "Just be safe, Fia. The other heirs won’t like another Orbit Clan wolf on the island."

I waved him off, feigning confidence I didn't feel.

"I'll be fine."

But we both knew the island was dangerous as were the trials. We walked over the packed dirt path toward the main lodge together, and for the first time, my father checked his long stride and paced beside me, indicating we were equal.

Members of the pack stopped what they were doing and tipped their heads in respect as we passed. I held my chin high, clutching the paper in my fist while pretending not to be nervous when all I felt was worming trepidation.

We rounded the corner of the log-style lodge that served as the pack's headquarters, and I stumbled when I spotted four Alpha Academy guards wearing matching black shirts with the island symbol embroidered on the left side like some stupid fraternity. They stood beside a shiny black SUV.

I skittered to a stop, staring nearly open-mouthed at their hulking figures. Men didn't grow this big unless they were dominants. All four of them stood well over six feet tall and wore black baseball caps.

That was shady … especially if they were covering marks on their foreheads. They might even be from Uktena Pack. The thought sent fiery tendrils of anger through my chest. The dominant pack could bite me, but…

My pace stalled as I compared my fraying cutoffs and tank top to their swanky threads. I did not need to arrive looking like a Idaho farm girl even though I was one.

All of the guards stood as still as lifeless object. None of them spoke as my dad and I approached.

"I need to leave now? Like, right this minute?" I mumbled under my breath, hoping I was wrong. My gaze dipped to my pale feet, the skin dusty up to my ankles.

Sadly, I wasn’t Cinderella; I wasn't going to a ball, and those beefy dudes were not my Fairy Godmother. An outfit change definitely wouldn’t hurt.

My father gave a curt nod, eyeing the guards with disdain. "Lona is packing your things and will be out shortly."

Damn. Damn. Damn.

They should’ve given us a day at least. How was I going to say goodbye to Callie and Mack? They were out hunting and wouldn't hear the news until I was long gone.

I huffed. “Fine.”

"Remember, your cousin is there,” Dad mumbled.

“He will be looking to uncover your weaknesses."

I grunted and shook my head at the unnecessary reminder. Henry had always looked out for Henry, except when he was chasing some female around like it was breeding season.

His mother and my father didn’t speak after a falling out, but she still carried alpha blood, so she could technically take over the pack and so could her son.

“It’ll be fine,” I said, not wanting my dad to worry.

Lona came out the door with my worn duffle; the faded green bag was almost as big as her body. Tears tracked down her wrinkled face as she crossed the porch and descended the stairs.

"Lon." I ran to my childhood nanny, a surge of protective instinct for the petite woman welling within.

"We all knew this was coming. I'll be fine."

Apparently, “fine” was the word of the day.

She nodded, sniffling as she handed me my things. "They used to give notice—at least a couple weeks. I could've made a nice dinner…"

Lona displayed her love through food, and no one, including my father, complained about that. She was an amazing cook.

She pulled me in for a long hug, forcing me to drop the huge duffle I'd just taken. With her affection, the mixture of fear and sadness swelled within my chest, bubbling up into my throat. If I didn't leave as soon as possible, I was one hundred per cent going to bawl—in front of everyone.

Through the bond, I could feel the clan approaching, and sure enough, when I spun toward the SUV, a Land Rover no less, the entire pack stood there, crowded in the grassy clearing among the old pickups and dirt bikes.

As one, Orbit Clan all felled to one knee, holding their right fists over their chests.

Something they had only done for my father, in times of great respect.

I was going to lose my temper.

Swallowing hard, I bowed to my people. "It’ll be my honour to serve you."

My father was the alpha link for our people’s magic; his fire magic could keep them alive in the bitter Idaho cold. When he died, Orbit

Pack’s link would transfer to me—if I graduated from Alpha Islet. I wasn't ready for the responsibility or respect that came with being alpha, not yet. It was something that had to be earned.

My father leaned in and whispered into my ear. "Beware the alpha king and his heirs. All they want is to retain power, and they’ll stoop to anything to get it."

As if I needed those reminders. Uktena Clan was the reason my pack was cast out from the magic realm into the mortal world. They were dirty, high-mage suck-ups. I would never get involved with them. I gritted my teeth and nodded as fierce determination filled me.

I was the only child of the alpha of the Orbit Clan. I'd go to the island and fight for my place, fight for my people, fight to keep our magic strong.