A soft wind blew through the trees, sending leaves dancing from the breeze. Dappled sunlight shone through the tree tops, giving a little light to the otherwise dark undergrowth. I smelt him before I saw him.
The Alpha.
He smelt strong, his blood hummed and burned with such strength that it had me feeling a little nervous. Would this Alpha be kind? Was he going to like me and the rest of my group?
He wandered through the trees, his eyes looking here and there as he stepped carefully, making sure he didn't disturb anything around him. He looked peaceful, almost too peaceful. It put my beast on edge.
We hated meeting new people. It was always nerve-wracking for us. We thought too much, we got overwhelmed and we always panicked whenever we had to speak.
"This guy doesn't look half bad. I think I could take him," Tyler whispered from next to me. I turned my head to him, cocking an eyebrow. Tyler winked playfully and made me roll my eyes.
"You're not an Alpha, Tyler. I don't think you'd get very far," I told him with a cheeky smirk. I heard chuckles from behind me and smiled even more as Tyler's cheeks flushed crimson red.
He was a cocky male. But he was a good wolf. He trained hard back home and when he heard about this supposed transfer program, he shot his hand up, volunteering to be one of the few to come to the Takiani pack.
"Hi there, new comers. Welcome to Takiani," the Alpha wolf that was in the trees just moments ago said. He greeted us with a warm and welcoming smile, gesturing for us to follow him. I held my breath as I stepped over the border and into the pack.
I felt myself lose all ties that I had with people back home. I felt their voices slip out my mind and away into nothing. I felt nothing the further I walked into this new pack.
I was nervous, I'll admit that. Being sent out my pack to another was incredibly difficult to comprehend. I remembered the few sleepless nights that I had days prior to this moment. I remembered how scared I felt and how angry I was that my father was sending me away for practically no reason.
Well, it wasn't for no reason. But a reason that could have been dealt with in a matter of moments.
"I'm Henry... Henry Benson. I'm sure you all already knew that, though," Henry introduced himself. I nodded slowly, despite the fact that I truly didn't know his name before he told me.
My father hadn't given me much information. He told me I was being transferred to Takiani. He said it was to try to help me learn to socialise with other wolves. But I knew why he sent me away.
It was the incident that made him do it.
"So, since you're only supposed to be here for a month, you mightn't be too involved in most of our pack business. You'll train, do whatever you please and at the end of the time period, if those of you really want, you'll be allowed to transition into the pack, permanently," Henry explained to us. I shot Tyler a look, and found that he was already giving me the same one.
Would people in this group really think about transitioning into a new pack? With different people and a new Alpha? That sounded insane.
The only pack I had ever known was Terialta. I never thought that I'd be sent away from my home. I had never even imagined leaving. It was home, a safe place.
Of course, until the incident.
"Now, of course there will be a few others who will be curious about who you are. But just remain calm. No one here will lay harm to you... unless you give them a good reason to," Henry chuckled deeply, a few other small laughs followed. I wasn't laughing.
It wasn't funny. I feared what other wolves would think of me. Would they hate me? Would they like me? Who would be my friend?
"Will we be staying in cabins or in the pack house, Alpha?" One wolf questioned. He addressed Henry respectfully and it made my blood hum. I didn't like it. I wasn't used to having to do this with other Alphas.
Hell, I was the daughter of the Alpha of Terialta. People were respectful to me.
"We had to split most of you up. Some will be in cabins, sharing with other mentor wolves, and some will be in the pack house. Thankfully, there aren't a lot of you," Henry replied as we walked.
He lead us through the forest. Henry walked easily, following an invisible trail which seemed to enable him to walk without having to jump over bushes and other plants. Whereas, most people from our group had struggled to walk in a straight line without running into some sort of plant.
The closer we got to the pack, the more I could smell. I could smell the other wolves, some strong and others lesser. I could smell food, I could smell wood being burnt and even the strawberry shampoo someone was using in the shower.
My nose was overwhelmed. So many scents were hitting my nose all at once that it made me a little lightheaded. Henry seemed to notice my discomfort and he turned to look at me.
He gave me a look that somehow told me not to be worried. It calmed me, but only a little. My beast was on edge. We wanted to run and explore every inch of this new pack, and we wanted to meet everyone and make new friends.
But we also wanted to stand their with our tail between our legs.
We reached a clearing in the trees and shrub and I gaped in awe. Takiani was beautiful.
Most of the land was flat, covered in soft soil and healthy green grass. There were patches of flowers that surrounded the area, but nothing that interfered with the main part of the pack.
I focused on the hills and the cliffs that were covered numerous well-built cabins. They were huge, much larger than the ones that were back home. They stood tall on the cliffs and I felt bad for whoever had to climb the cliffs to get to the top.
Poor suckers.
Henry lead us out into the middle of the pack where we met with a group of officials. He introduced us to the Master of Arms, a tall and muscular man named Alfie. He shook my hand with a hint of fascination in his eyes. His grip was strong and I matched his strength with my own. I think I surprised him.
Henry then introduced us to Cameron, the main doctor of the pack. She was a tall, blonde female. She was littered in scars but she wore them with pride and her beast swirled when we shook hands.
Next, Henry introduced us to his son. His name was Anthony, and I didn't like him. He was cocky, too cocky. He was an attractive male, but he lowered in cuteness when he took my hand and kissed my knuckles.
I pulled my hand away and showed him my teeth, the sharp fangs that made him cower back. He snuck glances at my bare neck whilst Henry spoke.
I knew I would be stared at when I found out I was coming here. An unmated Alpha female wasn't common, and everyone wanted their teeth on a neck nowadays. My neck was still bare and I hated the way I was being looked at.
"Miss Grey, come with me. It's time for you to meet your roommate," Henry said, snapping me out my thoughts. I turned to him, adjusting my satchel.
I followed Henry to a smaller looking cabin towards the back of the pack. It wasn't secluded and shut off from the others, but it wasn't as open. Although, the cabin looked like it was in much better condition compared to the other ones.
Henry knocked in the door, waited a moment and then pushed the door open. He stepped inside and I followed after him. Henry shut the door behind me and then lead me to the kitchen, which smelt delicious.
"Henry, so good to see you," a voice greeted. When I looked up, a pair of dark brown eyes met mine. A man stood in the kitchen, wearing an apron with a print of a man with a stunningly good six pack on the front. I chuckled a little at it.
It was funny.
I took a sniff at the air around me. I realised that this man wasn't a werewolf. He was a vampire. Most werewolf packs have at least one vampire in the pack, an agreement created by the vampires and werewolves to keep piece between the two species.
"This is Alison Grey. She's Blake Grey's daughter," Henry introduced us. The man dropped his knife on the chopping board and he walked towards me with a grin.He pulled me into a tight hug. He held onto me like a leech and I — for some reason — liked it. He was warm, welcoming. His hug comforted me, and I felt like I could tell him anything. When the man pulled away, I smiled at him and he returned the gesture."I'm Ezra Charles. It's such a pleasure to finally meet you," Ezra greeted me. I nodded and smiled at him some more as Henry cleared his throat to gain our attention."I'll leave you two here to settle in and get to know each other. Alison, I will be here to collect you for your start in the morning. Dress in something appropriate for running, because you'll be doing a lot of it," Henry told me. I smiled and nodded at him respectfully.The Alpha nodded his goodbye to Ezra and I before slipping out the front door and disappearing. I felt his humming blood fade as he got further
I woke early the next morning. I got up quickly, much too excited to start my first day of training in Takiani. I changed into a pair of black workout tights that I found and then a navy blue tank top. I managed to find a pair of sneakers and I slipped them on also. They fit just perfectly, somehow.When I waltzed out to the kitchen, Ezra was already awake. The smell of freshly made coffee wafted through my nose and I bit back a moan and my wolf brightened up at the smell of caffeine."Morning, princess. Did you sleep well?" Ezra asked me as I leant against the counter. I stared at him carefully for a moment, wondering if I had kicked and cried during the night.The nightmares started after the incident, and they came every night. Sometimes they were really bad, other times, they were fine. I hadn't woken during the night so I assumed they mustn't have been that bad this time.Which was a relief."I guess so. It feels strange to not be home in my own bed," I told Ezra. He smiled and n
When we came back to the pack, there were people buzzing all around the area. Most people were in their skin, but there was some wolves sparring with each other in their fur. It was fascinating to see how this pack worked in comparison to mine.Henry shifted back into his skin and I avoided my eyes from his naked body as he reached into the trunk of a tree and pulled out clothes. He pulled on a pair of shorts and then tossed clothes to the two males and handed me a shirt. I took it and rushed behind a bush to shift back and pull on the shirt.I wasn't comfortable with anyone seeing me naked. I knew that most wolves didn't even care, but I did. I cared too much.I slipped the oversized shirt over my head and then came out the bushes. I walked hesitantly over to where Henry was now standing with a group of other wolves. I noticed that Kade was walking away to the sparring rings.Alfie approached me as Henry was rushed away. I assumed that he had Alpha business to attend to. I wasn't bot
Ezra sat me down at the dining table. I lifted my shirt up just enough so that he could see my wounds. He chuckled a little and shook his head."Alfie told me you did well today," Ezra told me as he opened the box of first aid. I nodded at him and yawned. I was exhausted and I needed food. The first day of training was hard, but I knew it was going to get harder. I had to toughen up."He made me spar with Kade. He was a good fighter. He bested me," I sighed as I felt a cotton pad touch my wounds. Ezra cleaned away the blood that was still sleeping from the gashes."Kade is the son of the Master of Arms. He has to be a good fighter," Ezra laughed at me. I smiled and rolled my eyes, sipping on my beer. Ezra continued to pat at the blood with the cotton pad, shifting around the first aid box."Don't worry about it, princess. Alfie told me that you had a lot of work to be done. These next four weeks are going to be absolute hell for you," Ezra laughed at me. I smiled but I nodded knowingl
"Morning, princess," Ezra greeted as I walked into the kitchen. I looked up at him and smiled as I yawned. I took his coffee mug from his hands and quickly sipped from the warm liquid. I handed his mug to him and pulled my hair behind my ears."Morning," I mumbled.My body was still sore from the day before. The gashes hadn't completely healed yet but they were fading quickly. I was happy that they were healing so fast."You going for a run this morning?" Ezra asked me, sipping on his coffee. I nodded at him and stretched. My back cracked and I smiled.Ezra didn't asked about what happened the night before and I was glad. I didn't need him trying to pry his way into my personal life. I wasn't ready to share that part of myself with anyone. I didn't think I ever would be.When the knock on the door came, I bounded towards it. I called goodbye to Ezra. I heard his light chuckles as I reached the door and pulled it open. I expected to see Kade and Alfie.Instead, I saw Lila and Brayleigh
Ezra stared at me as I sat with my head in my hands at the dinner table. He sipped slowly on his coffee and didn't take his eyes off of me.My mind whirled with so many different thoughts. Memories of my mother flashed through my mind like a slideshow. I felt the pain of losing her all over again.It'd been almost ten years, and I still wasn't over it. I couldn't help but miss her. I couldn't help but be bitter about her death. Alfie was right. It shouldn't have happened. But it did.My mind switched to my beast. She whined sadly in the back of my mind. She paced back and forward, her head down and her whines low and painful to listen to. She was upset. So damn upset.She knew what Alfie said was true. She knew it and so did I.Our fire was gone.Every wolf had a fire. Whether it was hot or not was the important part. I knew what Alfie meant when he spoke about my father.When anyone walked into a room with my father in it, they knew who was in control. Whenever I was in a room with h
The rest of the week I trained hard. I ran every day, either with Ezra, Alfie or Lila and Brayleigh. Each day, they pushed me harder and harder. I remember the morning after my run with Ezra that I collapsed to the ground. I had run with Alfie that morning. It was just him and I.Alfie was ruthless. He made us take a new track, one that extended all the way around Takiani. He told me it was the trail that the tracker wolves run, as it went along the borders of the pack. It was a long run, the longest one I'd ever been on.But I loved it.Alfie pushed me and pushed me. He wouldn't let me slow down and only let me get faster and faster. He raced me, purposely getting me angry to try and bring out my beast's fire. He said it worked, but he said it didn't work enough.After the run, I had to sit down. I was panting hard, my heart was beating so fast that I felt it in my throat. My arms and legs were tingling with energy.I felt different. I felt great. Something I hadn't felt in a while.
When I got back from my run, I felt better. I had run until my legs gave out, and then I hauled myself to the river and slid into the water. I washed away the sweat and blood and then found some clothes stashed away in a hollow tree. I slipped on the clothes and walked back to my cabin.Upon entering my cabin, I smelt the wolves that were sitting inside. As I pushed the door open, I already knew who I was.I walked into the dining room where everyone was sitting at the table. Lila got up the moment she saw me and rushed over to me. She embraced me in a tight hug and rubbed my cheek with hers.I calmed my beast only a little. But it was enough to keep me relaxed.Brayleigh and Kade sat next to each other at the table. Kade had his arm around her shoulders and had her close to him. I looked at them longingly before tearing my eyes away.I met eyes with Alfie and smiled weakly at him. Then I did the same with Ezra.They were all sat, drinking wine and beer with a large box of biscuits in