Chapter 3 Osiris

Five years ago, mother married Osiris. He took my father’s title as Alpha of the Harvest Moon Pack. Tradition dictates that any children of a deceased alpha are to be exiled upon the eldest child's 18th birthday moon ceremony. The eldest child may challenge the current alpha for the title instead of accepting exile. To challenge an alpha is to fight to the death. So tradition says I choose exile for myself and Dmitry, or I probably die fighting Osiris.

I never imagined that this would be my life. I have accepted that in two months my moon ceremony will happen. The moon ceremony is the first full moon after your 18th birthday. This is when your mate is most visible to your wolf. A kingdom wide ball is held and each person who recently turned 18 is introduced to the entire kingdom of wolves that are of age and without mates. This is really the only time you are able to see all the packs of the realm. Many find their mates at the ball. If I find my mate I can take my place in society. If he is from another pack I could leave this pack behind. Leave Osiris, my mother, and my half-brother Horus. I could live in another pack and no longer just be the daughter of the dead alpha and the slave to the new one. I could beg my mate to allow me to bring Dmitry along. I would bend my knee to another Alpha and rid myself of this pack.

Osiris told me five years ago that I was to serve him and keep my brother out of his sight. We were to earn our keep. I was nothing but a potential challenge to his rule and extra mouth to feed. It was a gesture of love towards my mother to allow us to live.

“My dear wife, as a wedding gift to you, I will allow Ceres and Dmitry to live in my home. Ceres will serve our home to prepare her for future marriage and earn her keep in this household.”

Perhaps it was a generous gift. Destiny did not smile kindly on the children of fallen alphas.

If an alpha had a sworn heir they could assume the title, but an heir couldn’t be sworn in until they had their moon ceremony. It isn’t uncommon for a new alpha to kill the children of the fallen alpha before they can officially offer challenge. While tradition didn’t explicitly condone murder, it also didn’t exactly punish it. Children die all the time in accidents. The alpha runs the police department. Case closed.

I could also find my mate among the pack. If that happens Dmitry would die. There is no way that Osiris will allow my brother to live to challenge him or his son’s claim to the title. I would be forced to reject my mate or ask him to choose exile along side me.

If I don’t find my mate or am forced to reject him, then we face the life of an exiled rogue. Exposed to the danger of the wilds outside the kingdom. Always hunted and despised.

I’m not sure being rogue would be so bad if we can carve our own little space in the wilderness. Have our own little cottage in the woods. The wolf in me snickers at the thought of little red riding hood stumbling upon us in our cottage deep in the woods.

I know that life in the woods isn’t so idyllic. The King’s men actively hunt rogues. It is a distant King of history that created this tradition of exile, victory, or death. He thought it was noble and protected the line of succession.

Rogues were the outcasts, orphans, criminals and radicals. Unworthy of the kingdom and destined to die.