Chapter 0003

I can’t blame Kaley and her friends for tripping over themselves around the future Alphas and their friends, really.  The guys are a year ahead of us in school and just came back from summer training.  Since they will all take over for their fathers when they graduate high school, they have been doing their respective rank training for the last two summers at a compound the Alpha King has on his castle grounds.  They will train one month each summer for the rest of their high school career.  I think the training keeps them from getting into trouble while they are out of school for the summer, but I’m sure they learn a lot too.  They also get to build relations with the other future ranked members in our alliances and in our Alpha King’s territory.  What could go wrong putting fifty or so high ranking teenage kids together for a whole month teaching them battle skills, strategy, pack maintenance?  I’m sure it’s a pissing match the first few days.  

The Alphas learn about caring for the pack financially and dealing with disputes amongst members.  They are the strongest in the pack and usually at frontline of defense when attacks happen and must put the pack first.  The Beta's job is to take on any responsibilities from the Alpha or Alpha's that don't need direct influence from the Alpha.  The Beta is second in command and the Alpha's right hand person.  The Gamma's job is similar to the Beta, but they are the Luna's second in command and her prime protector.  The Delta is the lead warrior, incharge of the packs defense and safety.  They each have a job that is way more complicated and stressful than it sounds and many pack members, including the future ranked members, take for granted what goes on behind the scenes.

I think that is why the ALpha King does his summer training, it pulls these ranked kids out of a childish setting like school and places them in a more real world situation.  Some adapt better than others. I think the Alpha King also likes to know of friendships and rivalries early on, and what better way than to see them all in action, away from the influence of their parents.  Our Alpha King does a good job of keeping the ridiculous pack leaders from causing trouble, but there is always someone trying to gain a better rank through alliances, treaties and forcing chosen mates on their children. Sometimes kids act better when the political aspirations are not a part of the training. There are several Alpha King’s throughout the word and they have a direct connection to the moon goddess herself through their Luna Queens.  They are the full governing body for all werewolves, but work together when disputes or wars get too big for just one to handle.

This year when the guys came back they were all almost unrecognizable.  Each of them had a massive growth spurt and put on muscles like it was their job.  They were all good looking before, even my brother, but now they looked like men, very very, hot men.  They all stood over six feet tall and were as wide as a standard doorway.  As they get closer to 18, their auras are developing as well, which has many uses.  Their aura lets you know you are in the presence of a stronger wolf, they use it to command lower ranking wolves and it attracts s*xual partners.  A wolf’s goal is to have a strong mate to procreate with, the higher the rank, the stronger the wolf. 

All of the girls in the pack noticed and started throwing themselves at these guys.  I think my brother has been out with a different girl every night since they have been back.  Pretty sure the noises from his room late at night are him entertaining a few as well.  It’s kind of gross to think of my brother like that, but all of them seem to have become manwh*res. They aren’t the only ones, just the most notorious.  Let’s just say the janitor’s closet gets a lot of use by the student population. I guess, though, if you can’t beat them, join them and these girls are willing participants.  

It was kind of sad really.  We all have fated mates chosen for us by the moon goddess, I can’t imagine messing around and possibly gaining feelings for someone who might not be mine, that would suck to have them be all like ‘I love you, you're the only person’ and then have the mate bond kick in with someone else and be kicked to the curb.  I’ve seen it a few times here in the pack.  It looks miserable. We can always take a chosen mate, and some packs do that for the higher ranking members, claiming bloodlines make the pack stronger, but I think the moon goddess has other plans and we are strongest with our given mate. I’m waiting around for mine.

“Are you even f*cking listening to me?”

I shake my head of my random thoughts and look back at Kaley.

“Not really, just leave the little kids alone, they don’t understand or care about your expensive shoes or that your friends can’t walk in theirs and need to be given a wide berth.” I say with as bored a tone as I can. The more emotions I show the longer the beatings last. “Besides your clumsy friend is the reason that pup tripped in the first place, but I don’t see you beating her down. Pick on people your own size.” Was my retort which earned me another slap.  More blood runs from my lip.  Just great, something I’ll have to hide at home for the next couple hours until it heals.  

At least I have my wolf to help now, last year trying to hide the bruises and cuts I got from Kaley and her girls was really hard. My father doesn’t pay much attention to me, he doesn't even know I got my wolf at the end of 8th grade, right after my brother and all the guys, but he did notice the first time Kaley left marks on my arms and a small bruise on my cheek. He only noticed my arm when we had to make an appearance with the Alpha and I had a short sleeved dress on. He wasn’t as concerned for my health as he was his reputation as the beta with his daughter getting into fights and causing trouble with pack members or worse, being too weak to defend myself in training. He wouldn’t even listen to what happened. He sent me to my room without dinner and kept me home from school the following day until the bruise faded completely.

It’s not that my father hates me. That’s a lie, I don’t want him to hate me.  But he blames me for my mother’s death. He’s never said it directly to my face, but he rarely says anything directly to me, I have heard him make comments to others though. She died in childbirth with me and I don’t think he ever got completely over the loss of his mate.  According to the nanny I had up until last year, I look just like her and that probably makes him a little sad at the constant reminder.  My brother was better with me, we used to be really close, we’re not even a year apart, but ever since he started his training to become the next beta a couple years ago, he barely makes time for me, not even at school.  They both put their duty to the pack and their Alphas above everything else including their personal lives.

That, along with Kaley and her girls making sure everyone knows if they even talk to me, in what could be considered a friendly manner, she will find a way to punish them and me. My last year of middle school and now high school is shaping up to be pretty lonely. I just have to keep my head down, my grades up and train hard to get into warrior training and out of this pack.

This wasn’t my first run in with Kaley this year and we have only been in school for two weeks, but this is where things really started to take a turn for me.