Fated to the Promised Alpha

“Come on Charlie, we are going to be late.” Charlie heard her dad shouting up the stairs as she fiddled with her dress again. It was her eighth outfit choice already and her room was a mess of strewn clothes, making a pretty rainbow on her bed. It wasn’t like her to fuss so much over an outfit, she rarely cared about looking the part for formal occasions, more inclined to be prepared to fight, but her nerves were getting the better of her. It would be the first time, for a few years, she that would see most of the pack and her old friends, and her stomach was churning at the thought. “Coming!” She shouted back, grabbing her favourite leather jacket from the back of her chair and throwing it over her navy-blue dress. It covered her like an extra layer of protection, making her slightly more comfortable as she ran to catch up with her dad. Arriving home only two hours before hadn’t given Charlie a lot of time to re-orientate herself before being marched into the shower and told to hurry up. Her dad was a stickler for time management and refused to let Charlie wear the casual jeans and hoodie, she had turned up in, to the party. They had to be presentable at all pack events after all. It was one of the downsides of being from the Red Moon pack's Beta lineage. The only reason she had come home was to attend this occasion, though she had almost had to add it to the long list of missed events she had managed to avoid in the past few years. Charlie had laughed out loud at her father’s stern scowl as her car screeched to a stop in front of the house, but her grin soon dropped when he told her training tomorrow would start at 6am sharp. So much for enjoying the party. It wasn’t like it was her fault for being late, her friends at the New Moon pack had made her stay for lunch before heading off. A lunch which had turned into a quick spar and then her own goodbye party. Charlie sighed, thinking back over the last six months at the other big 6 pack. After finishing her university degree, she had travelled around the packs allied to Red Moon, training with different warriors and learning different fighting styles, but New Moon had been her favourite and longest stop. The pack were so welcoming, even though she stood out from the rest and was often teased about not being able to partially shift a tail in her human form to blend in. Though Charlie would just use her arsenal of heightened senses to dish out dirt on those people and get her revenge. Nothing like a keen wolf nose to find out which wolves were fooling around behind everyone’s back. That is how she had become friends with a wolf called Serena. A crazy teen, with ginger hair as wild as her personality. The girl was unusually drawn back from the other New Moon wolves, but she was also a hardcore gossiper and could spread Charlie’s findings like wildfire, making the pair a dangerous duo for any wolf that crossed either of their paths. As they got closer, Serena opened up to her about her history and why she was struggling to integrate into pack life. She had recently only returned to her home after being kidnapped and kept imprisoned for two years in a situation that made Charlie’s stomach churn. Serena confided some of the hardships to her and Charlie couldn’t imagine a teenager having to face such things. It drew the pair together, a friendship knitting between them with ease, and though Charlie had benefitted a lot from New Moon’s training and learning a unique fighting style, she cherished the lifelong friend she had made. “How was Arty?” Her dad, Chris, asked, pulling Charlie from her thoughts of her time away. Arty was the nickname of Arthur Night, the Alpha of the Crescent Night pack. It had been the first pack to agree to house and train Charlie for a few months, during her time away. Being the Beta’s daughter of one of the big 6 packs had its perks and made planning arrangements like this easy. However, for this particular pack, Arty was her uncle and was more than happy to see his niece for the first time since she got her wolf. He was even happier to see her fighting level was already high and would be an asset for those few months rather than a burden. Another benefit of being the Beta’s daughter; training long before you could walk. “Their pack is growing, and they are a lot bigger than I expected them to be from your stories.” Charlie answered absentmindedly whilst using the reflection of the car window to try and flatten her short hair that was intending to stick out in every direction. A wasted effort as stubborn auburn flicks bounced back up each time her hand pushed them to her scalp. “Uncle Arty was good, so was Auntie Lee, though Crescent Night was the first pack I stayed with, so I haven’t seen them for 18 months. I will need to ring them again or maybe we could visit?” Her dad grunted a half agreement to that. As Arthur’s brother-in-law, they weren’t as close as she felt to them, but they were still family. “You saw him more recently than you had seen me before today.” Chris snorted, folding his arms across his chest and giving her a pointed look. “I almost thought you were never coming home.” Charlie winced and gave him a sheepish smile. As soon as she turned 18 and got her wolf, she had left the Red Moon pack to go to university and then travel around the allied packs. For the longest time she used her studying and training as an excuse to stay away, knowing a day would come when she would be called to return. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her pack or her family, quite the opposite actually. Charlie knew as soon as she returned, she would be with Red Moon forever. From a young age she was determined to be a warrior and rise up the ranks of the pack, however that meant dedicating her life to the role. A choice she was happy with but taking a few years to explore first had done her the world of good. Now she had different battle tactics and fighting styles to bring back to Red Moon and raise the standard of their warriors. However, the cost had been not coming home. Her dad had visited her a few times over the years but taking time off whilst trying to train the new Beta was difficult. “At least I will be home for my birthday this year.” Chris only gave a gruff grunt as a reply and Charlie knew she would have to butter him up over the next few days. Training tomorrow would give her the perfect opportunity. He was a sucker for good fighting techniques, and she had a bucket load to showcase. The drive to the packhouse was only five minutes. It took longer to get into the car and drive than it would have done to simply walk there, but traditions require all important guests to arrive at pack events by vehicle. Charlie thought it was pointless but had long given up trying to make her dad and the previous Alpha, Jacob, change their minds on such farses they deemed key parts of formal affairs. On this occasion, she was quite happy to be behind the tinted windows of the back seats, watching familiar faces pass by whilst she remained unseen. It gave her a precious extra few minutes to settle her stomach and compose herself. “Stop that.” Chris chastised, yanking her fingers from her mouth. Charlie hadn’t realised she was chewing on her nails again and gave a small huff before crossing her hands nicely on her lap, or so they appeared. Really, she was squeezing the life out of them to resist the urge to bring them to her mouth and inflict them with all her concerns. She needed a distraction. “How is Jay doing?” “That’s Alpha Jayden.” Chris corrected. Pack etiquette was never her strong suit and being away had made her forced habits slip further, but it felt unusual calling him ‘Alpha’. The pair had been thrust together since they were pups, whilst their father’s ran the pack, and had been partnered to train with each other since they could walk. A healthy competition had always run between them, and they worked well to pull the standards of the other up, making them pack warriors long before they got their wolves. All that time together bred friendship, after all their entire childhood was taken up with drills and exercises, which not many other pups their age would understand. They wouldn’t understand the thrill of ditching training and hiding from the Red Moon upper ranks, or the pain of running laps all day as punishment. It had been many years since she had seen him. Jay had to be trained to be an Alpha and lead the pack, and when he reached sixteen it lowered their daily contact until the day he left to visit the allied packs. He was only slightly older than her, but once he reached eighteen and gained his wolf, Jay was required to introduce himself as the upcoming Alpha, preparing him to take over the role when he came of age. It was an important part of being the Red Moon Alpha but it also meant she hadn’t seen him since she was seventeen. It was strange how time could pass so quickly and so much could change. Jay was almost a stranger to her now, only their shared childhood to connect them, though she hoped to rekindle their friendship. After all, Charlie wanted to become the next Red Moon Beta. “Sorry." Charlie gave a tight smile, hiding her gritted teeth. "How is Alpha Jay doing?” The daggered eyes Chris threw at her were softer than she expected, not that her dad’s glare had any effect on her after years of causing him trouble and receiving it on a daily basis. He sighed. “Alpha Jayden is still learning and slowly getting used to the role.” Charlie saw frown lines etch deep on her father's face as he turned to peer out of the window. He would never speak ill of the pack, or the upper ranks, but by saying anything that wasn’t positively focused spoke volumes. It hadn’t been the answer she was expecting, especially considering Jay had been Alpha of the pack for four years already, and she could see the disappointment dancing across his hazel eyes. The car came to a stop outside the front of the pack house but neither of the pair made a move to leave yet. Charlie reached out her hand and placed it over Chris’. “At least Alpha Jay has found his mate now. The perfect wolf for him will help him settle in the role.” Her words were meant to reassure but Charlie also believed them. She had never been a romantic, nor dreamt of the day she would find her mate like most girls. Instead, she put her faith in the Moon Goddess to find her perfect match, at the perfect time and would be patient until then. It was the one certain aspect of every wolf’s life and a constant that Charlie trusted, haven seen the miracle of love bloom so quickly from a glance or scent in the air. She looked forward to the day it would happen for her and relished the thoughts of how her mate would challenge her to become a better wolf. A wide smile graced Charlie’s face from thoughts of the pack’s Alpha being completed with his partner, and the pack growing stronger because of it, but it faltered when Chris turned to face her, his expression still full of worry as doubt played with his voice. “She is not his fated mate. It’s an arranged pairing.” Charlie’s mouth dropped open, words lost on her tongue, as her father exited the vehicle and waited by her door for her to collect herself. It took a full minute and the rest of her thumb nail to process the situation, but, like a ranked professional, Charlie climbed out of the car and took her dad’s arm, then headed into the packhouse with a neutral face masking her surprise. She had never heard of an arranged pairing for an Alpha of one of the big 6 packs. In fact, many people thought it was a second favour bestowed upon the packs by the Moon Goddess, for their Alphas to always find their fated mate early – the first being the different abilities gifted to the wolves of the big 6. Curiosity bit at her tongue and for the first time that day, she was looking forward to the Luna announcement and uncovering the pieces of this puzzle.