The War of Atlas

Elite Warrior

Griffin

A loud knocking on my door roused me from the recurring dream I have been having for months. I am running through the forest in wolf form, frolicking with a massive white wolf. My wolf, Eris, is enormous and towers over most other wolves, even my uncle and cousin's alpha wolves. Her fur is also blood red with a black muzzle.

"Griffin!" I heard my Uncle Landon's gruff voice shout. I rolled off the male body I had been lying on and looked at the clock.

"f**k!" I shouted and rolled out of bed, waking Dwight. One of the pack's top warriors whom I have been sleeping with for the last two years. A second later, my door burst open, revealing my angry uncle.

Dwight scrambled out of my bed butt naked and looked at my uncle with wide eyes. "Alpha Landon," He mumbled while grabbing a pillow to cover his junk. "We were just-"

My uncle held up his hand. "Save it, Dwight. It's no secret to me that you and Griffin are friends with benefits."

Dwight looked at me, and I shrugged. "He smells you on me."

"Griffin, we are supposed to be leaving for the palace in five minutes. Why aren't you readY?" The Alpha of the Mars Ulta Pack. The second largest pack in the kingdom. The only pack larger is the Royal Pack. That's what they are called the Royal Pack. They are a sister pack to ours since we are cousins to the royal family.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Lan. I forgot to set my alarm," I said as I ran around my room while trying to put clothes on and grabbing things to stuff into my luggage.

I saw my uncle glance at Dwight. "Well, maybe if you hadn't been screwing one of my warriors, you wouldn't have forgotten to set your alarm."

Dwight's mouth fell open like he was going to say something but stopped when his alpha shot him a look. He just stood silently with a pillow over his d**k.

My uncle sighed. "Be downstairs in five minutes, Griff." He said and then shut my door.

I sighed and realized I, too, was naked. "f**k, my uncle just watched me scrambled around naked," I mumbled and then felt Dwight's arm around my waist. He placed his lips on my shoulder.

"I wish you weren't leaving," He said sadly. I turned myself to look into his golden-brown eyes. His longish brown hair fell into his face, and he reached up to brush it behind his ears. He was only about an inch taller than me at 6'2". "I wish you wanted to be my chosen mate," He kissed my neck and then nibbled my ear.

"Dwight, I told you why I can't be your mate," I said to him.

"I know, your cousin chose you to be his royal gamma," I felt terrible for Dwight. His fated mate had rejected him so she could be with her boyfriend. I know it pained him to see her running around the pack with another man on his arm.

Dwight and I had grown up together and had always been a friend. I comforted him after his mate rejected him, and that somehow turned into casual s*x. I know he was developing feelings for me, and I felt something for him. Just not enough to give up my opportunities to be his mate. At twenty-three, I have not found my mate, and I hope I never do. I don't want to be slowed down by some male trying to assert dominance over me. I am the strongest warrior in the pack. I qualified to train with the elite royal warriors. I am only the second female ever to achieve that. My cousin Aaron, the crown prince, also chose me to become the royal gamma when he becomes King in two years. It was a huge honor. I am the first female to be the royal gamma. I wiggled out of Dwight's arms. "I have to get going, Dwight. Uncle Roddy will be angry if we show up late. He hates tardiness." I said.

He snorted. "It's always strange to me to hear the king being called Uncle Roddy."

I picked a pair of pants and a tank top from the clothes I had left in my small closet. Even though I am the granddaughter of the prior alpha and the niece of the current alpha, I chose to live in one of the warrior rooms on the second floor of the packhouse. It was big enough to fit a double bed and a couple of dressers with a TV stand. It had a small closet and no bathroom. I preferred hanging out with my fellow warriors over the ranked members of the pack. I did hang out with my cousin Braedon who is the next alpha, sometimes. But he was busy with his mate these days. I looked in the mirror on my dresser and ran my hands through my short purple and black hair. I usually had it style in a mohawk, but my Uncle Roddy hated the mohawk, so I left my hair down.

I picked up my suitcases and looked at Dwight. "I'm sorry, Dwight. I know you want more from me. But I can't give up everything I worked for. Settling into the role of happy little mate isn't me."

He frowned at me. "You know I'm not like that, Griff." His shoulders slumped as I opened the door of my room. He stood just behind me. "You are going to be a kickass Gamma, Griff. I'll miss you. Don't forget about me," I let him pull me into a hug. I even let him kiss me on the lips.

"Bye, Dwight. Why don't you ask Chantel Robbins out? She has always had her eye on you." I told him as we walked out of my room. We walked side by side down the hall towards the stairs.

"She's pretty, but she isn't you." He replied with a sigh.

I snorted. "Well, no one is me. I am pretty awesome and kickass." We reached the packhouse's ground floor, and my cousin Braedon was standing near the door saying goodbye to his mate Laila. They looked so much in love. I hear the mate bond is intense.

Dwight and I stopped near my cousin, and he hugged me again. He went to kiss me, but a growl from the doorway stopped him. I looked over to see my grandfather standing next to my uncle.

"Don't you have patrols, Mr. Thompson?" Uncle Landon growled at Dwight.

"Y-yes, Alpha. Sorry. I was just saying goodbye to Griffin." He looked at me with a sad expression. "Bye, Griff." He tried kissing me again but resorted to shaking my hand. He then bowed to my uncle and grandfather and hurried away.

My Aunt Lynnette walked up to my uncle to say goodbye to him. My grandmother did the same with my grandfather. The four of them, my grandparents, aunt, and uncle, all raised me. My mother was killed by rogues when I was six. My father is alive, but he is not a werewolf, so he does not live in the pack. My family knows my father's identity, especially because we are one of the packs he blessed with his strength.

I hugged Aunt Lynnette and my grandmother goodbye. My grandmother grabbed the sides of my face. "You behave yourself, Griffin Eloise. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, Nan, "I said as she kissed my cheek. My grandmother Marjorie Lockhart is one of the sweetest people in existence. She never really got over my mother's death, so she is extra protective of me. She was not always supportive of me being a warrior. Being a warrior is in my blood, thanks to my father.

I am not built like a typical she-wolf. I tower over most other females at six foot two. And I am built like a bodybuilder. A lot of wolves outside of my pack mistake me for a man. I keep my hair short, and I dress like a guy. My arms are covered in tattoos. I didn't care that I was mistaken for a man. It shocked the hell out of cocky men when I kicked their asses, and they discovered I am, in fact, a female.

My cousin Braedon was trying to let go of his mate Laila. "Don't worry, Laila, I'll keep Brae out of trouble," I said to her.

She smiled at me. "Thanks, Griffin." It had taken a bit for Laila and me to get along. She is one of those girly type females that's into fashion and makeup and pop music. So we didn't have much to talk about at first. And she was a little jealous of how much time I spent with Braedon. Laila eventually warmed up to me and has become one of my few female friends. She looked at Braedon. "You behave yourself, Baby, or Griff will kick your ass for me."

Braedon narrowed his eyes at me before looking at his mate. "I'll behave, sweetie."

Uncle Landon clapped his hands. "Okay, everyone, let's get this show on the road," He announced.

Braedon reluctantly released his mate and walked towards his father. He and his father could pass for identical twins. They are the same height and same build with brown hair and brown eyes. Uncle Landon has a long brown beard on his chin, while Braedon has stubble on his face. My grandfather was coming with us too. He is an elder on the council, and we are going to the annual alpha meeting. Uncle Roddy felt I should attend this year as the future royal gamma. I would also be starting my training with the elite warriors.

I didn't mind as it was a chance to hang out with my cousin Aaron who I consider my best friend. Aaron being Uncle Rodney's only child, is also the heir to the throne. So he got to choose his second and third in command.

As we walked out to the cars, we all stopped at the statue of the Ares. He had blessed our pack, and we all showed reverence towards him. The others bowed to the statue while I just looked up at it. Everyone told me I had his eyes.

"Hi, Dad," I said quietly to the statue. "Wish me luck."

'Luck, my daughter doesn't need luck,' I heard his gruff voice say in my head. 'You will excel in your quest to become an elite royal warrior. Not even the King himself can match your prowess on the battlefield. You make me proud to be your father.'

I smiled at the statue. "I love you too, Dad." I then climbed into an SUV and sat next to my cousin while my uncle and grandfather were in the seat in front of us. Two warriors we in the front seat. There were three other cars behind us. Victor Cooper, my uncle's beta, was riding in the car behind us with several warriors. Due to our status, we often traveled with our best warriors for protection. There had also been an increase in problems with hybrid rogues attacking packs. We heard they had hit the Titan Mountain Pack the worst. My Dad said he wanted to build an alliance with Alpha Atlas Wylde. I had never met Alpha Atlas, but every time I heard his name, my wolf would act weird, and my stomach would do flips. I suddenly found myself daydreaming about the massive wolf from my dreams. Eris made a low humming noise as I thought of the wolf.

"What did your father have to say?" Uncle Landon interrupted my thoughts.

"Huh?" I asked as I shook my head.

"Your father? I saw your eyes glaze over while we were in front of the statue," Uncle Landon asked.

I shrugged. "The usual. Telling me, I will excel at elite training and such." I smiled at the thought. Ares may be the God of War and known for his fiery temper. To most, he was a royal asshole, and even his own godly family disliked him. But he always had a soft spot for his many children. He often told me that I was his favorite child. He had actually loved my mother and wanted to marry her and make her immortal. But my mother didn't want that.

"Well, we all know you will do well in training, Griff," Braedon said to me. "I mean, you flipped Uncle Roddy on his ass when you were thirteen."

I chucked at the memory of beating the King when I hadn't even shifted yet. "Yeah, I will never let him live that down," I laughed.

"I don't think anyone will ever let Rodney live that down," My grandfather added. Rodney's father was my grandfather's older brother. My grandfather had been set to be his brother's second in command. And then he found out my grandmother is his mate. She was the only child of the alpha, and he offered my grandfather the position of alpha. So my grandfather dropped his royal title and became the alpha of the Mars Ulta pack. Our pack and the Royal Pack are still close allies because we are all family.

Braedon and I call the King, Uncle Roddy, and the Queen, Aunt Syd even though they are technically our cousins. Uncle Roddy and Uncle Landon act more like brothers than cousins. My mother had been close to Aunt Sydney when they were younger.

The drive to the Royal Pack took about three hours. The royal palace came into view first as it sat in a valley near a large lake. The palace stood out like a beacon against the greens of the forest. A medium-sized town surrounding the palace houses the royal warriors and others that work for the royal family. Humans are also allowed to live in the city. They were all in the know about supernatural creatures. As we arrived at the palace, I saw Uncle Roddy and Aunt Syd standing outside with my cousin Aaron a few feet from them. I could hardly contain my excitement of being able to hang out with Aaron. We get into so much trouble I am surprised that his father isn't grey-haired or bald.

The SUV stopped, and an omega stepped forward to open the door. Uncle Landon and my grandfather got out of the vehicle first. They went up to greet Uncle Roddy and Aunt Syd. I went over to greet my cousin. I just noticed that a small female was hanging off his arm. She had blonde hair and blue eyes and was dressed in a short blue dress with white heels.

"Aaron!" I ran up to him, and we hugged while the small female growled at me. I pulled back from my best friend and regarded her.

Aaron looked at the female. "Sweetie, this is my cousin." He told her. "Griffin, I have great news. This is Maia, my mate." He proclaimed and tightened his hold on the female.

"Your mate? Oh wow. How come you didn't tell me?" I slugged his arm. I looked at Maia. "Hi, Maia, I am Griffin." I held out a hand to her, and she sneered slightly.

"I figured. I had heard you look like a male," She replied.

I rolled my eyes at her. "Yeah, I guess my reputation precedes me."

"Sorry, I didn't tell you, Griff. I just met Maia last week, and well-" He smiled as I spotted the mate mark on Maia's neck.

"Oh, I see," I laughed. "Well, congratulations."

"Griffin!" Uncle Roddy's voice boomed, and I turned to the King of the werewolves. He walked regally as a king should. He is as tall as Uncle Landon, with short brown hair and brown eyes. "Are you not going to say hi?" He smiled at me as he approached and nodded at Aaron. "I know you and Aaron are close but come on?" He held out his arms and pulled me into a hug.

"Sorry, Uncle Roddy. You were talking to Uncle Landon and Grandpa." I said to him.

He pulled back from me just as Aunt Syd, the queen of werewolves, walked up to me. In my opinion, Aunt Syd of Sydney is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. She is of average height but has fiery red hair and green eyes that look like emeralds. She always dresses so nicely as the queen should. "Griffy," She said as I hugged her. "I see you met Maia. Isn't she lovely?" She asked. I pulled away from her and glanced at Maia, who had erased the sneer from her face and was now smiling.

"Yes, she is great." I gave Maia a look. I wasn't going to sink to her level. I figured it might take a little time for her to warm up to me just like it had for Braedon's mate.

"Why don't we all go inside and have brunch?" Aunt Syd said to everyone. "The servants will take care of your luggage."

We all followed her and Uncle Roddy into the palace. We had arrived the day before all of the other alphas. For some reason, Eris was acting strangely in my head, pacing, and whining. Aunt Syd clasped my arm. "So, are you excited for your first alpha meeting?"

I shrugged. "Kind of. I think it will be neat to hear what all of the alphas have to say."

"Maybe you will meet your mate. Surely you are mated to an alpha." She lightly elbowed me.

"Ugh, Aunt Syd. I don't want to think about that." I practically whined to her.

"Oh, come on, Griff. Surely you want to meet your mate." She goaded me

I shook my head. "What and give up everything to be a Luna? Do I look like a Luna to you?"

"I feel sorry for any male that gets stuck with Griffin as a mate," Braedon chimed in, and I snarled at him. He threw up his hands. "What? It's a compliment."

The others laughed. "It would be better than her screwing all of my warriors," Uncle Landon added.

I glared at him. "Okay, you all suck," I mumbled out, and they laughed.

"We all love you, Griff," Aunt Syd leaned against me. "We want the best for you."

I sighed. "Look, maybe in a few years, I'll be ready for my mate. But for now, I want to focus on becoming the best royal gamma and elite warrior I can."

"Like you have to try," Uncle Roddy added.

"Does your ass still hurt from when she flipped you, Rod?" Uncle Landon laughed.

"Shut up, Lan," Uncle Roddy glared at his cousin.

We all laughed and continued to the dining room in the private residence where the King and Queen resided.

'You may not want your mate now. But you will be meeting him soon,' Eris said to me.

'What? But Eris. He will ruin everything.' I whined back to her. 'I don't want to give up being Aaron's gamma.'

'Your father picked him especially for you. You should be grateful.' She explained.

'Since when does my father pair wolves?' I asked my wolf, but she didn't answer. I sighed heavily. 'What the hell Dad? You know I don't want a mate yet.' He, too, was silent. I shook my head and tried to push it to the back of my mind. I wanted to enjoy my time with my family and focus on starting training with the elite royal warriors.