Chapter 1
I was sitting in my room waiting for my best friends, the triplets, to come up so we could watch a movie that we had been wanting to see. I had already taken a shower and was in the process of braiding my waist-length brown curls to get them out of my face. I was sitting there thinking about how well the day had gone. The triplets and I graduated high school and it was the beginning of summer. The pack surprised us with a graduation party when we got home. Our fathers had not bothered to even show up so they took it upon themselves to give us a party. Now it was time to sit back and relax for a bit. We definitely deserved it that was for sure. “We have to go, there has been another attack. This time it was Pine Lake” Bryce said as he came busting into my room. “Ok. Have you linked the other two yet”, I asked him. “No honestly, I figured they were both up here with you like normal and waiting to start the movie” he answered. I grabbed all of our gear bags to throw into the SUV while he linked Brayden and Brandon, his brothers.
“Have you told my father yet” I asked him. My father was Alpha Joe Gregory. For now, anyway. He is supposed to pass the title to me, his only child, his daughter, next week. However, now with all these attacks, he is beginning to have second thoughts and now wants to wait to see If I find my mate when I turn eighteen. “No, I figured you would rather do that” Bryce looked at me grinning. “Gee thanks, so I can give him yet another reason to hold off on to passing me the Alpha title.” I said as I turned to go into my father’s office.
The triplets and I were given the responsibility and job of investigations for the Palace. Whenever there is an attack on a pack, we respond with first aid and medical equipment along with doing an investigation to see who was at fault for the attack and if any crimes had been committed during the attack. If we find that crimes have been committed, then they must be placed into custody until the King decides their punishment. The job originally belonged to my father. However, since my mother’s death there has. been a lot said about how my father was handling different ones and bending the rules. This is not tolerated at all because it can lead to a whole lot more issues. Unfortunately, one of those other issues has been said to be my mother and the triplet’s mother’s death. So, my Uncle King Drake, also my father’s brother, placed me in charge of this division. This along with all my fathers Alpha responsibilities, because he rarely comes out of his office or anything for that matter since my mom’s death. His Beta, the triplet’s father, is just as useless not coming out of his bedroom or having anything to do with the triplets at all. So, they have overtaken his responsibilities as well.
“Dad, I am sorry to bother you, but there has been another attack. We are loading up now to go see what we can do to help and do the investigation”, I explained as I walked inside. “Who was it this time” he asked. “Pine Lake”, I answered as I turned around to go. “I trust that you four have everything that you need then” he asked as he looked a little more worried than normal when we did these trips. “Yes sir. The guys are getting the warriors together as we speak, and our gear is already in the trucks. The medical team is getting their gear together as well, and we will leave as soon as I get out there.” I informed him. “Very well Krista, be safe and I will wait for your call” my father told me as he gave me a hug and kissed the top of my head. I could not tell you the last time that my father looked as if he cared about me and what I did. Much less has shown any type of affection at all. “Please let Beta Ben know that the guys will be gone please”, I asked, knowing that they did not tell their father a word as I left out of my father’s office.
“Is everything set” I asked Brayden as I reached the vehicle=s throwing our gear inside. “Yep, just waiting on you to lead us out of here”, Brayden answered. Bryce and Brandon walked up. “Did you tell the Alpha”, Brandon asked. “Of course, I did. Did one of you three tell the Beta?” I asked, already knowing the answer. “You already know, so why bother to ask” Bryce answered as I gave the order to shift and move out. “You three really should let him know. You are not eighteen yet either.” I told them as we climbed into the suv. “He does not care what we do. You know that. Since our mothers died, he barely even knows we exist”, Brayden explained. Our mothers had both been killed coming home from a shopping trip six months ago. A freak accident is what we were told. Their vehicle went off the edge of a cliff and burst into flames one hundred feet down. We saw the smoke from the pack house when we were all hit with the pain of their deaths. Our fathers have not been the same since. I have basically been running the pack since. My father just sits in his office and their father doesn’t really even leave his bedroom now.