Born A Female Alpha

Chapter 1

*

"She's not a werewolf," Clark said as he sank into his seat. "She never has been, and she never will be." 

"How can you say that?" Eva said astonishingly. She was standing before him on the plush carpet of his study with her shoulders squared and her eyes ablaze with fury. She was wearing a black and baggy tee shirt over grey jeans, with heel length boots. Her auburn hair was tied up in a tall ponytail."She's your daughter." 

"So you tell me," he said as he drummed his fingers on the table, his arm muscles flexing with each motion. "But I know that I can never father a weak cub. I am the Alpha of the Greyhounds. My seed could never produce a weakling like that." 

"Clark," she gasped, "how could you say that? Are you accusing me of having an affair?" 

"Perhaps," he said simply, scratching his beard. 

"You... You ungrateful little..." 

"Watch your tongue, woman," he said sharply. "You may be my mate, but that doesn't mean you can speak to me however you wish. I am still your Alpha. And as such, you shall accord me the respect I deserve." 

"You dare to accuse me of sleeping with another man, and you think that I won't retaliate?" Eva yelled at him. "You've crossed the line, Clark. You've crossed the line." 

Sighing, Clark rose to his feet and walked over to her. "I'm sorry," he said as he placed his hands on her trembling shoulders. "I am not accusing you of having an illicit affair. I know you wouldn't do that; I trust you. But that girl..." 

"Sierra is our daughter," Eva said through clenched teeth. "She's your daughter, and no matter how hard you try to change the fact, you must accept it." 

"The girl smells like a human," he growled at the word. 

"She's a late bloomer," she replied. "Her wolf will grow eventually." 

Clark sighed, returning to his seat. He steepled his fingers on the table as he watched the woman whom he loved more than anything else in the world. Eva had always been the stubborn type, hard to crack like a nut. It was exactly why he chose her as his mate. The Greyhounds needed a strong Luna; one who could lead them in his absence. 

"Sierra is going to that festival, Clark," she said. "And it will take you and all the other Alphas in the world before you can stop me." 

"Fine," he said as he rubbed his temples. "She may go." 

"You say that like it was your decision to make in the first place," Eva narrowed her eyes at him. 

"Limits, Eva," he said in a dark voice. "Be wary of the words which come out of your mouth." 

A knock on the door startled neither of them, as they had both heard the footsteps approaching. Edward's scent had reached them even before he climbed the stairs. The door opened slowly as Edward stood outside, wearing a black and expensive looking suit, with his hair evenly gelled and slicked back in a fresh fade haircut. A light stubble appeared along his jawline, tapering off towards his chin. Eva snorted as she looked at him, while Clark simply stared at his Beta. 

"My apologies, Clark," he bowed as he entered. "But I thought it best to check on you." 

"The link was open, I presume?" he raised an eyebrow. 

"Indeed," Edward replied. "For a moment, you nearly made me yell at Caroline, and you know how she gets." 

"Forgive me," Clark said. "Eva was just being... difficult." 

"Good evening, Luna," Edward bowed before her. "I trust that you are well." 

"Well enough," she said, her mouth set in a thin line. "I'll be in my room, Clark." 

As she turned around Clark got a glimpse of the bite marks on her neck; the symbol of his love to her. He could still remember the day he gave her the mark, sealing their destinies as one for the rest of their lives. Eva was his, and she could never love anyone else, or be with anyone else. Theirs was a fierce kind of love; the jealous and aching type which made everyone else seem unappealing. He felt stupid now to have accused her of having and affair. 

"Easy there, Clark," Edward said as he took the seat in front of him. "I can feel the desire coursing through your veins." 

"Well she is an incredibly good-looking woman, is she not?" he chuckled as his eyes glinted for a brief moment. 

"Indeed she is," Edward replied quietly, careful not to give anything away. 

"You're on patrol tonight," Clark said, more of a statement than a question. 

"Yes," Edward nodded. "I was hoping to explore the Eastern border tonight, as Bertha has been complaining of sightings at night. Perhaps our enemies are creeping in close. The ShadowLands may be hundreds of miles away, but that doesn't mean they won't send scouts to observe our defences around the borders." 

"You would take the word of Bertha?" Clark growled lowly. "That woman does not know her left from her right." 

"But she is one of us, nonetheless," Edward said. "And we must..." 

"Protect The Pack With Our Dying Breath, For The Pack Makes The Wolf As Much As The Wolf Makes The Pack," Clark drawled lazily as they both said their oath together. "Haven't you gotten tired of saying that over and over again?" 

"It is our sacred duty," Edward said. "If we do not honour our vow, then what else is there to honour?" 

"Thy father and thy mother," Clark said. Edward looked at him for a brief moment, and together they burst out laughing. Clark had a habit of stomping the table with his fists whenever he laughed, while Edward's laugh was more restrained and measured. 

"Don't tell me you are still reading that book," he said once he finished laughing. Clark opened his drawer and pulled out a dirty old book, frayed around the edges and motheaten in several places. 

"The Holy Bible," he read as he placed the book on the table before him. "If the book were so holy, you'd think it would have protected the woman when we ran into her." 

"We were merely cubs then," Edward laughed softly. "We didn't know any better." 

"She called us heathens, do you remember?" he laughed. "She said we will burn in hell for not believing in her God." 

"I am still waiting for that to happen," Edward replied. 

Clark stood up from his seat and walked towards the window to his right, his footsteps heavy on the carpet. As he moved, Edward suddenly stared up at the air vent, his eyes narrowed curiously. He relaxed however when he saw who it was. 

"Those were the days, Edward. When we used to run wild, like a couple of rogues with no purpose in life. We took whatever we wanted, and killed whoever dared to stop us," Clark said as he leaned against the windowsill. "I remember the feel of the wind between my ears, the softness of the earth beneath my paw as we thundered through the plains, the valleys, the hills and the forests." 

"We were unstoppable," Edward said nostalgically. 

"And yet look at us now," he said mirthlessly. "Sitting around all day and listening to complaints from every bloody wolf in the pack. Our enemies gather in the ShadowLands, and each day their forces grow stronger than ours. Oberon's pack has grown nearly twice in number within the space of three months. I heard that he has summoned the Cloves, the Hunds and the Yunderins, and he told them to swear fealty to him alone and surrender their packs to him, or die. We are at the brink of war, and yet the clan wants me to sit back and do nothing. Our enemies sit in the ShadowLands and laugh at us, while we sit here and worry about a stupid old festival." 

"Calm down, Clark," Edward said slowly. "What you need to do is find a way to convince them that war is the only answer. We cannot afford to sit here and wait for the fight to come and meet us. We must attack instead, swiftly and sharply. We take out Oberon himself, and the fight will be over before it even starts. We know where he is, and we have the numbers. We should strike now, before he strikes us instead." 

"Perhaps," he mused silently. "But that doesn't matter now. We shall discuss this after the festival. Perhaps the clan will listen to my argument then." 

"As you wish," he bowed his head. 

Clark suddenly froze, his eyes glazing over as he stared blankly at the wall. Edward knew what it was; Eva was sending a message to him. For just a split second, he wondered whether he could get away with taking a peek and seeing for himself what they were talking about. But he wouldn't dare. In the past, he had gotten away with it because his and Clark's bond was still new, and the latter was just beginning to learn how to use it. But of late, he had been learning to block him out. 

"Excuse me, Edward," Clark said once the mind-link was broken. "I'll be back in a few minutes." 

"Trouble in paradise?" he asked. 

"When isn't there a little bit of trouble?" he groaned as he exited the room. Edward remained where he was, calm and collected as a piece of cherry. Again, his eyes were drawn to the air vent above. 

"You can come out now," he said. "He's gone." 

Quiet as a mouse, the latch was thrown open as Sierra hopped out onto the table. Edward stared at her calmly, taking in the dirt on her clothes, the bruises along her arm and her tangled auburn hair. Sierra was a spitting image of her mother, beautiful as the moon on a starless night. She had her father's eyes however, hazel with a single black dot in each pupil. Her jawline was also Clark's, sharp and strong. The hair was Eva's however, as well as the tall and lean figure. 

"Hi, uncle Ed," she beamed at him. 

"How much of it did you hear?" he asked as she stood on the table, sneezing as she tried to untangle her hair. 

"Pretty much all of it," she shrugged. 

"And what did he say this time around?" Edward c****d his head. 

"Father thinks I am not his daughter," she said. "He says he could never sire a weakling like me." 

"You are no weakling, Sierra," Edward said as he pulled her by the arm until she sat on the table in front of him, her feet dangling off the edge. "You're just a late bloomer. Your own father's wolf didn't mature until he was nearly sixteen." 

"I'll be sixteen next year, uncle Ed," she said. 

"Which is why he should not say anything about you at all," he said. "There's still time. You have nothing to worry about." 

"And what if I don't have a wolf at all?" she asked as she stared down at her feet. "What if I am nothing but a weakling, just like he says? The thought of having a wolf is the only thing that keeps me going, you know." 

"If you do not have a wolf," Edward said calmly, "then the clan will just have to learn to obey you like that. They have no choice. You are their Alpha's cub, and as such you will become their Alpha one day." 

"How many female alphas have you heard of in North America?" she laughed. "It's all a joke." 

Edward dipped his hand into his pocket then, keeping his eyes on her. Sierra knew what he was about to do. He pulled out a bar of Snickers, just as she knew he would. 

"Perhaps this will make you happy," he said as he tossed the bar to her. Sierra caught it midair, grinning at him as she tore the wrapper off, sinking her teeth into the bar. 

"I'm too old to be bribed with chocolate, uncle Ed," she said as she narrowed her eyes at him. 

"You're never too old to me, Sport," he ruffled her hair as he turned towards the door. "I should go. The sun has almost set, and I'm on patrol today." 

"Can I come with you?" she asked. 

"Sierra," he sighed, "how many times have you asked me that question?" 

"Nearly a thousand times," she said. 

"And what is my reply always?" 

"When I ask you in person, you always tell me it's too dangerous," she said. "And when I send you a text, you pretend not to have seen it." 

"Well then," he stopped at the door and turned around to face her. "Today is your lucky day. Go and grab your jacket and meet me at the front door." 

*