Born A Female Alpha

Chapter 3

*

Edward led Sierra into the cottage quietly, his hands clasped behind his back. The sun had nearly set, and the golden light bathed the world in a warm and hue.

The inside of the cottage was dark, but surprisingly clean. It was obviously Edward's doing, as Sierra knew him to hate dirt. Her mother once said that Edward had OCD, and it was physically impossible for him to be in a room which was dirty for longer than five seconds.

The curtains were clean and pulled back neatly, the chairs arranged perfectly and everywhere was spotless and sparkling. The only thing that looked out of place was a map which was placed carelessly on the center table. Edward didn't turn his attention towards it however. Instead, he led them towards the stairs at the end of the hallway.

"I'm sure you'll love this," he said as he led them upstairs. Sierra was surprised to find that it wasn't divided into several rooms, but was instead one large room which was completely empty. Remnants of the old walls which had been knocked down still remained, but everywhere was as clean as it had been downstairs.

"It's easier if the place isn't so restrictive with all those walls and seperate rooms. A wolf prefers the open field. Which is why I prefer having this place open," Edward explained. There were several tall windows on each wall, allowing them a full view of everywhere around the house.

But that wasn't the best part.

As the sun was about to set, the light streaming in through the windows made the room feel even larger than it actually was. The light bounced off every surface in the room, intercrossing at several places so that the room looked like the inside of a kaleidoscope. Sierra took a deep breath as she soaked it all in. This was truly the most beautiful place she had ever been to.

"Your father used to bring your mother here before they got married," Edward told her. "They would sit right here in the middle of the room and watch the sun set."

"Hm," Sierra shrugged, not really interested in her parents past.

"Over here," Edward led her towards the window on the right, "that is the border you were so desperately hoping to see."

It wasn't much, if truth be told. In fact, no one would even know that this was where her father's lands ended. The only indicator was the trail of barren land which marked the beginning of Alpha Dominic's lands. The Blackriders were the closest pack for several hundreds of miles, but they were a relatively small pack. Alpha Dominic had long since pledged his allegiance to her father, and in exchange he received his protection. Sierra remembered the day the man had come to speak with her father, an escort of fifteen wolves behind him. Later on she heard her father boasting about how he could have finished off those fifteen wolves singlehandedly. But he had received the Alpha well enough, and when he bent the knee to her father, acknowledging him as the superior wolf, the latter had lifted him from his knees and smiled broadly. There had been a feast that night, and Sierra could still remember the noise and smell of burning steak from that day.

Her father had been planning to wed her to Alpha Dominic's son, Carlos, a young lad of twenty two whom she had only met once. It was meant to strengthen their ties. But lately, he seemed to frown whenever the topic was brought up. Ever since he began to doubt her position in the pack, he seemed to hate every discussion which might remind him that she still hadn't transformed yet.

"You see that part down there?" Edward's voice burst through her thoughts. Sierra looked down towards the ground, noticing the cleared patch of grass he was referring to. "That is where your father's lands end. Everything beyond that belongs to the Blackriders."

"And before them, it belonged to the Pelts," she said, remembering her lessons. "But Alpha William passed away when he was forty nine years old, leaving behind no heir. Chaos tore the pack apart, and those who should have been selected as the new alphas each went their own way, leaving the lands and seeking places of their own. There is a song about it called 'The Parting of The Pack'. Mother used to sing it to me when I was younger."

Edward glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes, slightly impressed. Regardless of how much he hated Clark, he had to admit that he had done a good job with raising his daughter. Ever since Sierra was a child, he had tried to teach her the history of her people.

'In order to be a good leader, you must know the history of your people,' he used to say to her. Edward had actually gone with him to buy some books about the history of their people and their culture right after Sierra was born. Initially he had thought Clark was insane. But now, he saw that he had indeed done what he set out to do.

A sudden noise caused his ears to prick up. Edward looked up sharply, his canines already beginning to protrude.

"What is it?" Sierra asked.

"Someone is coming," he replied, moving over to the other window and staring out down at the fields. Though he wasn't aware of it, a low growl was erupting from his throat.

"Damn it!" he swore loudly when he saw who the intruder was.

Sierra walked over to the window as well, and the chill that went through her spine was unlike anything she had ever felt.

Alpha Clark was standing in front of the cottage, his eyes narrowed in contempt, and his lips set in a tight line. Beside him, Percy was cowering on the floor, his forehead pressed firmly into the dirt as he trembled all over.

"I'm in trouble," Sierra whispered, her heart beginning to race. Edward turned to look at her, an irritated look in his eyes. "Don't you worry about your father," he said. "I'll take care of him."

Sierra watched as Edward turned around and headed for the stairs. As she made to follow him, he raised a finger to stop her.

"Wait here," he said.

Trembling all over, Sierra slowly walked back towards the window. Down in front of the cottage she saw that her father wasn't alone. Her mother was just emerging from the grass as well, and beside her was Brandon, looking flustered and terrified. The former looked just as cross as her father, and she crossed her arms in front of her the moment she looked up and met her eyes.

Clark's eyes narrowed as Edward emerged from the cottage, and it took an awful amount of restraint to stop himself from attacking him. He growled however, plainly, for everyone to hear how displeased he was.

"Clark," Edward inclined his head towards him as he stopped on the porch. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't!" Clark snapped irritatingly. "How many times have I told you that she is not allowed here?"

"Probably a dozen times," Edward replied, forcing himself not to smirk.

"So you deliberately decided to disobey me?" Clark asked as he took a step forward. His feet dug into the earth, twisting discreetly to give him better footing. Edward noticed it however.

He noticed everything.

"Sierra isn't a child, Clark," he said, taking a small step forward. "So what if she wants to see the border?"

"I don't care what she wants," he growled so loudly that it echoed across the plains. "I gave you an order, and you deliberately disobeyed me."

"I apologize for that," he bowed his head. "I never meant to disobey my Alpha."

"Bring her to me," Clark said. "Now!"

"I wouldn't advice that, given your current state," Edward said testily.

"How dare you...,"

Words wouldn't suffice. With a deafening growl, Clark lunged at his Beta.

Halfway through the lunge, the man transformed into a gigantic brown wolf, canines bared and claws outstretched, aiming at Edward's throat. The latter had just enough time to dive out of the way, having anticipated the attack. He didn't manage to do so quickly however, and the wolves claws dug into the side of his ribs, drawing blood.

"Son of a b***h!" His eyes blazed momentarily, while the wolf turned around and dug its paws into the dirt, ready for another attack. Even pushing down on its hind legs, it was still taller than Edward. The canines were long and sharp, glistening as they ached for the taste of blood. Sierra trembled in the room above, feeling the tiny hairs on her arm standing on end at the sight before her.

The wolf pounced again, and Edward managed to squeeze aside as it drove past him. The impact knocked him to the side however, sending him flying towards the cottage.

"Clark," Eva said as both man and wolf glared at each other, "that's enough."

Neither paid any attention to her, staring each other down while Edward's eyes began to glow menacingly. His body went rigid, knowing the attack would soon come.

And it did.

This time, he couldn't dive out of the way quick enough. The wolf landed square on his chest, knocking the wind out of him as he felt himself flying to the ground.

Sierra bolted out of the cottage just then, eight eyes flying in her direction as she ran towards the wolf.

"I'm here, father," she said quickly. "Please, let him go."

The wolf paid no attention to her, growling at Edward who tried to remain as impassive as possible.

“Father,” Sierra pleaded, taking a step forward, “please let him go. It wasn’t his fault.”

The great wolf snapped at Edward one last time before sliding backwards off his body. Sierra flinched as it turned its glowing orbs menacingly at her, canines still bared and claws digging into the earth. She took a step back, knowing fully well that she would be unable to dodge an attack if it came her way. Edward was a seasoned fighter and a great tactician. That was why he was able to dodge her father’s attacks. If he lunged at her however...

Well, her end would certainly be a gruesome one.

Perhaps a song might even be made in her honor.

The Fall of Sierra.

It had a nice ring to it when she thought about it.

But then, the wolf didn’t pounce. Instead, it crawled gracefully towards her, the shiny brown coat glistening in the dwindling sunlight. The temperature had dropped significantly, and she could clearly see the wolf’s breath as it exhaled.

Edward got up slowly as the wolf finally reached Sierra’s side. Though he hid it well, his blood was pulsing rapidly. He hadn’t attacked Clark because he knew what was at stake. But if he hurt Sierra, then Edward was ready to fight dirty. The girl was his ticket to power. And he would die before he let anyone hurt her.

But Clark did no such thing. Glaring at Sierra, the wolf crouched low beside her, in much the same manner as Edward had earlier. Petrified, Sierra’s gaze shifted from the wolf to her mother, to Uncle Ed and back to the wolf again.

The growl came sharply this time, and the meaning was clear.

‘Don’t waste my time’

Trembling all over, Sierra slid one foot over the wolf’s back. She shuddered as the wolf stirred underneath her, and it was barely a second after she climbed on that it rose to its feet, shaking its head and turning towards Eva. From the way her eyes glazed over, Sierra knew her father was communicating with her mother through the link. Eva nodded once he was done, and quite suddenly Clark pounded off away from the cottage.

“You should listen to him, you know,” Eva said to Edward once Clark disappeared. “Of what benefit is angering Clark, of all people?”

“That wasn’t my wish,” he said bitterly, wiping the dirt off him. “You should know that better than anyone.”

Eva shook her head and turned, her eyes settling on Brandon. “Come,” she said. “We better get back before Clark murders her in his rage.”

*