The Alpha's Fox Mate

Alliances

All eyes turned to me. As if I was Moses and they were the sea, the pack members split, creating a corridor for me to pass through. I held my head up high and walked with the grace of a Goddess, serene but powerful, until I reached the pedestal behind which were the three Elders of Mariners Moon. My father was right in front of them, dressed in a navy suit that matched my mother’s beautiful gown. Their darker outfits symbolized their experience as they offered their pack to a new, younger light - me.

“Shall we begin the Alpha Ceremony?” asked Elder Robert, who was now probably more than ninety years old. He was still in good shape though, despite the wrinkles and baldness. Elders tended to live longer than normal werewolves.

“Are you ready, Marcy?” My father’s pale blue eyes shone with pride as he turned to look at me. I gave him a curt nod. “Let’s begin, then.”

The Elder took a step forward, holding a silver chalice in his hands. “Members of Mariners Moon Pack, we are gathered here tonight to witness the rise of a new leader!” he announced. Soon enough, his gaze fell on me. “Marcelline Thorne Maynard, do you swear to abide by werewolf law and righteously guide this pack towards greatness?”

“I do,” I replied, loud and clear.

“Do you swear to offer these people your heart and your soul, giving your life to protect them?” Robert continued.

“I do.”

“Then by blood, you shall become the new Alpha of Mariners Moon!” His voice thundered and the crowd erupted in applause.

My father kissed Mom briefly before stepping away from her and taking one of my hands. He pulled out a dagger and didn’t hesitate before slicing his palm open, the silver blade preventing his wound from healing. I held out my hand to allow him to do the same, restraining myself from wincing as my delicate skin burned. Dad gently grabbed my fist, slowly positioning our bleeding hands above the chalice held by Elder Robert. Our blood dripped and mixed inside until it was half way full. By then, we both had already healed.

Robert spoke some ancient Latin phrase and the other Elders immediately joined him. Suddenly, I felt a rush of emotions run through my body as I was magically bound to my new title. The weight of the responsibility finally fell upon me, but it was balanced by the power that came with it. I had always been extremely determined, but right now, I felt like I was invincible.

“We are invincible, Marcy!” my wolf roared inside my head. “We are true Alphas!” He begged me to come out, and I had to use all of my strength to keep him at bay. Just a few more seconds.

“Marcelline Thorne Maynard, you are now officially Alpha of Mariners Moon Pack!” Elder Robert declared, making the crowd cheer once more. “Tonight, you shall guide this pack for the first time, running through our lands to strengthen your bond!”

That was it. I finally gave in to my primal instincts as an animalistic sound escaped my lips. After shifting over a thousand times, I was able to do it almost instantly and felt nothing but a slight discomfort. Havelock lifted his head towards the sky as soon as he was freed. His howl was potent and authoritative, demanding of respect. In no time, three other wolves were standing next to him, and I could easily recognize each one of them.

My Beta stood on my right side. Zahavi, his counterpart, shared many similar features with his human form - he was tall, had long, shiny blonde fur with lighter markings, and his piercing blue eyes were focused on me. The Gamma wolf to my left was called Rainer. He had a dense, flat black coat - except for his chin and underbelly, which were greyish-white - and different colored eyes, just like Milo. Right behind me was Athena, my Delta’s she-wolf. She was smaller than both males, but just as strong. She was an outstandingly beautiful creature, with light brown short coat and caramel markings, which reminded me of Zoe’s glossy hair. Her hazel eyes were vibrant, resembling a yellow hue. They all took their respective places in the traditional formation, waiting for me to officially start the run.

Another howl erupted from Havelock’s throat right before he dashed towards the swamp’s tall grass. The rest of the pack didn’t hesitate to follow him as we crossed the Everglades National Park, enjoying the light breeze of the night. It was nice to feel the earth under our paws and let the wind brush through our fur - it strengthened our connection with nature, just like the run tightened the bond between pack members. When we finished roaming the borders of the territory, all of my tension had subsided. Suddenly, I didn’t care about the challenges I’d have to face for being a female Alpha; now, I was unstoppable.

“That’s right, Marcy. Let them come!” my black wolf called out to me. “We’ll show them our power by defeating whoever gets in our way!”

***

I didn’t have a lot of time to rest after the run. It was already past midnight when I made it back to my room, and then I woke up at 5:30 for training. Afterwards, I had to rush back to take a shower and get dressed before leaving for Midnight Howlers territory by nine. That gave me less than an hour to get ready, so I requested my Delta’s presence to help me pack. I’d be staying there overnight to attend their traditional Full Moon Festival, which meant I had to take a few changes of clothes.

“You could finally find your mate there!” Zoe chanted as she scoured through my wardrobe. “Aren’t you excited?”

My best friend had found her mate approximately three minutes after her first shift; it was Ivan, one of the pack warriors that had always been close to her. Especially the year before she turned eighteen, since he was older and had already gotten his wolf. Therefore, he knew very well that Zoe was his destined partner, but he restrained himself to wait until she figured it out herself. It was pretty sweet in my opinion and I was happy for them, but that was definitely not something I looked forward to.

“I doubt that. I have been to Midnight Howlers twice since I got Havelock, so unless they have new members, I’d definitely know if my mate was there,” I reasoned, cutting off her hopes at the root. “And I told you a million times, I’m in no rush to find my other half. If it is an Omega, it will only add to the fact that other leaders think I’m weak. It will be even worse if it’s a dominant Alpha who will want to take my place,” I reminded her. “Some things are better left alone, Zoe.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” She shrugged me off. Thankfully, she didn’t annoy me any further.

As soon as I had picked my outfit - a white button shirt complemented by a black blazer and trousers - I was out the door. I rushed downstairs when I noticed it was already 9AM sharp, hoping my father wouldn’t scold me on my first day as Alpha. Thankfully, when I made it to the ground floor, he wasn’t even there - he was probably enjoying his retirement by having breakfast in bed with Mom. The limousine was waiting outside, and right beside it, were my Beta and Gamma.

Aaron was saying his goodbyes to his devilish mate, exchanging comforting words and promising to be back soon. In the end, I did convince him that it was impossible for Daeva to attend the meeting with us. Even if he wasn’t too thrilled about it, he couldn’t go against his Alpha’s orders. Milo was smiling sweetly at me, but behind his happy semblance, I saw a hint of disappointment. He yearned to be there with me as much as I wanted to make him my Beta. Unfortunately, things weren’t that easy.

“Try not to miss me too much.” The onyx-haired man tried to wrap me in a hug, but I swiftly dodged him. He still managed to pull me by the arm, whispering into my ear, “Half of my bed will be empty until you come back. Please don’t make me wait too long.”

Neither me nor Milo had found our mates yet. I didn’t really care about it, but my friend felt quite lonely. We had always been close growing up, which made it easier for us to fancy each other. On a party night a year ago, we were both more than a little inebriated and one moment of weakness was all it took. Since then, we had been having not-so-secret rendezvous.

“Milo, we should definitely stop this.” I tried to sound serious, but couldn’t help the small smile that formed in the corner of my lips.

“Yeah, we should,” he agreed, matching my level of seriousness. I rolled my eyes at him.

“Are you ready, Ron?” I shouted, forcing my Beta to step away from his mate. She shot me a death glare, but I pretended not to see it.

“Whenever you are, Alpha.” He bowed respectfully before joining me in the backseat of the vehicle.

It was a thirty-minute drive to the neighbouring pack. I tried to start a conversation with Aaron more than a few times, and while he was always respectful, he still seemed mad that I forbade Daeva from coming with us. My Beta was well aware that we didn’t get along well, but he obviously took his mate’s side and insisted I should try to understand her point of view. He was adamant that, if I gave her a chance, we would become “great friends.” As loyal as he was, the mate bond would always speak louder. That was another reason why I hoped not to find my mate; I didn’t want to risk my pack’s safety and well-being because I’d be too blind to see the evil behind my loved one’s intentions.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long for us to arrive at Midnight Howlers territory, ending the torturously awkward ride. The pack was a lot smaller than ours, consisting of around 250 wolves, but this was one of our more treasured alliances. Two decades ago, when they had just above a hundred members, they were the first pack to offer us assistance in the fight against the Cursed Rogues. The rogue army, led by the strongest wolf to ever walk the Earth, was wiping out entire packs and no one could stop them. Mariners Moon went down in werewolf history as the only pack that managed to defeat the Cursed Wolf and his followers - but that was a story for another time.

“It’s good to see you again, Alpha Marcelline!” Lennard, Alpha of Midnight Howlers, was waiting for me in front of their modern wooden packhouse. “Congratulations on officially taking the position,” he said as he shook my hand.

Alpha Lennard was just a little bit taller than me, but his muscles made up for his short height. At 25, he had been a leader for seven years. His piercing green eyes, inherited from his father, stood out against his sepia, reddish-brown skin. He was dressed in a dark green suit and sported a neatly-trimmed beard. Right beside him was another man I was familiar with. He looked angelic with his golden locks and tall frame, and his tan skin had a sun-kissed glow. Lucca was 28 years old and the Alpha of Moon Wings - our most valuable ally. His father had helped mine greatly. My old man would always tell me about how much of a role model Alpha Farrell had been to him.

“Congratulations, Alpha Marcelline.” He smiled fondly at me. “I’m sure you’ll be an even greater leader than your father was,” he reassured me before turning to my Beta. “Good to see you too, Beta Aaron.”

“It’s an honor, Alpha Lucca. Alpha Lennard.” Ron bowed his head at both of them. It was a funny sight to see, since my Beta towered over the two higher ranking men.

“Please, make yourselves at home. We can meet in my office after lunch is served.” Lennard gestured for us to walk inside, and another man - his Delta - showed us to our rooms.

Even if it was traditional for the Alpha and Beta to share the same room, each of us got separate guest suits. Since we were of opposite genders and Aaron had already found his mate, they offered us the courtesy of having our own private spaces. It didn’t take me long to get settled, but I decided to use the couple hours I had before lunch to go over the terms of our previous treaties. My Beta came over and helped me with it. Despite still being upset, he would never let personal feelings interfere with his work - that’s why I knew I could trust him, even if we didn’t have the best relationship.

I was well-versed by the time we joined the two Alphas and their Betas at the ranked members table. Once we were done with our meals, we immediately headed to the office so we could discuss the terms of our alliance, and renew it. All of our evening was spent inside of that room as we reread the contracts, suggested new adjustments and signed everything. By the time we were done, Mariners Moon got to keep its two most important alliances. I was glad that both Lennard and Lucca respected me despite the misogyny heavily present in our society. My father told me a lot of leaders broke off their peace treaties with him once they found out he had been paired with a female wolf, judging him as weak.

“It’s always a pleasure to ensure that our Holy Trinity stays together,” Lennard laughed after signing the last piece of paper. ‘Holy Trinity’ was what other packs called our triple alliance; we were well known for standing out among other ally packs despite the disparities between us. Other than having fought a war together two decades ago, we didn't have much in common. Still, we got along very well and knew we had each other’s backs.

“Indeed it is. Mariners Moon is happy to have your help,” I added with a smile.

“So is Moon Wings,” Alpha Lucca completed.

“Well, if we’re done here, we should get ready for the Full Moon Festival. I’ll see you outside!” Lennard opened the door for us to leave.

The traditional Midnight Howlers Festival happens every full moon - hence its name. It was basically a night when every participating werewolf would shift and enjoy its connection to the environment. As soon as the moon reached its peak, we would all stop everything we were doing to pay Her a tribute by howling together. I had only attended it once before, but it was pretty fun and I was happy to be present again. After dinner, Aaron and I shifted so we could join the other wolves outside.

At some point, Havelock engaged in a rabbit hunt and ended up straying too far from the main event. I was sure we could hold our own, so I wasn’t really worried. However, as soon as my huge black and auburn wolf managed to catch his prey, a peculiar smell hit our nostrils.

I immediately tensed up.