To Rule Them All

An Autumn gathering

“Hey guys wait for me.” I shouted as I watched the boys race down to the woods.

“Honestly Iris I don’t know why you bother getting involved in their silly games, it always ends up in tears, usually yours.” huffed Thea “ I’m going back to the pack house to get ready for the party and I promised Auntie Sally I would have you looking respectable.”

I shudder internally at the thought of two hours of hair and make up as I study Thea’s perfect outfit I can’t help but think out different we are.

Grazing longing towards the woods, the boys now out of sight I replied. “ But Oliver bet me I couldn’t beat him this year and Bodhi promised if I did I could join warrior training”

Thea just raised her eyebrows, “What is it with you and Oliver. Why are you so competitive?”

“It’s him, he thinks just because he so the god of Blue Moon he can order me about. Not a chance.” Waving I ran of in the direction of the woods.

Every year Thea’s pack held the autumn gathering. Also know as one of the matchmaker balls where hopefully my oldest brother would find his mate.

When werewolves come of age they can scent out their mate, and this was the first gathering since Lachlan had made since he turned 18 even though his 19th birthday was very soon.

Mates were quite a big deal to us, I wasn’t sure how I felt about having having one yet, it was a little depressing to grow up with all these alphas whom each had a purpose, while little girls were expected to look pretty and keep out of trouble.

I suppose that wasn’t quite true, Lunas could do quite alot in most packs but I was jealous that the boys had been in training for their roles for ages now and I had no purpose.

Our parents were Alpha and Luna of the Wise Water pack and tonight mum’s brother’s pack Silver Oak were hosting the gathering. Their son Jackson was 19 and he and Lachlan were the very best of friends. Really, all my brothers got on pretty well together, along with Oliver, the alpha to be of the Blue Moon pack, of which mum’s best friend was Luna.

I secretly thought that Mum hoped Thea was mated to one of my brothers so she could have a princess to dress up with everyday instead of me who only dressed nicely for special occasions.

I didn’t hate dressing up it was just so much easier to live in jeans and a t-shirt and I just didn’t give much thought to clothes. I don’t think I had ever been described as a tomboy though, despite growing up with 3 brothers.

Mum wasn’t really Thea’s aunt, she had come to live here as a little girl after the death of her parents and alpha Odin’s parents had raised her as their own as they couldn’t have any more children. Mums best friend Clara had grown up with her too as her dad had been mums parents gamma and managed to get both girls safely out. Mum didn’t like to talk about it too much.

Even once they met their mates and moved to their respective packs to become Lunas’ the girls had remained close friends, along with Odin’s mate Rose.

The three families had spent lots of time together over the years growing up but that was likely to change once the boys met their mates.

Oliver was best friends with my middle brother Ruben. At 17 they had both been at Alpha training with Jackson and Lachlan this year and they were both about to turn 18.

Bodhi was the youngest of my brothers and the same age as Thea, Jackson’s sister.

Lachlan has just asked Bodhi to be his gamma, which meant he would be in charge of warrior training and he was joining them next year at alpha training. I would miss him tons when he got to go.

I was the baby of our family and I didn’t turn 16 until next week and we had to be 16 to join warrior training officially but as Bodhi and I were so close he had been trying to sneak me in with him.

I was actually pretty good and despite being pretty small in size and build, especially compared to my brothers, but I could hold my own better than he had expected.

In not too long a new alpha of alphas would be crowned. The strongest alphas from the largest packs generally ended up being the contenders.

The alphas of Wise Water, Blue Moon and Silver Oak had all held the position of alpha of alphas in the past but this was the first time in a long time that all three packs would have a new contender as Lachlan, Oliver and Jackson all were about to become the new alphas of their packs and if they found their mates would be sold enough.

In the old days the chief alpha as I liked to call him had a say in the running of all the packs in the country but nowadays it was just a competition, won by the most powerful alpha.

It was really just a badge of pride they got to wear for a while. The powers that came with the title were removed as one alpha went a bit power hungry and tried to steal someone’s mate. When they were refused they destroyed the pack so it was decided that no such powers should sit with one individual- chosen or not.

As they were all such good friends the rivalry between Lachlan, Oliver and Jackson for this was pretty jovial, everyone knew Jackson would probably win. His dad Alpha Odin had had the position before and

Jackson was one of those people who was brilliant at everything, almost with no effort. He was tall, probably the tallest of them all with thick dark hair and grey eyes. His wolf Onyx was jet black and one of the fastest around, only Obsidian Lachlan’s wolf would catch him but that only on a good day.

Due to the previous mate stealing attempt, it was now pre requisite to becoming alpha of alphas was to be mated, hence Lachlan and Jackson were hoping to find their mates but Oliver had to wait until spring. Oliver was seriously good looking, we didn’t get on so I wouldn’t ever say this to him but his frame rivalled the older too and he had bright blue eyes that all the shewolves few in love with. Which he totally used to advantage. He was quite the playboy, although Thea told me that he had been dating Claire, a girl in his pack and that the chat was they would be mates.

I’d met Claire a few times and she was really nice, gorgeous with straight blonde hair in a stylish bob. Along with Thea we had all played hockey for the regionals together and she had always managed to blag us into nightclubs after our away weekend matches.

I was never allowed to drink though as no one wanted to suffer the wrath of my three brothers. I was always plagued with girls trying to befriend me to get close to my brothers.

Three carbon copies of the each other they were epitome of tall dark and handsome. We all shared our mums large blue eyes ringed with silver, but my dark hair could be a lot more unruly than the boys. With no effort my brothers looked like they had stepped out of a magazine shoot, whereas I on the other hand would often look like I had been dragged through a bush.

Tonight Thea has chosen my dress and even I had to confess it had looked very pretty. Not that I had any need to impress anyone really, it would be ages before I would meet my mate but it would be the first time I would be attending the ball so I was actually quite excited.