A Savior to the Alpha

One

Third Person POV-

Lilliana couldn't decide what dress fit her best. She had previously purchased a cream ruffled A-line dress and a lavender lace cocktail dress both for tonight. Even in the store, she was not able to settle on the perfect one. The cream dress had made her feel a bit taller, but the lavender dress complimented her red curls and green eyes so much better. The lavender lace dress had a slightly deeper neckline that framed her chest in a way that made her feel more mature, while the cream dress sported a halter neckline that gave her an air of elegance. After a lot of back and forth, she finally settled on the lavender dress for the party. Lilliana only had about an hour to get ready for her graduation party and, consequently, her birthday party, since it had taken the indecisive girl almost two hours to make her final dress selection. Typically, she wasn't usually one to care that much about her clothes, but tonight was a special night for her. Not many girls could say they graduated and turned eighteen all on the same day!

She pulled her hair into a messy pony tail, leaving a curl out on either side that framed her face, and wrapped a braided strand around the hair tie before pinning it in place. A thin layer of make-up was filled in with simple neutral tones with a whole lot of shimmer. She always felt like wearing shimmer on her eyes made them twinkle like the stars. She took one last look in the mirror, satisfied with her ensemble, before turning her attention to a small box on the corner of her bed. Her father had said someone left it on the front porch earlier in the day. Filled with excitement, she took a small handwritten note from the box. Sure enough, there was no clue to the giver's identity on the envelope but inside was a short message. The writing was elegant and simple, giving her the impression that whoever wrote the note held some form of authority.

"Happy Birthday Little Wolf." There was no signature to indicate who it was from, but there were only a handful of people who knew Lilliana was a werewolf. When her mother and brother were killed, her father had decided to take her, leaving their old pack, and settle down in a human town right outside of another pack. Her father had said they'd stay in the shadows of the pack unless absolutely needed. Given the pack's reputation, they were very careful to never cross over into their territory, so very few of them knew the duo. It was safer that way both for the pair of them and the pack whose territory they skirted. The occasional wolf would come into town for supplies, usually females, and never saw them as a threat, regardless of their rogue status. Her dad had told her it was the Forest Moon pack, ruled by Alpha Carter Bennett.

Oh, she had heard stories of Alpha Bennett and his strength was known through most of the packs in the North East. He had never found his Luna though he was nearly twenty-four. Most wolves find their mates shortly after turning eighteen, sometimes finding them before they shift for the first time. Usually, if a wolf hasn't found their mate after a few years, it is presumed they are dead. According to the stories, he was ruthless, uncaring, and violent. She knew something tragic had happened right before they came here, but no one ever really talked about it other than to say he had been forced to take over the pack at a young age due to his father's death. They'd been in the human town for ten years and had never crossed paths with him. That was more than okay with Lilliana. She had seen enough violence to last her a lifetime and, if the rumors were to be believed, violence was all the Forest Moon Alpha knew.

Turning her attention back to the box, she slowly opened it. Inside she found a stunning set of earrings and a matching necklace. The moon pendant was silver with rose-colored stars decorating its surface and an amethyst jewel that had been set in its center. The earrings were small dangly moons decorated the same, just a bit smaller than the pendant. It matched perfectly with the dress she had finally chosen, but how? Surely this mysterious gift giver couldn't have known what dress she would wear, if she hadn't even known, until just a few moments ago.

She chalked it up to a simple coincidence when the faint scent of a male wolf floated up from the box. It was intoxicating as the scent of fresh rain filled her nostrils, bringing with it a heat that washed over her. She shuddered at the sensation before trying to push it aside to place the necklace around her delicate neck. She put on the earrings next, but her thoughts wandered back to the mystery scent, making her struggle with them for a moment. It wasn't from any of the wolves she knew first hand, but she still had a hard time pushing the consuming feelings aside. She could feel a gentle nudging in the back of her mind, almost like something was trying to get in. What in the world was going on? Lilliana forced herself to take one last look in the mirror and she couldn't help but smile at how confident she felt. She heard a timid knock at the door as it cracked open.

"Honey, everyone is outside waiting for you." Her dad seemed to have a little impatience in his voice. He was never good at entertaining and she was sure he wanted her to save him. She chuckled at his nervousness, realizing that was where she had got it from. She could entertain like nobody's business, just as her mom did, but it almost always made her on edge.

"I am ready, dad. I was just grabbing my shoes." Her dad stood in awe in the doorway as she made her way over to him. He took a moment to look her over before pulling her into a tight hug. His grip was a little too tight, but she could feel the emotions rolling off him, so she let him have his little sentimental moment.

"My little girl is officially all grown up now. You have become quite a woman, honey." She pulled away and smiled at him. His age was starting to show, with his hair starting to grey near his temples. Although that was the only sign he was getting any older.

"Thank you dad. Let's go get this party started." A small blush crept up her cheeks. Normally, her father didn't refer to her as anything but his little girl, but now he was acknowledging her as a woman. It filled her with a sense of happiness, though the momentary recognition that her mother wasn't there to see her growth added a thread of longing to her feelings.

Her father led their way out to the backyard where all her friends were waiting for them. Over the last ten years she had managed to make a few really close friends, but most of these people were more acquaintances and just kids from school looking for an excuse to party. There were some older people there as well that seemed to have snuck in some alcohol but she just chuckled knowingly. It was already after nine at night, so her dad retreated into the house, leaving the party in her hands. She rolled her eyes at the irony of him leaving a teenager in charge of a high school graduation party. She maneuvered her way through the party goers to find her best friend and the only human who knew she was a werewolf. Slowly, Nicki came into view frantically waving to get her attention. Lilliana giggled as she wrapped her in an exaggerated hug like she hadn't just seen her a few hours ago.

"Happy birthday Lilliana! The big one eight, girl!" She pulled back from her friend, extending her thanks while they made their way around the party. It was nearly eleven before she spotted him in the mass of people. His light brown hair was trimmed close to his head on the sides and longer on the top and his face was clean shaven. That only served to highlight the scowl on his face as he stood rigid with his arms crossed in front of his chest. He wasn't supposed to be invited to the party, but yet there he stood.