The Rise of the Alpha

07

Psst! Leila! Can you hear me? said the linker. I was surprised that I didn't sooner realize who that feminine voice belonged to. It was Jory!

Um ... hey? I replied, uncertain if I was doing it correctly.

Oh, my goodness, HEY! It worked! squealed Jory with pure glee. I heard that your wolf caused a bit of a scene in the Commonplace, but all that meant to me was YOU SHIFTED! She was outright shouting now.

I did, girl, and it was WILD!! Okay…I'm shouting now.

You'll have to tell me all about it, she practically screeched with excitement in return.

Gotta talk with my parents first, I informed her, but yeah ... let's meet up and chat afterward!

Okay! See ya in a bit, she replied, and that was the end of that.

Man ... news sure travels fast around here, doesn't it? Chloe chimed in, referring to the fact that my friend had specified that she'd heard about a fuss.

I guess that's the thing about being part of a pack – there's pretty much no privacy, I replied, and right around that moment, my parents requested my attention, demanding to know whom I was having a silent conversation with. I answered truthfully, then they took their places on either side of me and thus immersed us in a discussion about the shift, what I had gone through, how it felt, and what moves we would be making going forward. Dad wanted me to start attending rank meetings with him and train even harder; Mom and I agreed. I don't wanna be just a strong alpha; I wanna be a kick-a.ss one and make my people proud!

*****

With the next evening came a birthday celebration in the Reception Hall, a large, ornate, separate building constructed with floor-to-ceiling windows all the way around it meant for showing off the merriment that it often hosted. The announcement for the celebration had been made to our pack and several of our neighboring ones the previous week, and everyone had been encouraged to dress in formal attire and come dance the night away. I was just as giddy about the night as the next girl was, but mostly because I was eager to see if I could possibly find my mate; it's something I wanted oh so badly for myself.

When the appropriate time came around that evening, I saw my parents off by the main entrance of the packhouse then promptly hauled a.ss up to my room, officially commencing the hustle and bustle of getting myself presentable. After a lengthy stretch of time had passed, I gave my dolled-up reflection in the floor-length mirror a drawn-out once over, smiling in approval at the outcome.

Though the nights weren't cold this time of year, I grabbed the shawl that I'd previously tossed onto my bed and draped it over my shoulders then headed out, stopping only to collect a jabbering Jory at her room along the way. We gawked and squawked over how fabulous each other looked in our dresses and whatnot, then we linked arms and shuffled through the packhouse and down the path to the Reception Hall, chatting all the while of shifting, mindlinking, hunky men, and whatever else popped in our minds. Thunder rolled in the distance as we walked, but I wasn't gonna let a potential storm take away from being front and center of the celebration!

After we arrived, we mingled outside the main entrance with a few of our guests from other packs, laughing and joking with one another whilst swapping stories of packhouse life. Soon, it was time to move the merriment indoors, which is where we would be staying for several more hours thereafter. We let loose right off the bat, sipping on cocktails and dancing to whatever songs the DJ chose to play.

The thunder had progressed to a light sprinkle by the time a ridiculously-large cake was carried in and presented to me, the latter of which gained my partygoers attention and had them raising their glasses in the air for a toast. With a half-empty margarita in hand, I climbed the few dinky steps to the stage we'd built and took my place between my parents, knowing I was beaming as I looked out upon the sea of smiling, half-buzzed, mostly-familiar faces.

"Ladies and gentlemen ... may I have your attention, please?" my dad began his unnecessary speech, holding his glass up and gesturing for my mother to do the same with hers. "I wish to thank you all for being here with us tonight to celebrate the life of sweet Leila. Let us thank the gods for each of our tremendous blessings in life, and let us pour out our love upon dear Leila, for her mother and I are proud of the young woman that she has become. We know she will be an exceptional leader of this pack, and we love her very much."

Where his mushy speech ended, my mother's even mushier one began. "Sweetheart, you are mine and your father's greatest treasure, and we love you in such a way that you'll only understand if you ever have kids of your own one of these days. You are the light of our lives, and we couldn't have asked for a daughter more special than you. You're beautiful and bright and everything in between … not to mention a little sassy and stubborn! But, don't worry – we love your sass, don't we, everyone?"

"Yeah!" the crowd answered in unison, pairing it with giggles and claps and head nods.

"See? They love you, Leila, and so do we," Mom continued. "You're gonna do great things for this pack one of these days. We just know it! Happy birthday, my baby girl."

Despite any prior grumbling I might've done, my parents' speeches stuck me like an arrow strikes the heart, much like I figured they would. "Awww! You guys are the sweetest there ever was," I nearly cried, tearing up as I locked eyes with each of them. "I love you sappy ol' lugs to pieces, y'know?"

With that, my dad raised his glass a smidgen more and shouted, "To Leila!"

"To Leila!" chimed my mother together with the crowd, then the lot of us took a swig from our respective glasses.

"And to the future alpha of River Falls," shouted a man above the murmuring, then he made his way to the stage and wobbled his way up the steps. That man was Uncle Amos, and boy, did he look and smell as if he'd already had a few drinks too many! "Here's to you, girlie," he toasted me, placing a hand upon my shoulder as he spoke. Next, he tossed his s.hot of whiskey back like I'd seen him do at least a thousand and one times over the course of my life, and the cheerful crowd f.ollowed his suit with their own glasses.

"Thanks, uncle," I muttered in return, ultimately disregarding his drunken self in favor of getting back to enjoying my party. After a few more parting words from him, he left the stage and headed straight for the refreshments table. At one point, Jory linked me, requesting that I accompany her outside at the rear of the Hall to j.oin a group of girls from the other packs. I replied in the affirmative as I downed the rest of my drink, then I placed the empty cup beside my empty dessert plate and took off to grab her. It was still just barely sprinkling, but we didn't care!

Rather quickly, I noticed a few older-looking guys huddling close to our group of friends, making me wonder what it was that Jory was up to by asking me to accompany her…and that's when I smelled it…