Spirit Wolves: The Lost Alpha & Beta

**Luca** Here I am-an almost 21-year-old future Alpha of our Silvertail Pack and I am dragging my feet heading in the direction of my parent’s house for dinner while I see some of the pack’s little ones, playing a game of Marco Polo before being called in for dinner.  I thought about those times, when the weight of everything was not so heavy and I didn’t have the fate of the pack on my shoulders.  My mother linked me earlier today asking me to come for a family dinner and when I said that I was busy, my father ordered me to attend letting me know that this was not going to be a good night at all.  I mean, when the Alpha gives you an order, you obey it!  There are no ‘I forgot’ or ‘I was busy’ you have no choice but to follow through.  I remember shortly after my first shift, I tried to ignore my father’s order once.  It was the most painful experience I have ever felt in my life.  I broke out in full body sweats and convulsions.  The longer I tried to fight it, the worse it got until I was violently ill and stayed that way until my body betrayed my mind and followed his order.  I seriously had no choice in the matter!  No matter how hard I tried to fight against it.  That was the day my father and I both knew that there were going to be a lot of things that we didn’t agree on.  But no matter what he ordered me to do since then, I followed because there was no way I was going to do that to myself again.  For the past year, my parents have been pushing me increasingly to choose a mate as it is our tradition that if you didn’t find your destined mate by the age of 21, then you must choose one to keep the pack lines flowing and bring new pups to our pack.  Being that I am the future Alpha of our pack, he has been more adamant lately that I choose a mate because I turned 21 next month.  Despite my continued attempts to explain to him that I just felt like there was someone out there for me and each day that passed, I felt like I was getting closer and closer to meeting her and yet, something kept her just out of my reach.  I didn't like the feeling and felt hopeless at times, but that didn’t change the fact that I felt the goddess trying to reach out to me somehow, but not able to get through to me.  I was frustrated to the point that I was getting angry more often and taking it out on other pack members.  Being part wolf didn’t help matters either as our tempers were already on edge most days and I normally get a call at least 4 times a week to break up a fight which only made it harder to keep my cool. As I climbed the steps to my parents’ cabin, I smelled more wolves then I expected and that piqued my interest, but only for a moment before it set me on edge even more.  I growled before opening the door, took a deep breath and tried to remind myself that it was only a family dinner before I turned the knob and pushed the door open.  Her scent hit my nostrils immediately.  To me, it smelt like fish and liver and it was everything I could do not to turn and run.  That made me wonder what the hell is Bethany and her family doing here for our family dinner.  I closed the door behind me and removed my shoes and made my way straight to the kitchen to bring my mother the buns she had asked me for earlier, ignoring my father calling to me from the living room where he was with my younger sister Ashley, Bethany and her parents Brian and Brynn. I gave my mother a kiss on the cheek, presented her with the buns before speaking in the lowest tone I could manage.  “Is this another one of ‘those kinds’ of dinners where you try to get me to choose a mate?” Before my mother could answer, I already knew that this would not be what I wanted to hear, but I could not tell fully because she refused to turn to look at me.  She had always tried her best to guide me and stood between my father and I a few times when we didn’t agree.  Without her, we would have killed each other years ago.  It was a safe bet to say that she was the only thing that was keeping our family together, but her weakness was that she could not lie to save herself.  The guilt would be written all over her face and that is why she would not turn to me.  Instead, she pretended to be busy at the stove, but I could already tell that dinner was ready and she was killing time.  Ashley skipped into the room with her bright and cheery ways as spoke “Father wants to know when dinner will be ready, and I was told to ask if you need any help?” My mother wiped her hands on her apron before removing it, turned and replied to my sister “Thank you for the offer sweetheart, but everything is done, and dinner is ready.  Please let your father and our guests know that I am serving dinner now.” she replied as she picked up 2 plates from the counter and nodded at me to help with the others.  I gave a huff before I grabbed 2 large bowls and followed her to the table.  She quickly dropped off her 2 plates and went to grab the last 2 bowls of food.  When she returned, everyone was piling in around the table.   My father sat at the head of the table, my mother to his left and I to his right.  Ashley normally sat beside mother, but sometimes she chose to sit beside me.  When she did, it calmed me.  Tonight, she tried to take the seat beside me, but father shooed her off to mother’s side.  I was a little confused at first, until Bethany sat beside me trying her best to smile and bat her eyes my way, but I was not having anything to do with it because I was trying my best not to hurl.  I hated the smell and taste of liver and fish and they always made me feel extremely ill.  She knew that I did not have any feelings for her and quite frankly, I despised her because she thought she was the best thing since sliced bread and most of the younger generation in our pack were in awe with her beauty.  I however did not buy into the fake persona she let everyone else see and I caught her quite a few times treating my sister and best friend Nate like garbage.  I wanted nothing to do with anyone who was only out for themselves and when this is my pack, things will be changing or else!  We can do so much better than the “me, me, me” mentality. Bethany’s parents took the last 2 empty seats at the table and we began passing the food around.  Being that we were all wolves, we tended to have remarkably high metabolisms and burn off energy way faster than the average human.  Thus, we were required to eat more-a lot more!  It was nothing to go through 4 pounds of bacon, 2 dozen eggs and a whole loaf of bread made into french toast for our small family of four for breakfast.  Everyone was loading up their plates and when everything had been passed around, my father raised his glass in the air.  Everyone followed and waited for what he had to say, but I had this funny feeling that I was not going to like it at all. “To our guests, thank you for joining us on the first night of what I hope will be many family gatherings.” He began, before I rudely interrupted him. “Wait, WHAT???  Family gatherings...they are not a part of our family?” I questioned immediately while the severity and meaning of the toast flew right over my head. “Well, this dinner is to bring everyone together and celebrate our families coming together.  Bethany’s father and I have agreed to terms on your mating and you will mate Bethany at the next New Moon Ceremony.  It will gain favour with the moon goddess, and she will bless our pack with more pups again, So, I toast to the new coupling of my son, the future Alpha of our pack and Bethany.”  My father boasted to all at the table with a huge grin on his face.  Everyone started raising their glasses and cheering “here-here” before clicking them together.  Everyone except for me.  I sat there, fuming because he thought that I would go through with this.  What was he going to do?  Order me to mate her?? “That will not be happening!  I will mate Nate before I ever mate with someone who considers herself better than everyone else.  A true Luna knows what the pack needs and helps the Alpha on his mission.  Bethany and I will never want the same things.”  I replied before throwing my napkin on top of my plate, pushing my chair back and preparing to leave.  But I didn’t get 2 steps away from the table before my truly angry, malicious father stood and blocked my path. “You will mate in 3 weeks at the New Moon Ceremony for this is what I wish, and I am your Alpha telling you that.” He roared at me.  I could feel that he was awfully close to shifting right here in the dining room.  Every other time in my life, when he released his true Alpha power, everyone (including me) cowered immediately.  The asshole liked the power trip and always held us there, begging for mercy longer then necessary just to prove that he was our Alpha and we survived on his approval.  I looked around and sure enough, everyone’s heads were tilted down, eyes pleading looking at my father for release.  For me though, something was different this time.  His Alpha power no longer affected me which gave me an idea because I read once, that when an alpha child was ready to take over the pack and the current Alpha was ready to step down, the power shift no longer affected the child. I stood tall and squared my shoulders to my father, challenging his authority.  I took him in my eyes, an incredibly low growl escaped my throat as I stared him down showing him my true Alpha power for the first time.  We stayed there, deadlocked, and growling at each other.  I realized that if I gave into him now, I would never be free to make my own choices.  He was a power-hungry Alpha who only wanted to control everyone and by his display of power now only showed me that he was not planning on stepping down anytime soon.  Being that we are wolves, we do tend to live longer lives if we are not killed in battle.  My parents are both in their 90’s and look like they are still in their early 30’s. “Why does it matter to you so much that I mate?  You and mom didn’t have kids for 60 years!  Why should it matter to you so much now???”  I growled at my father. “Because I am your Alpha and I say it is time for you to grow up, be a man and settle down with a family!  You kids never learn...you are not the first to challenge me son.  I suggest you think about what you are doing because this will not end well for you.” He roared back at me His power hit me harder and I could feel like I was beginning to break.  To cower to his wolf.  I thought about the words he had just said to me with such disdain and referencing ‘you kids’...but no, there was no way I could ever mate with someone who was so selfish and thought so little of the pack around her.  How could I ever lay beside her in bed and not throw up from her smell?  I made up my mind before all these words had been said and there was nothing my Alpha could do to change that.  I would NOT mate Bethany.  Not today, tomorrow, 3 weeks from now- not ever!   At that exact moment I made the firm decision to defy my fathers order, I felt something snap inside me.  It was like a tether cord had broken.  I could see that it hit him too as he took a step back from me.  It hurt and for a moment, I had to take a few deep breaths.  It felt like someone had just killed my entire family, but they were all still here in front of my eyes.  Everyone was still cowering, and they were fine, but they now also felt like they weren’t my family.  I looked back to my father, who was now sitting down in a chair holding his chest, while tears were falling from my mother and sister’s faces.  Something happened just now, and I was not one hundred percent sure, but I think I just severed the bond with my pack.   "I really don't care what you say, I'm going to choose my own mate and I will never mark someone who the moon goddess has not chosen for me!" I yell at my father, before I exit his house, slamming the door behind me.  I can hear my mother inside, upset about this and torn between the two of us.  I stomp my way through the middle of pack territory on my way to my home.  I was pissed because my father, (and most of the pack for that matter) believed that if you had not found your mate by the age of 21, then you were supposed to just choose one.  They also believe in clean bloodlines and no one had chosen outside the pack in decades.