Alarick POV

As I watched over my pack, seeing little wolves frolicking around and then adults getting a huge amount of food ready for lunch, I sighed.

For some strange reason I started to feel agitated. We had been lucky to survive until now, but now that we were stronger, rivals had started to come. Since making a comeback and having others know how great our pack was, rivals just wanted to bloody steal it!

Having been able to see what I wanted and how I could change things, I had been extremely busy!

I wanted the pack to stay at peace and play, personally knowing how running a mile and playing with other’s pups was like.

It had taken so long to get to this point, that I still hadn’t felt at peace since I had awakened the Alpha within me. Even though I was known as the Alpha at nine, my father was the one pulling all the strings. I hadn’t been fully aware then, on what was going on, but I became quite observant and figured out a few things in the next few years.

And that was…I was sure we had lost our way…

Not just the way of looking after the pack, I meant the way of our wolf nature.

I read a few books, watched my dad’s human connections and saw that we were living more like humans then wolves.

Fair enough, having a toilet and a bed is great…But, when I go out into the bush, I felt freakin awesome!

There was a difference, but I was young and still being used then. My father only put me in charge, so that if people of the pack wanted to blame someone, they could blame his son instead of him.

Actually, I was lucky, that I had been training a lot on my own, as challengers came at least once a year to take our pack. Me, being only young then, I knew I just had to be strong, but still trying to figure out why I had to be strong.

But when I was fifteen, my mother had died, and her last words of stating I was the Alpha and I had to protect my family, I had been fighting, not just physically, but fighting for what I believed in. I was certain that I needed to change our pack, change my family!

Remembering my mother’s absolute pain, I flinched.

She had not only gone against her mate, but her mate had inflicted her pain before he had gotten someone else to kill her right in front of me. She had bluntly told me that something was desperately wrong and that had vexed my useless father to the extreme. He was happy with the way things were, they had been getting in a lot of money and quite a number of things that were worth something…But, my mother was seeing what was happening right under her nose and knew that it was wrong for her pup to be used like this. I know she loved me, having done what she did, I just hated that she had to die because she loved me. She had chosen me and the pack, over her mate, which is hardly heard of, and because of that, she was killed. Yet, I thought she was the toughest female in the world, no one could beat my mum!

Not long after this, I was sure that having a mate wasn’t very thrilling. If my mum could go against her mate, why is it such a big deal?

Yet, the most important part…Was her last message to me.

‘Protect your family’, became embedded inside of me and that was when I felt the Alpha part of me explode out. My eyes had not reverted back to my normal brown colour since.

I was sure that I would just continue to protect my family, so I now doubted that they would ever return to become brown. So, my mother’s last wish, had become mine as well!

After my mother passed, I found out so much, even though I knew of things already. And it really was appalling that we, as wolves, had changed so much.

I wanted my family to smile. That was my Alpha, I didn’t care for any kind of rumour, even if it were true, about my bloodthirstiness. What I wanted, is my pack to smile. This wish of mine was a lot harder to obtain then I had originally thought. I never knew how much we started to live like the normal humans and how further away from nature we were.

We had cars, mobile phones, internet and computers…Making us forget the person who would be sitting right beside us…

But, before I could go into that…I had to protect my family first and foremost, as making them smile was my secondary objective.

It was hard to believe, that a pack could be corrupted like ours was, wolves are said to be the total opposite, yet here we were as Shifters and living like that of Humans. The fact that I had to protect my family from my family itself, was something hard to endure, making me stronger inside once I had.

I bloody hate humans!

They’re so fuckin greedy!

Over the time of fixing up my own pack, I had come upon the information of my father working with Humans and that they had some kind of allegiance. Through this, and over years, the corruption seemed to have gone from the Humans and into our pack. My father wasn’t the only one that brought this upon us…Two elders and my older sister had done it too…

It angered me still, that my father became greedy for money and land, without caring for his family!

We gambled and let sparing go to the death, upon which laughter was heard, even though one of our family members had died. There was jewellery on nearly all the females and I rarely saw anyone, but enforcers, shift to their wolves…It’s like a lot of the human world had been gradually been entwined into ours and we had started to think ourselves as such.

As soon as I could, I banished anyone in the pack from trying to get along with the Humans…I was sure that Humans and their ways, was probably the biggest reason why my pack went downhill so much…I knew it was a huge change that could possibly turn the whole pack upside down, but I was the real Alpha now, I knew what I wanted!

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I mean, it’s hard to forgot when I killed my own father…As I was sure, at first, everyone feared me…

Yet, as I tried to get a few on my side, to understand my point of view, I was able to proceed further in my plans.

I explained a short description of what I wanted, a small basic and simple understanding, and figured that if they didn’t want that too, they could leave!

We had at least three hundred members before this decision was made, and the pack dwindled down to fifty. But those who remained were a lot more loyal, especially now, loving their new Alpha and feeling a lot more happier.

Fighting those who wanted to take us, while we were weak, and fighting ourselves. Fighting challengers that were even rogues and the corrupted Shifters that were trying to hide within the pack…

Rogues had wanted to take advantage of us back then, but now they weren’t so bold to enter our land by themselves.

Of course, our population had steadily improved over time. But I wasn’t going to let any Tom, Dick or Harry in and be initiated just like that!

I was stubborn when it came to see rogue shifters wanting to join the pack and would question them well. How do they want to live? How do they feel about the Humans? What brought them here? What do they think, when they hear the word ‘pack’?

Yeah, yeah, I’m a nutter for information, but I can smell if it’s real hey! Do they have the guts to lie to this man!? Hell, not just this ‘man’, but wolf as well! My wolf is totally happy in kicking someone's ass!

Most of them were scared out of their wits upon my glare and would speak very little and quietly. But, my new way of life, protecting the pack and my secondary objective, was crucial, and I wasn’t going to let just anyone get in the way!

I’m not the ‘world peace’ type of bloke hey, I’m the ‘pack peace’ man! Just get passed me and my wolf and your set! Haha!

Over seven long years, our population slowly increased from fifty, to a hundred. I knew it still wasn’t very big, but every one of this hundred in my family, we all wanted the same thing!

It also wasn’t easy when it came to take more into the pack, as other circumstances were involved. Since taking so long into getting where we are today, I was really glad that we had made it this far!

Supposed it helped that I’m the man, the Alpha, the one who can easily take on three or four at a time without a problem.

So fuckin lucky!

Just thinking of it always makes me smile with pride!

It was only two days ago that we had a rival from another pack, come from the southern part of the continent, to stack a claim to my family!

What an idiot! Walking all that way to challenge me…For what!? Well, I warned him!

Challenging me and my might, only increased my popularity! My pride over being the man, the boss, and keeping my family safe was the best!

I happily took on each and every one of them! Even though it supported the current claim that my bloodthirstiness was becoming quite popular…Of course, I wasn’t the best Alpha on the continent, there were at least two others that overwhelmed my small reputation, but I was not in a competition…Ish…Well, let’s just say that when I’m kicking ass, I’m doing it with style, but otherwise, no competition whatsoever!

Many of my family members laughed at this a few times, when they see me want to make a child smile or help one of the older Shifters out.

Honestly, I wasn’t like the rumours unless I had to be, otherwise I was a protective but communal Alpha, always wanting to make them all smile.

Even though my wolf inside me still was keen to always take on any opponent…I felt a strange feeling of it getting a little old, I felt like I hadn’t been able to relax lately! If they could back off for two weeks, that would be cool! I’ll take em on then!

My work was piling up once again, because we had started to really do a lot of things on our own, without shops, human schools or hospitals.

I had to get a healer to teach, yet we only had two healers. I had to school our own pups and have our females not only cook but even make clothes. The cars were all sold, I mean, we were wolves…The computers, all but one was taken back, internet gone, and phones weren’t bought anymore…Once they were gone, that was it.

We had to farm and look after our land. It was a lot more taxing work then it used to be, but I wanted my family to work hard and be thankful for what they had.

We were a family after all, so even I would get on the farm and look like I’m making clothes…Yes, look…Not actually make them. I had no idea about that crap whatsoever!

So, to a few things, I was a supervisor more then a helper. As cooking didn’t seem to sit right with me either, so, I’d stand there and watch, making sure that…Things were done right!

Number one Alpha here!

…Well, at least that was what I thought…

***

I couldn’t believe it had already been a week since I last merrily played games and had a drink with my family. Hell, it was getting closer to my 26th birthday, when I was going to see a fight!

I couldn’t help but become excited, now that I thought about my potential, new partner in the future.

At 22, and not meeting my mate by then, yet, I had told the elders that I would let the females fight for the Luna position when I turned 26. It’s just a few more months! Can’t fuckin wait!

I had already made the mental note of making sure I had no work for that day, wanting to watch over my new partner from start to finish. It would be spars until all but one has accepted defeat, and I thought this would be the best way to obtain my future partner…My future mate.

Sighing to my future, I held myself in check. I hadn’t been with another yet. But as the time came closer and closer, I felt more heat inside of me, willing for time to go faster so that I could put others at rest about the opened spot in the Luna position and so that I…

Giving of a smirk, I couldn’t help but want to take her, whoever she was, right now.

To a certain happy decree, as the years had gone by, I hadn’t met my mate, even when the younger girls in the pack had turned eighteen.

It was disappointing that my mate wasn’t in my own pack. I thought that bringing in an outsider, just because we were ‘mates’, hardly did justice.

My wolf would always get angry with me when I dissed my destined mate like this, but I couldn’t help but want to see my future partner fight to the best of her ability and just for me!

Most of the time, my wolf and I would always agree…Except this. The only reason my wolf was relenting, was because we still hadn’t met this destined mate yet and he was also itchy to start a family. An Alpha at 25 and with no partner was quite rare, and after what I had promised, when I had been 22, was really coming in handy now!

I had wandered around a few times, to see my family’s unmated female’s training and them looking at me. I didn’t show them much reaction, wanting to treat them all well, but it wasn’t like I was unhappy. Especially since an ambition of mine was to make them smile…See, I was doing a great job! All I had to do was walk around…So awesome!

For the most part, most of them were quite lovely, yet, I knew that there was something missing. My wolf was telling me that I would always feel that way until I had completely mated with my new partner.

That this missing feeling…Was because these lovely females weren’t her. They weren’t my destined partner, the one that was supposedly the right one for me in every way…My other half, the one that would calm me and always be by my side…

Nonsense!

All I could do was wait impatiently!

Just a little more time! Come on! Hurry up!

To be honest, I was still glad I made this fight happen on my 26th birthday, as we were still getting better from when my useless father had been the leader…And when he wasn’t the leader…

The elders knew that I was looking forward to it, and since I was like this, they could only wait impatiently, like myself, for their new Luna…

What could they say? The promise is being kept and I have done the pack a world of good.

I already knew that they were waiting for their Alpha to bring in his own pups. They had accidently, on purpose, already tried to get a few luscious women to mate with me in the last couple of years, but even the ones on heat didn’t seem to faze me…Much!

Come on! I am a man after all!

I keenly watched them walk by and smile flirtatiously at me, unable to move! If I had moved…

Oh man! Such a bloody, nasty trick!

I could only think…Hey they smiled! Haha!

But dam, I shudda taken her!