Chapter 1
I was just 12 years old when I was put Into foster care. My mother died in childbirth and my father was the sole caregiver of me and my older brother Giovani. My brother who was 18 at the time had filed for a petition for guardianship over me through the court, but due to his age and lack of ‘structure’ they denied his request.
My father was serving as advisor to Alpha Blane Carter of the Gray Mountain Pack. There was a pack war that had been brewing between Alpha Blane and Alpha Deacon Silver of the neighboring Black Thorn Pack. Deacon was known by many as ‘The Mad Dog’. A man completely ruled by his wolf, in a constant haze of violence and rage always grasping for more power. Deacon had been soliciting the help of a local vampire clan in an attempt to redraw pack lines into Gray Mountain Territory. There happened to be a silver repository underneath Gray Mountain. It was one of the most highly coveted natural resources in our world. Silver while being a werewolves kryptonite also had many other uses as well. Blane had discovered a way to use the silver to create a new type of weapon. A silver nitrite liquid bullet that could penetrate a werewolves skin and once in the body would quickly distribute silver to all of the major organs. It was a slow and painful death. An ordinary silver bullet could severely injure a werewolf and hinder their natural healing abilities but it didn’t always kill them. The silver nitrite bullets however were a death sentence.
When Alpha Deacon learned of this new creation, he became desperate to obtain it. Not only was Alpha Blane one of the most powerful wolves in the country, but now he had a weapon that would make it impossible for any packs to challenge them. Not that any packs would. Alpha Blane had done a lot for the were community and he was loved and highly respected. Packs believed that Gray Mountain was sacred, and that its descendants were hand picked by the Goddess herself to be stewards of the mountains incredible power.
“That power belongs to all of Werekind” was Deacons stance, but he really just wanted the mountain for himself. He was far more ambitious In his plans for the repository.
He was unsuccessful at trying to turn other packs against Alpha Blane and the Gray mountain wolves. After all, Alpha Blane was a great Alpha, level headed, reasonable, but it was known that he had a no tolerance policy for betrayal. He had sentenced many wolves to death for disloyalty during his time as Alpha.
“A pack is like a boat, even the smallest crack can bring the whole ship down, that’s why when a crack is discovered it must be addressed……permanently” he would say.
Because Alpha Deacon was unsuccessful at soliciting the help of other packs who refused to turn on Gray Mountain , he teamed up with a neighboring vampire clan who lived in Between both their territories. Vampires and wolves were not a natural team. Quite the opposite, Wolves and Vampires hated each other. The Vamps referred to us as “rabid beasts, vile mutts, with animalistic tendencies. Us wolves on the other hand found vampires to be repulsive, dead men, leaches who drank from the living. This is why the alliance between Alpha Deacon and the Vampire clan was unheard of.
Word eventually spread to Alpha Blane that some sort of attack was being planned by Alpha Deacon. He wanted to control Gray Mountain and the silver repository beneath it. As pack law states if an Alpha is killed by another Alpha, the surviving wolf will absorb the leaderless pack and assume their territory. But Deacon was too much of a coward to mount a real challenge against Alpha Blane. If he wanted him Dead, he’d have to use other means.
Alpha Blane, was disgusted to learn that not only was a neighboring pack planning to usurp his power and Illegally redraw pack lines but that they were working with vampires to make it happen, he became enraged.
He ordered my father to go into the vampire territory and kill as many leaches as he could get his hands on…to send Alpha Deacon a message. Vampires and Werewolves were pretty evenly matched when it came to strength, although wolves did have a slight edge on the Vamps when they were in wolf form. My father did as he was instructed and arrived at the vampire den in the middle of the day but was ambushed. When he arrived, there were already wolves waiting for him. Someone had leaked information about Alpha Blane’s command. My father was killed almost instantly. The Black Thorn wolves severed his head from his body and returned it to the Gray Mountain Pack via express mail. There was a traitor in our midst. Learning that there was a rat led Alpha Blane into a world of paranoia. He trusted no one. My fathers death was the first in this conflict. A year late Alpha Blane lost his life too. A stray bullet in a shoot out along the territory lines took him out and his mantle passed to his son Holden.
News of my fathers death spread quickly among the pack world. Such a violent act of aggression towards a pack advisor was an open declaration of war. And pack wars were bloody and rarely ended before the death count hit the hundreds, but that was the nature of Were politics.
I was only a girl at the time. My older brother Giovanni, had just turned 18. He was the spitting image of my father with strong Italian features. He was an impressive wolf coming in at 6’3. He was built and lean with tattoos decorating his arms and torso. He had my fathers deep green eyes and thick black hair that he wore in a buzzed fade.
Alpha Blane’s son and future Alpha of Gray mountain Was named Holden Carter. Holden was everything you’d expect the future Alpha to look like. Coming in at 6’6 he was shredded, not bulky, but lean. Years of training in martial arts and had honed his body into a deadly weapon . Tattoos covered his perfectly tanned skin beneath the soft gold arm hairs that sprouted up from his forearms. He had gorgeous blue eyes that glowed like sapphire in the sunlight. His hair was chestnut brown hair with slight blonde streaks in it from spending time in the sun. His full sensuous lips were framed by a perfectly groomed beard that had little copper hairs littered through it.
Him and my brother were best friends growing up. I dare say Holden was like an older brother to me as well. They always looked after me and protected me. After my brothers petition failed and it was found out that I would be placed Into foster care, the boys pleaded with his father to adopt me, to save me from the system.
“Do you understand that we’re about to be in a full on territory war with Deacon and whoever else he’s poisoned against me?! You think I can be responsible for Amira right now? If this goes south we may all end up dead. She’ll be safest away from the pack. And if I am killed in this dispute, you will be assuming my role as alpha. There are too many pieces at play here. I cannot protect her.” He explained and he ended being right. My one chance at salvation was gone.
It was the day of my fathers funeral and the pack was on edge. News of the betrayal had spread fast and all the wolves could tell that my fathers death was just the beginning. There was an electricity in the air that was palpable. My father was my brother and I’s only living parent. He doted on us, but especially me. He would stare at me lovingly and say
“You look just like your mother” as he’d caressed my cheek and kiss me on the forehead.
I didn’t know my mother. She died from birth complications a few days after I was born. All I had to remember her by, was a photo my father gave me of him, and her when My brother was still a baby. She had long black hair and Deep honey golden eyes. She was a smaller women about 5,4’ but had the physique of a model with Italian olive toned skin. She was beautiful. I guess we did have similar looks. I had the same golden honey eyes and the same long black hair, but I was still a child.
I sat in a chair at the back of the reception after my fathers burial. They laid him to rest beside my mother. I stared intently at the photo of my parents until my vision went blurry. I looked down to see tears staining the photo. All of a sudden I felt a rough hand wiping my tears away. I looked up through my cloudy eyes to see Holden standing before me. He was 18 and was in training to take over for his father as Alpha. I couldn’t help but feel sad that he would be inheriting a pack war from his father. At only 18 he was already massive, covered in tattoos and Muscles. Him and my brother both began getting Ink at the tender age of 16. In two short years both of them had both their arms fully covered and even most of their torsos. A wolfs tattoos, told his story, his trials and tribulations, his victories and his defeats. I couldn’t help but wonder if they’d have any room left by the time this whole territory dispute had finished. He stood before me, his chestnut brown hair freshly trimmed into a clean fade. He had a scar over his left eye brow from a fight he had been in with my brother back when they were still in high school. His piercing blue eyes stared into mine.
He crouched down so that we were eye level “No more Tears Amira….you have to be strong.”
“Is Giovanni gonna die too?” I asked, my voice cracking against the tears in my throat.
He reached out and took my small hand in his tenderly stroking the back of it with his thumb. “Puppy, nothing will ever happen to you, or Giovanni as long as I’m around. You have nothing to be afraid of. No one will ever hurt you. I promise”
“Where is Giovanni?” I asked, suddenly aware of the fact that I hadn’t seen my brother since the burial took place hours before.
“He’s out for a run. He’s having a hard time right now. Sometimes it’s good to let your wolf out when you’re in pain. I don’t think he’s ready to process the situation in its entirety yet But don’t worry, he’ll be back soon.”
“I’m scared Holden….my foster family…what if they don’t like me?” I asked him weakly.
“Hey Hey….they’ll love you, just like everyone in the pack does”
“If the pack loves me so much then why are they sending me away to live with humans?” I strained against my tears
“It’s complicated right now. Things are….its just…Amira you’re not safe here right now. Things are getting serious. You’ll be safest away from the pack but I promise you once everything settles down, we’ll come back for you. You have my number memorized right?”
“Yes” I replied somberly
“If anything happens, call me….I’ll come get you. You may be going to live with someone else but we’ll still always be here for you.” he leaned forward to kiss my forehead.
“Be strong Puppy”
I looked him in his eyes and nodded weakly feeling utterly helpless. I had lost both my parents, and now I was losing my pack.
“Holden…….” I said before he could walk away
“I’ll die if I lose Giovanni….I can’t be alone in this world” now I was crying heavily
He turned and rushed me and grabbed me firmly by the face with both palms on either of my cheeks. “Amira….as long as I breathe…..you will never be alone. Do you understand me?”
I nodded with my face still between his hands. With that he stood up and returned to the reception.
