The Alpha’s Firstborn

Most wolves love the balls, but I don’t. Not after attending so many of them and never finding my mate. My sister is excited, but she is way younger than me, so I guess she still has hope.

As soon as we arrived at the ball, my sister was lost in the crowd. She loves to mingle. Me, not so much. For me, it is a mandatory duty. As the alpha’s older daughter, I need to create connections that can benefit the pack and our business. So, not so fun.

This ball has several different packs attending because it is being hosted in neutral territory. More packs could come, and inside this grand ballroom, all the pack leaders are talking and making connections. But outside, there is an even bigger space in the open air, under the moon and stars, with an incredible number of single members from all the packs trying to find their mates.

Before the end of the night, everybody will gather outside to worship the moon, paying our respects to the Moon Goddess and giving everyone a chance to mingle.

Even with all the different packs here, I found some friendly faces soon enough, like Alpha Ralph of the Red Moon Pack. We are close in age, and since our fathers are longtime friends, we tend to attend the same places outside our packs while growing up.

Ted, Ralph’s beta, is talking nonstop about how beautiful every lady is. Here is the thing: they just stepped up as the leaders of the Red Moon Pack, and neither of them has found their mate yet, so they are hoping to find them tonight.

For them as leaders, it is even more important to find their mates, to bring harmony and security to their pack. Not to mention that, as handsome and strong wolves in positions of power, they attract a lot of attention from women, and not all of that attention is wanted. A mate would repel a lot of girls trying to secure an impossible position, because wolves always want their mates.

Some lady catches Ralph’s eye, or rather, his nose, and he leaves without a second thought.

Ted and I look at each other, grinning with happiness for our friend. I am about to follow Ted and see if Ralph really has found his fated mate, but something else catches my attention.

“Rav… Help! By the fountain at the east entrance.”

What the hell?

I don’t think twice as I start walking in the direction my sister told me through the mind-link. Belle would never ask for my help if it wasn’t important. She is a spoiled brat, but she hates calling for my help more than anything in the world.

I’m the strong and reliable alpha daughter. I may not be an alpha heir anymore, but I was groomed to become one since I was three years old, after the doctors in our pack told my dad it was going to be difficult for my mother to conceive again.

After my birth, it took another six years for my mother to get pregnant again. And, surprise, another girl.

But last year, as a miracle, my mother finally gave birth to my baby brother. And then everything changed for me. I was no longer the pack’s heir.

Father was always worried about having a female as his alpha heir. He was afraid someone might challenge me and take over the pack, our family legacy, so he trained me really hard. And I mean really hard.

Not one of my male friends who were also in line to inherit a pack trained as hard as I did. I didn’t have vacations. I had exchange experiences with allied packs, always with our gamma with me to make sure I was learning something and not relaxing.

I was running through the ballroom, trying to reach my sister, but nothing could have prepared me for the scene in front of me.

It was out of this world.

My sister was kneeling on the floor, her pink gown’s sleeve ripped apart, and the most handsome man I had ever seen was holding her by the neck with a murderous gaze.

I don’t think twice before punching him in the shoulder so he releases her.

He looks up at me, shock all over his face. His brown eyes pierce into my soul as he drops her and walks toward me.

“Alpha Alaric! Are you okay?” A girl in a ridiculous, fluffy green dress with red hair yells as she looks at him.

Oh shit.

I just punched Alpha Alaric.

Alpha Alaric Windsor of the Luna Blanca Pack. The alpha of nightmares. Known for being a war machine who has never lost a battle and for having the strongest werewolf army.

“Mate,” he says as he reaches me and grabs my arms to hold me still.

What?

Oh, double shit.

I didn’t realize in the heat of the moment, but he is my mate.

My mate.

The other half of my soul.

The one and only person the Moon Goddess chose for me.

And he hurt my little sister.

My head is spinning.

I hear the gasps around me, people whispering, my sister sobbing, my mate’s heartbeat, the music in the distance. I don’t know how much time passes as we stare into each other’s eyes.

He is everything I ever wanted in a mate. Tall. Broad shoulders. Brown hair matching his eyes. Beautifully tanned skin. A sharp nose with an even sharper jaw. I wish he wasn’t wearing a tuxedo.

And his smell… It’s amazing.

I can feel my wolf purring inside my soul. I can feel the power oozing from him, his eyes glowing with his wolf’s presence.

I can’t wait to meet his wolf!

Oh, my mind. I need to focus.

I look toward my sister as my father arrives at the scene.

Despite Alpha Alaric holding my arms, my father goes straight to my sister, typical.

“Belle, are you alright? Who hurt you?”

My sister is shaking and crying.

And the girl in green looks really annoyed, like she can’t believe my sister’s behavior.

Alpha Alaric shakes his head and lets go of me as if my touch burned him.

It hurts in my soul.

I want to reach out and hug him, but I take a deep breath and call my father, asking if Belle is okay.

“She is your sister,” I hear Alpha Alaric say, so quietly that it could almost be a whisper. There is a disappointed look in his eyes as I nod in agreement.

What the hell did my sister do this time?

She is really spoiled, and sometimes that brings trouble, but she always stays within some limits, especially because she knows not to embarrass Dad or the pack.

I can’t help the bad feeling that rises in the pit of my stomach.

My mate takes a step back, creating some distance between us. He clears his throat and finally speaks.

“Alpha Sebastian.”

That’s all he says, looking at my father.

Now that he is speaking more clearly, all I can think is that I could listen to him speak all day and never get tired of the sound of his voice.

But reality is knocking on my door and not letting me daydream about my mate.

Before my father can reply, Elder Giles intervenes.

“Alpha Alaric and Alpha Sebastian, it seems we have a situation here. Please, this way.”

He doesn’t need to say anything more. We all understand that he doesn’t want a scene at the council ball, especially one between the strongest pack and the oldest one.

Yes, our pack is the oldest pack still standing.

We are known as the Keepers of the Moon Goddess, not just because of our efforts to preserve werewolf history, but mostly because of our uninterrupted line of alphas, which has made us pretty much werewolf royalty.

You see, our alpha lineage has never changed in the hundreds of years of our history. Our family has never perished. Our alphas have never lost a challenge for the title of alpha and the pack.

And that says a lot, since in our world, being challenged for the title of Alpha of a Pack is a common thing. There are fights to the death where the winner will normally kill the entire family of the loser to avoid retaliation in the future.

If that isn’t enough, offspring outside the mate bond are rare, so pretty much all my ancestors found their fated pairs, securing our lineage.

As we enter the adjacent room, I can’t keep myself from stealing glances at my mate, but he doesn’t look at me.

It’s like I don’t exist.

All my confidence is leaving me with every step we take.

But it’s not like he can avoid the mate bond. He wouldn’t risk being cursed by the Goddess for rejecting her gift to us.

No one is that insane, right?

I can feel my inner wolf struggling with that thought.

Our wolves are part of who we are. The only difference is that when we are in wolf form, our instincts change. We become more animal than human. It’s survival of the strongest, just like in the jungle.

No diplomacy.

No talking.

That’s the reason the council was founded hundreds of years ago.

In order to survive and avoid extinction or being exposed to the human world, we need people capable of diplomacy in the worst situations.

The council is primarily formed by retired alphas, betas, gammas, and other honorable pack members, like teachers, doctors, and even some warriors.

The inclusion of different members on the council is meant to make sure no aspect of pack life is left unsupervised.

One of the most respected council members is Madam Vera, who was just a maid for most of her life. She became a pillar of her pack after their Luna passed away and was eventually appointed to a council position.

Elder Giles, on the other hand, was an alpha’s second son. He never ruled as an alpha, but he was known for his incredible ability to kill rogues, so he’s not really someone you want to piss off.

And since no one is speaking, Elder Giles is the one to start.

“Well? Would someone care to explain why Alpha Alaric was choking Alpha Sebastian’s daughter?”