VALERIE

My brown eyes, the colour similar to that of a tree bark, looked around the vast clearing that had been decorated for my twenty third birthday.

Fairy lights and balloons of every colour were spread around the area like it was christmas.

I hated it.

Never fan of big gatherings or people, I tried my best to convince my parents to not throw me a birthday party.

"You'll find a mate, honey." They said.

"I'm my own mate." I had said back.

I had never been a fan of love or mates, even though my parents were epitome of the word 'love' itself.

The thought of living in solitude and doing my own thing, depending on only myself was more appealing to me.

I was Valerie, the soon to be Alpha of Western Pack.

I looked carefully, assessing the area for any danger. There were pups and women here and I needed to be alert.

My eyes lingered on the forest before I looked at the balcony of the pack house, making sure to notice every shadow.

"Valerie! Come here!"

Heads turned as my mother shouted at me from three tables away. That woman didn't know what being discrete meant.

My black boots made no sound as I walked on the grass in the backyard of our pack house, picking a glass of wine from the table to my right as I did so.

Maybe the glass belonged to someone, but right now I needed it more.

I gulped down the contents before handing the empty glass to a waiter.

"Val, this is Beta Ryan of the Eastern Pack." My mom smiled a mischievous one at me.

Holding back from rolling my eyes, I nodded and held my hand out at Beta Ryan.

"Valerie, daughter of the Alp-" Strike.

"Oh, I know. I am Beta Ry-"

"Oh, I know." I knew I sounded snarky. Newton's third law.

My mother feeling the hostility slowly slipped away, leaving Beta Ryan and I in an awkward silence. Not that I cared.

"So..."

"So?"

"Your mom is hell bent on finding you a mate, huh?" Beta Ryan sipped his wine, his green eyes staring right at me.

Was it an intimidation move? I wouldn't know. If it was, it failed. Terribly.

"Seems so." I replied, my mind already elsewhere.

The forest to the side of the backyard looked more appealing than this conversation.

"You're not one to talk much, I presume." He grinned, not appearing offended at all.

"I do talk to those I find interesting enough."

His grin only widened.

"Oh, I'm very interesting." I looked at him blankly.

"Don't look at me like that, I really am int-"

"Say that again, Beta Ryan and I will throw you across the clearing."

Beta Ryan cleared his throat and looked around, furrowing his eyebrows before looking back at me.

"Sorry, just checking how big the clearing is. Not worth saying it again."

I stared at the young Beta in front of me until he began to fidget.

"Look at that baby over there. Looks like a potato, doesn't it? I want fries." He tried to lighten the mood, but I wasn't making it easy.

All my life, I never liked talkative people. Peace and quite was more my thing.

"Are you clinically insane or just plain annoying, Beta Ryan?"

"I believe I'm both. And call me Ryan, we're friends now."

I moved towards him and he took a step back. Chaos erupted.

One second my hands were nearly at Ryan's neck and the next, I was holding his hand and dragging him away from the clearing as foreign werewolves jumped from the forest.

"What's happening?!" He screamed over the wind as we ran. I picked up many pups and motioned him to do the same, the mothers following behind us as we ran towards the pack house.

"An attack, genius."

"Holy shit!"

We reached the packhouse and I ushered all the pups and women who weren't warriors.

Rule number 143 : follow Valerie and the Safety Committee in case of an attack.

I flung open the door to the basement below the tunnels and soon enough, everyone was in and safe.

I looked around and stood, waiting for any sounds of feet or howls. As if waiting for my thoughts, I received the sounds from above the ceiling.

The basement was soundproof, so the sniffles and huffs and cries stayed in.

"What now, Valerie?" Ryan huffed, clearly not content with staying in the basement.

"Now we let Safety Committee handle it here and gear up to fight out in the backyard." I narrowed my eyes and walked back out, Ryan following me quietly but hurriedly.

The hallways of the pack house were filled with blood and I heard Ryan suck in a breath, suddenly shaky.

"It's okay. Focus. Just blood, not nuclear waste."

Someone had to stay strong.

"Who attacked?" He inquired, looking left and right as we checked the area for any threat.

"Southern pack. I had a hunch they'd make a move today. They probably thought we'd be off track with the party."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?!"

"I had a plan ready beforehand. Why do you think no one made a fuss when I took them to the basement?"

I finished just as five wolves, I counted quickly, jumped out of the right turn.

I gave Ryan a fleeting glance before we moved ahead. I kicked the right one in the belly and grabbed the muzzle of the one to my left.

I pulled out two knives in each hand and fired them at the four wolves.

The knifes let out disgusting sounds as they embedded into the bodies and they fell to the floor.

Ryan killed the one remaining and looked at me with his jaw on the floor.

"You just killed four wolves with your knives. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Oops."

And we walked out.