Chapter 1 - Bath
It was 5 am: cold, windy, and humid when I decided to go for a run. I’d been up for a full hour already, but wolves didn’t need much sleep or at least I kept telling myself they didn’t.
Winter was a month away and that meant rogue and hunter attacks were about to increase and we needed to prepare.
I am the lead warrior for the Royal Pack of Werewolves which means I'm in charge of training and patrols. I currently was working on a draft to change the patrols positions along the southern border and it was taking longer than expected. But it would have to wait.
My wolf was eager for a run.
Standing up, I made my way to the window. It was dark out but nearly every house was lit up. I lived in the warriors’ district. Situated between the training grounds and forest border, the district was loud but conveyed an impression of safety and coziness. We all knew each other, we trained, ate, and fought together.
I grabbed sneakers and leggings and headed out. The cold hit me as soon as I was outside. It would feel much better once I shifted. The fur would keep me warm. Several people waived as I jogged towards the forest. The district was fully awake. Teenagers wrestled one another: human, wolf, fae, vampire, and witch alike.
West-Blues was the capital of werewolves where the Alpha King’s resided, but it remained open for all species. This was one of the reasons I’d moved here three years ago. I wanted to train and be trained by all species. We all had different techniques of defense, and we all deserved to know how to protect ourselves.
When Blake, the Gamma of the Royal Pack, had showed up at my door trying to recruit me, that was one of the things I hadn’t wavered on. No matter the race, specie, gender, and age if someone came to me for training, then I would train them.
I reached the forest without breaking a sweat before shifting into my wolf. Being on four legs was exhilarating. Nothing compared… Except. Except maybe coming home late and finding a ready-to-eat meal in the fridge after forgetting about it.
I ran toward the border, enjoying the cold grass under my paws and wind brushing against me. It was much warmer in this form. The border was invisible, but you could sense it miles away. It was an invisible wall of magic. It only let citizens enter and also warned of any beings requesting entry.
But rogues and hunters still got past it. They often killed and kept an official citizen of West-Blues and used the corpse to trick the magic. This explained why we still needed constant patrols around.
I made it to the invisible barrier. I felt the tingle of magic wash over me as it identified that I was authorized to pass through. I sat in front of it and smelled around for any foreign scents. None. I lifted my head back and howled into the morning night. Howls were how we communicated between patrols when in wolf form. Each wolf had a unique howl and warriors trained to know how to recognize them.
Two howls responded to mine: Blake and Juno. Blake was up North; Juno was South.
I ran toward Blake’s location.
Blake is the Gamma of the pack and a good friend. He’d been the one to recruit me and I’d made it here partly because he believed in me so strongly.
And now he was sitting by the small river that traveled along the border, drinking with his back to me. The perfect opportunity. He tended to be grumpy in the morning, a fact I constantly teased him on and tended to pray on during our morning training sessions.
I took measured steps towards him, careful not to make any noises. Blake continued to drink peacefully not realizing I was just lurking behind.
He lifted his head as he heard me running toward him, but he was too late.
In seconds, I rammed into him and pushed him into the freezing water. He let out a yelp as he hit the freezing water, going completely under. My smile was nothing short of wicked. In wolf form, it looked more like a snarl than anything.
Blake was less amused. A low, menacing growl came out of him as he resurfaced. Definitely not amused. Grinning like a fool, I turned around and ran back toward the training ground, Blake hot on my heels.
Judging by the sounds Blake was making, there would be hell to pay for this little joke. But the look on his face had been worth it.
I forced myself to run faster toward the training rings. Blake's huge brown wolf turned heads as we sprinted across my neighborhood. His growls didn't help us stay discreet. The entire neighborhood seemed to be watching as their lead warrior was chased by the royal gamma, trying their best to look surprise as if this wasn't a monthly if not weekly occurrence.
It was my job to keep them all on their toes. Experienced warriors and royal officers were the prime targets of my monthly provocations. I needed to keep them all humble. Beating them all in monthly fights was the most effective way to do just that.
I jumped over the training field's barrier and shifted back before turning toward the angry Gamma.
Drool fell to the floor, his canines on display as Blake snarled at me. His fur still wet from his unwanted bath, he slowly started circling around me.
Now in human form, I reached for the twin golden blades strapped around my back. Each royal lead warrior chose a weapon from the King's collection. All gold and accumulated over the centuries, the King's weapons were honored and symbol of power.
I'd gone for two twin daggers and they never left my side. I barely took them off to sleep.
A crowd had gathered around us. Most of it was the warriors and citizens of West-Blues that were waiting for me to start today's training. They knew better than to intervene between Blake and I so they watched eager to see their superiors going at it.
I smirked at Blake, infuriating him more.
He must be freezing as the wind picked up on his wet fur.
I snickered, "A little cold, Gamma?"
Blake launched at me, teeth and claws out.
