Aston

Chapter 12

Aston and Amelia had finished their rounds and were ready for the choosing of the deltas. He expected for the current deltas to hold their power, but knew that anything was possible.

Aston walked around the masses with Amelia, many had already shifted and started sparing, setting their small groups ready for the last battles.

"Everyone is in groups of five right now." He told her. "Once they all have a final contender, they fight the one next to them. Then so on and so forth. We keep going until there is only one winner, but the top eleven get the spots."

"I thought there were only five deltas?" She asked.

"There are, but traditionally the alpha, Luna, beta, and gamma are in the top 4. Two are chosen for border patrol." She nodded.

"What if I don't win?" She asked. Astor smirked.

"Then you'll have to train daily until you are able to prove to the pack that you are able to serve them as Luna. But don't worry, they won't turn against you." Aston said. Amelia gulped, worried that she would disappoint him. He took her face in his hands. "Don't worry, love." He said. "I won't think of you any less." She smiled, rubbing her face in his hands.

"Okay, well where do I go?" She asked. He smiled at her excitement. He pointed to the group that was forming next to his own. Several of the wolves looked at each other, scared. They did not want to fight against the current alpha.

When everyone's groups were set, he cupped his hands over his mouth. "Shift!" He commanded. Before his eyes, everyone shifted into their wolf forms. Most of them were gray or brown, and a few were black or white.

He suddenly felt more attracted to her when he saw Amelia's wolf. A large brown wolf clearly towered over smaller ones. He smirked, not expecting for her to be so large. The other ones were shocked too, and Amelia was surprised at how small the others were. But when Aston shifted, he heard her gasp. He was as large as she was, if not larger.

"Begin!" He commanded.

They'd been sparing for hours, Amelia and Aston both had made it to the top of their groups. They were feeling it. Their legs ached, their lungs burned, and their hearts pounded. Remarkably, neither had a scratch on them.

They stared at each other, knowing soon they would need to battle.

"We will rest for a moment." Aston commanded. Many wolves collapsed on the ground in exhaustion, but Amelia and Aston were already ready for their next fight.

"Why are tired already? They should not be here if they are not able to keep up." Amelia said, resting next to Anton.

"They are here because they want a chance to prove themselves." He told her. "This is why we fight. If the leaders cannot best each other, then what is to stop the warrior class or any other class from taking power?" He asked, nuzzling her side.

"So we must all be stronger. I understand now." She said.

"You fight well," Aston said. "If I didn't know any better then I would think you were born for this."

Amelia chuckled. "As a lone wolf I have had to fight many battles alone. Bears here are murderous."

"Back home we had to worry about mountain lions. They liked to attack when your back was turned." Aston said. "I think this is why the others don't expect to see you charging for them with your full strength."

"Perhaps. You do have faults of your own, you protect your flank too much." She nipped at his tail. "But you have a weak spot on your back, between your shoulders. You should roll if someone tries to jump on you." He smiled.

"You will make a great Luna." He said. "I will take your advice into consideration."

They stood, if they were to make it to their run on the border then they would need to hurry. It was nearing one. The others seemed to get the message quickly, rising to their feet once again and setting up a large circle. Aston sat next to Amelia, glancing around.

"We are in our final spots." He said. "Five positions remain. Max and Kelly, you're up first."

The two took their places across from each other. Amelia looked to Aston who looked like a completely different person.

"For the position of Delta One," Aston said. "Begin."

At once the two wolves lunches for each other. Max quickly overwhelmed Kelly and had him on his back within a few seconds. But then Kelly kicked his feet into Max's stomach and planted him on the ground. With a growl, he stared into his eyes and surrendered.

"Well that was quick." Amelia said.

"Max really wants the delta position, and Kelly wants the gamma position. They took into consideration each other's desires and compromised." Aston said.

"Is that fair?" Amelia asked.

"Normally, no." He said. "But they've already proved themselves against most of the packs best fighters, so I allow it." Aston cleared his throat. "Congratulation Max. You are Delta One." He said smiling. "Next up. Kelly and Red."

The two got themselves ready.

"For the position of gamma. Begin!"

Again Kelly waited for Red to move. Amelia noticed he put more weight on his left side than his right, she noted that he was probably feeling an injury from earlier. But she knew Red was smart. As if Kelly read her mind, he lunged for the left side. It was a mistake. Red quickly kicked him in the face, making him dizzy. He took the opportunity to pin her, grinning wickedly.

"Congratulations Kelly. You are our gamma." Aston said. Amelia felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest, she knew she was next. She took in a deep breath to help her relax, then readied herself.

"Red and Amelia, for the position of Beta." Aston said. Aston smirked at Red. She knew that he had something up his sleeve. "As the current Luna, Amelia has an unfair advantage against Red." He said. Amelia felt her heart stop. "Joining in this fight will be an unknown contender, Devon."

Amelia gulped as she watched the large wolf come into the ring with them. She studied them carefully, deciding she would dodge until she had a plan.

"Devon has agreed to fight with Red. If they both loose, Red will take the position." Aston said. "Fight!"

At once Devon and Red lunged at her together. Devon reminded her of a bear, while Red reminded her of a cougar. Oddly enough she had the opportunity to fight both in the Angeles forest. She dodged their attack, noticing Red accidentally nip at Devons shoulder, making it collapse under him. He quickly fixed himself. Amelia smiled, she knew this was a trick.

Red's one weakness was that he spent so much time on his defense, he lacked on his offense. Devon however was fast and agile. She knew the only way to take him down would be by brute force. She planted her feet firmly on the ground. As they lunged she took all of their strength. She remained unmoving as they tried to nip at her butt. As they lunged again, she jumped over them, making them crash into each other.

They had collided with so much force that their heads rammed into each other, knocking them out cold. Aston stood awestruck. She did not leave her eyes off of the two, and placed a paw on their backs.

"Amelia wins." He whispered. "R-Red is the new beta!" He declared, smiling.

Amelia's shoulders ached from the first blast, but she quickly shook it off. Two wolves dragged them off of the field. Aston took his position.

"And now. For the position of Alpha." He smirked. "Aston and Amelia."