Alpha, Not

Chapter 19

Alpha, Not - Chapter 19 - Epilogue

Avery

I'm surrounded by a crowd bursting with excitement over the transition of power tonight; Alpha Andrew and Luna Caitlyn will turn the pack over to their son, Damien, and his mate Christine. The ceremony will take place when the full moon reaches its peak, which is a few hours from now. It seems that the ceremony transferring a pack from one generation to the next is a very special occasion, and atmosphere is festive as everyone waits for the special moment when the transfer occurs. The pack has been preparing for the event ever since Damien and Christine graduated from university and returned home.

Alpha Andrew gave Pete permission to invite me to attend tonight because we're dating; he told me that the ceremony would help me understand the pack even better and would give me an idea about the importance of the pack's hierarchy (which I still find contrary to the ideals I grew up with). When Pete and I got back together, he started bringing me to the pack house whenever anything interesting was going on, as well as to just meet other pack members. Alpha Andrew always welcomed me whenever we saw each other, which wasn't all that often, but even with his busy schedule, whenever he saw me, he always took a moment to visit with me. Luna Caitlyn has been especially gracious; I've seen her far more often than I've seen the Alpha, and she always spends time talking with me.

Most of my time at the pack is spent watching Pete and other wolves practice their fighting techniques at the practice grounds; and through that interaction, I've also gotten to know quite a few other pack members besides Teagan. When others saw Teagan accept me, they accepted me as well. The first time I saw them practicing in wolf form, I about shit myself - I kid you not. If there hadn't been others practicing with them in human form, I might have run away right then; and this was even though I'd seen already seen some wolves before, on that day when the rogues had attacked Pete and I at the edge of the woods.

There are a fair number of humans that are part of this pack by virtue of being mated to or dating someone in the pack. I'm always a little surprised when I see someone that I recognize from the diner. A number of the members of the pack work in the city and are regulars at the diner. Sandra and Tanya, the two women from Pete's office, are also here tonight; we talked for a while earlier, before they went off to find their families.

A number of couples in the pack are paired by choice, like Pete and myself; I was surprised when I found out that they're not all mates. Some wolves even pair up when they're not mates. Also, some of them paired up after one of their mates passed away; some others have never met their mate and stopped waiting. When those couples pair up, they know that there is always the possibility that one of them could meet their true mate eventually, and their relationship would likely end, but they choose to pair up anyway. Everyone seems to be truly happy though, and that is what matters.

---

The huge crowd quiets as Alpha Andrew walks up onto the dais and raises his hands to get everybody's attention. He turns and smiles at his family as they join him in front of the crowd on the dais.

"Good evening, everyone," he begins. "As you all know, tonight is a very special night for all of us here in the North Winds pack. Tonight, my son Damien will become your new Alpha, and his mate Christine will become your new Luna. It has been my great honor to serve you as your leader for these many years, and the time to pass that role to the next generation has arrived."

The entire pack began cheering, chanting Damien's name. He stood there beside his mate, grinning, until everybody quieted down one more time.

"Damien," he gestured for his son to step forward. "Damien Carter, are you ready and able to perform the duties of the Alpha of North Winds pack?"