The Art of Survival (Werewolf Romance/Mates)

Chapter One

This story is from my own imagination.

Please do not copy. Please do not paste.

Any similarities between anyone/ any place/ anything, that you may recognise, is purely coincidental. Sorry about that.

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Chapter One

Heir and a spare.

That's what every Alpha wanted when it came to pups. Alpha Steven of the Luna Moon Pack was no different. Except he got an heir and three spares. Four sons! Then a fifth child; a daughter.

Five pups was a major handful, especially when they all came straight after each other. No room between them. The Pack joked that he and his mate had been incredibly busy. But then again, back in their day Luna Moon pack was one of the poorest packs: no electricity, so there was no option of Netflix and chill.

Just chill.

Alpha Steven and his mate, Amelia, were the best thing to happen to Luna Moon Pack. They took to their roles like ducks to water, and within a year, had turned their small pack from nothing into something.

Trade picked up, money came rolling in, alliances were forged between neighbouring Packs who sent their Warriors to train with them, in order to help them develop further.

Exactly nine months to the day of their mating ceremony, Alpha Steven had his heir.

Andrew. The eldest son was perfect Alpha material. He studied hard, he worked hard, he trained hard, and he found his mate at the age of twenty one. By twenty two, his first pup was born.

Ten months after Andrew was born, came Matthew. He was a little more laid back when it came to his studies, but he had been fascinated with the Pack Warriors since before he could walk. As soon as he was old enough to start his training, he did. He found his mate when he was twenty three and by the age of twenty four, he became one of the best warriors their Pack of eighty had. Everyone knew that if anything were to happen to Andrew - pray to the moon goddess nothing did - Matthew was more than capable of being the 'spare'.

A year after Matthew was born, came the surprise in the form of twins, Thomas and William. They were complete opposites of one another, always coming to blows over this or that. Whereas Thomas chose to train as a Tracker and Hunter, William was incredibly studious. He focused on the Packs economic growth, trade and such. The younger of the two, William, found his mate on their twenty first birthday. Thomas found his a couple of months later, on his mates twenty first birthday.

Then, ten months after the twins were born, came Valerie. Who believed that this day, was when the world became a better place.

However, a few days after giving birth to her fifth child, Amelia passed away through complications she had suffered during childbirth. It was cliché, but Valerie blamed herself.

Despite losing his mate due to the birth of his fifth child, Alpha Steven never blamed the pup. He became a dedicated father, and treated Valerie like a little Princess. The Pack silently called her the favourite child.

Of course, Valerie loved the attention her father bestowed upon her.

Although she wasn't one for pretty dresses and jewellery, her father bought her these items anyway. She was more into nature, and loved her art and her music. Putting her slim fingers to the ebony and ivory keys, singing into the sky, or feeling the textures of the acrylic paints she used beneath her artistic hands were her hobbies.

Her pack believed her musical and artistic flair to be too 'human', and although they couldn't shun her - they made it known that it was distasteful for her to engage in such activities, rather than practice the duties of the future Luna she was supposed to be once she had found her mate, an Alpha.