The Alpha's Pride

Prologue

Under the cool shade of a maple tree Raina lounged lazily, sprawled on one of the tree's giant roots. She was in her lioness form, panting and looking up at the blue and orange sky. She'd just finished hunting for rabbits in the tall grass and decided to take a rest under the tree. The little stream nearby gurgled as it flowed, occasionally hitting the rocks on its banks. It had been a source of water for Raina ever since she came to reside in the Thresh hold of Gordano and Ruanda, two waring empires. This little strip of land was the only reason the guards hadn't come after her. It was after all neither Ruanda nor Gordano's land, so she was safe as long as she didn't step into any of the two territories. 

Gordano was ruled by the Lion king and Ruanda by the Alpha king and like cats and dogs they hated each other. Raina had been cast out of her pride and the empire as a whole after one little mistake that cost the lives of the citizens. How could she have known that one wire could set off the bombs hidden under the city. How was she to know about the bombs. Why were there bombs? she always wandered this on her long Journey to find refuge. 

A gust of wind blew at her ears as the last of the leaves fell from the trees. It was late autumn and soon she'd have to move on to somewhere that wasn't cold. Her kind didn't do well in the cold. Lion Shifters originated in Africa but because of hunters killing out their kind for fur and skin they migrated and spread to all continents. Her empire just so happened to choose Canada to settle. Without the previsions of the Empire and her pride she was as good as dead in the cold. 

She stood up on her all fours, stretching as she did so, letting out a loud and powerful yawn. She took her last sip of water and began her journey towards a warmer place. Doing this was easier said than done as the border leading into America was part of the wolves' territory. Her scent  would be smelt from miles away and before she could reach the border she'd be captured or maybe even killed. She'd die either way if she was to stayed here though.

The sun had been hidden below the horizon and she could hear the faint sounds of water crashing telling her she was closer to the border. Niagara falls was swiftly approaching and she had to come up with a plan to get over the border and down to Florida or Mexico without being caught. 

Luck wasn't on her side as she heard the warning howl of a nearby wolf on patrol. He'd caught her scent and it was now time for her to make a dash for safety. She moved her powerful legs and sprinted until she saw the water fall. However she wasn't quick enough and soon many wolves surrounded her. 

She'd attempted to fight them off and managed to do so until more wolves came and surrounded her and began to tackle her.

Lions were naturally stronger than wolves but as more wolves piled on to take her down she finally gave up and went down. 

Soon a man in only pants who had shifted came up to her and looked at her with both curiosity and distain.

"Shift so we can speak." He said, voice commanding as he drops her an over sized shirt. She growled in response but does as he said.

Bones began to crack as she began to take on her human appearance. Almost all lion-shifters had golden blonde hair but she was different with her black hair and brown eyes. This clear difference is another reason why she was driven out of her pride. She seemed more like a panther than a lion but many tests could confirm she was in fact of lion-shifter blood.

She quickly placed on the shirt once in her human form and stood up wanting to cover her self from the growling and cautious wolves. 

"I am Beta Ronal, we smelled your scent from two miles away. Tell me Lion why are you so far away from your pride?" Beta Ronal says eyeing her for any suspicious movement. His senses on high alert for if she was to try something. 

She hadn't talked in days and she felt the effects when she tried to speak. It took her a minute before a dry and groggy voice came from her lips.

"I've been cast out of my Pride and the Empire. I'm just passing through, please I mean no harm." 

Ronal looks at her with understanding but she knew he wasn't going to trust her as yet. She was a Lion-shifter after all, it was in his nature to hate and distrust her kind.

"I see but we can not allow you onto our pack grounds. As you may know our two species are currently at war and we can not let you go free." Ronal solemnly says as he once again eyes her with caution. As he says this two bulky wolves grabbed both her arms. Raina knew it would be futile to fight against them as she was dragged away to wherever they were planning to take her.

She'd been blind folded and restrains were placed on both arms and legs along the way so she was not able to escape and find her way back onto neutral lands where the wolves couldn't pursue her. They'd somehow forgotten about her sense of smell being as high as theirs and she would still be able to sniff her way out. 

The two guards dragged her for miles until they stopped. They opened a strong door and from the dust that flew into Raina's nose she could tell it was very old and deep in the ground dungeon she being taken too. She was used to this by now. She'd spent several months in a cell like this before the emperor finally banished her from the empire.

The rusty metal door clang together as it opened and she was shoved inside. She wasn't surprised they hadn't taken the restrains off of her. Though it would have been nice to freely move her hands before they cramped she knew this was highly unlikely. They needed her at a disadvantage. While they had their many weaknesses like wolf's bane or silver, her kind didn't have those kinds of restrictions. With better mobility the rusty bars of the cell would break easily under her strength and she'd be free. Though she'd have the entire pack to deal with. She believed that if she sprinted fast enough she could get away.

Days passed. Raina was starving and very weak. Every day Beta Ronal would ask her the same question and everyday she would tell him the same answer. This cycle would repeat three to ten times a day and it was becoming exhausting. She hadn't spoken to the pack's alpha and she'd assumed he may have been out on official business. Today however something was very much  different to the others. When Beta Ronal came down to talk to her his footsteps weren't the only ones she heard. 

With the blind fold on she had to rely on the only senses not being hindered.  She'd had enough time to listen and recognize footsteps being down in the cell with nothing else to do. Around six people had entered. One of them was Beta Ronal who walked lightly, two of them were of guards who had heavy boots and the other two pairs of footsteps was not at all familiar to her. 

Metal rakes against metal as the cell door is slid open. Footsteps approach Raina and her blind fold is taken off.

"My name is Alpha Romanus leader of this pack. This is or prince and future king Don Drea of Ruanda." The alpha speaks as Raina blinks trying to readjust her eyes to the light. Once she could see she looked to Alpha Romanus and Prince Don trying to put a name to the two faces. Her eyes slid from Alpha Romanus and then to Prince Don where her gaze lingered. Grey eyes meet hers and for a moment everything stops. She was unaware of what was happening but Prince Don seemed to know what was happening in that moment.

Prince Don audibly sucks in a breath trying to hide the murmur of the words that tried to escape his lips. Everyone looked to the man with curiosity and he just clears his throat urging Alpha Romanus to  continue speaking.

"King Deon Drea couldn't come to see what to do with you so he sent his son instead. I believe Prince Don will know what is best to do with you." Alpha Romanus says as Raina's attention snaps back to him. Her gaze quickly moves from Alpha Romanus back to Don. 

Everyone's attention shifted back to Don unaware of the internal battle he was having in his mind with his wolf as they waited for him to speak.

"Sir?" Alpha Romanus says as he watches as Don's eyes flicker between gold and blue as the battle in his head raged on.

"Mhhhh," Don says as he tries to prevent his wolf from saying the words that could ruin him. He coughs trying his best to rein in his wolf. However he loses the fight and soon his eyes stops switching colours and remained golden as his wolf was now in full control.

"Mate!" Don's wolf  growls in a low powerful voice. Gasps spill out of the other men's mouths as they looked to their future king in shock and horror. Raina just looks in confusion unaware of what that word could truly mean for her.