BETA EYES [ENG]

2

P.O.V. Omund

"Lunaris, it's running toward the lake! We need to flank it!" I exclaimed, running at full speed.

"Run, Omund!" Lunaris barked, excited, while following me.

We were chasing a male deer, with antlers already developed and a strong, muscular body. Killing it wouldn't be easy since there were only two of us, and the deer was strong and determined. It would take at least four wolves to bring down a deer like that, but there were just two of us; something I didn’t worry about, since Lunaris and I were capable of bringing down an adult bison by ourselves.

Lunaris and I loved hunting together. It was a way to challenge ourselves and a bit of healthy competition, even though it was more of a team effort than an individual one.

I saw the deer running swiftly between tall bushes, trying to escape from me and Lunaris. We had separated it from its group to make the hunt easier. Lunaris flanked it, and the deer turned in the opposite direction, hoping to escape, but it didn’t realize it was running straight toward me. No deer could escape my grasp, nor Lunaris’s.

When it was close enough, I leaped onto its back and bit directly into its neck, making it stagger, then causing it to fall and roll down a steep slope.

Lunaris came to help me while I tried to suffocate the deer between my jaws, but without success. I tightened my grip, but the animal struggled violently, not giving me the chance to bite down. At that point, Lunaris bit its rear, making it kick in pain and try to push her away.

The animal continued to thrash on the ground, with more strength and desperation, shaking its head, trying to rise, growling, and kicking, trying to stop Lunaris from biting it again.

Lunaris grabbed one of its legs and jerked it violently.

After a few minutes of intense struggle, I delivered the final bite, breaking its neck, killing it instantly.

"Good job, Omund. The Alpha will be proud of you," Lunaris said, taking the deer by a leg.

"He said he wanted to talk to me... lately, I’m just carrying out his orders," I replied, looking up at the sky. "Maybe I'll have another task from him."

"If I were you, I'd be proud to serve your father," Lunaris replied. "You’re an Alpha, be proud of who you are."

"Anyway, he treats me and my brother like any Beta," I muttered, kicking a pile of dirt. "Sometimes I wonder if he even remembers that we're his children..."

We dragged the deer’s body back to the pack; we were quite far, as the deer were beyond our territory, knowing that we were always after fresh meat.

When we arrived at the destination, many wolves came out of their dens to see the deer, eager to eat after waiting almost the whole afternoon. I went straight to the Alpha; I didn’t have time to share the meat with the pack.

I entered the largest den among all those in the area. Usually, Alphas often came out of their dens, but my father was an exception; he preferred darkness, solitude, and rarely ventured out. The only times he stepped outside were when we were attacked by our rival pack, the Mighty Claws, also known as the wolves of the South, or when he needed to give an important speech to the whole pack. Everything else was left to me and my brother, who was also rarely present.

"Did you want to speak to me?" I asked, lowering my head in submission.

To become an Alpha, one must earn the trust of the entire pack, not just their respect. Once that’s achieved, you hold the reins, and if someone disrespects you, it’s a sign of a challenge. Another way to become an Alpha is to defeat another Alpha in a blood duel: if you win, your eyes automatically change to a light red, you grow larger with time, and you become stronger. The last way to become an Alpha is by being born to two Alphas, which is called "hereditary power."