The Culling

PROLOGUE

The alphas all stood just within the cover of the trees. Their eyes were glued on the hundreds of wolves before them. Today was the day of The Culling, and the wolves were showing promise. "Daddy," a soft voice broke the silence and the men looked to their left, "why are they fighting?" She was pointing to two men who looked like they were fighting to the death.

"Well sweetheart," the man beside her spoke as he kneeled down to her level, "they're both trying for the position as a Royal Guard." The alphas recognized the man as Beta Rivers from First Death. He was attending today in place for his alpha whose mate was giving birth to a son. "It's the highest position wolves like we could ever hope to achieve."

"I could do it Dad, when I get older." Something in the girl's voice made the alphas look back at her. The determined set of her jaw and the spark in her eyes told them that she was serious. "I don't doubt that you could sweetheart. But you don't have to worry about that for a long time." He gave his daughter a smile and stood back up, conversation forgotten. His eyes were once again on the wolves before him, looking for possible new pack mates to take back to his alpha.

The little girl crossed her arms, but her feelings didn't show on her face. She had learned early on that a good Beta never showed their emotions, no matter the situation. But she knew that her older brother Lincoln would one day hold that title. Suddenly, the girl felt as if she was being watched. Slowly she turned around and her eyes landed on a man standing deeper in the woods than the others. She could tell that he was an alpha as well by the way he held himself.

Without looking at her father, she quickly made her way towards him. They just stood there for several moments, and then he spoke. "So you wish to become a Guard."

"Yes sir."

"It's a hard and demanding job, being a Guard for the Royal family." The girl shrugged, her eyes not leaving her father's back. Silence fell between them for almost an hour. The man spoke again, but this time he let his eyes drop to the girl beside him. "A guard has to be able to hide in plain sight. This allows them to keep an eye on their charge and also for potential danger." The girl smiled up at him and then pointed at a tree not too far from the two of them. "You mean like him?"

The man was surprised, as well as his guard, but he didn't let it show. "Correct. The next thing a guard needs to know, of course, is how to fight anything and every threat presented. They have to be strong, both mentally and physically. A guard has to be able to withstand anything thrown their way. The best way to insure this is to train both the human side and the wolf side; two strong halves make an almost undefeatable whole. Because if they fail, it could mean death for those they are assigned to protect."

The little girl nodded her head at his words, burning everything he was telling her into her memory so she wouldn't forget later on. "What else does a guard have to do?" She asked the man, her eyes shining bright with determination. "A guard has to be able to follow orders without complaint. But above all else, a guard has to be trust-worthy, loyal, helpful, caring and honest."

"I can do it. You just wait and see." The man chuckled softly at her. "I'll hold you to that." He turned to leave, but stopped and pulled a small necklace from around his neck. Kneeling in front of her, he slipped it around her neck. "You have a very long and hard road ahead of you little one, but this will remind you that I believe in you; that you're not alone." The little girl looked down at the proud looking wolf that bore the royal crest and threw her arms around the man's neck.

"Thank you. I won't let you down." She whispered to him before running towards her father, slipping the necklace under her shirt. The man watched for several seconds before he spoke softly. "I want monthly updates of the girl on my desk the first of every month."