The Alpha Shifter

Chapter 3 - Ari

I knew it was only a matter of time before the wolves came searching for the killers who murdered their own. I would make sure my pack was ready, and that all the children and non-warriors of the pack had somewhere to hide out so they wouldn't get hurt. I knew it pained them to part with us, but I reassured them all that we would all reunite when the threat was gone. Only the warriors of my pack would stay with me to defend our pack.

I'd come to realise that the cub I rescued last night was named Will. "Come on Will, you'll all be back here in no time." I ruffled his sandy blonde hair, his large hazel eyes stared into mine. "Don't leave me please! I don't want to be abandoned a second time." I could see tears glistening in his eyes and it made my heart break. His parents had disowned him as soon as they saw him shift for the first time. He was a late bloomer it seemed, and nothing could have prepared him for the hunt that had taken place last night.

I knelt down in front of him and hugged him tight. "Come on kid, stay strong. I'll be back in no time." I grinned at him and pinched his cheeks.

"Please don't go..." A small sob had escaped him.

"Hey look, I'll make you a promise okay? When I get back, you, me and the rest of the cubs in this pack are gonna have a movie marathon with tons of food alright?" He nodded cheerfully wiping the tears from his eyes. I gave him a reassuring smile before I ushered him off with the rest.

Kiel had walked up behind me and placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "We won't let anything happen to them, not as long as we're still breathing." I said nothing and stared at the retreating forms of my pack. We had to protect them, they were everything to me.

I turned and looked at Kiel. "I don't want them coming anywhere near the pack house. They find this house and they'll have the upper hand. We take the fight to them. Lead them away from the others." He nodded in understanding. "Also, get all the shifters with wings on lookout above. If a wolf comes anywhere near the perimeter I want to know about it. One more thing, gather the warriors in one room. We need to discuss strategy." Kiel nodded and walked off at a brisk pace.

***

Everyone was gathered in the conference room, awaiting for the last of the pack's warriors to arrive. Most were seated at the long table. But I was bristling with energy standing at the head of the table, arms crossed.

At last every shifter able to fight was in the room. Surrounding the table either standing or sitting, waiting patiently for me to start.

"As you all must have heard, a hunt was enacted by the wolves of a neighbouring territory. There were four of them. Of the four, three were killed. I had a choice to make, to let the last mutt die, or to let him live. I chose the latter." A small murmur had erupted, but no one questioned why I'd done that. "By now the limping wolf should have made it back to his territory and informed his Alpha." I stared into the eyes of my warriors. They were all so strong and fearless, I felt like a proud mother wanting to protect her cubs. "The mutts will want revenge on their fallen comrades. They will soon come looking for us. But by then, we will be ready. Shifters with wings will be scouting the area, and any sign of a wolf will be reported to either me or Beta Kiel. Under no circumstance is anyone to leave the pack grounds without direct orders from me. Is this understood?"

Looking to the faces of my pack, they all bowed their heads.

"Good. For now you will all resume your daily duties, this excludes the scouts. Kiel, Davin and Laiyla, stay back. The rest of you are dismissed." I heard murmurs of yes Alpha as they all promptly exited the room. Laiyla and Kiel came to a standstill in front of me. Whereas Davin came up behind me and placed his arms around my waist, pulling me into his chest. Kiel looked at me with an easy going grin. "What's up little sis?"

"Yeah what's going on?" Laiyla crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

A sly smile made it's way onto my face as I looked into the eyes of my companions, allowing their anticipation to raise a notch. Laiyla gave a worried glance in Kiel's direction, "Guys, she has that look in her eye. You know which one I'm talking about right?"

Kiel only smirked and said, "I have no clue what you're talking about Laiyla. Look at her, she has the face of an angel. What could possibly go wrong?" Kiel was grinning from ear to ear barely keeping himself from bouncing on the balls of his feet. Of course he knew the look on my face, he practically invented it.

Davin squeezed me closer to his chest, "What've you got planned Ari?"

"Nothing major I promise." My sly smile had turned into an all out grin. "You guy are just going to scout the neighbouring pack. I would do it myself, but I can't leave the pack in such a vulnerable state. I want you three to see how powerful their Alpha is, as well as the rest of his pack. I also want head counts. I need to know how many there will be. And Davin sweetie, I know you won't like it, but since you're my Third, you're gonna have to go with them and make sure they don't get themselves in trouble. Can you do that?" I turned in his arms and leaned up to give him a quick peck on the lips.

He nodded glumly, knowing he couldn't say no even if he wanted to. Or it could've been that he couldn't stay to protect me, his Alpha.

I left Davin's arms to grip Laiyla's arm in a handshake. "Be careful okay?" She nodded, and I pulled her in for a hug. I then moved on to Kiel. I gripped him in bear hug and whispered, "Stay safe okay?"

He hugged me just as tightly, "Always little sis." He kissed the top of my head and gave me a grin. They all departed one after the other and gave some sort of salute. I knew it would be dangerous to send them all in, and if they died...My heart tightened at the thought of that. I knew that if they did, it would be my fault. But they were strong, my fiercest and deadliest warriors. Kiel was a panther, a lethal feline. Davin a bear, a large, strong predator. And finally, Laiyla was a falcon, a predator of the air. With each of their skills they could be in an out before a wolf even noticed they were there.

While the three of them were on their mission, I will go train with my warriors. Assessing their skills, helping them improve, making them the best they could possibly be.

Because when the wolves come, we had to be ready. If we are to survive a world full wolves, we as shifters must strive to be stronger than they could possibly imagine.