Unrivaled

The Stranger

"Strangers can become best friends just as easy as best friends can become strangers."
~Unknown

Caleb

It was Saturday morning, and the pack was preparing for the weekly morning run and hunt. The twins were the last to come outside. They rarely missed an alarm, so one of them must've stayed up extremely late. My guess was Elsa, based on her murderous expression.

"You look fantastic," Thea said, glancing up and down at Elsa. My sister shot daggers at her, causing Thea to take a few steps back.

"You know better than to mess with the twins in the morning," Hunter laughed, approaching the group with Josie by his side.

"Yeah, but since when does she oversleep that badly? Something's fishy about that."

"The only thing fishy is your breath," Elsa retorted.

"I had smoked salmon for breakfast!"

"Still could've taken a breath mint."

"Why are-"

"Okay," I interrupted before the two girls got into it. "Elsa, Anna, Gracie, Sebastian, Dmitri, Akira, Jake, and Diana, you're with me. The rest of you are with Hunter. We're taking the west side of our territory. Hunter is taking the east. We'll see you soon. Howl if you need anything. We'll meet up in two hours and go for the big hunt. See you all soon."

My group and I shifted. Anna trotted beside me, but Elsa lagged behind. Akira attempted talking to her but must've failed because she ran to catch up with Jake.

What's wrong with Elsa? I asked Anna.

Beats me. She was up super late last night. I went to the bathroom at like... four in the morning because I woke up from a bad dream, and her light was still on. Anna answered, glancing back at her sister, who was letting out a big yawn.

You don't think she's seeing someone, do you?

No. She would never be able to keep a secret like that from me. You know she's always writing chapters for her fanfiction stories and how into those she can get. I bet you anything that's what she was doing.

I'm just worried about her.

Talk to her then. Next to me, she's always been closest to you.

I will, but I'll wait for her to calm down a bit. I said, glancing back when I heard her snarl at Dmitri. He hastily backed off.

That might be a while. Anna chuckled.

On a different note, I've been talking to mom and dad. They're thinking about reinstating her as Beta.

Really?

Yeah. Since you two are most likely going to end up with me when the pack splits up, I was thinking that the two of you could share beta responsibilities because I feel bad putting one over the other.

Caleb, if you wanted her over me, I wouldn't care. If you wanted me over her, she wouldn't care. She'll just be happy to be out of the Omega position.

I know... this alpha stuff is complicated.

That's why it's your job and not mine! I could sense the humor in her voice, making me both amused and agitated at the luxury she had of not having to worry about everything on a consistent basis. Alphas had to watch out for the pack. The pack came over everything, even family. I had some problems with the mentality of it, but I also understood it. Alphas were nothing without a pack to lead, so we had to ensure their safety and well-being. We couldn't play favorites either. My parents managed to follow that rule, but I worried about doing the same.