Way of the Wolf: Ascension & Bk2 Retribution

Chapter 1 ~ Hierarchy

(there are no true mates or soul mates for wolves in my story. Wolves pick their mates)

Chapter 1: Hierarchy

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Rolling green hills blanketed in thick trees stretched as far as the eye could see. Every shade of green fluttering as leaves in the breeze that cooled hot skin as I sat on the step of the caravan. Cubs growled and fought in the clearing in front of me, teeth on fur and tails that caused no damage.

I smiled.

The pack was enjoying the summer heat after a colder than normal winter that gave more ice than snow. It brought a warm feeling over the sorrowful reason we were travelling so far from our territory.

Golden eyes scanned over the view once more, taking it all in before it would disappear when night came to shroud everything in black.

My wolf was unsettled being so far from home, not liking the uncertainty of staying in unclaimed territory for so long, hating the idea of being in another pack's even more. We were a tight knit community, more so than most packs because of our smaller size, yet our land was coveted for its expanse of forest and rivers that flowed into the sea at the edge of our land. We were the most Eastern pack in the country, taking up the area that was once known as Pictland.

As much as we all hated to go, though most remained to look after what was ours, when my father got the call, we had all but left straight away. An Alpha pair dead, their son only just grown enough to take over. Disputes needed worked through between pack mates and rivals, a challenge that my father was known for being able to settle for he was famous for his calm.

Only a few had joined us, those that had family in the pack west to us that wanted to show off new cubs and the two warriors my father brought to help if any fights occurred. His Beta also joined us.

I hated to leave home but I was given little choice.

"Not much further." My mother promised, sitting next to me with a hand on her swollen belly while she greeted me with her cheek to mine.

The comforting touch had me relaxing enough that I could stop my fretting.

Her ginger hair was tied tight away from her face that was a little plumper than normal, something pregnancy had brought along with a glow to her skin, one that my father had told me all pregnant women had because they were carrying new life.

"I would not mind staying here another day. The air is fresh and the scenery is beautiful, I could sit here for hours." I replied, making sure to keep my head lower than my mothers.

She nodded absent-mindedly, her thoughts already wandering as it often did since she became with child. The cub taking her mind away from the here and now. A male, she and father hoped, so they could continue the family lineage as Alpha.

I was eldest but females weren't Alphas. Females born to an Alpha pair were pawns in a game of strategy to connect and strengthen ties between packs. I knew this was why I had not been allowed to stay in the territory because the new Alpha we were visiting had no mate. That thought had my face scrunching and turning away.

I would have argued but my wolf was drawn to the idea. Females were always drawn to males of power and prestige and this male came from a strong line of Alphas. Wolf nature had overpowered my will and I had to meet the male that enticed my fur. I could deny that fact as much as I liked, but I knew that both my parents were eager for me to find a mate and start a family of my own, if only to comfort them. I could only hope they respected my wishes enough to let me find my place in life on my own.