The Dark Side of the Moon

Chapter 36: Kyle

-Kyle’s P.O.V-

“Who were those men we saw last night, were they werewolves?” Florence fired at me and I groaned. I should not have goaded her about the twenty questions; she was really going all out now.

“Yes they were werewolves, but they belonged to a commune of shifters known as the Sergio pack. The Alpha’s son was the wolf that challenged me in the forest. He wanted revenge.”

“What for?” Florence asked curiously, her eyes alight with interest and her hand propped under her chin. She sat cross legged on the edge of the bed, waiting for me to answer. I couldn’t help but admire the way her hair shone like copper in the sunlight that poured through the window, or the way that the sun highlighted her splatter of freckles that ran across her face.

“He attacked me earlier because I had entered his territory and threatened him. I humiliated him in front of his men and scarred him on the back. I lost control.” I avoided her gaze as I said the last part; it was shameful that I couldn’t control myself in my other form.

“Alright, what’s all this talk about territory?”

“Shifters are very territorial, as like normal wolves. Any newcomer or rogue could threaten their position and claim their land, so they don’t take well to surprise visits. If they are living in a pack, the Alpha demands to be asked permission if you enter his land so that he is not caught by surprise or threatened. It’s common courtesy.”

“So there really is such a thing as an Alpha? What do they do?” Florence was like a child, absorbing knowledge like a sponge, but so unaware to all the rules of our kind.

“Yes they are the ruler of the pack. It’s usually selected from a certain family, kind of like royalty. Sometimes though, the male wolves of the pack have fights and challenges for the position, and the winner becomes Alpha. Their role is to take care of their land and their pack, just like a government system.”

“So they are usually very strong? Why don’t females become Alpha?”

“Yes they are extremely strong, it runs in their blood. Females are genetically smaller and less powerful compared to the males in a werewolf society, but they have the advantage of being faster and more intelligent during fights, instead of attacking head on the way males do.” I tried to explain it without appearing sexist, because I knew Florence would give me hell if I came across that way.

“What do you mean by ‘it runs in their blood’? Do they have special blood compared to humans?” Florence sounded dubious, but she was actually right.

“Our blood is special; it heals considerably faster than humans and many other nifty little perks like that. Being a strong Alpha runs in their blood because it is usually handed down each generation. One of the ways of creating a werewolf is to conceive a child with the same gene. I suppose it happens when both the parents are shifters. As Alpha families hand down the title, they also hand down the gene to be especially strong and intelligent. It’s just the way things happen.”

“So what you’re saying is that Alphas are genetically very strong and territorial? Then why didn’t you ask for this Alpha’s permission when you came here?” She asked incredulously.

“I didn’t even know that there was a werewolf pack here, I thought that it was unclaimed land. It’s in such close proximity to the town and the reserve is frequented by tourists, not the ideal place to shift into some hairy monster. I only found out that there was a pack here when we met at St. Jame’s pub,” I explained.

“You mean that kid that we saw, he’s my age! He can’t be an Alpha!” she exclaimed, obviously recalling that scumbag that laid his hands on her. Benjamin I think his name was.