Stones and Thorns

Reputation

When you are born into the position I was, you are born with a reputation. A reputation that prevents you from being disrespected, but forces you to be borderline flawless. Make as little mistakes as possible, do not show weakness, do not be arrogant. Show bravery at all times, but do not expect others to be so brave. Defend yourself at all costs, but forgive those who have misjudged your kindness for weakness. Show leadership, but do not hold their hands. You'd think that I would be in princess training, but I'm not. It's similar, but different.

You see, I'm the daughter of Maxon Thorn, Alpha of the Northern Mountains Pack. He was basically a king, and I was basically a princess, but I was not supposed to act like one. My job was to act like the daughter of the Alpha. I was a warrior, my father's best at that, I lead missions in orders given by my father and I succeeded every time. I was given the respect I deserved, and not just because I had such a high title, but because I had actually earned it. I was the toughest person to train with, I was the most driven when it came to combat, and one of the most disciplined at that.

Despite having such a tough reputation, I was also considered one of the most attractive women in my pack. I guess you could say that is a big deal, but I was never intrigued by what my pack members thought of my looks. I never cared too much for looking pretty, either. I was always on the move and sweating, so I never saw the point in wearing makeup everyday. However, I do wear it when I have to show the more "hospitable" side of me, especially for Alpha meetings and celebrations. My wardrobe was rather casual, hardly a dress or skirt to be found. Mostly t-shirts, jeans, and flannels considering we lived in the mountains and winters were devastating up here.

The only thing I did with my dark auburn hair was ponytails, braids, and buns. I did not know the first step to curling my hair, and I didn't care enough to learn. People were so used to seeing me bare skinned, the dusting of freckles on my nose, cheekbones, and top of my forehead, exposed and my blue eyes natural. Whenever I wore makeup, they would all ask me who died, or which Alpha was coming to our Pack. My mother has tried to get me to wear it more often, but I'm too stubborn to let her win. But she's too stubborn to let me win, so we tend to butt heads from time to time. I just cared more about holding up a reputation and earning the respect of others rather than whether or not I looked good in a certain color.

I was standing outside on the balcony of my father's office. I was instructed to come in for orders, but I got their before Dad did. I was watching a handful of my pack members socializing down below. A group of children were playing kickball, a couple of guys were conversing and laughing about something, and mates walked hand-in-hand. Mates. The one thing I was never worried about as much as everyone else. I mean, don't get me wrong, I was curious about who my mate was, but I just never stressed finding them so soon. I was curious about what they would look like, where they came from, and if whether or not we'd have to live his pack or m pack. Since I am an only child, the Alpha position was going to be given to me when my father was ready to pass it on. But, as our rules go, if my mate had the same situation, we would have to move to his pack, and I would become his Luna. Technically, I'm a leader either way, but it just has to do with being home that makes me hope I ranked higher than they will.

"Callie?" I hear my father's voice and I immediately make my way back inside. He was wearing a baby blue dress shirt with navy blue dress pants. A light grey tie hung perfectly from his neck. His dark brown hair was starting to grey at the sides, but it suited him. It was slicked back neatly, staying in place at all costs. I could smell his spicy cologne on his skin, the one that mother had picked out for him when they first met.

"You had orders for me?" I ask, trying to stand both professionally and relaxed, never really sure what was best. I was wearing a black t-shirt and dark jeans with my combat boots. This was my typical "work" uniform, it was simple and professional.