Alpha Ethan

Chapter 1

My eyes look out across the remnants of the city that had once been called St. Louis.  It is now only blackened remains of what use to be with a new city sprouting up in its center.  Crumbling buildings scatter across the horizon as vines and trees invade the uninhabited structures.  The Arch stands tall, touching the sky, lit only by the blue and yellow lights of Crescent City.  However, the landmark is no longer what it had been with a giant chunk missing from the top left side.  I wish I would have had the chance to ride to the top before it had been destroyed.  In reality, there is a lot of the city I would have liked to see before the Great War.

It has been over twenty years since the war that decimated some of the largest cities on the planet and wiped out half of the population.  It's weird seeing and reading about what the world use to be like.  The war started when the supernatural community decided they no longer wanted to live in the shadows.  It began in Europe before I was born but I was two when the war spread to the states.  Everyone began fighting for what they wanted whether it be land, power, freedom, etc.   Vampires began feeding on anyone and everyone without worrying about consequences.  Werewolves started fighting to expand and protect their territories.  Humans turned into hunters.  Witches began taking sides.  The war spread and soon the whole world had erupted into chaos.  I don't remember much about it other than what I've heard or read since I was only three when the fighting finally came to an end.  The one thing that everyone seems to agree on is that the earth is much darker now.  The entire atmosphere reminds you of death and destruction, of all the lives lost.

Now everyone, at least what is left of them, stick to their own kind.  Crescent City is werewolf territory.  It is too dangerous to venture outside the city borders now.  Small towns got wiped out and have become overgrown.  And you never know whose territory you may accidentally cross into.  After everything that has happened, no one takes too kindly to strangers and you would likely be unwelcome anywhere you go.  It's a shame really.  I have always liked the idea of traveling, though admittedly that is when I picture what the world use to be like.  Now, it is hard to imagine anywhere being any different than it is here.

I'm sitting perched on the rooftop of an old building.  It's my favorite spot to go when I want to get away and find some peace.  It gives me the perfect view of what use to be downtown.  Remains still litter the landscape, but are broken up by modern skyscrapers that have been built since the war ended.  The most prominent is centered among all the others and is several stories taller than the rest.  It is owned by the most feared Alpha in the land, Ethan Kane, leader of the Crescent Moon Pack.

Alpha Kane rules the city with an iron fist with the help of his two brothers, his beta, and about fifty lieutenants.  His father before him, Seth Kane, is the Alpha that won the city during the war.  He was said to be merciless, killing anyone that got in his way on his path to power.  He passed his legacy onto his children.  Anyone who defies the family always ends up dead.  It's just a matter of time.

"I want to go for a run."

I hear my inner wolf beg as I take in a breath of fresh air.  The sun is beginning to set and the sky is changing to a light blue and indigo.  "We can't.  We need to go help serve dinner," I respond to her sadly.  A run would be nice.  It has been so long since I've let my wolf out. 

"After dinner then?"

I smile at her insistence.  "We'll see."

Once I've managed to push myself up, I leap over the roofs of a couple buildings before landing on another one.  I open the door and hurry down to the first level and straight into the industrial kitchen.  "Where have you been this time Lettie?" Jo asks as I hurry to put on one of the long white aprons.