Alpha's Girl

Chapter Five

Cole's POV

The Introduction Ceremony was a tradition amongst packs that I had been dreading for weeks now.

"Fix the pin, son," My father murmured to me from his position. He was standing next to me but a good few feet away. I looked down at the pin and straightened it silently. It was simple and small, and shaped like a curved river. The sun was beginning to set and the normally burgundy colored outlines of the river shined brighter and more prominent from my chest.

Moon Claw was the first pack on the list of many to be visited on this tour. It was the only pack I had been looking forward to arriving at, and still I felt strange being here. There were at least 4 other packs we would be attending for treaty purposes, and more along the way for good relations. Surely, I should feel the most welcomed and safe in the pack I had practically grown up in. Though something felt off and I couldn't shake the feeling of it.

As a child, Moon Claw was where I preferred. My father often would scowl and shame me for asking to come here day after day in the summers. "He should be training!" He would roar at my mother. I would hide behind her leg at that age, and it would only make him grow angrier. "Don't hide from me, son!" My father expected me to be vicious, strong, and brave. At 5 and 6, I believed I was. I knew how to intimidate boys older than me in years. I had confidence instilled in me from the moment I was born that I was the strongest and the bravest child in the pack. The only person I couldn't stand up to was the one who wanted to see me prove myself most, my father.

My mother would calm my father down in the way only mates could. She understood my love for Moon Claw because she knew that Moon Claw taught me things Red River could not. Moon Claw was peaceful, while Red River territory seemed to always be tense. I craved a peace that I could not find in my own home. I could find it when I was with my friends.

"He'll train with the boys," She would say in her quiet yet powerful voice.

"Moon Claw training is not good enough," He would growl, the Alpha in him wanting to snap. He was close friends with Moon Claw's Alpha, but he did not hide his disdain for the way Moon Claw ran its pack. Moon Claw valued trust and loyalty. Red River valued intimidation and power.

My father was an exceptional leader, but he was obsessed with fear. He wanted his pack to be fearful of him, and him only. "When you are afraid, you are weak," He said once in a speech to the pack. He was bloody and bruised and was standing over a pack member who had nearly been beaten to death. "There is nothing out there that is more dangerous than the members of your own pack. We are the ones who they are afraid of," He stood taller as he spoke, and I remember cowering back some. The they he was referring to was the enemies who dared to approach our pack. This rarely happened, and when it did, it was taken care of quickly. "You will not be afraid of those weaker than your own!" The pack roared in snarls and growls, agreeing with him.

Moon Claw was different in so many ways from Red River. I never saw Alpha Jackson beat his members, and I never saw them cower away from him. His pack members walked with a certainty that I didn't see in the pack members of Red River. They walked with a certainty of safety, something that my father constantly spoke of being nonexistent.

Still, my mother let me train with them when I asked. As I got older, I wasn't allowed to visit as often, but I found ways to see my friends. I was welcome on their territory and they were welcome onto ours, and being neighbors with them allowed us to run freely without question. Declan and Owen were like brothers to me. Moon Claw was my second family.

Everything changed after Alpha Jackson's passing. Even my father changed. I glanced over at him. He stood straight with his jaw clenched. Even relaxed he radiated power. I instinctively moved to mimic his posture. We were waiting for the ceremony to begin. Moon Claw members were beginning to crowd around the area. I wondered why Owen and Declan hadn't arrived until I spotted them from afar, greeting members as they walked into the Ceremony.

My breathing hitched when I spotted her. She looked beautiful. I watched as she smiled at everyone, and tuned my ears to listen to her welcome each pack member by name. Suddenly, she turned her head and caught my eyes. My wolf was ready to lunge at her, wanting her up here with us as we showed her how powerful our pack was, and how safe she would be in our territory.

Cece looked embarrassed. I held back a growl as she turned scarlet and continued to greet more people rather than coming to speak to me. "Why are they taking so long to begin?" I growled towards my father. Red River ceremonies were much faster. There was no greeting of pack members. People came when we told them to and knew if they were not on time there would be consequences to face.

My father ignored me, but I could tell he was annoyed as well. I tried to ignore the males that were saying hello to Cece with greedy eyes but it was becoming too much for my wolf. If she didn't hurry up I would be dragging her up here whether she wanted to come or not.

The three of them walked onto the stage together after what felt like an hour. I knew they were starting only a minute after originally planned but I couldn't help my anger. My wolf wanted me to claim Cece the minute she had come into our view. He wanted me to claim her here and now, for everyone to know that she belonged to me. I had to control my anger before I did something I would regret.

Alpha Owen began speaking to his pack. My focus stayed on Cece, who was avoiding my gaze. This was only making me grow more unsettled. I wanted to be the only focus of her attention. I willed her to look at me, and finally, she met my eyes.

It was like seeing her for the first time all over again. I knew I would get to see her at Mel's tonight, but I didn't know if I could wait that long. If they would only speed this ceremony up, I could get her in my arms, alone with me...

"As we welcome Alpha Jared and thank him for his services to Red River pack, our neighbor and ally for so long, we acknowledge that nothing can break the ties we have," Alpha Owen's voice breaks me out of my trancelike state. "Therefore, as a show of our pack's loyalty and a symbol of our friendship, we pin Moon Claw to River Claw, in hopes our treaty will remain for many years to come." He turns to face me, and I walk forward to where he stands.

The pack applauds as he pins Moon Claw's symbol underneath Red River's on my chest. We shake hands, and Alpha Owen shakes hands with my father as well. I step forward to speak to the pack.

"I thank Moon Claw pack and their leaders for their generosity," I say. All of the pack stares at me, assessing my leadership qualities I'm sure. "Moon Claw has always shown me kindness and strength when I have asked for it," I meet the gazes of Owen, Declan, and finally Cece, who is watching me with wide eyes. I turn back to the pack. "This is the beginning of another great alliance!" The pack applauds again, and the ceremony is finished shortly after Owen addresses the pack with a final thanks.

Some pack members have already found Declan and Owen with questions about pack relations, and my father is in deep conversation with the Luna of Moon Claw. I search for Cece but I can't find her. My wolf growls at the prospect of her possibly hiding from us. Quickly I scan the area until I spot her, already halfway across the field heading towards the pack house. Without thinking, I am leaving to meet her.

"Celia!" I boom, ignoring the looks of pack members as I pass them. I reach her in no time, and gently place my hand on her forearm to stop her from continuing. She turns to face me, but when she does, my hand drops as I feel shock hit me.

"Why are you crying?" I ask incredulously. Her eyes are rimmed red and her face is pink to match. Before she can answer, I am growling and ready to shift. I nor my wolf will not stand for my mate being in pain.

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