Wolves of the West

Chapter One

She became a leader at 16. Not a typical Luna, reigning in the pack house and guarded, but an Alpha of her own. There was no war going on. Her parents weren't killed by some hostile pack attempting a takeover. It was rather anti-climactic, if she were being honest. A car crash that they could not evade, when they were returning from out-of-state. She became an orphan at 16. She took over the responsibilities of a pack as well as that of her three siblings: Hunter, Selene and Remus.

Now you may be asking... Shouldn't Hunter become the Alpha? After all, he was only a year younger than her: A bright child that commanded respect. But no. The Alpha gene was more prevalent in her than in any of the other children, since she was the oldest. It was probably why they named her Diana, after the Goddess of the Moon. A name she carried with pride.

So what made her special?

She wished she could say that it was because she was stronger than said brother, or that she was older than him, or more intelligent than him, but mostly, she would attribute it to her devilishly good looks (Yes, she thinks she's hilarious). Honestly, she didn't know. What she did know was that she occasionally scared people. And by people, she meant her pack.

She wasn't a rare white wolf like her sister. Nor was she an overly large wolf, like her brother. But she was quick to angry, violent and not very friendly. It was why she had such a tight control over her shifting, instead of dropping to all fours and running around whenever she felt like it. The first time she shifted was just after her parents died; she killed all five of the trespassing rogues single-handedly, ripping them to shreds when they dared to lunge at her brother. Honestly, she didn't know what the so-called 'Moon Goddess' was playing at, giving her of all people Alphahood.

There was a hierarchy in place, thank God (or Goddess, whichever). It allowed for the smooth running of a pack as large as hers. In her pack itself, just like the other packs, the Alpha and Luna reigned supreme, followed by the Beta and his/her mate, and then the others, Some even have a third-in-command, like she used to have till she turned 21, since the reigning Alpha and Beta were still considerably young. Her Beta was her now 21-year-old brother Hunter, named after a deceased close friend. Her third-in-command was her father's Beta, a fierce man who trained her the best he could, which, in her opinion, was pretty damn good. He's now retired, choosing to spend his time training the other warriors and hanging out with the children.

Another important role were pack warriors. They are the pack's first line of defense against threats and whatnot. Her sister Selene was already undergoing vigorous training, and her youngest brother Remus would be trained in their way once he hit 12 and had his first shifting, which was soon. He was still a child, after all. The other packs had their own set of rules. It has been this way since as long as one can remember. Her territory was very large, but the area was mostly occupied by pack members, for its borders only overlapped marginally with the outskirts of a nearby city.

Furthermore, due to the distance from the rest of the werewolf population, the lack of interaction with other packs earned them quite a reputation. They only had one neighbouring pack, and they kept to themselves, so she supposed she couldn't blame the other packs. Honestly, she'd rather it be that way. She rather her pack be left out then have constant conflicts with others. Now, Diana's pack wasn't small by any means, in fact, she was pretty sure that they were one of the larger packs in the United States, but even she knew to be wary of rival packs. Fighting meant injuries, which would not be beneficial to anyone.

Non-hostile rogues were given the choice to join her pack or leave, which she daresay was a much kinder alternative, comparing to what other packs would have offered. Maybe that would account for the large number of wolves present. Hostile rogues... Well they were far and few, since her pack was quite far from the city. Other packs... They were too busy fighting with each other over better territories.

It was hard sometimes, having so much responsibility at 22. There were some challenges, obviously, especially when she first took over. They namely came from a few of the older families who thought she was too young and too green to lead. Such disputes were common whenever a new young Alpha was proclaimed, female or otherwise. But after she ripped the hostile rogues into pieces, they quickly changed their tune. Now, they were as fiercely loyal to her as everyone else was.

She had to parent her younger siblings and protect them, especially her sister. There were myths surrounding white wolves: some said their blood gives you power, others said their pelt would bring fortune (so she could always look forward to people actively hunting Selene, fun!). She had to lead a large pack of wolves. She had to attend college (which she recently completed, by the way). She had to remain cool-headed. It was no wonder that she had anger issues, given the number of things she had to juggle.

"Lead them," She ordered her Beta, shortly with him looking more excited than ever. It was time for their pack's weekly run. While it was a great pack-bonding activity, she needed the time to think. The recent increase in pack disputes had set her on edge. And she had a feeling that things would only become worse after this. She was too preoccupied with her thoughts and worries to enjoy the run. Her sister was beside her, nervous, as per usual, about her run with the pack. It was a lot of pressure on a 17-year-old. Being a 'mythical' wolf and related to the Alpha would do that.

She wasn't one for encouraging words, so she just softly squeezed her sister's shoulder, offering her a small smile. "You got this." There was no doubt in her voice, none at all. And Selene gave her a bright smile in return, her shoulders losing their tense posture once she received the reassurance she needed from her Alpha. She proceeded to trail behind Hunter, into the vast woods.

Moments later, a chorus of howls echoed through the woods, and Diana, satisfied, turned to walk towards the pack house, dragging a giggling Remus behind her.