The toughest bitch

History - 5

I wondered into the kitchen, being pushed by my hunger and craving for massive loads of food. I was roaming the fridge, smiling a little to find a container with left over roast, sauce and veges. I was leaning against the counter, eating straight from the container with a fork, not bothering to heat it up, it was good enough as it was. Sandra walked into the kitchen "someone is hungry" she said in a hushed tone, unsure if being funny was allowed around the soon-to-be Alpha. I rose an eyebrow "Yeah, why?" she smiled "well, you ate twice as much as you normally do, Alpha" both my eyebrows rose, I had not noticed, but thinking about it I remembered getting seconds and thirds on each meal, going into the kitchen at night time even "surely it's all the training" Sandra added, her warm smile not leaving her face.

She was pretty, but not outstanding so. Her blond her came over her shoulders and she wore it up in a ponytail most of the time. I knew she had been searching for her mate on some short trips over the last year, hoping to find him in other packs, but had always come back to us. Fate was cruel like that sometimes, letting some wait and having others discover it is their childhood crush. "Sandra" I suddenly said, making her look up from some preparation for dinner. "You are looking for your mate, correct?" I asked, cautious about asking her personal questions. She looked taken aback for a moment before nodding "Yes Alpha" she replied.

"Do you ever feel..." I stopped, unsure of how to put it in words "down?" she offered "depressed, lonely, desperate" her eyes showed me just how true those words were "yes Alpha, I do" very carefully she fully turned to me "but – if I may say this Alpha – your pack needs you at the moment, your team needs you in training and the rest needs you to be strong. We have rival packs next to us, putting us in danger every day, an unsettling amount of stray wolves walk along our borders scaring our children away from playing on the streets. The pack is changing and not for the better, we can't afford to have you lose your heart and mind to your mate when she is not here" her eyes were sad, she knew how much finding a mate meant "fate is weird and mates are meant to be, so she will turn up one day" she smiled a little "until then it might be best to put your sorrow into action". I looked at her stunned. It was entirely out of place for her to talk to me like this and I knew, she would have never dared to say this to my father. I was the soon-to-be Alpha though, not the Alpha just yet and she must have felt confident enough to speak her mind. It hurt hearing her speak to me and I was angry at her for belittling me. Who did she think she was? "No, you may not" I answered and stormed out the kitchen, leaving the empty container on the counter and walking out of the main entrance.

My feet made a loud scrunching noise as I walked over the gravel on our driveway and stormed into town. I had been born here in the territory, raised among most of our members. I remembered playing with the kids and running around as young wolves, experiencing our strength in play fights. It changed when my dad became Alpha though and it was clear I was the Alphas' son. Alphas were not selected like the humans did with their leaders, Alphas were born and only changed if challenged and fought. Our pack had great respect for my father as he challenged the old Alpha and won. I knew he was a good Alpha, he was considerate and kind but still strict enough to uphold peace and order in our pack. He was probably a better Alpha than he had been a father, but I didn't blame him, life had not been easy for him. He was not born an Alpha, not like me.

 He didn't talk about the past much, he actually never did, not freely. He sometimes mentioned a thing or two, but never got into detail. I knew he was in some sort of war when I was little. Mum used to tell me about how brave dad was and we would pray together for him to come back safe. When he did, the pack had changed. Our Alpha had lost his Luna to a sickness and was slowly losing his mind, not coping well with the loss of his mate. He turned against members of the pack, spread fear and used violence to ensure his position. Our neighbour packs turned against us and our little community became more distant from anyone who could intervene and help. My dad challenged the Alpha after he laid hand on my mother, not treating her as he should have. Dad won, not intending to become Alpha, but taking the title to ensure peace in his pack. It was then that some men came and helped rebuilt the community, train warriors, enforce borders and control rival packs around us. Thinking about it now I thought to have seen this Daniel among the men. I would ask my father about that later.