Scarlett
You never really know how your life is going to turn out. You just hope for the best...and pray to the goddess you don't get the worst.
There was a time that I believed that I didn't pray hard enough...but not anymore. I realize now that being rejected by my mate wasn't the worst at all...in fact, it was one of the best things that ever happened to me.
Being rejected by my mate and disowned from the pack may seem awful...but it gave me something I never knew I lacked.
Freedom. Independence. Power.
The day that my Alpha and mate Stephan threw me to the rogues like garbage, casting me out of the Shadow Mist pack that had been my home since birth, I thought I lost everything...but I found out later on that I gained everything from it.
He said I wasn't fit to be a Luna. That the child of a vampire and a she wolf would tarnish his family's lineage...and the pack reputation.
He was right. At least about the first part anyway...I was never meant to be a Luna.
I was always born to be an Alpha.
The wolves he threw me to weren't the heartless beasts he made them out to be. Instead, they were the first wolves to ever show me kindness, display loyalty, give me respect. The majority of them were just heartbroken souls who lost their mates or their packs, and sometimes both. Pained warriors who just longed for a place to belong to...
Wolves just like me.
It was in that time that found the part of myself that I'd been denied...the piece that I had always been missing. I also found the truth...that I was spared a life of misery and pain when I was rejected, I never would have been happy with that stupid Alpha.
And I certainly didn't need him to be followed by a pack.
So, with the sixty rogues I befriended, I moved down to New Orleans, claiming the oddly undesirable state of Louisiana as mine with the secret inheritance my vampire father left me in his will, and built my empire along with the wolves by my side. Our new home spreading from the forest to the coast...and every swamp in between.
In the two years it's been since then my pack, Blackrose Swamp, has only grown larger as more rogues and hybrids have joined, now closer to two hundred and eighty rather than sixty, and I take them in as quickly as possible, knowing the longer they stay rogue the more likely they would become insane...and inconsolable. I take in rogues with all kinds of backstories, but I do not take in killers of the innocent or cannibals...never. That is my only rule.
Anyway, I came up with the name for the pack after I changed my name from Scarlett Thomas to Scarlett Blackrose, taking my fathers last name now that I no longer have to use my mothers maiden name...and when I was practically given the abandoned pack house and territory, on the land owners account that it was haunted by the former pack that occupied it before they were killed or disbanded, it seemed only right to put my name on it...as well as the location it was in.
The mansion is old and historic, it creaks at night and it needed some cosmetic and plumbing repairs...as well as appliance updates and TLC...but it grew on me very nicely. It's history and prestige seemed to be holding up the place up along with the columns...and despite what the former owners told me...it was a beautiful place with a lush forest and a garden full of wildflowers. The swamps, though discouraging for most, make a good protective detail considering they are confusing to navigate through if you don't know the way...as well as being quite beautiful in an eerie, empty kind of way...
I always did like the bizarre and abnormal.
And speaking of the abnormal...my second in command Beta Julian is actually the child of a werewolf and a female vampire...a hybrid being just like me. He was supposed to be the Beta of another pack, but when the Alpha found out about him being half vampire his father was stripped of his title and forced to leave the pack with a young Julian.
A cruel past I understand well.
So when he came with me to New Orleans and helped me build up the pack, it seemed both logical and right to give him the Beta position. He's the perfect Beta, and even if he flirts with girls a bit too much, I understand it's just part of who he is...besides, once he finds his mate, he'll probably stop. But I'm not counting on it.
As far as a Gamma goes, I still haven't filled that position. At this point I'm considering having a contest among the strongest warriors and have the winner take the position...
I stroll through the French Quarter as I reminisce, taking in the sights and smells of the lively city, listening to the street performers play music and sing beautifully haunting tunes. The smell of gumbo and beignets making my stomach rumble hungrily, I'll definitely have to stop for something to eat soon...definitely craving the foods along with a little crawfish étouffée.
Stopping at a fried food vendors stand, I look over the food eagerly, trying to decide between the numerous options.
"Well if it isn't Miss Scarlett! You here for your lunch like usual?"
I look up to meet the woman's eyes, the scarf tied around her head accentuating her high cheekbones and bright blue eyes. I smile broadly at the woman who's become a good friend of mine.
"Hello Miss Lola, how's business today?"
"Girl, you know it's good!! Everyone loves my Gumbo!"
I laugh, knowing she's right. No one in their right mind would dislike her cooking.
"Point taken. I'll take my usual, with some extra beignets to go please."
"One plate of crawfish étouffée, a plate of chicken and sausage Jambalaya, two poboys, a bowl of gumbo, and big ol' bag of beignets. I have to say honey, you are always my best customer!"
"You make the best food. And considering how high my metabolism is, I need to eat hearty meals to keep my muscle."
She chuckles, scooping the food into styrofoam to-go plates.
"I always wondered how you put it all away! You don't seem to fatten up no matter how much I feed you!"
As she pours spoonfuls of today's shrimp gumbo into the plastic container, a sudden commotion draws my attention to a produce vendor next to Lola's. A small girl with a red bandanna on her head sprints off towards the alley ways with a large bag of food in her arms, the vendor chases after her a short distance before giving up and panting for breath, leaning on his cane. Just before the girl disappears, I catch a whiff of her scent, and the familiar smell of rogue werewolf sparks my interest.
Turning back to Lola, she's already grinning, no doubt knowing what I'm planning already.
"Go on Miss Scarlett, I'll keep it warm for ya and make the beignets when you get back."
I nod and jog towards the produce vendor, putting a hand on the elder gentleman's shoulder.
"Are you alright Mr. Edgar?"
He looks up at me and coughs a bit, a frustrated look on his smiling face. I quickly lead him back to the folding chair under the shade.
"Those little rascals have been abscondin' with my food for the past week! I try to keep an eye on them, but they move too fast for my old knees..."
He takes a sip of his water, and I quirk an eyebrow.
"They? More than one?"
"Mmmhmm, two of 'em. Cutest little girls, but devious little tricksters. They sometimes work together, which makes it worse."
I smile and pull out my wallet, handing him a couple of twenties to cover his loss. Edgar is known to share food with those who can't afford it, but to have this much stolen from him every day for a week takes a toll on his profits.
"I'll take care of them, I have a feeling they won't be stealing from you anymore."
He pats my hand, a big smile on his face.
"Thank you, you're such a fine young lady."
I nod and leave him to follow the scent of the little thief, weaving in and out of alleys and over fences and walls. Thank Goddess I decided to wear combat boots instead of heels, or this would have been a hell of a lot harder.
After about a good twenty minutes of running and taking the shortcuts that the girl took, which is a lot faster than a human would've been able to; gotta love the vampire speed, I end up in front of what used to be the old Six Flags. The once lively and music filled place is now quiet and empty, it's buildings and rides looking more ominous than inviting.
I walk through the gate and through the trash covered walkways, keeping a firm trail on the little pups scent. The cool breeze blowing up from Lake Pontchartrain blows through the buildings, brushing against my legs exposed by the denim shorts I'm wearing...and making the rusted signs and chains creak noisily to my sensitive ears.
The sudden change in the winds direction sends another set a set of scents my way...at least three more besides the pup I'm chasing. Follow the new trail now, I quietly make my way through the spaces in between to what appears to be a gift shop...it's windows boarded with rotting 2x4 covered in graffiti, some of which is falling down to reveal the broken glass beneath.
I listen carefully to the sounds around me, and my ears pick up on the sound of multiple heartbeats and muted voices whispering inside. Considering I know they are probably wary of outsiders, I decide to make the first move by staying outside to talk.
"I'm not police, or a wolf looking for trouble, I just want to talk to you guys."
A small hand curls around the door frame, and a pair of light blue eyes peak out with it. It's a another little girl, more than likely the friend that's helping with the food theft. Her light brown curls cover what little of her face is showing, but her eyes gaze at me curiously.
I crouch down to her level, waving my hand at her as I smile.
"Hi, my name is Scarlett, what's yours?"
She creeps out a little further, looking back inside the building before doing so.
"Rosalie..."
I grin at her small voice.
"Hello Rosalie, would you mind telling your friends I don't mean any harm? I just want to meet you guys."
She nods and goes back inside, and shortly afterwards she's followed out by the girl from produce stand, her red bandanna tied around the dark brown hair on her head. She looks a bit older than Rosalie, but not by much. Despite the striking differences, they look a bit similar in the face and mouth.
"My name is Antoinette...why are you here?"
Straight to the point...I like her already.
"You aren't in trouble, if that's what you're worrying about. Is there someone older I can talk to?"
The sound of a couple pairs of feet come towards them, and I stand up when two older boys come outside, and I automatically recognize them as a unit.
They are all siblings.
The youngest boy looks like Antoinette, with dark brown hair and eyes, he's definitely her older brother. With his build and size, he would make a good warrior, and he's definitely close to being old enough to find his mate.
The oldest boy looks more like a man, and he favors little Rosalie with his light complexion and blue eyes. He's even more built than his brother, and definitely taller.
"I'm Romain, and this is my brother Brazil."
The look on his face lets me know he can sense the power coming off of me, making it loud and clear I was an Alpha.
"My name is Scarlett Blackrose, I'm the Alpha of the Blackrose Swamp pack of Louisiana."
His eyes widen in shock, and he immediately bows his head respectfully.
"I apologize Alpha, we didn't mean to encroach on your territory."
Respectful but protective, and definitely strong, he has good qualities for a warrior as well...
~Or a Gamma...I have a good feeling about him...~
My wolf Aasira observes, her voice strong and sure in my head. I have to agree, I do like the feeling I get from him.
"You're not encroaching at all, I'm actually here to ask if you guys would like to join my pack."
He looks up in awe, certainly not expecting that at all.
"I know how hard it is to be a rogue, I've been there. My pack was built by me and sixty other rogues after traveling down here, and we have a policy to be open to wolves who have nowhere else to go."
I smile at the kids, remembering my time as a rogue wolf. Struggling to live by myself and stay sane...the horrors and dangers of living this way...
"In my pack you wouldn't have to live here, you wouldn't have to sleep in a place so exposed to the elements, and you certainly wouldn't have to steal to eat."
A bit of hopeful relief glimmers in his eyes, and he shares a look with his brother.
"You would really do all this for us?"
He asks, still uncertain.
"Of course. The girls would have either homeschooling or be enrolled in public school, I always could use more warriors like you Brazil...and it just so happens that I have a Gamma position that needs to be filled...and I think you'd be perfect for it."
"Gamma? Are you serious?" Romain replies, a bit shocked.
I nod. "You'll have to do some training with the warriors of course, test your abilities and learn formal training...as well as Brazil, but outside of that I think you'll fit very well."
He walks towards me and holds out his hand, and I take it, shaking it firmly.
"We'd be honored to join Blackrose, thank you." He replies happily.
"You're welcome, and I'm glad to hear that."
As the kids follow me back to the French Quarter to pick up my food, which I ordered extra of, and my car, I can't help but feel the pride that comes with it.
This is exactly how it's supposed to be.