Alpha's Rival

"Why am I only being informed about this now. No, I am not doing it." I yelled as I entered the house. Everyone was startled at my sudden outburst but I didn't care.

"What. What is this about, Harry?" Elder Jone asked him, he probably knew not to ask me because of how mad my eyes looked right now.

"Oh you told him." Heros chanted. That stupid mind-reader couldn't keep his powers to himself.

"Shut up, Heros and stop reading our minds." I snarled. I hear him whimper as he walked backwards a little.

"Alpha-" Elder Patt started but I interrupted him.

"No. When were you planning to tell me? Were you even thinking of telling me?" I frantically raged. I felt a twinge of guilt for interrupting my elder but the anger within me was louder.

"We were, Alpha. We were just looking for the right time." Elder Vix answered. At this point, only the elders can answer me by how furious I was. I feel the energy radiating from me was enough to scare the other wolves.

"Right time? When was the right time? When they would attack and eventually kill me?"

"No one's gonna die, Alpha." Elder Faeris consoled me. "We wanted to tell you after you learned all the basic information we could tell you. We didn't expect for this to happen."

"Yeah, if I didn't saw the attack, I would never have known that there is another Alpha after me and another pack coming for us." I blurted.

"Attack?" Elder Faeris looked at the four wolves who were with me.

"We saw a mutilated deer on the way home. Ivan could smell the scent of the other pack." Harry explained, his head hung low in respect.

"Yeah, mutilated. As in its insides were empty and its limbs were missing." I shouted.

"Calm down, Alpha. We'll tell you what you want to know." Elder Jone smiled at me, that did calm me down a bit and helped me even out my breathing. I feel the guilt in me now but I didn't speak up.

"Where's the other Pack?"

"They're within the same city as us, Alpha. But ever since we denied them of claiming us, they haven't came back. That was already two years ago." Elder Faeris answered.

"Why are they coming to get me?" I asked with fear.

"They're not, Alpha. They're just looking for a challenge. Their Alpha's very bullheaded and he always wants to start a fight whenever he sees another pack."

"Why would he want that? We're a behaving pack."

"Because the more packs they conquer, the bigger their territory is and the stronger they are."

"Oh gosh. So they will still try to subjugate us? How many have they claimed in the past?"

"As far as we know, they are a circle of three packs now, Alpha."

"Three? And if they would want us we would be fighting against three whole packs?" I cried in frustration, flailing my hand around like a kid.

"Alpha, we still don't know that. We could even avoid them."

"Avoid? Sure, let's say that they have forgotten coming to or pack. But what if they didn't? Or what if they suddenly want to become stronger and they remembered this pack right here? How can we fight against them?"

"If that'll happen, we'll be right here with you, Alpha." Elder Patt assured me, everyone else nodded and agreed with him but I still had this unsettling feeling.

"Why.." I choked on my words as I felt the tears beginning to form. "Why did you want me here?" I could see the confusion in their eyes. "If you knew you were safer from them without an Alpha, why did you still get me here?"

"Alpha-" Elder Vix began to answer but I stopped her by standing up.

"No. I need more time to think about this. Just call me when dinner's ready." I walked away from the living area and I treaded to my room.

I closed the door and made sure to lock it as I slid down the wooden fixture. Was I slowly regretting this? I would want to but then again, I didn't have a choice. Even if I objected to be the Alpha, as soon as I got bit, I was already destined to be one.

The question that kept swirling in my head was why did they still want an Alpha if it would give them trouble? I know I might protect them someday but not when the first challenge I have is against three packs.

Expecting to live normally after this was probably out of the picture. But I truly thought that it would at least be peaceful, not be faced with enemies. It just told me that I still had too much to learn. I didn't actually thought that there would be other packs which was ridiculous.

I've never had any enemies in the past, I used to live in the shadows and just go with the flow of other people. I never was the main character, I was one of the extras. But now this is my story, this is my life. I still had to let that sink in but that was something I couldn't deny.

How could I defend my pack, that was the better question. I don't even know my powers yet, I'm practically useless at this point.

But these people rely on me. I am their leader now, but I'm currently learning from them. I hope I can be the best leader in the future, the one that they can trust, the one that they can depend on.

Now my attention went back to my father, my stepbrothers. What were they doing now, now that they know I will be gone for a long time and I may not be staying in that house anymore? Can I protect them, too? They were pure humans, the other pack wouldn't get them if they know they're my family, right?

What would my mother do in this situation? Is this why my mother fled from her pack? To avoid being claimed by her rivals? Is that what I'm supposed to do, too?

*Knock* *Knock* "Dinner's ready, Alpha." I hear Lucy's voice beyond the door. Her footsteps faded soon as she walked away.

I must have been thinking for too long that I lost track of time. I still haven't wrapped everything around it, I was still slightly lost. But I need to settle this with everyone.

I stepped slowly down the stairs and into the living room where I saw the others chatting while they waited for me. When they noticed my presence in the room, silence completely enveloped us and that made me feel bad. I just exploded at them earlier and guilt was eating me.

I walked to the end of the table where my seat was situated. Before I sat down, I spoke, "I would like to apologize for my behavior earlier. I know you are as agonized as I am by the news but I overreacted by myself. I'm sorry and I hope that gets rid of the suffocating atmosphere here."

After that I sat down with my head low, focused on the plate in front of me. When silence only followed my sentence, I looked up and saw them all smiling at me. Elder Jone and Lucy had the widest of them all.

"We understand, Alpha. We're sorry, too, for not telling you earlier." Elder Vix addressed. I felt sad and happy at the same time, that they were this way. If I was at home, I had been grounded already. I had been starved. But this was a complete 360, I felt like I belonged here.

"We will clarify everything now, Alpha. And this time, everything there is, no more secrets." Elder Faeris announced with a smile.

"Thank you, everyone."

"No. Thank you for being here, Alpha." The elders demurred.

"I still don't know why you would want me here if you knew the trouble this would get you." I reiterated.

"Yes, that is true. We knew. What we didn't know was when their Alpha would realize he doesn't need to wait for our Alpha to claim us because he could simply take us by force. Now that we have you, at least we could put up a fight." Elder Patt grinned. The thought of that never occured to me and I see what they meant.

"You really think we could fight against them?" I mused, fascinated by their commitment.

"Of course. But we need to train if we want to have a chance to win." Harry reminded. Everyone seemed excited by the thought of training and preparing. While that thought scared me, my wolf was howling inside.

"Wait. Do you have a picture or his name so I can avoid bumping to him?" I wondered. I would do anything to not come across this man.

"Yeah, we do." Elder Faeris uttered and looked at Onda. She nodded and waved her hands in front of us. Soon a hologram appeared in front of me, showing a buff averagely tall looking businessman.

"That's him, and that's her power." Elder Vix, who was on my right, whispered to me.

"Packs are named after the last name of the Alpha." Elder Faeris enunciated. "That's why we were named Parsche Pack, but if you want to change it to your last name we could-"

"No. I'll stick with my mother's last name." I refused to use my father's surname for naming my pack.

"Okay." Elder Faeris nodded and pointed to the realistic hologram. "His name is Rowan. Alpha of the Clemming Pack."

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