A Queen Among Alphas (Book 1 in the God's Saga)

I’m awoken to the dreadful sound of my alarm. Well, technically it’s my phone playing ‘Kokomo’ by The Beach Boys, but since I’ve selected it as my alarm I’ve begun to hate the song with a passion. I used to love that song, but if I keep using it to wake me up in the morning, I may never want to hear it ever again.

I reach over to turn off my alarm and roll onto my back, taking a moment to relax and enjoy the peaceful silence and darkness of my room. This is the only time of the day when I can feel calm before I step out into the chaos that is my life.

“So, what’s on the schedule today?” Asks Zara in my head. Zara is my wolf spirit. Now before you go jumping to conclusions and calling me a ‘werewolf’, allow me to explain some things.

By a human’s definition I am a werewolf, but please don’t ever call us that. We really hate it. What I, and the rest of my kind, am actually called is mutolupus, but we’re happy to just call ourselves wolves. It’s kind of shocking how much myths and stories got right about our kind, but there’s also plenty they get wrong.

“Hello! Earth to Amelia, I know you can hear me,” huffs Zara.

“Sorry Zara, I guess I spaced out; what’s up?”

“Let’s go for a run, I want to get my paws dirty,” she says excitedly. I chuckle. I love how full of life she is.

“You want to go for a run before training? Won’t you be too tired?” I ask and she growls at me.

“I could run around the whole pack and still take on every warrior on the field, don’t insult me, woman,” she says smugly, sticking her snout up at me and making me laugh. It probably sounds weird to think that I can see a wolf in my head, but this is normal for us and has been normal since I was born.

For the most part, I look human. The only differences are I’m stronger, faster and have superior senses to that of a human and I can heal faster, as well as a couple of other things.

Oh and the whole shifting into a wolf thing.

Zara is my best friend; I don’t think anyone is as in sync as we are. We never fight or argue – unless playfully. We are the dynamic duo. Like most wolves, she has been with me since birth, but I didn’t shift into my wolf form until I was sixteen, as most wolves shift at sunrise on their sixteenth birthday. The worst way to wake let me tell you that.

I don’t know what I’d do without my wolf, she’s as vital to me as breathing. Zara and I aren’t your average wolf though: we are of Alpha blood and are soon going to be the Alpha of our pack. But today, I’m just Amelia.

Getting up I stretch out my limbs and walk across the room to open my thick purple curtains. It’s 5 am so there’s no sun out yet, which is a relief for my eyes. I strip down and make my way to my walk-in closet and change into a black sports bra, black shorts, put on socks and sneakers then quickly tie my shoulder-length blonde hair up in a high ponytail.

Time to get my training on.

I make my way out of my room and down the three flights of stairs of the packhouse. It’s basically a big mansion and is where the ranked wolves of the pack live. Alpha and Beta suites and offices are on the fourth floor, and Gamma and Delta suites and offices are on the third floor. The second floor is exclusively for pack guests, so this is where people from neighbouring packs stay when they visit. Then you have the first floor which has the dining hall, conference room, gym, pool, entertainment room, living areas and kitchen.

Pack members are always in and out of here for various reasons and the warriors always have breakfast here after training. Actually, a lot of pack members like to have their meals here because it’s where everyone can come and congregate. The packhouse staff also live here, but they have their own wing on the first floor. The staff are a mixture of non-ranked wolves and Omega wolves.

Omega wolves are wolves who are – for whatever reason – unable to shift. They have heightened senses and can even speak to their wolf spirit, but because they can’t shift a lot of packs mistreat Omegas or treat them as less than everyone else, but we don’t believe in that. We don’t enslave anyone and being staff here is a paid job like any other. It’s offered to anyone who wants it, and we offer them free room and board if they wish.

Rank is important, as it keeps order, but ultimately we believe respect is something you earn. At least that’s what my father taught me and how he runs this pack. We even have some Omega warriors. We don’t focus on what they lack, we look at what they have and how they can better the pack.

I have one foot out the back door when the scent of oranges and pine hits my nose. I quickly duck just as a body comes flying over my head and tumbles along the ground before jumping to his feet.

“One of these days I’m going to get you; mark my words,” he says wagging a finger at me.

I grin, “You’ve been saying that for years and I’m still waiting.” He smiles back and wraps his arm around my shoulders.

Vitali Hughes is one of my best friends; we’ve been thick as thieves our whole lives, and we train together all the time. I know, no matter what, he has my back.

He’s 6’1” and ripped all over with sun-kissed skin, shaggy chin-length brown hair and hazel eyes. He’s twenty-two and, he doesn’t know it yet, but I’m going to make him my Beta. Traditionally the Beta title is passed down to the next family member, same with Gammas and Deltas – sorry I should clarify, next MALE family member – but ultimately it’s a position bestowed upon you by the Alpha, and I need people around me I can trust.

I’m about to become the first female Alpha, or at least the first in North America. Let’s just say people didn’t take it too well when my father declared that when the time came, he’d pass the title to me. Some pack members were excited. Others, not so much.

Vitali was happy for me and I always knew I’d make him my Beta. I sure as hell wasn’t going to appoint the current Beta’s son, Ryker Mathers. The moron barely has two brain cells to rub together and doesn’t give a crap about the pack or training. He thinks he’s Goddess’s gift to women and, somehow, thinks he’s going to be a Beta just because his daddy was.

Over my furry butt, he will.

Vitali and I walk down to the training field, which is only a five-minute walk from the packhouse. The field is surrounded by a dense forest of trees and consists of a running track, a combat area in the centre of the track and an obstacle course with bleachers around the perimeter of the track.

“How are you feeling? Just one more week and not only will you be twenty-one, but you’ll officially be our Alpha,” Vitali says excitedly.

“I couldn’t be more excited. I’ve been preparing for this for as long as I can remember. I can’t believe it’s finally here,” I tell him enthusiastically.

“I’ve heard people talking about challenging you on the night of your elevation,” he grits angrily.

“Let them,” I shrug. “I’ll take on every last one of them. The last thing I want is to kill my own pack members, but if they’re not willing to submit and accept me as their Alpha, even though it is my blood rite, then they have to accept the consequences,” I say flatly.

The Invictus Pack is the second largest pack in the United States and is based in Oregon with around two thousand pack members. My pack is my family and I’d do anything for them, but if they’re not willing to show me respect just because I’m a woman then screw ‘em. Neither I nor my wolf is going to just roll over and take it. So if they want to challenge me, they better have dug their graves already.

Vitali lets out a groan. “Woman, you’re killing me. You know it gets me going when you’re in badass mode,” he teases.

“Don’t go blaming me for your high libido,” I laugh.

We make it to the training field and slowly more pack members start making their appearance. Pack members eighteen and over begin training at 5:30 am for two hours five days a week. Warriors train for an additional two hours after that, perfecting more advanced techniques. Pack members aged between ten and eighteen train at 7:30 am and only train three times a week. We want them to stay sharp and be prepared and know how to defend themselves, but we also have to think of their schooling. This is why the pack schools don’t start till 10 am. Education is still important, but Pythagoras Theorem won’t save you if the pack is under attack.