The Rogue Alpha

Our hike was great. We laughed and joked around like it used to be, before my mom died. For a few hours I got to pretend like this was just our local park, and nothing had ever changed.

I could feel someone in the distance, watching, waiting for... something. I never said anything to my bro. This was our time.

When the sun started to set my bro lead us out of the woods, straight onto the beach.

A huge crowd was gathering, getting larger every minute There were actually seven bonfires built. A different man stood by each. Alpha Derik stood at the center most one. I noticed each of the men who were by the other piles of wood waiting to be lit were the men who earlier had looked at me much the same as Alpha Derik when I exited the water.

I tensed.

My bro cautiously put his hand on my shoulder. "Everything alright?"

"I don't like this."

"It's a party." He pointed out, "What's not to like?"

Alpha Derik spoke, "Tonight I'm going to keep it short and simple. Most of us know why we're here. Those who don't, will hopefully find out soon. The fire reminds us of the dance of life, holding back the darkness of death. And so, our light should burn bright!"

He lit his fire, and moments later the other six men lit theirs. The crowd erupted in cheers, and clapping. Many people downed drinks and others grabbed guitars and played music.

My bro smiled and walked towards the crowds, making sure to keep me with him.

After walking around and mingling for a while I took a seat in a wooden chair by the fire closest to the woods. My bro took the seat to my left.

It wasn't long before a man around my height, with blonde spiked hair and hazel eyes sat to my right. "I'm Alpha Erik." He declared, "And you are?"

"You're the second guy named Alpha that I've met here. Is it a common name in Wolfville?" I inquired as I stared at him.

He didn't answer.

"Is every first born male named Alpha or something, and that's why you have to also give your second name?"

He laughed nervously, sniffed the air, and stated, "I don't understand."

My bro turned and saw who I was talking to. He got up from his chair and offered his hand to Alpha Erik. "I'm Mitchell, and she's my friend, who doesn't know."

"I'm getting real sick of hearing that I don't know something." I angrily declared, "Specially when no one sees fit to let me know whatever it is that I don't know."

"Now Alpha Derik's speech makes sense." Alpha Erik said with a grin as he took my bro's hand. "I still need a name to call her."

My bro replied, "I call her DoJo."

"DoJo it is." Alpha Erik said as he turned his attention back to me.

My bro went back to his seat, just as Samantha showed up and exclaimed, "Mitchell I'm so glad I found you."

She sat on the other side of him, and they started talking. Normally I would either join in, or struggle to stay out of his conversation, but Alpha Erik was asking me every get to know you question out there. I answered each, and only half listened as he gave his answer to his own questions.

I kept seeing the piercing yellow eyes in the distance, behind the tree line.

Suddenly I cued in on Samantha whispering to my bro, "Let's slip away together, get more comfortable, if you know what I mean."

A pleasure growl escaped his lips. "Sammy Sam, there's nothing I'd like more, but I have to stay with DoJo."

She glared at me. I didn't see it, but I felt it. "You're Beta, why would you waste your time with a Luna?"

I didn't wait to hear tic come out of her mouth. It was one thing for my bro to joke about calling me that, but to hear it said with such disdain, from someone I barely knew, just because she wanted in my bro's pants, that was unacceptable.

I remember putting my feet on my chair, and turning towards her. The next thing I knew I was higher than I'd ever been, and coming down on top of her. I heard several gasps. I saw the sheer terror in her eyes, but I didn't care, she was going to pay.

The chair broke under us. I got in two or three good swipes before a thunderous weight hit me in the side. It took my breath away, and made me crash into the sand, sending a wave of sand onto the fire.

Whoever was on top of me weighed a lot. I struggled, squirmed, and fought, but my body wasn't working right, and I couldn't get up. When two more bodies landed on me I quit fighting.

My bro approached my head, the only thing not covered by those pinning me down. He gave me his stern big brother look. "What was that for?" He demanded.

"She had no right to call me a lunatic!" I screamed. My voice was different, more growl than I had ever heard before.

Mitchell chuckled softly and put his hand on my head. It almost felt like he was petting me, and I kinda liked it.

The bodies pinning me down growled, and so did the eyes in the woods, and a few others.

My bro ignored them all and asked, "Is that what you've always thought I was saying?"

"What else would luna be short for?" I asked quietly.

He turned his attention to those holding me and told them, "Let her up."

"Who are you to order an Alpha?" Alpha Derik's voice boomed from a short distance away, "Let alone three of them?"

"I can't explain everything if she's pinned to the ground." My bro stated plainly.

Alpha Derik growled, "Release her, and ignore the momentary lack of judgment."

The first body lifted from me. I turned my head and seen a rather large gray wolf leaving my shoulders. A golden wolf left my middle, and a white wolf got off my legs, and tail?

I started backing up frantically. "What's going on?"

My bro grabbed my neck and forced me to look at him. "You've just experienced your first change. If you want your human form back, just concentrate on it."

His words were calm and soothing, although they didn't make much sense. I concentrated on being me, that's all I ever wanted to be anyway.

My bro threw a beach towel on me, which I promptly wrapped around me when I was fully the me I've always known.

"Where are my clothes?" I asked, and was grateful to hear my own voice again.

"They were destroyed in your change." My bro informed me."

Someone handed him a robe, and he gave it to me. I put it on, but still felt awkward.

"What about my hat?" I asked.

It was a few moments before it was found, but eventually someone handed it to me.

My bro smiled. "There, now that my little sis is dressed, we need to have a talk. Shall we walk?"

I nodded and followed him, but I still didn't feel dressed.

We were halfway between the closest fire and the woods line when we stopped walking and he turned to me. "That was freaking amazing!"

I stared at him puzzled. "Me turning into a wolf?"

"I've always known you were one." He explained, "But you never turned. I kept waiting, watching, expecting the day I would have to deal with telling you the truth. Then you finally do, and it's literally the fastest change I've ever heard of, let alone seen."

"Fastest? Really?" I couldn't believe my ears.

"We're lucky Alpha Erik was right there." My bro informed me, "He was the fastest known changer. He started changing the moment you leaped in the air, and as soon as he was done he slammed into you."

I rubbed my left side, it was still a little sore.

"Okay, so, not only are werewolves real, but I am one." I sat down in the sand. "This is going to take some adjusting to."

"First we have to cover a few things." He informed me, "Like Alpha isn't a name, it's a rank. Alphas are the leaders of their packs. Betas are their second in command and right hand man, or rather wolf."

"Didn't Sammy Sam call you a Beta?"

My bro nodded his head. "That's my rightful place in a pack."

"So, who's your Alpha?"

He sighed. "I'm not currently attached to a pack, not in my rightful place."

"Wouldn't you just replace your dad?" I inquired, trying to wrap my head around everything.

"When he retires or dies, I could replace him, if I haven't attached to another pack before then." He answered gloomily.

"So, what does Luna mean?"

He smiled. "They are the top female, mate to the Alpha."

"And you think I'm one of them?"

"I don't think, I know." My bro assured me, "And everyone here knows it too. You're not just a Luna, you're the Luna of Lunas."

I laughed. "Whatever that means."

My bro sighed and explained, "Not only have you kept your wolf from coming out all these years, but when it was released you had a near instant change. Your wolf is comparable in size to many males, Alphas even. And to top it off you're wolf is pure silver, silver fur, silver eyes. You shine in the night, like no wolf before you."

"And this is a good thing?"

"It can be. But it also means that every Alpha is going to want you for their mate." He admitted as he looked at the ground, "There's only so much I can do as a Beta, with no Alpha to turn to."

"Hey, I can take care of myself." I assured him.

"You'll need training in your new form." He declared, "Sammy Sam wouldn't be alive right now if you knew how to use your wolf form."

"Sorry bout her."

"Hey, she'll be alright, and thanks to her getting your wolf to appear everyone can feel more relaxed at the party."

I laughed, paused for a moment and said, "Come to think of it, this is kinda like that werewolf romance story I read in tenth grade, except I seem to remember it saying that every werewolf has a one true mate, that they'll know the instant they find them."

"Some claim it was once that way, others say that was always a lie." He shrugged his shoulders.

"Then how does it work?"

"Everyone has a set place in the pack. The place they're meant to be. You can fight against it, by taking another role, or going Rogue, but those wolves usually end up unhappy."

"Ok."

"In your case you're a Luna. You're meant to mate with an Alpha. Which Alpha is up to you. You could choose to take a lower mate, even a human if you wanted, but they could never complete you like an Alpha would."

"How do I choose the right Alpha?" I asked, looking towards the row of bonfires.

He countered, "How does anyone choose who to marry?"