Alpha's Found Daughter

Chapter 8

Beep Beep Beep

Waking up to the annoying sound of my alarm clock I groggily reach a hand out and instead of just turning it off like a normal person would I decide to throw the annoying device across the room so hard it hits a wall and smashes to pieces, at least once a week I have to buy a new alarm clock because of this. Pulling the warm comfortable covers off my head I let out a yawn and immediately scrunch my nose at the awful stench of my morning breath, one thing about having such a heightened sense of smell is the fact that you can always smell yourself and it's horrible. Stumbling out of bed I stretch my arms out working all the stiffness out, stretching is the only good thing about waking up cause it feels awesome. Knowing i have to get ready I just take my over sized shirt off and toss it on the floor something one of the maids absolutely hates and always grumbles about even though she's getting paid to clean up after me.

Entering the bathroom I roll my eyes at my wild morning appearance, nobody ever looks that great when they wake up but I take the cake on looking awful. Taking in my lopsided high bun that has red hair sticking out everywhere like medusa I groan, my eyes have deep dark bags that are always there no matter how much sleep I get, mascara and eyeliner is smeared all over my face. Everyday when I see myself in the mirror I'm glad that there's no one to ever see me like this except the occasional times dad or Carly will wake me up and every time that happens I get laughed at so I usually try to wake up early enough they won’t have to come in here to wake me and make fun of my appearance, Carly always says she can’t til I have a mate so someone will have to see the wild mess I am every single morning. Taking my eyes off the mirror I turn the shower onto the hottest temperature to help wake me up, grabbing my tooth brush and using a generous amount of toothpaste I start brushing my teeth while striping my underwear off. Saving myself a few extra minutes I just step into the scalding hot shower and brush my teeth, may seem gross to some but I've already woke up later than I need to so if I have to brush my teeth while shampooing my hair to save a few minutes then so be it plus its not like there is someone here to watch my unattractive morning habits.

Having showered I blow dry my hair and pull it back into a sloppy ponytail, border patrol means that I will be spending the entire day in the woods so there's no point in trying to look attractive for anyone. Like seriously who is going to be running around in the woods that close to the border to see me and even if I did make myself look presentable it would be a worthless effort since I would end up just being covered in mud halfway through my shift due to certain shaded parts in the woods that seem to always be wet and muddy. At least my choice of clothing is somewhat presentable, a pair of black short shorts and a black sports top that might as well be considered a sports bra, an outfit choice dad would throw a fit over if he saw it. Being the only daughter of an Alpha means I have an overprotective father who would probably prefer if I wore nothing but baggy jeans and turtule neck sweaters so male wolves won’t be checking me out. Dad likes to delude himself thinking that I’m still a young innocent child even though he knows I’m not so innocent considering he’s caught me getting drunk a few times over the years.

Putting on my running shoes I groan out in annoyance at not wanting to be on border patrol. As punishment for what I did while dad was away he decided I would be on patrol for the next week as well as extra combat training which I absolutely hate, it seems to me that he wants to keep me tired so I won't have the energy to run off with my friends. Most wolves don't mind patrolling because they are keeping the pack safe and see it as an honor to be 'so useful' to the pack but it's so boring! I hate wondering around in the forest near the border for hours, some wolves think it's fun due to the very slim chance of running into a rogue, since I was sixteen I've occasionally had to do patrols and in all that time I personally have only came across a handful of rogues and most of them didn't mean any harm they had just accidentally stumbled across the territory so really there's not very much action even when we do run into one so there’s nothing fun about it. "Let's get this over with." I mumble as I straighten up and leave my room wanting to go ahead and get this long day over with.

On my way out of the house I grab an apple and granola bar to eat due to not having time to sit down and eat the amazing breakfast Deadra cooks because I woke up late this morning. One thing that sucks about dad putting me on border patrol is he always gives me the earliest shift he can which is five in the morning til five in the evening he knows just how much I hate waking up early so it’s good part of his punishment. Stepping out the door I once again groan seeing it's still dark outside and the air is thick with moisture from the nightly dew, taking a deep breathe I inhale the fresh morning air letting out a satisfied sigh. I may not be a fan of being up this early but there's nothing like the soothing fresh scent of the morning air along with the quiet sound of scurrying of animals that are waking up and starting to go about their day just like me. I may hate the morning time but there's just something so peaceful and serene when you're outside that it makes the morning somewhat enjoyable.

Getting to the wolf I'm switching out with he bows to me in respect then all but runs off as fast as he can in wolf form probably to go to his house making me have to stifle a laugh. Guess he was one of the few wolves that saw boarder patrol just as boring and torturous like I do. Spotting a large oak tree nearby I lazily climb up it and finding a thick strong branch that can easily hold my weight I sit down on it and comfortably situate myself with my back against the trunk and legs stretched out on the branch. As long as I keep my senses open then it'll be fine if I slack off for a little while and relax my tired body also it’s not like someone comes to check up on me to see if I’m being very diligent.

After only an hour of sitting up in that tree my butt starts to get sore, sighing knowing my small piece of relaxation is over I crawl over to a thinner part of the branch. Tightly gripping onto the branch I swing my legs off the side letting myself dangle in the air, taking a deep breathe I release the branch dropping twenty feet down and I manage to gracefully land on my feet, thanks to all the agility training we do I don’t have to worry about dropping down and falling on my butt. To my dismay I realize I landed in something squishy, looking down I see myself standing in a large puddle of mud that completely soaked my shoes and goes nearly half way up my calves making me glad that I put on an old pair of shoes that was already permanently stained with mud. Letting out an irritated huff I begin my slow trek through the several miles of land that I'm supposed to be guarding not caring that I'm pretty much stepping on every twig and pile of leaves. If any rogue was trying to trespass all the noise I'm making would just scare them off, they want to sneak into a spot where there is no guards so hearing me they would know patrol is near and take off not wanting to risk the possible punishment of death. If possible I would like to avoid any rogue deaths so I’d rather scare them off with noise than sneak up on them and have to attack them.

My inner wolf feels content being surrounded by all the foliage and beauty of the nature all around us. Even though she's not not being let out she still enjoys the scenery and the fresh air. Hearing the not so silent sound of tiny feet rushing in my direction a small smile lights up my face, turning to face where the noise is coming from a cute little girl emerges from the bushes with a huge grin. It's so hard not to giggle at the cuteness of a tiny child happily running without a care in the world carrying such a huge picnic basket. Bending down to her eye level my smile turns into a grin as her eyes begin shining brightly seeing that she has finally reached me. 

"Is that for me?" I ask when she gets an arms length away from me.

She holds the basket out to me. "Yes Alpha, Ms. Deardra said you didn't get to eat a proper breakfast and forgot to bring lunch with you." Warmth blooms in my heart at the fact that I'm surrounded by such loving pack members and if it wasn't for my amazing father I wouldn't have all these caring people around me. Even a little girl that I don't even really know cares about me enough to run several miles just to bring me food. "You know mommy always tells me that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and to grow up big and strong you need to eat all of your meals and that they have to be big hearty meals."

At the adorablness of the girl’s words a little giggle leaves me. "Maybe I need to start eating right so I'll become big and strong."

She furiously nods her head still wearing her grin showing off her missing baby teeth. Taking the basket from her I sit down on the ground and pat the spot right next to me. Taking the hint she squeals in delight and rushes over just plopping herself down. "Alpha I'm glad you want me to sit with you." For some reason all the younger kids and teenagers are in awe of being around their Alpha which extends to me since I’m the future Alpha and everyone already calls me Alpha.

I smile down at her and ruffle her messy brown curly hair making a fit of giggles come from her. Opening up the basket the whiff of roast beef sandwiches assaults my senses making mine and the little girl's stomach grumble. Seeing just how much food is in the basket I know Deardra packed that much so both the girl and I can eat together, the older woman is so caring to think of feeding this child that she probably doesn't even know. Pulling out two sandwiches I hand one to the girl, she stares at it then looks up at me I give her and encouraging smile and her whole face lights up as her tiny hands meekly take the sandwich with excitement filling her brown doe like eyes. Not to sound cocky or anything but it's considered an honor to eat with an alpha and this girl probably never imagined to eat with me, not many pack members get the pleasure to dine with us unless you count pack events where everyone eats in the same room.

"What's your name sweetie?" 

"It's Lily." A blush creeps up her cheeks.

"Such a pretty name for a beautiful girl." She obviously tries to fight the grin that's wanting to break out across her face as I see her already smiling lips twitching and eyes even brighter at the compliment. Roaming my eyes over her I take notice of how familiar she looks. As I take a bite out of my sandwich my brows furrow in thought of why she looks so familiar, I've saw that hair and those big eyes somewhere but I'm not sure where. Halfway through my meal my eyes widen in realization, Lily must be the daughter of the high ranking house maid. The maid is a grouchy older woman that’s always grumbling to herself about something and the thought of this adorable sweet child coming from that woman is nearly unbelievable and it's even more unbelievable that a woman in her forties has a daughter that can't be any older than five. 

"Alpha is it ok if I play around here?" Lily asks after we've finished eating and are now walking side by side through the woods. I purse my lips in thought this area is awfully close to the border we share with another pack that isn’t exactly our allies but there's also pack members patrolling the entire area including myself.

Staring down at the small girl with hope filled eyes I sigh she seems so happy at the idea of playing here and I really don’t want that cute smile she’s been wearing to leave her angelic face. "You can but don't get too close to the boundary line and if you see any wolves that aren't pack members immediately yell for me or one of the other wolves nearby OK?"

Her entire face lights up as she frantically nods her head. Before I have a chance to say anything else to her she takes off running instantly making me regret my decision of letting her play. Usually children aren't allowed this deep into the woods for obvious safety reasons but I'm sure she'll be fine as long as she doesn't get close to the boundary line which she probably won't considering she can smell the end of our territory. Only wolves who can shift are allowed this far out just in case a dangerous rogue crosses into the territory, some rogues would cruelly kill defenseless children without a thought at least once we shift we are strong enough to fight those disgusting beasts. 

Peering up at the sun through the trees I sigh seeing that I still have a few more hours left of basically walking a few miles back and forth. With the sweat accumulated on my skin and the mud I can't wait to go home and shower off the stench and grim I'm not someone who is exactly OK with having to spend an entire day dirty. Suddenly a strange cry like noise comes from somewhere nearby, straining my ears I focus on the sound and my heart drops to my stomach. A little girl is crying in fear. Taking off in the direction the cries are coming from I start to become scared myself, the voice is one I heard today and from how far away the cries are it means she must've left the territory. Picking up my speed I run as fast as I can to get to her not caring that I'm abandoning my post and that it’s my fault she’s most likely in danger I'll deal with those repercussions later.

Bursting through the tree line I freeze in place at the sight in front of me. Lily is on her butt slowly trying to scurry away from two full grown male wolves, normally in this kind of situation I would just take care of the wolves but there's a huge problem... these wolves aren't rogues and they aren't my pack members. Lily unknowingly crossed over into our enemy pack territory a pack that demands blood for any small thing including a small child accidentally coming into their territory. Due to us having to share a border it's caused plenty of problems over the years tresspassing being the main problem so we are enemies and they've even threatened to go to war with us several times before. Flicking my eyes back and forth from Lilly to the large advancing wolves that are snarling at her I take a deep breathe and do something that would either be considered heroic or idiotic and will get me into alot of trouble and possibly cause a war. Internally I scold myself for giving into the little girl and letting her run around in a dangerous area when we have rules about it for several reasons. 

Shifting into my large Alpha sized silver wolf I recklessly charge across the boundary line, in a few short feet I leap over a trembling Lily who has tears streaming down her face and I land with a loud thud right in front of her. Getting into a defensive stance I raise my lips and give the wolves a vicious snarl warning them to back off. They seem taken aback by my sudden appearance not expectly someone to come interupt there moment of terrorizing and possibly killing a small child, they cautiously take a step back as they take in my appearance and for a split second I saw fear cross their eyes. Being an Alpha plus a rare wolf makes me one of the deadliest creatures and if they don't stand down then I'll show them just how lethal I am by ripping them apart limb from limb for wanting to harm an innocent child that most likely came onto this territory by accident. Recomposing themselves the wolves narrow their gold eyes at me and growl in unison, looking over my shoulder I internally sigh in relief seeing that Lily has now ran back into the safety of our land but she's still too close to the border, her small body is maybe only a foot away from the border watching me with big round eyes that show just how terrified she is. 

As I turn to face the wolves again I realized just how stupid it was to look behind me, the larger of the two wolves is already in the air about to pounce on me. Quickly I drop onto the ground and roll to the side just as the wolf hits the ground where I was only a second ago. Jumping to my feet I lunge at the wolf who is now stumbling from his hard impact and sink my teeth deep into his hind leg, once my mouth fills with his blood I let go of him. I really don't want to kill one of them even though they deserve it because it would definitely cause a war between our packs and that's something nobody in my pack wants, all war is is a bunch of unnecessary bloodshed and death. 

Seeing his friend hurt the smaller of the two charges at me slightly catching me off guard. Next thing I know is I'm tumbling across the hard earth landing on my back with an enraged wolf on top of me. His anger makes me internally smirk, losing your cool in this kind of situation is never a good thing one of the first things taught in training is how to keep calm during battle. Blinded by his anger he doesn't register what my paws do which is dig deep into his chest drawing blood, as some of the blood sprays on my face I grimace not liking having this filthy wolf's blood on me. Using my back paws I use half of my strength and kick him in the stomach, I watch as he goes flying through the air and hits his buddy. They tumble around and land in a messy pile against a tree. Before they have time to get up I take the opportunity to quickly get off my back and race off into my territory. Picking up Lily by the back of her dress I sprint through the woods hearing the angry howls of the two wolves fading in the distance.

The entire time I'm running I pray to the goddess that the small altercation doesn't cause anymore unrest between the two packs than there already is and if it does it'll be entirely my fault making me a failure before I've even became Alpha.