Finding My Alpha

The Five Packs

I turned to see her offering a satin waist corset. It was similar to the black leather one I’d taken a liking to in the shop. I accepted it and tied it around the mannequin. After lacing it up completely I backed up and stood next to my sister. She wrapped her arms around my waist and rested her head on my shoulder. My twin, my other half, my everything. Annie meant more to me than anything in the world and as we stared at her gift to me I knew that if James ever hurt her I would kill him even if it meant causing a war. My sister deserved the world and I hoped that after their bonding he would give that to her and much more.

“Wait a minute. If my dress has Casey’s fur in it, does that mean his vest and kilt are made of my fur?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“How did you manage to do all of this Annie? Seriously, this had to have taken ages.”

“Well, I’d already been collecting your fur since the year before the bonding date was set and since I know that other wolves don’t shed as we do, I’ve been shaving Casey bald over the last ten months.”

“I’m sorry, you did what to Casey?”

Annie sighed deeply before she explained. “Haylee and I would meet with Casey each time he was in wolf form so that we could shave his wolf before he shifted back. I wouldn’t have been able to get enough fur for this work out otherwise.”

I laughed so hard I nearly spit in her face. Annie had gone to great lengths to ensure that we adhered to Ahroun tradition and I appreciated her efforts from the bottom of my heart. When Haylee returned I nearly died of laughter as Annie explained the reasons for my hysterics. They both rolled their eyes at me. 

“You promised to explain things to me once she got the dress,” Haylee said to Annie.

“Explain what?” I asked.

“When I enlisted Haylee’s help with gathering Casey’s fur, she asked why we needed it for the ceremony. I told her once you were given your dress we would tell her about it,” Annie explained.

“And by we I’m sure you mean me?” I teased.

“Who else smart ass? You’re the only one who has the knowledge in its entirety,” she sassed.

“I know I know, relax firecracker. Haylee what do you know of the ancient packs, the first wolves?” I asked our friend.

“What every wolf knows. There were five original packs Ragabash, Philodox, Theurge, Galliard and Ahroun. All five packs were named for the Canidae warriors of the moon goddess of which they descend from. The Canidae warriors were the first line of defence against the veratus. They were humongous creatures that looked like humanoid wolves, walking on two legs yet covered from head to toe in fur. They spoke like men but fought like beasts. 

Thormund Ragabash was the first in command, he fell in love with a fire faery and thus the Ragabash wolves were born with an affinity for all things fire. Farrough Philodox was second in command and is rumoured to have fallen in love with a mermaid, which explains how Philodox wolves can stay underwater for hours. Phorus Theurge was the strategist and is said to have fallen in love with the last female Sylph. Their love caused the extinction of the Sylph species, but the bloodline lives on in Theurge wolves as they can send messages on the wind for miles. 

Samartine Galliard was a shadow mage, he was skilled at staying hidden amongst the veratus ranks for extended periods of time in order to take out the commander. He is said to have been the only warrior who was infertile, but he had the power to create offspring through his bite. If a human was bitten by Samartine or his offspring they became a full blooded werewolf. He created many children, but the goddess saw fit to smite him once his obsession with creating more offspring grew out of control. In an attempt to stop his offspring from procreating she cursed them. If they bit anyone who didn’t give consent the bite would turn to poison. The victim would live while the werewolf would die instantly. 

Lastly there’s Lycas Ahroun. He…. There is not much known about him except that he was the one who killed Samartine.”

Annie and I smiled at each other. We knew exactly who Lycas Ahroun was. “Little is known about Lycas Ahroun because that is how he wanted it to be.”

Haylee’s eyes widened. “Oh don’t stop there, tell me more!”

“Lycas Ahroun was the hothead of the Canidae warriors. He was actions first, reflections last. Although he never caused any real trouble, the other warriors often found themselves losing their patience with him from time to time. But there was one who always kept an eye on him and that was the moon goddess and it was at her behest that Samartine was slain by Lycas,” I said.

“You’ve got to be shitting me!”

“I s**t you not! The moon goddess and Lycas Ahroun were lovers and we are their direct descendants.”

“I’m sorry you mean direct as in, you can trace your bloodline all the way back to the Lycas Ahroun and the moon goddess?”

Annie and I shared a look before I continued. “What I am about to say cannot leave this room. Understood?”

“I promise,” Haylee agreed.

“Have you ever heard of wolves disappearing from their homes?”

“I think I heard about that when I was younger. Alpha Kingsley would get inquiries and updates from other packs whose members just disappeared overnight.”

“Do you recall the last time you heard about it?”

“No.”

“You are close in age to us, so you may not know much about it, but the reason for those disappearances is because of us. To be more specific we stole those wolves.”