Night and Day: The Alpha Nomad

Becoming an Alpha

Day-

After breakfast in bed, Fen and I sought out my father’s Beta. Tonight we would have to finish what the hunter’s interrupted. Without an official Alpha the pack would have no sense of direction and would be at risk of being claimed by another pack’s Alpha. The pack to the north, the Medicine Bow pack has a history of taking over weaker packs, so I could not let my own fall under their control.

We found Beta Levi in the study of the safe house with his head held in his hands. He must be taking my parents’ deaths very hard since they were as close as Delphie, Fen and I. I knocked on the door frame to announce our presence trying not to startle him.

“Damon, come in,” he sighed heavily. “I can assume why you’ve found me, but I’m not sure I have it in me yet.”

“We need to finish the ceremony as soon as possible, Uncle Levi,” Fen gently pressed his uncle.

“We need to complete it tonight,” I corrected. “I understand you are grieving but you would be the only person who could perform the ceremony. I am so sorry for your loss, but I cannot afford to lose my pack on top of everything else.”

Levi nodded slowly lifting his head to look me in the eyes, “you sound like your father, you know that? He put the safety and well-being of his pack above all else. Until he met your mother, then she was his number one priority, and then of course you were too when you came along.”

I looked away remember how he sacrificed himself to try to save my mother, “he loved her so much, I don’t fault him for trying to save her. He knew I would protect our pack just like he would have. I think he knew it was my time to take over.”

Levi nodded, “you’ve been growing into a caring Alpha your entire life. He wouldn’t have left you if he didn’t trust you were ready. I agree that it’s time you become our official Alpha. It won’t be exactly to our pack’s standard but the ceremony will be good enough to solidify your claim.”

“Whatever you can do will be enough,” I assured him. “We will be ready before sunset and make sure the pack knows.”

“I saw a few small ponds south of Sawmill Creek, have everyone meet there,” Levi requested.

Fen and I nodded in unison and left Levi to prepare for the initiation. It didn’t feel right to perform the ceremony anywhere other than Crescent Pond, but I couldn’t risk my pack just for my sake. The area surrounding the safe house was remote enough from any human settlements that we should be able to perform the ceremony without any disturbances.

“Delphie is asking me to help the Patrol track down some game for tonight’s meal. Are you okay if I take off?” Fen asked.

I nodded and he ran off into the wilderness. I was lost in thought trying to mentally prepare for tonight. I felt an itch in the back of me mind pushing me to run into the woods. I wasn’t sure why I couldn’t focus, but this pull became stronger.

I don’t sense any danger, I thought to myself. Why do I feel like my neck hair is standing on end?

It felt like the feeling when you shift. It was like my body wanted to shift, but I couldn’t explain why I felt this need to let my wolf out. I fought back as hard as I could but suddenly it was like I was struck unconscious.

I felt my body running in the woods towards the source of my urges. Her scent filled my nostrils and I felt a primal and lustful growl brewing. When I was close, I slowed to a stalk and waited for my “prey” to get into position.

I saw her shimmering black hair catch the sunlight which made my wolf excited. Her pale skin was luminous and her scent intoxicating. Something was different than before like I needed her or else the oxygen would leave my lungs and my heart would stop.

Claim her before she decides to leave us, my wolf ordered.

I had no control of my body. I wanted to stop him before he scared her again, which would definitely make her leave us. He wouldn’t even listen to me when I begged him to stop. He was insistent on marking and mating her.

I jumped from the bushes when she was close enough and pinned her to the ground. Her basket spilled onto the ground. Night was struggling to escape my grip.

“Damon, what is wrong with you?!” She yelled and glared at me. “Stop!”

She shifted in an attempt to escape my grip, but this only excited my wolf further. He bit the back of her neck and tried to mount her, but she turned and snapped at him. Her eyes were cold and hateful but there was a hint of lust that fueled my wolves attempts.

Despite my Alpha strength she flipped me onto my back and held my throat in her jaws. She shifted to her human form. Straddling me she held her hand to my neck and squeezed with a surprising amount of strength.

“Day, I don’t want to hurt you so this is a warning,” she growled. “Snap out of it.”

My eyes widened as I regained control and shifted back. Her bare hand still held my throat, but her grip loosened slightly. Her eyes softened and she leaned in to kiss me deeply.

“Day, I want you. There is this impossibly hard to resist magnetism between us, but I don’t want to be forced. This shouldn’t be forced or rushed,” she breathed heavily and seductively.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I feel this pull and the suddenly I lose control. I think your scent is stronger than it was and now it has this…irresistible note to it.”

She kissed me again, “well, you should be focusing on your ceremony. First, would you help me pick up the ingredients that scattered on the floor when you pounced on me?”

“Of course,” I promised and she released me and slowly slid off my abdomen.

Before she could stand up I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her back onto me. I took my chance to kiss her deeply and felt her lean into my chest. She glared at me playfully when our lips detached from each other. I shrugged and grinned at her.

“Ok, my Nightingale, I’ll let you go,” I laughed.

We gathered the spilled contents of the basket and headed back to the safe house. Once again I felt ashamed of my uncontrollable urges hoping Night doesn’t hold them against me. I don’t know what I would do if I lost her, or if she rejected me as a mate.

…………………………

Night-

We walked back to the safe house silently, but I let him hold my hand as we walked. I should be more upset but I knew his urges probably had something to do with our mate bond. Could I really hold that against him? I couldn’t deny that my own wolf was enjoying it either, but I wanted the moment to be perfect not forced.

I was surprised that I could resist him, an Alpha, and even keep him restrained like that. Sure I have Alpha blood in my own veins, but he is an Alpha male and should be able to overpower me. This was something I would have to ponder for another time I would need to have complete focus on cooking dinner for the Alpha ceremony.

Damon left me at the front door to inform the pack of the ceremonial plans. He gently kissed my cheek and reluctantly released my hand. He was such a kind and gentle Alpha when he wasn’t hypnotized by his primal urges. Our bond was so strong that it was painful to watch him go, even though I knew I would see him later tonight it felt like my heart was in a vice.

Delphie hopped out of the woods with a grin. Her team managed to track down a bull elk. It was the largest animal I had seen since the moose encounter with Jake. I was surprised that the four of them could bring such a beast down without anyone getting hurt. This was easily an Imperial bull, or 7 point bull. His rack was massive meaning this bull must have had a formidable sized harem. He wasn’t elderly but he wasn’t a young calf either.

“What? Are you surprised four healthy wolves could take down an elk?” Delphie laughed apparently noticing the shocked look on my face.

“He’s a monster! We didn’t have elk down in Texas where I came from, and the deer were nowhere this big,” I explained.

“I guess they were wrong when they say everything is bigger in Texas,” Fen joked.

I giggled, “I guess so.”

The team hauled the carcass to the side of the safe house where we began butchering the body. You could easily feed an army with this bull. I found a large cambro to begin marinating the flank and tenderloins. Then I began to season the ribs and the brisket to slow cook over a bed of coals. I instructed a pack member to build up a fire to prepare a coal bed for cooking. I would show them how we cook down in the South. Barbecued elk sounded like a fantastic way to show off my skills and the sauce I would prepare from the berries and herbs I picked would compliment the smoked meats, although Texans prefer dry-rub barbecue.

Someone from the hunting team decapitated the elk and began to walk away with it, “Wait!” I called out. “I can use that. I could make barbecoa from the cheek meat, well barbecue it with the ribs and brisket and make tacos out of it.”

Once I was satisfied with the preparation of the meats I concentrated on the side dishes and sauces. Sun was near setting when the pack began to gather to travel to the location Damon designated for the ceremony. I would have to prepare the rest on my own.

You won’t be at the ceremony? I heard Damon ask via our link. He was standing in the doorway of the kitchen with a small frown on his face. You should be there.

Do you want your pack to go hungry tonight? I spoke motherly but smirked. Besides isn’t this a pack affair? Your pack would have been safe if I wasn’t there last night.

Don’t talk such nonsense, Damon scolded. You had nothing to do with those hunters last night, and you should know by now you are welcome in this pack. You are my mate, remember?

He had a point, how could I be his mate but not a member of his pack? Still, I worried about finishing the meal for tonight. He sensed my concern and found a younger member of the pack. She was a pup but a mature one who could handle finishing my tasks as I requested.

“Don’t let this sauce bubble over, it could crystallize with all that sugar, and check on the coals every half hour or so. When they have burned down you’ll need to add the meats, but don’t worry the brisket, head, and ribs will take all night to cook,” I would have continued my instruction if Damon hadn’t pulled me away from the kitchen.

“She will not burn your precious meal, my Nightingale,” Damon chuckled. “You’ll have time to scrutinize her work later.”

We shifted and ran to the location of the ceremony. Not far from the creek there were two small ponds where Damon would take his ceremonial dip. A nervous hush washed over the pack as the ceremony began.

“As you know our pack is without an Alpha,” Beta Levi boomed in the dark. “Our dear Alpha was hunted down last night in cold blood, but we should all be thankful that his son, Damon, was spared. He was fated to become our Alpha, so we will commence with his initiation tonight. Step forward, Damon