The Princess of Werewolves

Chapter 2- Emma and James

Emma

"James! Pleeaassseee let me come and train with you guys.... You know, I will be your Alpha someday soon and you will not be able to deny me much longer." I hated begging.. It always made me feel like a small child, which only boiled the Alpha blood that runs through my veins...

I knew it was beneath me, but at this point I had grown desperate...

I was seventeen now and felt it was absolutely ridiculous that I had to beg to train with the male warriors when I was at The North Mountain Pack, and even after all of my begging and persistence, they still had not accepted me. They continued to treat me as an outsider, as if I were not an equal match for their strength and endurance.. They treated me as if I were unfit to be the Alpha of their pack, which only fuelled my anger and determination to prove them wrong.

I knew in my gut that if they would just give me a chance to show them what I was capable of, I would be able to change their minds about me..

“Do not worry Darlin, I will make sure to give you a good workout later.." James teased as he spun me around to face him, pushing me up against the outside of the pack house wall... The coolness of the wood on my back, combined with the gentle kisses James was trailing down my neck, caused my body to react in all kinds of ways... I could feel the goosebumps appear on my flesh as a shiver ran through me, leading straight to my core.. James knew this would drive me crazy as it always has, since he had first discovered my spot... There was not much about this boy that did not drive me mad. The more time I spent at The North Mountain Pack, and was able to be with James, the more I wanted and craved every inch of him...

James and I grew up together. Along with Rylan, the three of us have been best friends pretty much since birth.. Our parents were all close, and made sure to keep in touch, and kept the three of us as close friends to one another.. And of course, Rylan is my cousin.. However, when we turned fourteen it did not take long for mine and James' friendship to turn into something more..

I love him.

I love his father, Beta Jason, who my mother had told me was my birth father's best friend, Beta and most trusted pack member.. One thing that I loved most about spending time with him, was the stories he would tell me about my father, Alpha Damon..

Like James and I, Beta Jason and my father had been best friends since they were young pups, and had grown up together side by side in all of their mischief.. Being with Beta Jason made me feel closer to the father that I never had the opportunity to meet..

I also loved James' mother, Beta Shawna. She had been through so much throughout her lifetime, but still managed to become one of the kindest, most genuine she wolves I have ever met. The hardships she had endured in her lifetime opened up her heart and compassion to everyone she meets, she accepts all, and is someone you cannot help but love as soon as you get to know her... I only hoped to be more like her one day.

I love everything about their family and the way that they care for me. The way that they accepted me with open arms and treat me like one of their own. Even with the doubts of some of the other pack members, Beta Jason has never treated me like anything less than family, and he always makes sure to remind me of the power that I hold over this pack, simply with the blood that runs through my veins..

Beta Jason has thrived to make sure that his pack members have always showed me the respect that I was entitled to, due to my birth right. And has disciplined those who have outright stood against me...

But even though my bloodline guarantees my position as Alpha of The North Mountain Pack, I strive to make sure to be a leader worthy of their pack members trust and respect.

Even though I love James and his family so dearly, I could not help the nagging fear that kept creeping into my mind that James may not end up being my destined mate when I turn eighteen... Or the fear that my destined mate will not want me after I have already given myself to James...

I want so desperately for it to be him. I have even considered choosing James as my chosen mate, even if the Moon Goddess decides to pair me with someone else.. However, only time will tell. I only hope the Moon Goddess would take pity on my heart and allow me to finally become a part of James' family. Fulfilling a dream that I had been wishing for for many years.

"Not funny James, I am serious.. I want them to take me seriously as an Alpha.. and the fact that they will not even allow me to train with them is not a good sign.. How am I supposed to take over this pack when I am still receiving a cold shoulder from half of the pack members?" I gently pushed James away, as I wiggled my body out of his firm grasp.. Even though it was the last thing my body wanted to do.. But I knew that I would never be able to get through to him if I allowed him to go any further with his current quest.. I needed to keep a clear head, I was running out of time to try and gain the trust of my pack.. With my birthday quickly approaching, I wanted to be on good terms with my pack by then.. I wanted to know that they would protect me, and accept me, no matter what the Moon Goddess may bless me with on that day.

"I understand Emma, truly I do... I wish they could all see you for how amazing you are.. I wish they could see you the same way that I do... Well, maybe not exactly the same way..." James teased as he made another bee line for my neck.. However, I stopped him before he had the chance of being successful.. He was persistent with his attempts at being intimate with me, but I also was not trying to fight him off very hard.. Part of me desperately wanted to allow him to continue and take me right there against the pack house wall...

But I knew better than to be so close to one another in public.. My mother did not know about mine and James' relationship and how far it had grown over the years.. Both of our parents still believed that we were only the best of friends, and nothing further.. They were oblivious to the fact that every opportunity James and I had to be together, we would sneak off alone.

The only one who knew the truth about us was my best friend, and cousin Rylan.. He did not approve of mine and James' relationship, and felt that we should have waited to keep ourselves pure for our mates just in case we were not destined for each other. But he has always been my best friend and my protector, and he was still willing to keep our secret even through his disappointment..

Over the years, when I had spent most of my time at Burning Moon Pack, it was more difficult for James and I to sneak around discreetly.. I would only have a chance to see him when I went to visit The North Mountain pack, or he would come to Burning Moon with his parents.. However, now that I was spending more time at The North Mountain pack, we finally had the opportunity to spend more time together, and we were finding it difficult to keep our hands off of one another, knowing that each other were in such close proximity..

I rolled my eyes as I realized that James was not the one that I should be having this discussion with.. After all, there was only one thing on James' mind at the moment and it had nothing to do with me becoming Alpha, or gaining the respect from my father's pack that he had hoped that I would have.

The moment I thought about my father, Alpha Damon, my heart sunk.. What would he think about me now? Seeing me about to come of age and not living up to the high expectations that he had for my future... Not living up to the legacy that he had left me.. I was beginning to feel like I had failed him, and I just hoped that wherever he was, he is unable to witness my unsuccessful attempts..

When I am in Burning Moon territory, I have fair game of training with whomever I may want.. My dad, Alpha Chad, had made sure that his pack showed me the same respect as they would show any heir of an Alpha, even though I did not share the same blood as him..

But it was different at The North Mountain pack... Although I had grown up around here, and had family here, I still seemed to be treated as an outsider by a lot of my father's older pack members..

Everyone who lived within the pack house had accepted me as Alpha Damon's daughter from the moment I was born.. They accepted my mother, Charlie, as well.. as the Queen of Werewolves.. However, those who lived outside of the pack house, had their doubts about me and my mother.. The fact that my father, a great strong Alpha, died so suddenly in the Rogue attack on Burning Moon territory, seemed to make many of his pack members question whether or not the Burning Moon Pack were truly allies to The North Mountain Pack.. They seemed to believe that my mother had something to do with my father's death.. How such a strong and powerful werewolf could let her mate die such a horrible death... They feel she chose Alpha Chad that night, and willingly allowed my father to die... The fact that my mother is mated to Alpha Chad, and the Luna of another pack, never seemed to help the predicament that I was born into, or the doubts from my father's pack members.

I was not there the night of the battle... But knowing my mother, and the way that she speaks of my father, she truly loved him and would never wish him any harm...

When she speaks of that night, it seems like a part of her shuts off. As if the pain she endured was so great that her brain forces her to shut down when she reminisces that moment, in order to allow her to survive the memory... The night that Damon died, some say part of my mother died as well, and the missing part was reborn the day that I came into her life..