Leo pov
The hot sun warms my face and arms, the cool breeze evening out the heat. pups laughed as they ran around and played toggether “leo! your walking without your seeing stick” a pup named Ryan ran up to me and held my hand, “that I am, wheres ruby” i've been blind since the war three years ago when i was forced to shift at 16. Forced shifters can't shift after they shift back to their human form. They still have their wolf and the advantage of being one. I lost my eyes from the torture I endured in the war “mama said some big Alpha is coming to make a deal with Alpha John”
My father was always making deals with other Alphas, as his only child I was in line for the Alpha position but since I lost my eyes that went down the drain and he's now looking for the best option to take over when he retires or dies. “Leo” I hummed and held the pups hand as we walked “what's going to happen to you” it was such an innocent question but it held the weight of the world “mama said your mate might not want you, but pops says anyone would be stupid not to accept you after what you did to win the war, he says your wolf is huge and snow white with eyes like the stars!”
I smiled softly at his description, it sounded like he was describing the moon goddess’ wolf “i dont know ive never seen my wolf” the pup squeezed my hand the cold metal of the nordic ring on my middle finger reminded me it was there, only a thousand were made, only the warriors who survived the war got them, i was told mine had a small blood ruby in the midde, Iassume mine if diffrent because crescent was the one that won the war “ruby said that any wolf would be stupid to reject a war hero” i sighed, I haterd hearing of iut but thats just how they see me now.
The alpha king max was a large black wolf who was blinded by greed, he waged a war on the packs that didn't agree with his ruling, even the alphas that were loyal to him fought against him, Alpha Max killed innocent pups and thats where the other Alphas drew the line and went against him, even his own son maddox led an army against his father, the alphas were weary of giving Maddox the title but with his war effotrs the did anyway.
“Pup, anything could happen, we both know wolves want healthy mates to have healthy pups” the pup stopped suddenly causing my arm to be yanked back “but you didn't have a choice, your wolf forced herself out if she didn't you'd be dead it's not your fault, you shouldnt be rejected because of it” this pup was only 5 and smarter than anyone I knew, he's going through Beta training because of his smarts, here in the blood lake pack we dont pass the beta title down from father to son its given to the pup that shows most promise, Ryan shows Beta potential so he got pulled out of class and sent to Beta boarding school.
“Go on, i'm sure your mother is looking for you to get you all dressed up, as the future Beta it's important you meet the other Alphas'' I pushed him along and continued my stroll through the grounds ‘that kid is too smart for his own good’ my wolf Crescent commented “that he is, he’ll make a great Beta to who ever my father chooses” I stopped at the peach orchard, my favourite spot on pack grounds ‘do you think our mate doesn't want us?’ I sighed, all a wolf truly wants is a mate to take care of, even if you're a warrior. A she wolf might be as strong as they come and take down a wolf twice their size but at the end of the day and behind closed doors they take care of their mates with traditional house wife duties.
“I don't know, but we’ll live if they do. '' I picked a few peaches to snack on on my way back. The cool breeze helped on the warm summer day. Some of the wolves were off running around or training. I could smell the sweat from the orchard. They must be training harder now that the alpha king is on his way. I put a peach in my pocket for later and snacked on one on my way back to the pack house. I liked taking strolls. It took a while for people to let me do it on my own, even now I get a whiff of private Parker following me. He's the wolf my father trusts the most and he's tired to set us up in the past, it's a little annoying as I want to find my fated mate before I think about taking a chosen mate, private Parker is sweet and a gentleman but his mate left him for the Alpha of River Rock because she said she couldn't be mated to someone so ‘low class’.
I sighed, feeling the warm sun on my face ‘we'll see again soon, i hope’ me wolf said to me “i hop too” i mumbles and tossed the peach pit into the brush and walked up to the stepes of the pack house, I could smell high ranking wolves and I felt their eyes on me, the wind changed and I froze, the smell of fresh rain on a mossy log tingles me nose. Mate my wolf growled in my head, I just got my bearings again when I felt a large calloused hand on me cheek, I tilted my head up to the man I could feel his breath on my cheek as his noze nuzzled it, he breathed in my scent, the ends of the silk blindfold I wore fluttered in the wind with my hair. “Mate” he growled
Maddox pov
I hated this part of the job, the going to other packs to talk to Alphas, that's what we have phones for but my mother said it was important for me to visit blood lake because that's where Leo lives, Leo was the wolf that finished the war three years ago. The poor thing was a forced shifter, and usually, those are forced out of their packs and are considered a burden because they can no longer shift into their wolf form. though the numbers of forced shifters have plumped lately, which is good, they do pop up occasionally, and I take them in to be servants around the castle.
My driver pulled up and set my Beta opened my door even though we both know I'm capable but appearance and all “Alpha king” Alpha John bowed and his warriors that were lined the steps gave me a sign of respect by hitting their right fist to their left shoulder. “Alpha John, good to see you” John and my father were good friends at one point. They often called each other brother, that was before the war. A few she wolves were off to the side giggling, no doubt looking at me or seth, the both of us are well built and tall.
Seth hasn't found his second chance mate and i'm not sure if he wants one, I on the other hand haven't met my fated mate, i'm turning thirty in a month and that's making their elders worried usually the alpha king has a heir or two by now but i'm saving that for when I find my mate, sure i've been with women but it's just s*x to fulfil my human urges and that pisses off Drax, my wolf he wanted to save ourself for our mate but he agreed not to pester me for it as long as I used protection. “Good to see you again, alpha John” Beta Seth shook hands with the Alphas Beta
There was a little boy around five standing beside the Beta, “and whos this little man” I squat down on the balls of my feet to see the little boy “im Ryan” the little boy gave me as toothy smile “he's the next Beta” Alpha John informed me, “already? You just got Sam” I was also confused as to why the Alpha would train a Beta so soon after finding another one “hes shown signs of a great leader, i've sent him off to the Beta academy for training, i'm hoping when my daughter gets her sight back she'll be able to take over as planned and she’ll have someone she trusts at her side” that's right, the war hero had lost her sight in the war. “I see” I held my hand out to Ryan “best of luck little man” he giggled and a short woman with the same blue eyes as Ryan looked so proud of him so I assumed she was his mother.
I felt the presence of another wolf walking up behind my men, they were slow and careful in their footsteps, I saw Seth turn out of the corner of my eye and then the wind changed, the smell of fresh peaches and lavender assaulted my senses, Drax was going crazy growling ‘mate’ in my head. I stood and turned, it was Leo, she was also frozen to her spot, the white silk blindfold over her eyes fluttered in the wind and her soft pink lips slightly parted and it took every ounce of willpower to not take her bottom lip between my teeth and suck on it.
I walked up to her slowly and made sure she could hear me so i didn't spook her. She couldn't see after all. My hand went to her cheek before my brain could even tell it to do it, i nuzzled my nose on her cheek and breathed in her scent and growled
“Mate”