HOWL OF LOVE

CHAPTER ONE

“I can't believe that this day has finally come.”

With an exhale, Cheryl tucked her hands into the pockets of her sweatpants.

Looking at the colourful decorations around the packhouse made a wide smile etched on her pretty face.

The packed house and everyone in it was in a festive mood, and it was noticeable with the happy laughter and cheers coming from all corners.

“So how's the future Alpha of the Striding Wolf Pack doing?” A voice asked from behind her back with a chuckle.

Cheryl turned and smiled widely, her eyes lighting up in joy.

“Dora! You made it!” Cheryl exclaimed, pulling the dainty younger lady into her arms.

Dora, who was Cheryl's best friend, was mated to a werewolf in another pack, so she packed and went to his pack with him. Since then, she hadn't returned to the striding wolf’ pack, so Cheryl was surprised to see her.

Cheryl was tall and stronger for a female werewolf due to the Alpha genes in her, so Dora winced slightly when Cheryl squeezed her. “You are still so violent and squeezy,” Dora said with a pout.

Cheryl ruffled Dora's brown hair and pulled her into the packhouse. “Come on, Lugard, and the others would be so happy to see you here.”

…

“Before the eve of the ceremony, you have to first of all pay your respects to the previous Alpha and Luna of the pack, this time not as your parents but as the future Alpha, someone who would be replacing their position in the pack,” Elder Fauna, the pack elder and a friend of Cheryl's late parents, said.

There was a satisfied look in his eyes as he stared at Cheryl, who was stamping out last-minute invitations.

Cheryl sighed and nodded her head softly, a melancholic look in her eyes. She missed her parents so much.

The image of the happy family they were before their deaths flashed through her eyes.

A lone tear rolled down her cheek

“I miss my parents so much, how I wish they were here to witness the ceremony” Cheryl sighed wistfully.

Elder Fauna walked towards Cheryl slowly and held onto her shoulders, massaging them slightly.

“You should not feel sad, you little child; I know that wherever they are, they would be so proud of the child that you have become.”.

“I hope so,” Cheryl said, her slender fingers rubbing on the wooden stamp seal with a faraway look in her eyes.

…

“Alpha! You have to rethink this; there's no reason for us to unexpectedly attack a pack who haven't done anything to us,” a loud voice said in a pleading tone, trying to make the person he was speaking to see reasons.

“Rethink? That's barely in my dictionary." A cold voice replied.

Malachi stared at the tall, handsome man sitting with crossed legs on the black leather swivel chair, playing with a beautiful-looking dagger.

Though he was dressed casually in a white tee shirt and grey pants, Malachi felt like he was wearing kingly robes.

This was the Alpha of the “Blue Full Moon” pack.

“Where does your loyalty lie, Malachi Barton?” Kaine suddenly asked; he uncrossed his legs and stood up from the swivel chair, walking towards Malachi.

Malachi stared into Kaine’s brown orbs, which radiated light. “Your Alpha, my loyalty is pledged to only you." His head was bowed so low that his chin touched his chest, and his eyes were trained on the black-and-white check rug that his feet lay upon.

“It's good that you know this: a Beta who isn't loyal to his Alpha has no use anymore, especially to me," Kaine whispered, he patted Malachi's beach blonde curls, a smirk on his face. “So be a good boy, Malachi, and pass on my orders to the pack warriors.

…

“Cheers to Cheryl!”

A loud cheer and a whip followed by the sound of a bottle being popped.

There was laughter around as everyone downed their glass of wine, an exuberant smile on their faces.

This was the eve night for Cheryl's Alpha coronation ceremony, which would take place the next day.

“It's so surreal, seeing everyone so happy just like before,” Dora said happily.

Cheryl looked at the happy members of her pack around her.

What Dora said was the truth; ever since the death of her parents, who were the Alpha and Luna of the pack, everyone in the pack had been in a different mood.

It was almost like the pack had died along with them, but now she was glad at the thought that everything was slowly going back to normal.

“It's your party; aren't you going to dance and lighten up your body?” A mischievous voice asked.

Cheryl turned to raise brows and wasn't surprised to see a half-naked Lugard, holding two glasses of wine in his hands.

He handed one to Dora before plastering a kiss on her cheeks. “You still look so cute, dear.”

“She's mated, you know,” Cheryl reminded.

“Like I don't know,” Lugard retorted.

Dora rolled her eyes, knowing that the next thing that would follow was the two bickering like little children, just like they had always done whenever they met.

Just as they were speaking amongst themselves and waiting for the ceremony to begin.

A young warrior werewolf rushed into the hall, panting heavily; his clothes were alarmingly stained with blood, pumping out from a heavily wounded part of his body.

"Jesper, what's going on?” Cheryl asked in a worried tone; immediately she saw him, rushing towards him and holding the young boy tightly to calm him down.

“We are under attack, Alpha... I don't think the other warriors can hold them down; we tried our best,” the young boy whispered in a soft tone to Cheryl. It could be seen that he had exhausted his whole strength to just come and alert the other members of the pack. After saying this, his eyes rolled back, and he breathed his last.

"Jesper, my boy!” A scream came from the crowd; it was from the young boy's mother.

There was an uproar around as everyone waited to hear what Jesper had said to her.

“The pack is under attack.”