Northwoods Alpha

Silver Moon News

    To Kennedy's great surprise, she was actually able to find some peace and relaxation over the next day and a half. The spa time was exactly what she needed. A fresh blowout, facial, manicure, pedicure, and hot stone massage helped her feel less like a giant ball of stress and more like her usual, even-keeled self.

    The morning of the Summit, Kennedy woke up early, and felt her wolf, Sage, itching to get some energy out before everyone arrived that evening.

    Your inner thoughts are making me anxious, Kennedy. I need to get out and run! Kennedy heard Sage speak to her in her mind.

    Kennedy responded to her wolf in her own thoughts: A run sounds like a good idea. Let's see if Andrew wants to join us. We can practice for the Alpha run tomorrow morning! 

    Kennedy hopped quickly out of bed and used the bathroom before throwing her hair up in a ponytail and donning a flowy romper and flip flops she would easily be able to remove before she shifted.

    She padded down the hall until she reached the magnificent marble staircase that led from the 5th floor of the pack mansion down to the other levels. While Kennedy could have taken the opulent, golden elevator to reach the other floors, she tried to take the stairs as often as possible. After descending just one floor, Kennedy turned to the left and walked down an identical hallway until she reached the door at the very end. After two short knocks and a moment's pause, Andrew opened the door mid-yawn with his hair sticking out wildly above his scruffy face. He was wearing blue and green plaid pajama pants with a white t-shirt.

    Andrew finished his yawn dramatically before saying, "Hey, Ken. What do you want at this ungodly hour?"

    "I was going to let Sage out for a run and wanted to see if you'd like to come along and let Cobalt stretch his legs," Kennedy said, feigning remorse for her early-morning wakeup call. Andrew had woken her up plenty of times before sunrise for runs over the years, so she didn't feel too bad about waking him up early on a morning as important as this.

    Andrew nodded in response as he let out another big yawn. "I'll meet you on the training field in about 5 minutes. Let me just leave a note for Christine and throw on a robe."

    Kennedy gave Andrew a thumbs up before retracing her steps to the stairs and heard his door shut quietly behind her. Her wolf wasn't the only one itching for a good, fast run. She hoped the fresh air and exercise would help calm her nerves so she could get ready for everyone's arrival this afternoon. She made her way down the final 3 flights of stairs and went through the massive, glass-walled sunroom and out the back door to reach the training field. Since it was still well before 6 am, Kennedy didn't run into any other pack members on her way. While she loved her pack and felt they were her family, sometimes it was nice to have some time on her own without worrying about putting on her best face as the Alpha.

    While in the shadows of the great house, Kennedy quickly stripped off her romper and shifted into her wolf form. Sage was easily the most beautiful wolf the Northwoods Pack had seen, at least since Kennedy's mother was alive. She had gold fur that glistened in cloud-cover or shade but positively sparkled in the sun, with light-turquoise eyes. In the right lighting, Sage looked like a magical, glittery, gold creature one might expect to find in the heavens. 

    Kennedy gave Sage full control to run and play in the training field while they waited for Andrew and Cobalt to join them. Sage was just completing her 5th lap around the enormous field when Andrew came outside in a black, terrycloth robe and large bunny slippers on his feet. He quickly kicked off his slippers, dropped his robe, and shifted into his wolf form. Standing a full head above Sage, Cobalt was the largest wolf in the pack. He had dark, blue-black fur with soft, gray eyes. 

    He bounded toward Sage and tried to tackle her to the ground, but Sage was much too quick for him. The two wolves roughhoused for a bit in the field until Kennedy mind-linked Andrew to inform him she'd like to run through the Alpha run one last time. She could almost hear his eye-roll laced in his mind-linked response, "Ken, nothing has changed since we ran it yesterday morning. You're stressing over nothing!"

    She replied, also via mind-link, "Humor me, Andrew. It will help calm my nerves and anxiety about the arrival of all the other Alphas tonight."

    Cobalt nodded in response, and the two wolves took off toward the dense treeline outlining the packhouse garden. They ran expertly through the trees, heading east along a path formed by the pack runs Kennedy liked to lead through the vast forest. After about 5 miles, the trees started to thin out, and as they reached the top of a slight incline, an extremely large lake appeared ahead of them, below the steep hills they stood on. The two wolves stopped, and Kennedy admired the view she had grown up loving. The lake might just be the largest in the world. The water was nearly the exact same color as the sky; from this viewpoint, it was often difficult to see where the lake ended and the sky began. This part of the lake was so large, the southeast shoreline was not visible from their position on the northwest. If the waters weren't so calm in comparison, one could convince themselves they were looking out at the ocean. Cobalt nudged Sage with his nose, and Kennedy's mind returned to the task at hand. They ran along the top of the hills for a little over two miles, before turning down another wolf-created path that would take them back through the woods to the packhouse lawn. Kennedy hoped the other Alphas would appreciate the beauty of this run as much as she did. She had only ever visited Alpha Richard at the Silver Moon pack, and while his land was also surrounded by large, majestic lakes, it did not offer views quite as breathtaking or inspiring.

    As they neared the lawn of the house, both wolves shifted back into human form and grabbed spare robes that were kept in the trees. The two made their way back to the house, laughing about Cobalt's severe impatience with Kennedy's brief stop to admire the lake. While Andrew remained in control of their body during the pack run-through, Cobalt was apparently restless in his head when Kennedy had stopped. He wasn't a wolf to sit and admire; he wanted to run, hunt, and play at all times. Andrew had to shift multiple times a day just to keep Cobalt settled within his mind.

    Kennedy picked up her things from where she had left them earlier in the morning. As she checked the time on her phone, noting that it was nearly 8 am, she was also surprised to see a missed call from Alpha Richard, especially this early in the day. While he hadn't left a message, she was close enough with him to know she should return his call right away. 

    "Andrew, I just missed a call from Alpha Richard. I'm going to head straight up to my office to return it and see what's going on, and I'll shower and eat afterward."

    The surprise was evident on Andrew's face as he replied, "Alpha Richard called this early? His is the closest pack to ours, so it's not like it would be about travel issues. They don't have to leave for hours! I hope everything is ok. I'm going to grab a shower before grabbing some breakfast. Do you want me to bring a plate up to your office in a half-hour or so?"

    "That sounds perfect, thanks, Andrew!" The pair entered the house together and made their way upstairs. As Andrew turned off on his floor, he gave Kennedy a short wave. She practically ran up the last flight of stairs, anxious to find out what was going on at Silver Moon.

    Upon reaching her office, Kennedy sat down at her desk before initiating the call. She only waited one and a half rings before she heard a voice on the other end of the line. To her surprise, it was not Alpha Richard's voice on the phone.

    "Hello? Kennedy?" She heard a female voice answer, and she realized it must be Luna Alicia Stone, Richard's loving mate. Alicia's voice sounded worried, which increased Kennedy's sense of unease.

    "Luna Alicia, what's going on?" Kennedy asked in almost a whisper.

    "Kennedy Carlisle, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Aunt Alicia?!" Alicia's voice turned stern for one brief moment before continuing in the same distressed tone, "I have bad news, Kennedy. Alpha Richard has had a serious heart attack, and I'm not sure whether or not he's going to pull through. The Elders have decided to be safe he can no longer remain Alpha, so Al will be returning today in order to take his place as Alpha." Kennedy could practically hear the tears streaming down the face of her mother's best childhood friend.

    "Alicia, I can put off the Summit. I'd like to come and see Uncle Richard," Kennedy started before Alicia interrupted her.

    "Nonsense, Kennedy. You know the Elders would throw a fit if the summit were to be postponed. We are holding Allistair's Alpha ceremony during the full moon tonight, and he will head to your pack first thing in the morning so he can make the Alpha meetings." While she still sounded worried, Kennedy sensed another tone in Alicia's voice as she shared this last bit of information, but couldn't quite put her finger on what it might be.

    "Are you sure you don't need--" Kennedy started, but Alicia cut her off again.

    "NO, Kennedy. I love you like my own daughter, dear, but you've got quite enough on your plate right now. I just wanted you to be aware of the situation so you didn't worry tonight and weren't caught off guard when Allistair arrived in place of Richard in the morning."

    "Alright, if you're sure. The Elders will definitely breathe easier knowing we are moving forward with the Summit, and they're already on my case about choosing a mate. I don't need to give them another reason to be upset with me."

    "Of course, darling. Listen, I've got to go, the doctor seems to have some news for me."

    "Please keep me updated on Uncle Richard? I will be heading your way as soon as possible after the Summit."

    "Of course, dear," Alicia replied, a softness in her voice. The two women said their brief goodbyes before hanging up.

    Kennedy took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. Alpha Richard and Luna Alicia were really like a second set of parents to her. Physical distance was not the only thing that made the packs close; Alpha Richard was a friend of her father's, and Luna Alicia was practically a sister to her mother. The two had grown up together in the Twin Lakes pack, about 200 miles southwest of Northwoods. When they found out their fated mates were both Alphas just over 50 miles away from one another, the friends rejoiced that they could remain so close while fulfilling their dreams of leading their packs as Luna and bearing their destined mate's pups.

    Kennedy stood up and paced in front of her window. She was worried about Alpha Richard and wished she could go to see him immediately. If she didn't have to prepare for the Summit, she would have snuck away before this evening's events. As she continued to pace, her thoughts drifted toward the strange tone in Alicia's voice when she spoke of her son, Allistair. What was going through Alicia's mind? It was no secret within the region that Allistair had very little interest in running the Silver Moon pack. At 28 years old, he should have taken over the pack from Alpha Richard at least 3 years ago, but he had been away in Englewood, a large city over 100 miles from his childhood home, running the family business. Allistair had begged his father to let him take over when he turned 20 years old, and his father obliged on the condition that Allistair would return to Silver Moon when his pack needed him. Allistair quickly moved the company from the small town nearby to the largest city in the region. People often speculated about whether or not Allistair would ever return to take his place as leader of the pack. The Elders had put up no protest to Richard's continued leadership due to his impeccable health and strength, but this heart attack would have forced their decision. Silver Moon could not afford to leave themselves vulnerable without an Alpha given all the rogue attacks the region had been facing in recent years. Was Alicia worried Allistair wasn't up to the task? Did she think he might abdicate his position and leave the leadership up to someone else?

    Kennedy's thoughts continued to race as she left her office to take a quick shower. As the water ran over her tired body, she tried to steady her mind. She needed to find a way to push her worry to the back of her head until after the Summit but found it hard to do so. These were the moments in which she missed her parents most. Tears came to her eyes as she imagined the advice her parents might give her: be strong for the pack. Steeling herself, Kennedy finished her shower and dressed quickly before returning to her office to meet Andrew and share the news from Silver Moon.