Alpha Rage: Bred to rule

Chapter 2: Self-appointed

Beau Hardy is not your ordinary female. With her chestnut, shoulder-length hair, which she always kept in a tight ponytail, and green eyes that could compete with the Caspian Sea, her curvy shape, intelligence, and commandeering presence, she was made the leader of one of the last wolf packs on earth.

Called Theron Wolf pack, meaning 'Hunter' wolves---they lived in seclusion on Powell Mountain, a mountain ridge of the Ridge-valley Appalachians of the Appalachian Mountains. It's a long, narrow ridge running Northeast to southwest from Norton, Virginia. Away from civilization, where their kind thrives and are free to hunt at their heart's desire. No one knows how old the community was, but for the wolves of Theron, it was home.

Tonight is the waning crescent, the last phase of the moon before the new moon—an event considered holy for wolves and creatures alike. Theron Wolves conduct a meeting, and as its appointed leader, Beau heads the assembly. They respect Beau not only for her boldness and charm, but for her exceptional fighting skills and firm belief that they do not need to work with other packs to survive. The meetings are held in one of the many establishments their ancestors built before them.

"Good evening, everyone." She started, and murmurs from the men and women gathered ensued. "I've been informed earlier about another recruitment incident that occurred three days ago when we went to get supplies at Big Stone Gap. I want to know why it took three f*cking days before someone came to tell me."

Beau was never a fan of small talk. She went directly to the point and addressed the issue without beating around the bush. The once lively crowd fell silent. "Tell me, did you consider their offer? That is why three days had gone by, and I was clueless. Talk!"

Her voice thundered inside the wooden cabin. No one dared to move or utter a word while she was still going ballistics. Beau is short-fused. Her temper is widely known, and so is her reputation as the pack's leader.

"So, no one is going to talk?" She hit the wooden table. "I thought we're clear here? No secrets. We move as one. What the f*ck has happened in the last three days?"

"They will never stop, Beau," one man said from the back. "Without a proper Alpha, we are up for grabs."

"Ah, Maximus." Beau recognized the man and smiled, although the smile didn't reach her eyes. "If I'm not mistaken, you had a little hand in this delaying of vital information. Am I correct?"

The man named Maximus cleared his throat. He was two decades older than Beau and was one of the traditional people. "Well, if you put it that way...my intention was good, Beau. I only want what's best for us---"

"Weren't you among the first to run and hide when our community was attacked?" Beau cut him off. "It's a bit rich coming from you. You're nothing but a coward, Maximus. You left your family when the worst happened, and now you have the balls to talk about what's best for us."

Another man stood up and took Maximus' side. "Hey, you're not even our Alpha. You're a woman!"

Beau snapped. "This woman saved your a**es. This community is alive because of me. I told you before I took over that if you don't like how I run things here, you can take all your possessions and leave. No one is stopping you. But you're still here."

"Beau, we have already told you. What is your problem with the delay?" Maximus reasoned.

"My problem is loyalty. Delays mean you are contemplating it. You kept it from me instead of advising them to go to me, Maximus. Tell me, can I still trust you?"

"We need the Alpha, Beau." Maximus was persistent. "Without him, we are doomed. They will come. You might stop them now or next month, but not forever. Others will come."

"Hey," another person from the back spoke in her defense, "that's why we have Beau. She got this. She always has."

She's the self-appointed Luna of the Theron pack. Her father was not even considered a strong or important wolf in the pack; no one noticed him, but he was a good man, and he taught Beau everything from honing her skills as a pup to prioritizing the well-being of others over her own needs and desires and generosity. Theron used to be in a state of discord. Though they live in the community, each one looks after their own. It was a dark age for them.

Unity was a myth back then, and they suffered greatly for it—until Beau stepped up and introduced changes. Her rise to power was abrupt. When their small community was under attack, she fought valiantly, leading her young peers, killing the trespassers, and sending a message to all packs out there who see Theron as a weak adversary.

From that day onward, Theron wolves accepted her leadership, and she brought them peace, unity, and abundance. Her ways are considered austere, but the yield is promising. However, her exemplary and iron-fisted leadership was not enough to stop other packs from crossing the line. Her people respected her and loved her, but they also knew that they needed a real Alpha.

There were firm believers in her capacity to lead, but there were traditional fanatics like Maximus. They are the older wolves who kept their beliefs deeply rooted in the pureblood Alpha successfully created via embryo transplant twenty-four years ago.

Four decades ago, wolves lost the ability to procreate. Most of the wolves now are half-breed or lesser. They mated with humans. Back in that day, wolves turned to science to save the last line of purebloods and were able to create a male embryo, the soon-to-be Alpha of Theron, which was later implanted in a human surrogate.

That surrogate carried the seed of a new generation of wolves, but she escaped and was never seen again. The child—the last pureblood—was gone.

Beau never relied on what was gone. Those before her waited for the esteemed pureblood to return, as it was innate for wolves to return to their pack, but were disappointed because he never came. She is a firm believer in coping and using what's readily available. Her point of view is modern and innovative, and she champions independence. Her personality is tough and strong. She walks her own path and respects those who deserve respect.

"I'm going to talk to them. I'll go to Stone Gap tomorrow, " Beau said loudly. "They should stop doing this."

"And what if they don't?" Another man asked, his voice filled with apprehension. "My boy said they'd come again, Beau. They said if we don't join them, they'd rather kill us."

Beau is fearless. She met his eyes and coldly replied, "Not if I kill them first."