The Protector of Wolves

Chapter 1: The Proposition

Lacy's POV

“Alessia, Alpha Douglas will be arriving soon. He has brought his son, Travis with him,” my father tells me through the mind link. “They have requested your attendance.”

I roll my eyes. “Okay,” I sigh, “I’ll be right there.” I drag myself out of bed and throw on a pair of jeans and a nice blouse. I quickly brush my teeth and pull my dark, wavy hair into a high ponytail.

As the daughter of an alpha, I should be used to attending these meetings out of respect to our guests, but if there is one Alpha I can’t stand, it’s Alpha Douglas. I met him once a few years back when he invited my family and me to visit his pack, Ridge Creek. I have always admired how my father led our pack; he is kind and compassionate, yet authoritative when necessary. He is what I thought all alphas would be like. It was very unsettling when I saw what kind of alpha that Alpha Douglas was. He used fear and manipulation to rule over his pack. On our visit, he threatened more than once to kick out his pack members over trivial things. It was clear he thrived off of feeling dominant and powerful. My only hope after that visit was that his eldest son, Travis, would not follow suit when he becomes alpha.

I slide on a pair of black flats and walk to my bedroom door. I reach for the doorknob, but instead of turning it I freeze, thinking back to what my father just told me.

“It’s strange that they specifically requested your attendance,” my wolf, Cecelia mentions to me in my head, echoing my concern. “I wonder what they want from you.”

“Well, there’s only one way to find out,” I groan.

I open my door and head down the hallway to my father’s office. The 4th floor of the packhouse is reserved for the Alpha and his family, so I don’t run into anyone else on the way. Once I reach the office, I notice the door is partially ajar, so I enter without knocking.

“Ahh! Alessia! Glad you could make it!” Alpha Douglas says overzealously. He is a large man, though shorter and less muscular than my father. At his side I see his son, Travis. He looks much like his father with short blond hair and dull green eyes. They are both sitting at the desk across from my father and are looking at me intently.

“Hello Alpha Douglas. Travis.” I give them each a quick nod and then walk over to the couch were my mother and older brother are seated.

“Great!” Alpha Douglas claps his hands together. “Now that we’re all here, we can begin!”

“Wait! Where’s Beta Paul?” I look around the room, confused.

“As requested by Alpha Douglas, Paul will not be joining us today,” my father replies. My face pales and a wave of nausea hits me. As the second highest ranking wolf in the pack, my father always requests Beta Paul to join the meetings.

My father turns to Alpha Douglas. “Now, what was it that you wanted to discuss?” My father asks, his face expressionless.

“Ahh, well, we have heard some interesting things,” Alpha Douglas begins. “We have heard that your daughter is what we could call, ‘special.’” He looks towards me and raises his eyebrows.

My breathing begins to quicken. “Does he know!?” I cry to my wolf. A quick glance at my father now tells me he has the same concern.

“Care to elaborate?” My father asks. His eyes narrowing at Alpha Douglas.

“We know she is a protector. We want her to be Travis’ chosen mate,” Alpha Douglas explains. “In exchange I offer an alliance between our packs, which will continue when Travis takes over as alpha later this year.”

Everything around me becomes muted. They know what I am, and they "want" me, like I am some kind of prize.

I feared this day would come. The Moon Goddess warned me that although I am the protector of wolves, not all wolves would be benevolent towards me. No one outside of my immediate family was to know, but somehow Alpha Douglas and Travis figured it out. The nausea has now turned into painful knots in my stomach.

"We will not force Alessia into this," my father’s voice, now turned stern, fills the room. "She deserves to find her fated mate as much as anyone else. That’s what the Moon Goddess intends."

"Ehh, the Moon Goddess makes mistakes with fated mates sometimes," Alpha Douglas replies dismissively.

"Are you questioning the Moon Goddess?!" My mother gasps. "Why wouldn't you want your son to have his fated mate?"

"My mate was human, so I rejected her." Travis interrupts, his tone flat and uncaring. "I need a strong, powerful mate, not a human. I want Alessia. I choose her to be my mate."

Travis only wants me for my supposed "power." I glance over at my older brother, Elijah, who is leaning forward on the couch and notice his hands are clenched into fists. My father slams his hand down on his desk. "We will not agree to this!" He barks at Alpha Douglas.

"I advise you to reconsider, Alpha Andrew. She will be turning 18 soon and if she finds her mate then you will not be able to change your mind. She will be well taken care of in our pack. And, just think how strong our grandchildren would be. Maybe they will even inherit some of Alessia's power."

"How dare you even think to ask of this! This meeting is over. LEAVE, NOW," my father roars, his face bright red.

I watch as Alpha Douglas and Travis walk towards the door. Travis stops before exiting the room and turns his head to look at me. I stare back into his eyes, not wanting to give him any indication of fear. He holds the stare for longer than I would have liked, and I notice a flash of possessiveness dance across his eyes. His lips curl into a smirk and finally, he turns away, following his father out the door.

My father immediately calls in some of the warriors to escort them off of our packlands. Once they are out of the office, I look over at my father. I have never seen him this angry before. My mother walks over to him and rests her hand on his shoulder. I instantly see some of the tension in his body lessen.

"Alessia..." my brother, Elijah, turns to me, his eyes wide. "I don't know how they found out."

"Alessia honey, are you okay?" My mom asks as she walks over to where I’m sitting on the couch and pulls me into a tight hug.

My family knows how dangerous it is for others to know that I am the protector; I know they would never tell anyone. I want to say something to assure them that I am okay. But as my mouth hangs open, nothing comes out. As soon as my mom releases me from our hug, I stand up and run out the door. I can hear my father pleading for me to come back, but I keep going, making my way down the stairs and out the packhouse doors.

Before I know it, I'm in the forest and I shift. Cecelia, my wolf has completely taken over. She is running so fast I can barely make out the outlines of the trees. I feel my paws pounding against the forest floor and the wind blowing through my thick, dark fur.

We reach a clearing in the woods which reveals a river that runs through the packlands. I take control back from Cecelia and shift back into my human form. I find my favorite spot, a large boulder right next to the river's edge with a perfect view of the waterfall. I decide that it's a good place to sit, and for the next hour, I try to think about anything other than Travis.