Fated: Alphas of the Compass

A wolfless female is only good for one thing: absolute devotion to the god and goddess, Nocht and Lumina. That's what my father always said, even before I failed to shift on my name day. I never thought I would be one of those females, but I guess anything is possible when you have luck like mine. Becoming a priestess hasn't been so bad, though. Especially not when I get to be involved in all of our celebrations, like the one beginning in just a few days. All four of the packs are buzzing with anticipation for the upcoming challenge. The Alpha King, Arden Marrok, and his Beta Prince, Indrik Osmin, will be stepping down. Soon, the alphas and their respective betas from the four packs will be able to challenge to become the next king and prince in a series of events. They will be judged by the king, prince, luna queen, and beta princess. Afterwards, Lumina, our most sacred goddess, and her priestesses will bless the king and allow him to rule for many years. I have been assigned as one of the priestesses heading up the planning of the welcome ceremony for all of the alphas and betas into the Sacred City. It's my first important job as a priestess, and I desperately want to succeed and prove my bitter family wrong. "Stella," the head priestess, Erylis, calls to me. "Are you almost finished with the announcement cards? I need you to take over for Ellyana. I'm afraid she hasn't even finished the room assignments for the betas, let alone for the alphas or the welcome bags I asked her to make. I swear a snail could outpace that girl." She sighs, giving me a pleading smile, which makes me chuckle. Erylis is one of the females who willingly devoted herself to the goddess, despite having her wolf for many years. The Northern Aurora pack sends all wolfless females to become priestesses of the Moonlit Temple, so despite being a priceless link between the packs and our deities, many believe the wolfless are still beneath them, and most of the time, priestesses are lumped in with them. The only ones who are not above us are the omegas, who are at the bottom of the food chain in any pack. I step over to Erylis and put a hand on her shoulder. "Of course, I can. I'll do whatever it takes to get everything finished before the alphas arrive. You know how important this is, and not just to the packs." This earns a sad smile from Erylis. She has always believed my family was in the wrong to completely disown me after dumping me on the steps of the Moonlit Temple. "Yes, I know. I've been the audience for many of your rants about how you want to prove them wrong, if you recall," she chides, elbowing me in the ribs lightly. Along with being the head priestess, Erylis has become my best friend and closest confidante. I sigh and continued putting the final touches on the announcements. "I know. But, to be fair, if you wanted to be rid of me, you could have easily told me to go away. I was terrified of you when I first arrived, if you recall." I try to hold in my grin, but it doesn't work for very long. When I first joined the temple, Erylis was just a priestess, and was told to show me around and help me adjust. It must have been a punishment for something, because she was angry from the very start. With fiery red hair and a temper to match, along with her tall stature, Erylis was a sight to behold. Like they say, hell hath no fury. For the first few months of my stay, she terrified me, and I spoke to her as little as possible. At my meager five feet, four inches, she towered over me. It was just best to stay out of her way. Eventually, she cooled off and even made a few jokes at the expense of our then head priestess, Arken. A few years later, she became head priestess herself, and one of two friends I had at the temple. Erylis giggles and moves to help Ellyana pack the supplies for the welcome bags and room assignments, saying that she would be much more suited to helping another priestess check over the welcome speech for Alpha King Arden. I sigh and finish putting my last flourish on the final announcement card. Alpha Emron Lawson and Beta Merric Culgan of the Eastern Dawnrise Pack. I wondered what each of the visiting alphas would be like. As one of the priestesses heading up the welcome ceremony, I would likely greet each and answer any questions they had about the Sacred City pack house, village, and Moonlit Temple. I only hoped they would be kinder than King Arden. The man was powerful and strong, but extremely unrelenting in his punishments, which he doled out frequently, especially among the priestesses. I shake my head and move on to the welcome bags. Ellyana really hadn't done much of anything with them. All of the maps lay scattered and folded in the bottom of the box holding the rest of the supplies. I tsk softly and leave the room in search of some new ones. The pack house should have some in the front room for any visitors. I leave the temple and shiver, pulling the hood of my thin priestess' gown up over my ears. Here in the Midlands, we are in the beginning of our winter, when the temperatures go up and down without warning. Yesterday had been warm, with the autumn sunshine still holding out and warming the Midlands in a final strike against the cold. Today is the opposite. It seems the harsh winter clouds and cold have finally won out. I just hope the winter won't be as long as last year's. I make my way through the village and eventually end up at the back entrance of the pack house. I quickly open the door and slip in, thankful for the warmth that envelopes me as soon as the door is shut. Rubbing my hands together, I murmur a quick prayer of thanks to Lumina for central heating, currently one of my favorite things to ever be invented. I make my way to the front room and just as I thought, a large stack of maps of the village and pack house is sitting on the center table. I quickly take enough for the welcome bags, and turn to leave. As soon as I do, I come face to face with the broadest chest I've ever seen. I let out a small squeak of surprise and step back, nearly falling onto the table. Large hands quickly reach out and grab my elbows, steadying me. "Thank you," I manage to say, more than a bit embarrassed. The man chuckles and squeezes my elbow. "I'm sorry to have startled you. I was told that I could find maps of the village in here. I think you took me by as much surprise as I took you. Are you alright?" I merely nod, unable to understand why he was being so kind. Nobody was ever this kind to a priestess. "I'm so sorry," I begin, my face a flaming red. I look down at the floor and continue, "I should have been more careful. I wasn't expecting anyone. Usually the King is very busy, as is the Luna. I was just getting a few maps for the welcome bags the priestesses are putting together for the visiting alphas and betas." I bite my lip, realizing I've been rambling, and look up to see if I've annoyed this poor man. But a poor man I did not find. Instead, I find not only the most handsome man I've ever seen, but the best smelling one, too. He smells like smoke and cloves. It takes everything I have not to lean in and sniff him. Not knowing how to react to this new, strange desire, I quickly excuse myself and dash from the room, leaving him bewildered and amused. I don't stop until I make it back to the temple. Breathing heavy, I drop into my chair and put my head in my hands. What in the world was that?!