The Golden One

As Ready As I'll Ever Be

I let the cold water trickle over my body and soothe the burning on my skin. It’s a shame it can't do anything about the burning need between my legs. I roll my eyes and rest my head on the glass, closing my eyes to think about the past twenty four hours.

This sucks.

Oh poor Meila has the love and desire of two sexy men.

My wolf taunts me from inside my head. b***h. She of all people should understand, she's literally feeling it with me. I shut the shower off and wrap myself in a towel, making my way to the mirror.

Michael is in the bedroom, I can hear him changing and cursing lightly under his breath. I brought my clothes to the bathroom with me to change, partly because the bedroom has no door thanks to Christopher, but partly because it suddenly feels wrong to be changing in Michael's presence. Am I teasing him? Am I betraying my mate? This situation has thrown me for a loop and I have no idea how to move forward.

Now is the wrong time to be dealing with mate drama. I am about to reveal my... gifts... to the strongest Alphas in the country. I shouldn't be worrying about boys. I have bigger fish to fry.

I swiftly get dressed in my little black pencil dress and Louboutin classic black pumps. Then style my golden hair into soft waves draped over one shoulder and apply my makeup, making sure to be precise with my signature red lip.

When I exit the bathroom Michael is sitting on the bed waiting for me, dressed in his smart suit. He gives me a weak smile as I walk over to him. I stand right in front of him and he gently leans his head on my stomach, his hands run up my legs and rest on the back of my thighs. I softly run my hands through his thick, wavy hair to comfort him.

"Are you ready for this?" He says, head still resting on my stomach.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I reply as he stands.

I take his hand in mine and give it a light squeeze and we walk together, side by side, to the meeting of the Council of the Alphas.

*****

"No!" I scream and run to stand in front of the two young rogues accused of stealing.

Alpha Francis stands in front of me now, whip in hand.

"Meila, get out of my way before I lash you too." He growls at me, aware that half the pack is watching our altercation.

"They are just children, Alpha. Younger than me. It's not fair!" I scream at him, his eyes burn onto me as his rage builds.

"Theft is theft, Meila. They have stolen food from us, we cannot let this slide without punishment." He adjusts the whip in his hand, the jagged silver tip shinning in the sun.

Ignoring him, I turn to the young rogues.

"How are old are you? Where are your parents?" I ask them calmly.

"I am 13 and my brother is 11. Our parents are dead, we are alone and have to fend for ourselves." The taller of the two answers, his eyes trained on the floor as his younger sibling sobs to his right.

I turn back to face Alpha Francis.

"This is cruel." I growl.

"I am the Alpha, Meila. You will stand aside or you will be punished with them." His voice is deep and threatening, but I do not flinch. I am not afraid.

I turn back to the rogues.

"Why are you rogues?" I ask returning to my calm tone of voice.

"Our father passed information about our pack to another Alpha. Our Alpha banished our whole family for his betrayal. He says disloyalty runs in the blood."

I scoff at his answer. How could an Alpha do this to young children all because their father messed up?

"Enough!" Alpha Francis yells from behind me. I return to face him, anger building in my stomach.

"You will move Meila and you will bend the knee to your Alpha. Remember your place, pup." His hand grips the whip as he speaks.

"No." I say calmly.

"You will submit or you will be punished." He spits at me as he shouts.

"No." He raises the whip in the air at my reply.

"Submit!" He bellows, I swear I can feel the ground shake as he shouts.

I close my eyes, feeling the fire radiate around my body. I clench my firsts in rage. Someone has to protect these pups. If not their Alpha or their parents, then I would.

I squeeze my eyes together and burst them open as I speak, feeling the fire travel from my stomach to behind my eyes.

"NO!" I scream at the top of my lungs, eyes trained on Alpha Francis's eyes. He looks startled and takes a step back. I glance around as everyone around me looks equally startled. Mouths are dropped open, eyes are wide and I feel like it can't just be my defiance causing this. Michael walks up to me, his face plastered with shock.

"Why is everyone looking at me like that?" I ask, it's a stupid question as I've just engaged with our Alpha in a public screaming match. Michael places his hands on each of my shoulders.

"Meila, your eyes... they're red." He whispers before dropping to his knee and submitting.

*****

Sitting in the meeting room, the eyes of all of the Alphas and Betas are on me. Disbelief, confusion and fear cross their faces. Some have no idea what I am or what this means. In our culture, as with most, the unknown is something to be feared.

"A True Alpha." A gruff voice comes from the other end of the table. Alpha Caesar, an older Alpha, is looking around the room to monitor people's reactions.

Some of the younger Alphas look at him confused at what he has said. He rolls his eyes before sitting straighter to address the room.

"A True Alpha becomes an Alpha for their strength of character, virtue and willpower. They do not gain their Alpha status by killing or forcing their way in. They are very rare, rarer than female Alphas and here we have both a female Alpha and True Alpha in one." He finishes and all eyes return to me.

I squirm under everyone's gaze. I worry they are figuring out how they can kill me or how they can f**k me. Big headed I know, but in a room full of powerful men, I know most would either be uncomfortable at a woman more powerful than them or turned on by it.

"How old were you when you gained your Alpha status?" Alpha Carl speaks now understanding fully why I am the Alpha and not Michael.

"Fifteen." There's a murmur at my answer.

"And you had fully shifted and were in control of your wolf?" He asks, knowing a wolf comes out during puberty.

"I— uh—" Michael rests his hand on mine and gives it a soft squeeze. I see Christopher tense out of the corner of my eye but choose to ignore it.

"I first shifted at the age of seven." More murmurs, but I ignore them and continue to explain. "I don't remember my childhood. My memories start the day Alpha Francis found me. I was a wolf stumbling around helplessly in his territory. He saw my size and knew something was wrong. He took me into his pack and raised me as his own. I don't know where I came from or what triggered my transition at such a young age."

Alphas and Betas are deep in conversation, some mind linking and some openly discussing it. My eyes scan the room taking it all in. My eyes fall on Christopher's, he is watching me intently. There is no fear or confusion on his face, only a half-smile. He is gazing at me in... admiration?

I look at Michael and he nods in approval. I speak above the hum of voices.

"There's more." Everyone's eyes snap back to me. I sigh. "It's easier if I show you." I stand and move for the door. More confusion and mumbled conversations erupt while everyone stands to follow me.

I make my way out of the front of the house and onto the grass, looking away from everyone. Michael follows and stands in front of me facing the others. The Alphas and Betas all gather in a group not sure of what I am going to do. I start to pull at the zip of my dress, using Michael's body as a shield. I hear a low growl coming from Christopher and he moves to stand next to Michael offering me extra coverage.

"You know you can just shift while fully clothed, you don't have to put on a show." A younger Alpha makes the comment in a snarky tone.

"This is Prada. You don't rip Prada, darling." I say continuing to undress. A few sniggers come from the more well-dressed Alphas wearing similarly expensive suits.

I crouch down and shift into my wolf. Once again, mumbled conversations start.

In wolf form, I slowly turn around, a snarl formed so as to flash my teeth. Pushing my snout between Michael and Christopher, I start to approach the gathered group. Christopher turns to face me, mouth open slightly, before regaining composure and facing the other Alphas and Betas.

Michael is one of the largest wolves I have ever seen, but I still stand a foot taller than him. My teeth are aggressively larger and my fur is a bright golden colour. It's not a colour associated with wolves and it evokes a gasp from some members of the group. The difference in my wolf doesn't stop at appearance; my senses are heightened and I am stronger, more agile and faster. I am unbeaten in combat in fur, in fact no one has ever came close to beating me, although any fighting has been training within our pack.

I stalk towards the Alphas and lower my head, showing this is not a power trip and I'm not a threat.

Alpha Caesar steps forward and reaches out to me.

"Aureum Unam." He says then moves to stand next to me and faces the crowd.

"What?" The snarky Alpha asks. Alpha Caesar sighs, clearly exasperated by his ignorance.

"Do they not teach anything in your packs these days?" He shakes his head in disapproval and some of the Alphas shuffle their feet awkwardly.

"Aureum Unam is Latin for "Golden One". There is a prophecy that speaks of the Golden One being our salvation, saving us and taking us to a better future for our species."

As he speaks I retreat behind Michael and Christopher and shift back to my human form. I shuffle into my dress and walk back to stand next to Alpha Caesar. Christopher moves behind me and zips up my dress before I have a chance to do it myself. His touch sends shivers up my spine and his hand lingers at my neck a little longer than necessary. I hear Michael growl under his breath and Christopher swiftly removes his hand.

"You're forgetting a part of the prophecy old man." A deep, powerful voice comes from the crowd and a strong, dark haired man, steps forward. Although clearly older than most here, he oozes power and strength as the group parts for him to walk through.

"And what would that be, Alpha Damien?" Alpha Caesar returns calmly.

Alpha Damien stands in front of me, eyes hungrily scanning me up and down, his eyes pausing too long on my chest for everyone's liking. Christopher takes a step closer to me and, for once, Michael doesn't make a sound, he knows this man is having impure thoughts of me and in this moment Christopher is the better option. I shift under Damien's gaze. His presence feels familiar but not in a comfortable sense. My stomach flips uncomfortably leaving me with a sickly feeling squirming around my gut. I can't bring my eyes to meet his so stare down at his feet instead.

"The Golden One can also bring our downfall as a species." He speaks, eyes never leaving me. There are gasps and whispers coming from the group behind. This was what I was afraid of. It's true what they say about fear leading to hate and anger.

"The prophecy is subjective, almost like a riddle. It's not necessarily clear that there can be a fall of the species." Alpha Caesar keeps his calm tone and flashes me a side smile. I like him, he makes me feel at ease.

"We should head back in, we've got a lot to discuss." Alpha Carl speaks to break the tension that is building. It works and everyone obeys, turning to head back to the meeting room.

Michael lingers with me and once everyone is inside I turn and melt into his arms. He holds me in his strong arms and strokes my hair to soothe me.

"Well the wolf is out of the bag now, no putting it back in." I sniff into his smart navy suit.

I pull back and take in his expression, he seems sad and worried.

"Do you think we did the right thing?" I ask with a furrowed brow, matching his concerned expression.

"Only time will tell, Meila." He speaks softly, rubbing my shoulder in reassurance.

"We should go, they can't really learn about me without me there." I sigh.

Michael presses a gentle kiss on my forehead and rubs my arms in reassurance. Once again we walk back into the meeting side by side.