Not his to claim

As night set in, the air grew cold. Alpha Pius made his way to the meeting room. His Beta had betrayed him, turned rogue and challenged him for his role as Alpha. He had slaughtered all his best men and he was outnumbered and close to defeat. This was his only chance to save his pack, and although he felt embarrassed to even ask the Alpha of the Harvest Moon Pack for help, the future of Red Moon depended on it. As he entered the room, those inside stopped talking and stood to address him. “Please sit Alpha James. You are my guest here, I appreciate you coming at short notice. I’m sorry the situation could not have been different.” Alpha James was the leader of the Harvest Moon pack. He was a strong warrior, feared by many and it was rumoured he had links to the Irish Royal Wolf family before they were murdered and drove into hiding. It is believed the only surviving member is with the Harvest Moon Pack but no one knows if this is true. He was flawed, like so many powerful alpha’s. His children were unruly, petulant and demanding. Nothing like Alpha Pius’ beloved daughters. Before all this madness, the Red Moon Pack were prosperous and well respected in the werewolf community. A few months back I had suspected my beta of stealing money from the pack and once confronted, things became very dangerous. When I learnt he betrayed me and led a team of rogues, I exiled him from the pack and ever since we had been getting regular attacks. The pack could no longer survive without the help of Harvest Moon and Alpha James. As I explained this to Alpha James he sat in silence until finally he said “I understand your predicament Alpha Pius, but what do I get in exchange for my support? I will surely lose men, what is in it for me?” “Let me be clear, you will not assist unless I give you something valuable? But Alpha James, I have been raided so often it will take me years to build up the pack finances I have nothing to offer you. What can I give to you that will secure your help?” Silence filled the air, as Alpha James considered this for a moment. Then he slowly got up to leave without saying so much as a word. As he reached the door he stopped. Without turning he said “Alpha Pius, it is widely considered that your mate is the most beautiful of werewolves in the kingdom. As she is already mated to you, I ask that you give one of your daughters to my son when they come of age. I will return here when the youngest child is of age and claim my payment. My men will assist you.” And with that he left. That night Alpha Pius, with the help of the Harvest moon pack defeated the rogues and peace was restored. ******************************************** 17 years later Eleanor As the years passed Red Moon grew from strength to strength. Eleanor and her three sisters were all of age now… well in one month they would be. Eleanor was one month off her 18th Birthday and they all knew what this meant. Their lives as they knew it would change. None of them knew which sister would be chosen. Eleanor was the youngest and some would say the wildest. She loved adventure and was often seen challenging the other young wolves in the pack to races. Although she had yet to meet her wolf she was faster than most in the pack, stronger and feistier. Her sisters, Eloise and Effie, were completely different to her. Eloise, the eldest, was mild mannered, bookish and elegant. She was always poised and so hard to read. She held her emotions close to her chest, but when you knew her, as Eleanor did, she was the most loving and loyal person to grace the earth. Effie, well she was a character. She was loud, demanding and loved by the whole pack. She was a complete joker and loved nothing more than pranking the warriors. She swore to never fall in love and to die alone amongst the pack she was born in. She was a great healer and although the three sisters were all different, no closer sisters you could find. They dreaded the day the Harvest Moon pack would come and shatter their perfect existence. One day the sisters were all in the room they shared when their mother knocked and approached them. All four sat on the bed and Eleanor hugged her knees to her chest. She could tell her mother was worried about something. And the three girls had a fair idea of the reason behind the furrow in their mother’s brow. “Girls, it is time. Alpha James has written to say that his son Damon will take over as alpha in one month time. To be precise, the day of your birthday Eleanor. Alpha James has requested that the three of you must go and visit them for the three weeks prior to the ceremony so that young Damon can decide which of you he likes.” The girls were all excited, scared and nervous at the same time. Effie declared her intention to scare him off by not washing. Eloise just went quiet and Eleanor shrugged her shoulders. What was decided when they were children would be determined by the moon goddess and who was she to fight it. However, if only the moon goddess could give her her destined mate beforehand she would be saved. Damon Ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous! Why did he have to marry one of the weak, pathetic Red Moon sisters. Sure it was rumoured they were all beautiful. No one outside their pack had ever actually seen them!! They could be trolls for all he knew. Their father couldn’t even protect his own land and here his own father betrothed him to one of these wretches before he even seen them. He threw himself onto his bed and texted his soon to be beta. Life was about to change around here, and not to his liking. For years Damon was the star foot ball player in high school. Every girl wanted to f**k him. And he got a different girl every night, and no virgin Red Moon girl would change that. As his room door opened in walked his best friend and Beta, Tomas. Tomas was easily 6ft 7, tall, dark and handsome. He had piercing blue eyes and all the girls used to throw themselves at him and I. Tomas is the only man I can trust: he has a pathetic sense of loyalty to our pack since we saved his sorry ass when he was a kid. He was shipped here from Ireland and has stayed with us since. No one is allowed to talk about his life in Ireland, it is strictly forbidden. Man I’m going to miss going out and getting p***y with this dude. We have had some mad nights together. I’m not ready to give that up. Tomas has always stayed celibate. Choosing to wait for his chosen mate. Sure I know he’s messed around but he’s saving himself for his mate. Me? Not so much! But that’s the best thing about being a future alpha. All the pack sl*ts throw themselves at me. Life has been good. Well up until now and I’ve got to deal with 3 virgins coming here to ruin my fun. My father insists I settle down and change my ways before becoming alpha. “Listen man, I need a favour? My dad wants me to go bring the three hags from Red Moon Pack here but I’m not going near that dive. Can you go collect them and bring them here?” Tomas kicked at his shoes “I don’t know man, it’s customary for the future alpha to take the lead in these scenarios. It looks pretty shitty and disrespectful if you don’t go and meet these girls at their own pack first. You know I will do what you want, but maybe you should reconsider” I breathed out a huff in frustration. “Listen man, it’s none of your business, just do as you’re told and get out of here. You are dismissed. Now send Becky in here, I need my c*ck sucked. “ Tomas This isn’t a good idea. I can feel it in my gut. My wolf, Fergus, is pacing up and down excitedly. He knows something big is about to happen but won’t tell me. So I don’t know if it’s something good or something bad. I made my way up the hall to my small box room. Although I’m soon to be beta, I decided my living quarters were too luxury for me. All I need was the room I’ve stayed in since I was a child. I’ve offered my Beta suite up to the three sisters coming to stay with us soon. This room is on the same corridor so I can protect them if required. I pack a small bag, with a change of clothes and some aftershave. I’ll be driving through the night and need to be able to freshen up beforehand. In walks Gamma Joey with a rucksack over his shoulder. Joey, Damon and me have been inseparable since school. Damon can be a bit of a douche. He’s always been untouchable because he is future alpha but he has got worse in recent months. His sister Alexa is a nasty piece of work. She’s had her eyes set on me for quite a while and apparently I should be lucky that an alpha’s daughter would give me the time of day! Joey and me have always been close and I know a lot of the pack members prefer me over Damon. And it’s been whispered that a lot want me to challenge him for the title of alpha when it passes to him in a few weeks. “You ready to go man?? Car is good to go” Joey asks. I tell him about my niggling feeling and he says he feels the same, so at least it’s not just me. We jump in the black pick up truck and set off. I mind link Damon and ask if he is sure he doesn’t want to come with and I get shut out with a swift “Goodbye”. My wolf, Fergus is pacing. He’s excited. I have never seen him like this and I’m worried. Maybe an attack is imminent. He is a magnificent beast. Pure black coat, with glowing green eyes. It’s strange my eyes change colour when I shift but apparently it’s to do with my Irish heritage. I don’t know a lot about my family, I came here when I was so young and Alpha James forbids us to talk about it. All I know is that my mother and alpha James were brother and sister. Joey and I, head into the dark, with country music blaring on the radio. Damning myself for allowing Joey to pick the music I set the truck into drive and we set off. Eleanor With her sisters asleep, Eleanor slips out of bed and sits in the ledge of the bay window. As the moon light seeps into the room she silently lets a tear fall down her cheek. Although she would never admit it, she is terrified. Somehow deep down she knows Damon will choose her. She is willing to sacrifice herself for her sisters to meet their true chosen mate, but secretly it’s all she has ever longed for. Seeing her parents grow up with such a strong loving bond her heart aches for that same love. Who knows maybe this Damon will be the one for her. It’s all so much for her to deal with. Atleast if my wolf was here I could cope a bit better. I would have comfort from her. The bright moon light shines over the pack lands. This pack is all I have known and loved since my birth. I have spent years training in secret. Without a male heir it is likely whoever marries Eloise will take over. But until then we need a warrior to protect us should we ever face an attack and from an early age I knew this would be me. Eloise has the grace of a Luna but she is not a fighter. If I had my way, myself and my sisters would rule our pack as joint Luna’s but it would never be accepted by the werewolf grand council. I made my way down stairs and grabbed some chocolate. I took it up to bed and Eloise awake and waiting for me. She climbed into bed beside me. As my big sister, she was always my protector, even though I was the fierce one, she was always so motherly and kind. She pulled me to her in a hug and softly kissed my head. “Don’t worry sweet girl, I promise you, as the eldest I will do my duty to protect you both. I love you both so much. Now share that chocolate so we can get to sleep.” We both giggled and had some chocolate, as Effie’s gentle snore’s filled the room. None of us knew what lay ahead, but we knew as long as we stuck together nothing would ever defeat us. That alone made me braver. The next morning I got up and made my way to the bathroom. Our pack house was massive but as we three sisters were so close we chose to share a room. As a pack, we found that they were very protective of us. We were not deliberately hidden from others but there was a fear that because of my mother’s renown beauty, we would be frequently targeted with the objective of marriage. So my father opted to keep us out of public life until the Harvest Moon pack was honoured. As I brushed my teeth, I looked at my reflection. I had long dark curly hair, tan skin and white teeth. Over the past few months as I approached adulthood, my body had begun to change. I had full breasts and wide hips with a flat stomach. My eyes were chocolate brown with flakes of green. I knew I was beautiful and I despaired of it. Men rarely could see past my appearance. No one cared I could out run all the male warriors in my pack. And that’s without my wolf. I could wrestle, hunt and fight better than most of the pack warriors. I was fast, strong and ruthless. Combined with my beauty I could be considered deadly. I changed into a pair of black leggings and a black t shirt with black Nikes. I would just about have time for a run before the guests were due to arrive. As I headed into the kitchen I grabbed a croissant and spoke with one of the omega’s. I had a quick glass of water and made my way down the steps. I stretched my legs and jogged on the spot to loosen myself up then I took off. I ran as fast as I could through the woods next to the pack house. The world whizzed past me as I made my way to the edge of the pack boundaries. I leaped over fallen trees, tree roots and over grown shrubs as I raced through the forest. My heart beat thundering in my chest. Soon Damon would be here. I needed to get back. Even without my wolf, my senses were sharp and I heard the pick up truck come to a halt just past the clearing. I stopped and made my way over to see this man that was to change the path of my life forever. I slowly crept over as both men got out of the pick up. There were two men. One dark haired and one fair haired. The dark haired man gave off an alpha aura, so this must be Damon. The other was on the phone to my father to advise they had just entered into our pack lands and would be there in a few minutes. I made to move away when my foot snapped a twig. The dark haired male, raised his head and looked me straight in the eyes and said “mate”. Oh s**t… Tomas Oh s**t… I never thought I’d see my mate in this kip, but sweet lord she was beautiful. No sooner had I seen her but she was gone. I made to run after her but Joey stopped me. It seems he didn’t sense her at all, but I couldn’t help but notice her and the sweet smell of vanilla and chocolate combined. My wolf was howling in my head. So this was the cause for the anxiety the past two days. Made sense. We jumped in the truck and made way to the pack house. I had to control myself. We were on official pack business and I needed to see if I could find my mystery love. Oh my, imagine Damon’s face when he hears I have finally found my true mate. After everything I have had to listen to for years from him for waiting. By my god was she worth the wait. I got hard just thinking of those startled chocolate brown eyes. As we pulled up to the pack house, Alpha Pius came out to meet us. He was a great man, well respected by many, including Alpha James. It was considered a massive disrespect that Damon did not arrive himself on this occasion. We tried our best to persuade him but he would not listen. He believed himself better than Alpha Pius, but what Pius done for his pack had to be respected. It was commonly known that Alpha Pius, his wife Juliet and his three daughters were exceptionally close and very private people. This would no doubt be difficult for them. To have made that promise he must have been very desperate to protect his pack. As we got out of the pick up, alpha Pius approached us. “Great to meet you both, which one of you do I have the pleasure of welcoming into my family?” He laughed as he clapped us both on the back. We both awkwardly mumbled about Damon’s absence, but alpha Pius understood immediately. The anger flashed in his eyes at the disrespect shown, but he remained composed and his face neutral. He was a better man than Damon that was for sure. We discussed briefly local pack news and talked about the drive here. He explained he had organised a feast in our honour and that we would meet the girls later that evening as we had business to discuss first. Eleanor Heart pounding, legs shaking she raced back to the pack house. If this was to be her future husband she’d happily offer herself up. Tall, dark and handsome, she had never seen anyone so beautiful in her life. It felt like his eyes burned into her soul. She had the strangest feeling but couldn’t place it. She reached the pack house within minutes of them arriving and raced up the stairs to tell her sisters. Suddenly she was excited for what the future held. She was sure that with this handsome stranger by her side she would be content. She didn’t need her chosen mate. He would be enough for her. If only her wolf was here, she would know if he was her chosen mate. Granted that she felt a stirring inside, but even she knows rationally, they haven’t been exposed to many men. It could simply be from that. As she bounded into the room to her two sisters she could barely speak when the pick up rolled into the gravel drive. All three girls ran to the window, to see them arrive. As the doors to the pick up opened and the two Harvest Moon Pack members stepped out, her breath caught. He really was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. Beside her Effie gasped. “Oh s**t, mate!!!!!” The three girls all went quiet. Effie, the one so determined to end up alone had found her mate. She looked devastated. Inside my heart was stopped as I waited for her to tell me which of the men were her mate. Oh moon goddess, why are you playing such games! When Effie was able to regain her composure she told them both that the handsome gamma was her mate. I breathed a sigh of relief, that I didn’t even know I was holding. We tried to get her excited but I could see that she was scared, angry and annoyed. As a group we didn’t know what to make of these developments but we knew that from this moment all our lives would change