A Queen Among Alphas

Chapter Four: Amelia POV

It’s 8 am when my eyes finally open, since I felt I deserved a little sleep-in. Look, I know 8 am doesn’t sound like a sleep in but compared to my usual schedule it is. I can see Zara is still softly sleeping away and I smile. Perfect; I can execute my plan. I can’t risk her waking up or knowing what I’m doing, so I put a barrier up between us in my mind.

I rarely ever do this; a lot of people – especially those at odds with their wolf spirit – tend to keep them silenced fairly often. I think it’s quite cruel and stupid. I could never keep Zara locked away like that, I love her too much. That may sound vain since I’m talking about a personality in my head, but Zara is her own entity – we just share a vessel.

Getting out of bed, I do some stretches and twists before I leave my room and the Alpha suite. On my way downstairs, several pack members stop me to kindly wish me a happy birthday and I thank each of them. I then make it outside and begin my trek into the woods.

We wolves are very durable so the rocks and twigs under my feet don’t bother me in the least. As I walk deeper into the woods – staying on pack territory – I keep my nose to the wind and my ears open.

I’m on the hunt.

I can hear and smell some small animals nearby but I’m hoping to find something a little bigger, maybe a stag. I decide to try a different direction when a scent makes its way to me on the wind; a grin splits across my face. This is perfect!

I strip out of my pyjama shorts, top and underwear then place them over a tree branch. We are more than accustomed to nudity, it’s not that big a deal. Depending on the day, if a human entered the territory, they might mistake us for a nudist colony.

Once I’m in my birthday suit – HA! Birthday suit, get it? Because today’s my… oh never mind.

I drop the barrier in my mind and am met by a very displeased Zara.

“What the hell, Amelia? Why did I wake up to a barrier?” She sneers. I giggle at my grumpy wolf.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” I shout in my mind. Her sneer vanishes and she’s immediately yipping and wagging her tail with glee.

“Happy Birthday Amelia,” she giggles shaking her head. “How do I fall for that every year?” She asks in amusement.

“Good to know I can still surprise you,” I say cheerfully.

Technically speaking, wolf spirits don’t have birthdays, or at least no one I know gives their wolf a birthday, but I do. Zara has been with me since birth; in my eyes that was the day she was born, so I happily share my birthday with her. Each year, I put up a barrier just long enough to put a surprise together and drop it for the reveal, she’s so unaccustomed to the barrier that she never realises what I’m doing. Works every time.

“Time to shift, Zara.” This makes her ears perk up.

After a moment of searing heat, I’m quickly on all fours shaking out my fur. Immediately everything around me becomes amplified. The colours around me are more vibrant, the smells more prominent and the sounds more amplified.

The first shift is the worst. Mine took four hours and twenty-three minutes and was absolute hell. All I did was scream and writhe in pain while every bone in my body broke and rearranged. The second shift was a significant improvement, and by the third shift, there was no pain. Now it takes me a couple of seconds to shift and instead of pain, all I feel is a burst of searing heat spread through my body and then it’s gone.

Zara is a stunning wolf; I was in awe the first time I saw her form. She’s black and white with black on the top half of her coat going from the tip of her nose down to the tip of her tail and white on the bottom half from the tip of her jaw again to the tip of her tail. She looks like she walked through white paint and ended up dip dyed. She’s also a good 6’5” tall, which is pretty normal for Alphas.

Alphas are commonly around the 6 feet mark as are other ranked wolves. Other wolves are usually around 4-5 feet, but the Alpha is always the biggest in the pack. Dad is two inches taller than me in wolf form.

“So, what’s my surprise?” Zara asks excitedly.

“You tell me,” I reply coyly.

I give Zara full control and feel as her ears are perked up listening to her surroundings and I watch as she points her snout up and sniffs the air. A gentle breeze moves past, and I know she caught the scent.

“No way!” She exclaims, making me chuckle.

“I was surprised too, but it’s just perfect. It’s all yours, girl.”

“Oh, thank you, Amelia, this is going to be awesome!” She exclaims again, and she takes off into the woods at top speed; the trees around us becoming a blur.

Zara and I have had an understanding since we first shifted: when in wolf form I would give her complete control because technically speaking this is her body. I would just be the passenger giving guidance. When in human form, I would be in control and she would be the passenger. The only time we would relinquish these roles is if we felt the other was in danger. We are a team. We have mutual respect and understanding and that’s what makes us so unbeatable. I chill in the back of her mind while I watch her do her thing.

She is an exceptional hunter. Zara approached her prey at lightning speed but began slowing down the closer she got. Once she was close enough she began taking tentative steps as she crouched down and her eyes locked on their prize.

Damn, it was huge!

Standing near a stream, lapping at the water was a moose that had to be at least 6 and a half feet tall at the shoulder and if I had to estimate, weighed around one thousand pounds. I couldn’t believe the luck when I caught its scent on the wind, and the breeze is working to her advantage. She’s currently crouched downwind, so the wind is blowing her scent away from the moose, making it easier to take her prey by surprise.

While I’m content with cake and music for my birthday, Zara is a wolf and deserves to have moments where she can be herself, and hunting for food in her own body is what she loves to do. For an Alpha wolf to bag such a large kill like this, well, that’ll boost her ego for ages.

I watch as Zara slowly edges closer to the unsuspecting animal, her body coiling, ready to strike. At breakneck speed she lunges at the moose, tackling it to the ground, landing a shallow swipe of her claws to its side. She leaps off, giving it a chance to get back up.

I can see the fear in the wounded animal’s eyes, but also its determination to survive. It gets up and charges at Zara, aiming its antlers right for her, but she’s quick to dodge them, manoeuvring to the back of the moose. She quickly attacks, biting into its hind leg and tugging it back, causing it to drop to the ground as it lets out a cry of pain. She lets it go and moves back. I roll my eyes. Zara could have killed it in the first strike, but she’s the play with her food type. Thank the Goddess she doesn’t do this during real fights.

Zara gives the poor moose one more chance to fight back before she sinks her teeth into its throat. She clamps her jaw down hard, and I feel its neck snap between her teeth. Just like that, the animal is finally dead and Zara dives into her kill, enjoying her oversized breakfast.

After gorging on moose, Zara heads back to where I left my clothes, collecting them in her mouth and making her way back to the packhouse. I can tell her muzzle is covered in blood and no doubt the white in her fur is now a garish crimson red, which is now getting on my clothes that are in her mouth. I don’t mind - we wolves are used to getting blood on our clothes.

“Thank you for the birthday surprise. I feel so lucky to have been paired with you,” she says, and I can feel through our connection how sincere she is; it warms my heart.

“My pleasure Zara, same time next year?” I chirp.

“It’s a date,” she chuckles.

Returning to the packhouse, Zara’s appearance gets a lot of notice. People nod in respect; some look concerned while others are smirking. Vitali bounds over to us with a big smile on his face.

“Good morning, birthday ladies. Want me to hose you down?” He asks jovially. Zara just snorts, though I can tell she is very tempted by the offer of playing with a hose. Sometimes she’s like a giant puppy dog.

“I heard that! How very dare you?!” She exclaims, once again making me chuckle. Zara pulls herself back and pushes me forward, and with a quick burst of heat, I’m back on two legs and throwing my clothes back on.

“So, what did you find for her this time?” He asks curiously.

“A moose. A huge one,” I grin proudly as his eyes widen.

“Not that I’m surprised, but way to go, Zara,” he applauds making Zara preen. The moment is interrupted by a scoff nearby and of course, it’s Ryker.

“As if you brought down a moose. I can picture a lot of wolves doing it, but not you,” he says snidely. Vitali and I roll our eyes. This guy is an absolute moron. My wolf is larger than his in every way and an Alpha; taking down a moose is child’s play for us.

“Ryker, I think you need to make a visit to Dr Richard’s office,” I say while walking towards the packhouse with Vitali in tow.

“Why would I need to do that?” He asks in confusion.

“Because something is clearly wrong with your sense of smell, otherwise you would have smelt that the blood I am currently covered in was moose blood,” I tell him impassively and hear Vitali snigger while Zara is in hysterics

Ryker stands there; his face blank with surprise before it morphs into anger. I can tell he wants to hit me, but I ignore him. Idiots like him are not worth my time. Though I did always wonder… since he’s so convinced he’s going to be the next Beta, you’d think he’d be kissing up to me as his future Alpha.

The Alpha and Beta have to be in sync and act like a well-oiled machine, which is one of the many reasons I’m giving the role to Vitali.

“Is that dickhead ever going to grow up?” Vitali asks as we walk through the packhouse.

“I am pretty sure that ship sailed long ago.”

Passing through the house, I get more nods and birthday wishes and it makes me feel great. Vitali is telling me how excited he is for the party tonight when our conversation is interrupted by Beta Declan.

“Happy Birthday Amelia,” he says flatly.

“Thank you so much,” I say, throwing on my best smile and making him scowl. I don’t know what this guy’s problem is, but he’s always so sour around me. I know it pisses him off when I don’t retaliate, so instead, I kill him with kindness. He’s looking at the blood all over me, but his face looks almost calculating, which is not the reaction you’d expect from someone in this situation.

“I hope you saved some of your energy, you’re going to need it for the ceremony,” he says smugly, but there’s a sinister look on his face. Zara starts growling. “Enjoy your day, Amelia,” he says as he walks off.

“Well that wasn’t ominous at all,” Vitali says through the pack-link. I nod in agreement as we head upstairs.

“That guy has always hated me. I’m starting to wonder if Ryker is going to be one of the people to challenge me tomorrow,” I speculate, much to Vitali’s surprise.

“That pipsqueak?! He doesn’t stand a chance against you. Challenging you would be suicide.”

“Not disagreeing with you, but think about it. He refuses to acknowledge me as his future Alpha and if he – at the very least – thought he’d be getting the Beta position, he should be trying to get on my good side. But he’s not. And then there’s the comment his dad made. All signs would suggest Ryker plans to challenge me tomorrow,” I say calmly.

After a moment of silence, Vitali doubles over in a fit of laughter.

“I’ll go get the shovels now shall I?” He asks and I laugh.

I promise this isn’t ego talking. I know how strong and capable both Zara and I are. Not only do we outrank Ryker, but he barely ever trains, so performance-wise he’s weaker than the average wolf. Even Torie can kick his ass; that says a lot about her skills and his lack of skills.

We get to the Alpha suite, and I step in to…

“SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” Is shouted from my parents, Gamma James and Lacey, Tyson, Delta Xander and Kennedy, Evalyn, Chris and… Mei?!

Shit.

I quickly duck behind Vitali. This is the first time she’s come out of the Delta suit and she’s seeing me covered in blood. Just great.

“I’ve got her, Amelia, she’s not looking,” says Chris through the pack-link. I’m glad he figured out I wasn’t just scared of a surprise; that would be embarrassing.

“Thank you so much for the surprise, everyone. I’m just going to go shower and then I’ll join you all.”

I speed off to my room, which is through the door on the left. Once I’m in, I rush to the bathroom, throw my clothes in the hamper, step into the shower, and work to scrub all the blood off me. I really hope I haven’t just contributed to Mei’s trauma. I’m starting to think I should have let Vitali hose me down outside.

After a very thorough shower, I complete my usual morning routine and then head into my closet to pick something to wear. It’s my birthday so I want to look nice. I pick out a lovely white maxi dress with blue floral prints on it, bishop sleeves and a low sweetheart neckline. Very feminine. I put on a pair of white strappy wedges with cork bottoms and then put my hair up in a large hair clip since it’s still wet.

I make my way out to the communal area, my eyes searching for Mei.

The Alpha suite is almost identical to the Delta suite, the only difference is our suite is decorated in black and white. The kitchen is all black fixtures and cabinets, with a black island and white marble countertop. The room is covered with a black carpet because white would be a b***h to clean. The living area has a large half circular white sofa, around a white coffee table that faces a large electric fireplace. This is bordered by black shelves with a large plasma screen TV on the wall above the fireplace. Behind the couch, is the dining table, which is a large rectangular glass table with eight white upholstered dining chairs. The walls are painted a soft grey.

If you’re wondering how large the sofa is, it can comfortably fit nine people, but if you squish everyone together then you can squeeze in thirteen. This means everyone here can fit on the couch, but I notice my parents, Uncle James and Aunt Lacey have pulled over some dining chairs instead.

Mei is tucked under Chris’s arm, sitting on the edge of the sofa furthest away from me. I slowly make my way over and kneel in front of her.

“Mei?” I say softly to get her attention. She looks down at me and I can see she’s nervous but I’m not sure if it’s me or being out of her room. “I am so very sorry you saw me like that. If I upset you or made you uncomfortable in any way, I truly apologise,” I say gently.

“Chris said it wasn’t because of an attack,” she says quietly. I notice he keeps gently rubbing her back.

“No attacks, I promise,” I say giving her a warm smile. “It was a birthday surprise for my wolf, Zara,” I tell her, and she looks at me confused. “I see today as our birthday, not just mine. So, I like to treat her with something good to hunt. She loves it, though now I’m feeling a bit bloated,” I chuckle patting my belly. Mei gives me a genuinely warm smile and Chris looks a mix of surprised and elated. I can hear his heart pounding fast while he kisses her temple. She directs her smile at him and now I think he’s going to pass out.

“You have a special relationship with your wolf,” she comments sweetly.

“I sure do,” I grin. “She’d love to meet you eventually; when you’re ready of course.”

“I would like that,” she says smiling and nodding, and now Chris has tears in his eyes. I think their bond as animais is going to kill him. “Maybe… I can shift, and you can see what I look like too,” she says while wringing her fingers in her lap. There are a couple of gasps while the rest of the room goes silent, and I can tell it’s making Mei even more nervous. So can Chris and he pulls her closer.

“Are you sure you’re ready for that?” He asks gently.

She looks up at him, taking a breath. “Not today, but maybe soon. I think I can trust everyone here.”

He hugs her tightly and smiles. “I promise we are all here for you and we all want to see your shifted form, especially me and Axel. We won’t let anything happen to you. Not ever,” he vows. She smiles and kisses his cheek. Chris blushes through his beard.

Too cute!

I look around and see all the happy faces. I’m proud to call these people my family. I see Tyson on the other side of the couch trying to hide the tears in his eyes. He may look all macho on the outside, but he is someone who wears his heart on his sleeve. Evalyn is cuddling him and looking at him sweetly.

Which reminds me...

“No grandpa and grandma?” I ask sadly.

Dad gives me a gentle smile. “Sorry sweetheart, their flight got delayed so they won’t make it on time. But they’ll be here for the Alpha ceremony tomorrow,” he promises. Sucks I won’t see my dad’s parents until tomorrow but that’s better than nothing.

Vitali walks over and hands me a small white box with a blue ribbon around it, with a card tied to the ribbon. “This is from my mum and dad. They’re still visiting my Aunt’s pack in Hawaii, so they can’t be here. But they sent this and wish you a very happy birthday. They said – and I quote – ‘be sure to give hell to anyone who challenges your title.’ They also told me to record the whole thing,” he grins and I chuckle.

“Great. You can be the camera crew for tomorrow,” I joke and open the box. Inside is a stunning blue topaz hairclip that’s been shaped to look like a blue hibiscus. It’s so gorgeous, I can’t help running my fingers over it. I take it out and immediately clip it into my hair.

“How do I look?” I ask as I model the jewel in my hair. I get many smiles and nods.

“It suits you perfectly, and it goes lovely with your dress today,” my mother praises. I glance down at my dress and chuckle. She’s right; it matches perfectly.

“My present is next!” Chimes Evalyn.

I spend the rest of the afternoon opening presents and enjoying a delicious lunch prepared by the packhouse staff. I know I said I was bloated from the moose, but like I said, we wolves have a fast metabolism. I was ready for more food by the time lunch came around.