Alpha's Prey

Chapter 1 Willow Thane

I was out in the sea, eyes red with rage and heart thumping in anticipation when the piercing sound

of the whistle blew in the distance.

The night was bright, and the light from the moon pierced through the water like a sharp blade. The

sea was quiet - except for the occasional rustle of the wind, but not my heart.

Without sparing a fraction of second, I shifted my gaze to the north, and my piercing blue eyes

scanned the waters in the horizon for signs of quarries. And then came the announcement.

“The vessels are coming this way!” One of my men yelled, and the rest of us quickly crouched for

cover.

This is the moment we'd all been waiting for, and my wolf form was warming up to take over. If only I

could catch Kieran Orion, the outlaw on the Interpol's red notice, my problems would be totally solved.

My spies had gathered that he would be arriving in one of the ships, and I wanted to give him a grand

welcome.

“Quickly, secure the boats, and make sure no one escapes.” I commanded, looking into the distance

at the fleet of ships making their way to shore. They looked as tiny as a ball, but I knew it was only a

matter of time before the mirage faded.

The time had come. I felt the wind whip my long, wavy, sandy hair in a frenzy, and panic rose from the

pit of my stomach. I had to end this, or risk the safety of my pack.

My name is Willow Thane, alpha and leader of the Cold crescent pack. Leadership was conferred to

me from my late father, the previous supreme alpha of the Cold crescent pack at a time when female

alphas couldn't lead. Bloody patriarchy! They didn't believe I could lead the pack like my father. Even

during my father's reign, there were those who were never loyal to him. Dad knew, but I wonder why

he never took action to dismiss them.

Having known how critical my state was, I'd learned to trade with caution. I knew the council wouldn't spare a minute to kick me out of office, especially since I had a few loyal men on my side.

This was one of the reasons I just couldn't wait to meet my fated mate. Maybe, just maybe, having a

man, and male heir could stabilize my rule.

"I see a ship approaching from the west end, and another from the North." Salome announced, to no

one in particular. In her eyes, I could see the same level of resolve as mine.

Salome is my best friend, and the only thing close to family that I have alive, so I loved her like my life.

I never knew my mom, dad said she died after giving birth to me. I get sad each time I think about it. I

have no siblings, no uncles, and now no family.

Dad died two months ago and since then, it's been just me, the pack, and a backlog of enemies who

won't stop fighting until I'm down.

Soon, the once deserted open sea was disturbed by moving fleet of ships that moved peacefully

through the water. Anger boiled within me, but I had to do the one thing that needed to be done -

conceal it.

These bunch of smugglers had been working closely with our enemies. They stole from us, delivered

to other packs, and then imported weapons to my pack. We had no idea where they came from, but I

knew, by wolf’s instinct, that the Dark moon pack was planning an attack soon. They'd been cooking

up plans since my father's tenure, but dad was never a man to be taken lightly, neither am I.

I'd stationed marines in the water, while the rest of us hid in the sand on the shore. Either way, the

smugglers were surrounded.

A short man with a protruding stomach stepped out from the ship, and surveyed the length of the

sea with his microscope. We were patient enough to let them do their thing, and when they thought

the shore was clear, they landed and began offloading.

There, all hell broke loose.

“Now!” I yelled from behind the bridge, and every man charged out of his hideout in fury and even

ripples blew up from the water.

When the intruders perceived that they were surrounded, they opened fire, shooting fiercely into the

night, but my warriors were trained for this moment. There was no going back.

"Over there! Kill them!" The captain from the smuggler's ship ordered.

A man shot at someone beside me, and the bullet pierced the air, striking Salome on the chest. She

brushed it off with the back of her hand, and looked up at the shooter with unresolved hate."I wish you hadn't done that," she seethed, eyes cold. With that, she leapt into the air, stretched and

transformed, tearing the night air with her terrifying howl.

"What the f**k!" The man cursed, loading more bullets into his cartridge, but he was too late.

Salome jumped on him, and crushed his bones before he got the opportunity to say his last curse

words.

The intruders transformed into their wolf forms, and so did my men. I soon realised that the

smugglers were a mix of men and werewolves, sweet even. Fighting humans was never fun for me, it

felt like an abuse of power. They were weak and couldn't put up a good fight.

"Secure the cargo hold!" Elsa yelled, her voice loud above the din of battle.

I raced to the first ship, just in time to stop the sailor from navigating back into the water. At first, the

sturdy man acted as if he wouldn't let go without a fight, but he was a smart one. He knew when to

give up.

Kaida secured the second ship, tying the sailor to the deck while the rest of the team dealt with the

trespassers.

At the end of the operation, we recovered loads of contraband, an outrageous arsenal of guns and

ammunition, and even wolfsbane. Who the hell imports wolfsbane to a pack full of werewolves

except they wish to destroy us?

Two of my men were wounded, but a handful of the smugglers were dead, while we took some away

as slaves. Trying to get words from them wouldn't work. Some of them had no idea whom they were

working for. Those who did, wouldn't speak up without the whip, and I didn't have that luxury of time.

"We did it, we got them!" Salome yodeled in a loud voice, and the rest of the team joined in.

I chuckled softly, glad that we'd caught the smugglers. Now, maybe the council would fully believe in

me.

"Listen up everyone," I started, and the entire assembly went quiet, as multiple pairs of eyes fixed their

gaze on me. "Great job, everyone. You saved the day, so rest tonight, we resume tomorrow at dawn."

Cheers and roars broke out as my men clapped and dispersed, grabbing the smugglers into the

awaiting truck. Soon, the sea was cleared and quiet again.

I heaved a deep sigh, and gazed into the water for a short moment, feeling a slight pang hit my chest.

The pangs of victory, that's what my dad always called it.

Tonight, the sea would sleep, I thought, trudging towards the car. We drove through the winding road

in silence, but as we drove past the outskirts of the pack into the city, the pang returned. "Are you okay?" Salome asked, putting her on my shoulder.

"I just can't shrug off the feeling that we left too soon."

"You're only been paranoid, Willow. Relax, you did a great job tonight."

I nodded, hoping that she was right.

"By the way, why don't we party tonight? You should let off some steam with a few drinks."

"I should," I enunciated, looking ahead at the streets alive with people. I suddenly realized that I

wanted to have some fun, for the first time in so long.

Turning to Salome, I whispered, "Let's do that, but first, take me back to the sea!”