Hiding the Alpha

Beauford's POV "The Moon Goddess must be hiding tonight," Beauford observed, as he watched the clouds covering the perfect full moon. Beauford, the Beta of the Blood Moon tribe, was sitting with his mate and Head Moon Priestess, Claudine. "What do you think, Claude, is this a bad omen?" The moon priestesses were revered by all werewolves, but even more so by the members of the Blood Moon pack, the oldest pack in the Pacific Northwest. Unlike many other packs, the Blood Moon pack believed that the male and female werewolves were blessed with specific traits and strengths by the Moon Goddess. Men were warriors and leaders, blessed with strength, courage, and perseverance and served as warriors and led and protected their families and pack. Women were blessed with other traits, like wisdom, foresight, and obedience - traits better suited to serving the Moon Goddess as a priestess or nurturing children at home. It wasn't until recently, Beauford thought, that these roles were looked down upon. Now the female werewolves wanted to shake up the established traditions of history. To his surprise, the International Werewolf Council agreed, and recently ruled that gendered roles would no longer be defined by werewolf law. Both male and female werewolves could serve as warriors, guards, or priestesses. Gone were the days when the first-born sons inherited the titles of Alpha, Beta, Omega, or Delta from their fathers. Now, the first born child inherited these roles, regardless of gender. In Beauford's eyes, this edict was too progressive and dishonored the traditions and blessings bestowed on each gender by the Moon Goddess herself, and the Blood Moon pack agreed. In the twenty years since the edict had been rendered, not a single Alpha had fathered a first-born female child. The Blood Moon pack cited this fact repeatedly in council meetings as proof that the Moon Goddess did not support or ordain this change of law. Women were to be protected and revered, not put in harms way on the frontlines. Originally, only the Blood Moon pack opposed the new law. Now, there were rumors that many packs questioned the Council's edict because no female children had been born, at least first-born, to Alphas in 20 years. "Even the Moon Goddess must keep her face hidden sometimes," Claudine replied, pulling Beauford from his revere. Beauford turned to her and smiled. His Claude did not seem to agree with his insights on the Council's recent edict. That hadn't created any hardships between them though, Beauford thought. They both knew that regardless of what edicts and laws were passed by mere werewolves, the will of the Moon Goddess would be done. They both trusted the Moon Goddess and her divine will implicitly, and therefore could easily agree to disagree on the politics of werewolves. If the Moon Goddess wanted a female Alpha, there would be one. "Does that mean you've had no visions of our Alpha and Luna's new son?" Beauford asked. As a Head Moon Priestess, Claudine was blessed with the gift of divination. She always saw visions regarding the births of new Alphas. The Blood Moon's Luna had went into labor in the early morning hours. The couple was sitting outside the pack hospital now, waiting news of the new Alpha's birth. "I've had visions, my love, but like tonight's sky they are clouded. I see nothing beyond a healthy pup being born," Claudine said, frowning. Beauford worried over the crease that had formed between his mate's eyebrows. "You need to call Cole here," she continued, frowning further. Beauford had seen her make this face thousands of times, she was deep in thought trying to unravel her visions. "Cole?" Beauford questioned. Cole was their eldest son and had just celebrated his thirteenth birthday. As the eldest, Cole would also inherit the title of Blood Moon's Beta when he came of age. "He should be asleep at this hour... we told him he could come by tomorrow before school and meet his new Alpha..." Beauford trailed off, looking at his mate. "I know, my love, but it seems the Moon Goddess has other plans." Claudine explained, her eyes still closed and face upturned to the covered moon. Her melodic voice left no room for doubt, though her face remained pensive. "What have you seen, my love?" Beauford asked eagerly, grasping her hand. "Nothing is clear yet, but I can see that Cole's presence will be needed here tonight. The Moon Goddess isn't giving me much more sight than that," Claudine said, opening her eyes and placing her hand over her mate’s. Beauford smiled, looking into her warm, brown eyes. "I'll call him then. If it is the will of the Moon Goddess, then he should be here. It is not for us to question her." With that, Beauford leaned forward and kissed his mate. Beauford felt her smile beneath the kiss. "You better hurry," Claudine said, breaking the kiss, "the new Alpha will be here soon." Beauford pulled his cell phone from his pocket and called his mother, who was at home with Cole and his younger brother, Conner. After three rings, his mother answered. “Hello, has the new Alpha made his appearance?” His mother asked in hushed tones. “No, mother, not yet. You’ll have to be patient a while longer. Although Claude thinks it will be soon. Is Cole awake?” Beauford asked. “This pup can hardly sit, let alone lie down and rest,” his Mother replied softly. “I am NOT a pup, Mimi!” Beauford heard Cole exclaim, clearly miffed by his grandmother’s choice of words to describe her eldest grandson. “Quite down!” His mother said, her voice more tense but still in hushed tones. “You’ll wake up Conner! And you are a pup until you get your wolf, and you’ve still got quite a few years ’til that…” she continued. Young werewolves were not able to phase into their wolves until they reached 18 years of age. Beauford felt Claude tense beside him, and he knew she was having more visions from the Moon Goddess, and time was running short until the new Alpha appeared. “Mom, I need you to send Cole to the pack hospital, now,” he said quickly, interrupting his son and mother’s squabble on the other end of the line. There was a quick pause and silence before Beauford heard Cole scampering out of the room through the phone. “Is everything okay?” His mother asked. “I’m not sure yet, but Claude sees that Cole is needed here.” Beauford replied. “Her will be done,” his mother chanted reverently. His mother was as pious as they came. She had served as the Head Moon Priestess before passing the mantle to Claudine years ago. Beauford felt his mate tense again at his side. It seemed the Moon Goddess was revealing herself more than they thought she would tonight. “I have to go now, mom, I’ll mind link you when Cole arrives.” After he hung up the phone, Beauford connected his mind link to Cole. Cole was running through the forest between their home and the pack hospital. Despite his young age, Cole was fast, and he would arrive in just a few minutes. Beauford kept the mind link open just in case. “Claude, is everything okay? What did you see?” Beauford asked, turning to his mate. Her eyes were closed and her face was turned to the moon again. The crease between her eyebrows had returned, but her hand stayed firmly around Beauford’s free one. “There is no time to explain, my love, is Cole on his way?” She asked. But Beauford didn’t bother to answer, as Cole had just stepped through the clearing at the forest’s edge near the hospital. Beaurford could smell his scent from here, and he was sure his mate could, too. In his mind link, Beauford saw himself and his mate from Cole’s perspective as he approached. Beauford quickly sent his mother a message through their mind link that Cole had arrived. “What do you mean…” Beauford began, but was abruptly cut short as a wave of, well, a wave of something flooded his mind space. The indecipherable noise that flooded his head broke off into a howl, and Beauford would recognize that howl anywhere. It was his Alpha, and something was very, very wrong. One look at his mate and Beaford knew that the noise had only been in his head through the mind link, but Claude knew what was going to happen next. Claude’s eyes opened with a snap of her eyelids, and her warm, brown eyes were shadowed as she hissed urgently, “Go, Beauford!” Without even waiting for Cole, Beauford darted into the hospital and to the maternity ward. Within moments, he was at his Luna’s hospital room. The howling from his Alpha was still in his head. It didn’t sound triumphant, or celebratory. His Alpha was angry. Beauford didn’t bother to knock, he opened the door and marched straight into the room and took in his surroundings, trying to find the threat that had enraged his Alpha. Beauford registered his Luna still in the hospital bed, she was pale and the monitors were beeping frantically. The hospital staff nearest her urged her to push, but his Luna only wept as she murmured “no…. no… my dear, Austen… no…” Oh dear goddess, please no. Beauford thought, assuming Austen was the name chosen for the new Alpha she was birthing. Was that what she had named the new Alpha? Was something wrong with the baby? Beauford approached his broken Luna, trying to figure out how best to serve her in her pain. The howling in his head stopped. Beauford, come. Alpha Richard commanded through their mind link. Beauford turned from his Luna and saw Alpha Richard in the shadows of the chaos, holding something swaddled in a hospital receiving blanket. Is this the new Alpha, sir? Beauford asked through the mind link, confused. NO! Alpha Richard roared. Beauford froze as his eyes met the Alpha’s murderous stare. Alpha Richard broke his gaze and turned back to what was in his hands. Alpha Richard held it gingerly away from his body, as if the contents of the blanket were toxic. Come take this, and get rid of it. No one is to know of this. Alpha Richard commanded, using his Alpha aurora. Beauford approached dutifully, no understanding but unable to refuse his Alpha’s commands. As he drew closer to Alpha Richard, he saw that bundle in his hand was in fact a child. Still confused, he looked from the child to its father, Richard, unable to comprehend the scene around him. Beauford felt the familiar shadow in his mind that was his mate. Unable to form words in his confusion, Beauford simply let her see what he was seeing through their mind link. My love, she’s beautiful. The Moon Goddess has big plans for her. We must protect her. You must get her out of there now, before Alpha Richard says or orders more. Claude’s voice was calm but urgent, willing Beauford to understand before it was too late. Replaying her words again quickly, understanding sunk in, hard. The first female Alpha had been born. The Moon Goddess had blessed this infant to one day lead the Blood Moon pack. And Beauford had just been ordered by his Alpha, her own father, to murder her.