The Female Alpha

Prologue

Werewolves are part wolf, part human, with their own distinct culture. Some clans allow their animal instincts to dominate, while others suppress their wolves, humanizing their communities. Most have found a delicate balance between the two sides. Outsiders often misinterpret us, seeing only what they want to believe.

The Shadow Wolf and Star Wolf clans not only achieved this balance but also formed an unbreakable alliance because their Alphas were best friends. The exact incident that bonded them remains a mystery to most, but this much is known: both Alphas went missing as pups, only to be found days later, covered in blood, leaning on each other for support. That day, they shaped their future. Later, each Alpha found their Luna within the other’s pack, tying their clans even closer. Together, they became the strongest in Europe, their territories bordering each other, making them unbeatable.

Their power sparked envy. Other clans, anxious about this alliance, began to attack and conquer, hoping to rival their strength. Saddened by the chaos, the two Alphas stepped in and reestablished the ancient Wolf Council. Peace followed, but not everyone was satisfied.

Unbeknownst to the Shadow Clan Alpha, Benjamin, unrest brewed within his own pack. His cousin, Dean, a staunch believer in the old ways, secretly led a rebellion. The day it erupted, Alpha Benjamin’s son, Fredrick, was born. Many who didn’t know my father, Alpha Franklin of the Star Wolves, thought him weak because of his kindness. Dean learned otherwise. My father quashed the rebellion, saving both the Shadows’ Luna and the newborn. Despite the betrayal, Alpha Benjamin couldn't bring himself to kill his cousin, so he exiled Dean and his followers—a decision he would later regret.

I will never forget the day my world shattered.

It was my sixth year celebrating the Fall of the Leaves, and the human custom of Halloween. Normally, I’d be playing with the other children, but my mother, Luna Fae, needed my help preparing the nursery for my baby brother. In three months, we’d welcome Jacob Ben Vilks into our world. In my eyes, my mother was the most beautiful she-wolf ever. Short and broad, her skin kissed by the sun, freckles dancing on her arms and face. Her sky-blue eyes sparkled with joy, and her chestnut hair, with natural auburn highlights, was pinned in a loose bun. That day, she wore a black dress dotted with tiny stars, flowing loosely over her growing belly and the necklace she never took off.

We were decorating Jacob’s room with dinosaurs when my father was called away for an emergency council meeting in Mist Wolf territory. I watched him leave, thrilled and blissfully unaware that his absence left our territory vulnerable.

When the dinner bell rang, my mother suddenly collapsed, clutching her chest, a scream tearing from her lips as she called out my father’s name. Panic surged through me, but before I could move, the commander of the border guard linked the entire pack, warning us of an attack. Protocol Sagittarius was in effect. My instinct was to stay with my mother, to protect her, but she ordered me to help evacuate those unable to fight. From a young age, she had drilled into me that the pack came before anyone else. So, despite my fear, I obeyed and ran to help.

With the Betas’ triplets—Drago, Draco, and Diana—we worked frantically, escorting everyone to the mountain shelter. Once the list was checked and everyone accounted for, I turned back, determined to find my mother. The triplets and elders protested, but I refused to listen. Drago and Draco, despite my objections, followed me, while Diana stayed to guard the shelter.

I shifted into my wolf, Celeste, to keep pace with the older boys. When we reached the town’s edge thirty minutes later, I barely recognized it. Flames licked the sky, filling the air with the thick, choking stench of burning wood, blood, and something darker. Buildings lay in ruin, injured wolves scattered like broken toys. Tears blurred my vision, and my heart splintered as I surveyed the devastation.

Drago hugged me, pulling me back to reality. Desperately, I tried linking to my mother, the commander, the warriors—anyone. Silence greeted me. No one answered. I sent Draco to find medics and help the wounded, while Drago and I followed the sounds of battle toward the pack house.

What we found will haunt me forever.

The stench of blood and wolfsbane hung thick in the air. Dead witches lay headless on the ground, their bodies surrounded by pools of black, boiling sludge. Wolves from our pack lay torn, their limbs scattered, and amidst the chaos, monstrous creatures I’d never seen before fought the remaining warriors. But nothing could prepare me for what I saw next.

My mother, in her rare medium form—a mixture of wolf and human—was held by the neck by the most terrifying beast I had ever seen. It was a nightmare come to life: taller than my father’s 6’5” frame, with dragon wings, spiraled horns, the hind legs of a bull, a wolf's face, and a scorpion’s tail. My heart stopped as I saw my mother’s lifeless body limp in its grip.

Everything within me shattered. Disobeying the one rule my parents gave me, I shifted into my medium form—a transformation only five percent of our pack could achieve, and not until they were older. Fueled by rage, I closed the distance and tore the wings from its back. The creature shrieked, dropping my mother. Before I could finish it, the beast’s tail impaled my shoulder, throwing me to the ground beside her.

I reached for her, my fingers brushing her lifeless face, desperate for just one more moment. But the creature roared, its massive paw smashing into my legs, shattering them. I screamed, the pain searing. As the world darkened, the creature’s head fell beside me.

When I woke, the nightmare wasn’t over.

I was in the shelter, Diana’s head on my lap, Drago’s bandaged face watching over me. The triplets began to fill me in: Dean had returned, his followers transformed into monsters by a pact with the Blackthorn Covenant. My father had been ambushed and killed on his way to the council, and our pack was decimated—175 wolves gone. Draco had slain the last witch, weakening the beasts, and Drago took Dean’s head. But in the battle, Drago lost his sight.

Their words sliced into me like knives. Each revelation was another blow, a reminder of the life we’d lost. My vision blurred, my breathing turned ragged, and before I could stop it, the world began to spin.

“The Shadow Wolf Clan... they sent reinforcements,” Draco’s voice echoed as I slipped into unconsciousness, the weight of my grief crushing me.

Four months later, I awoke from a coma in the Star Wolves’ new pack house. Luna Maricela, Alpha Benjamin’s mate, had stayed by my side. My pack, reduced to 38 wolves, fought to keep our identity. The council agreed that two elders would act as Alpha and Beta until I turned eighteen. I had until 21 to find a mate, or they would appoint one for me. Until then, the Star Wolves would remain with the Shadow Clan.

The weight of my pack’s devotion bore down on me, a constant reminder of those we’d lost and the oath I’d sworn. Luna Maricela trained me, and by my fourteenth birthday, I was running the Star pack on my own. Despite the resentment growing among some in the Shadow Clan, I grew stronger each day. My path was set, and I was determined not to fail.