Hunted by the Alpha King

Two

The ceremonial white dress Willow wore was going to make her impossible task harder. It was a beacon to all around her. The only solace was that all the other girls wore the same dress. There were six girls transitioning tonight. They were all sitting on the bench, whereas the five boys who were transitioning were standing behind them. Willow sat on the wooden benches with her parents. No one else sat next to them. The rest of the pack sat on benches that curved in a semicircle around the bonfire that was already burning even though night hadn’t fully taken over. The alpha and the pack mother sat in large wooden chairs next to the Elder. Ceremonial drums banged as everyone gathered around.

The excited electricity was nearly tangible. The transitioning wolves were all chattering and twitchy. The boys were already fighting off the call of the full moon that was rising higher and higher, calling to their blood like a siren. Willow could feel the call. She wanted to give in, to turn into a wolf and run through the forest. To feel the cold air passing through her fur. She wanted to be chased by her mate. A shiver of excitement shot down her spine at the thought.

“Fight it, Willow.” Her father placed his hands over hers to calm their shaking. “Breathe.”

She shut her eyes, trying to block out the noise and movement, to focus on breathing. She counted each breath, inhaling the pine and dirt smells that helped calm her down. She had gotten to ten breaths when suddenly all the noise stopped abruptly. Every conversation was cut off immediately. Willow opened her eyes to see why, usually she was the only one who garnered that reaction.

Three large men in leather were making their way through the pack. The Hunters had arrived. They were the largest, deadliest, and most revered wolves of the pack. Larger than anyone else, all of them descended from Alpha bloodlines. Every other wolf bowed their head in reverence as they passed. Without the Hunters their pack would cease to exist. They hunted rogue wolves or humans who sought to disturb the pack’s peace.

Their leader followed behind them. Larger than even the alpha, towering at seven feet tall. He wore black jeans and a black leather jacket which blended with his midnight hair. Straight blade of a nose with aristocratic cheekbones. Sapphire eyes shined brightly, scanning the crowds, taking in all information. He was the youngest hunter, yet carried the title of leader for all of his kills. Any time he set his eyes on a target, they never got away. Ever. Rumor was he wasn’t like any wolf anyone had seen before. He was faster, stronger, and his instincts sharper. He was more wolf than man at this point. During his mating ceremony nearly a decade ago, he was the only wolf who wasn’t mated. The Elder explained that his mate was not yet of age and he needed to prove he was worthy of her. Which had never happened before.

The tradition never changed. Male wolves experienced their first change at sixteen. They spent the next two years learning to control their beasts from the men of the pack. Then at eighteen, they were mated. The Elder called forward the matches and the male wolves chased their counterparts through the forest. A woman could only turn into a wolf once she had been bitten.

Willow couldn’t let her mate get close enough to her for the bite. She would be at a disadvantage of being slower, encumbered by two legs instead of four, and she would tire easily. But if her mate got close enough to bite her she could never escape. And after running from her mate, she would need to keep hiding from the Hunters.

Willow’s body tensed as Ronan walked by. This was the wolf she would have to run from when everybody realized she had deserted the pack. She wasn’t convinced she could get away, even with the years of training. She knew Ronan Black would eventually kill her.

Suddenly, he stopped. He turned his head and met her gaze, sniffing the air deeply. Like he was trying to catch her scent. She looked at the ground quickly and prayed he’d walk away. If he gathered her scent too early, she would have no chance. She wanted to close her eyes, but she had to watch his black boots in her periphery. Willow needed to know when he would move on. He probably stopped because he had never encountered her scent before, something she was counting on.

“Son,” the alpha called out to Ronan, “Thank you for coming.” Willow sighed in relief when his boots moved. When she looked up he was hugging his mother. His father nodded to him before stepping near the bonfire.

“It’s time.” Every member of the pack howled into the night. “The Elder will step forward and call forward every she-wolf and her mate will step forward to claim her. Then the chase will begin. The Hunters have already done a perimeter check, so there will be no disturbances. Once the ceremony is complete and the she-wolf is bitten the pair will go for their first run as wolves together.”

Willow looked across the fire when the alpha spoke about being bitten. She wasn’t surprised to see Ronan’s icy blue eyes staring at her. He was standing with his arms crossed behind the Elder and he never looked away. Not once. He didn’t even blink. A shiver of fear shot down her spine. It seemed like he knew that she was a flight risk. He was tuning into her, she could feel it.

Silence stretched across the gathering as the Elder slowly stood. Ronan stepped forward and offered his help, finally breaking his eye contact with Willow. The Elder’s braid was twisted into a bun so it wouldn’t drag in the dirt. She was half the size of Ronan and had to stretch to reach his arm. One of his steps equaled four of hers. When they reached the alpha, the Elder pulled Ronan’s arm down and whispered in his ear. Ronan’s whole body stiffened as she released him and slowly made her way up the slightly raised platform.

“The eightieth mating ceremony begins!” The pack howled again. Everybody’s excitement was growing. “As tradition demands, I will call forward the highest ranking she-wolf first. We will stay out until sunrise. If any wolves don’t make it back, the Hunters will be sent to find them.” The Elder turned her head towards Willow as she said this, the young wolf gulped. “Let’s begin!”

The Elder raised her hands to the moon and waited until all the cheers and howls had died down before she called the first name. “Willow Richards.”

Everyone stopped. Every pack member looked at Willow and her parents. Flabbergasted. The young wolf was shaking her head quickly. That wasn’t part of the plan. She had banked on being last, in hopes that she could cross other scents in the forest to help her.

“The highest-ranking she-wolf is to be called first,” the alpha growled.

The Elder looked at him sharply. “Do you not trust your Elder?” When the alpha didn’t respond the Elder waved to Willow. “C’mere, dear. The white wolf is first.”

Willow straightened to her impressive height on shaking legs. Her knees almost buckled under her weight. The quick tattoo of her heart could be heard across the field. She clutched onto the skirt of her white dress to prevent them from shaking. Slowly, as if weights were tied to her feet, she made her way to the Elder. When she reached the raised platform she was eye-to-eye with the Elder, who reached out a weathered hand and brushed her cheek.

“Are you ready dear?” The Elder whispered, the young wolf couldn’t talk past the lump in her throat so she nodded. “Tonight will be harder than everything you planned for. Don’t look back and you might succeed.”

Willow’s eyes widened. The Elder spoke as if she knew what the young wolf was planning. But that couldn’t be possible or else she would have reported the plans to the Alpha and Willow would’ve been killed.

“Willow’s mate will have to prove himself to be worthy. More than once.” The Elder spoke loudly so every wolf could hear now. Willow ignored the angry grumbles and focused on the small woman. “He will need to fight every instinct he has, he will need to fight his beast. And he has been working longer than anyone else to control himself. He has trained with the best and proved himself one of the best hunters we’ve ever seen. Skills he will need now more than ever.” The Elder chuckled, she definitely knew what Willow was planning. “Her mate is...Ronan Black.”

Everyone was silent. Willow looked at Ronan to see he was staring at her, his jaws clenched and hands fisted. She shook her head, this was the last thing she wanted. He would never let her escape. Fear gripped her whole body as she stepped away from everyone. Her wolf screamed that she stay and claim her mate, but Willow fought the instinct. She needed to run, as quickly as possible. Her father’s voice screamed in her head for her to run. The shock of the announcement had worn off for everyone else, their voices now raised in anger at the Elder’s pronouncement. Willow continued to back away as everyone yelled that she was worthless and didn’t deserve a mate. She watched as Ronan took a step towards her like he was finally realizing she didn’t want this. The young wolf was terrified.

A flame, sharp and quick, ripped through her body. She screamed as every bone in her body stretched. The pain consumed her to a point of blacking out. When she woke seconds later she was much lower on the ground. She looked down to see large white paws. When she looked back towards the pack, everyone was stopped with a look of shock on their face. She had changed into a wolf without being bitten. That had never happened before.

Mate. A deep voice spoke to her mind. Willow looked towards Ronan. He was moving towards her, removing his clothes to get ready to change. His mental connection was already strong enough that he was talking to her wolf form. If she didn’t leave now, she could never be able to get away. With one last look at her parents, she turned and ran.

Her family cabin was to the south. Her father had worked with her to chart a course to the north. They warned her that the farther south she got, the more danger she would be in from all the packs. There weren’t as many in the North; it was a barren wasteland of ice and snow since the wars. The northern kingdom was once the home to the Alpha King and his family. They had reigned for decades before the Southern kingdom rebelled. They had slaughtered the Royal family, leaving no survivors. Her father had taught her how to fight, hunt, and forage over the years. Her best chance of survival would be north.

Willow feared she would spend her whole life running. Knowing that her mate was, Ronan Black almost ensured that.