His Warrior Alpha

It was 11:30 pm as we stepped onto the platform at the center of the River Mist Pack. My father stepped behind the podium at the center of the stage while gesturing for me and my brother to take the chairs that had been placed on the left side of the stage. Mom, in all of her elegance, took her spot beside Dad, linking her fingers with his as a smile played on her lips. I looked up to my mom, she was everything a Luna should be. Smart as a whip, kind, and fiercely protective of her pack. I watched as the people filed in for the full moon ceremony. It was the first full moon since my brother turned 13 and everyone was eager to see the future Alpha's Wolf for the first time. It was also my birthday and I was excited to share this day with him. I even got to stay up past my bedtime for the full moon ceremony! It was the first one I got to be a part of. I looked over at the chair next to me. My brother Malcolm bounced his leg nervously. “You are going to do great, Alpha.” I gave him a cheesy grin and he lightly pushed my shoulder. “Something feels off…” He scanned the crowd as if he was waiting for something to happen. “I’m sure it is just you and your wolfs nerves.” I tried to reason. It didn't seem to help though, and each minute that passed he grew more anxious. I looked up at the clock tower that stood opposite the stage. The clock said 11:44 pm, from what dad had said we would be starting in 1 minute. “Good evening everyone!” My dad's voice boomed through the microphone and received a “Good evening Alpha” in return. “ Tonight we have a very special full moon ceremony. Not only is it your future Alpha's first shift”, He gestured to my brother, who gave a polite wave. “But, it is also my daughter's 10th birthday. Happy Birthday, Melody!”  I excitedly waved back at the crowd who were in turn wishing me a happy birthday. While I happily beamed back at them, I couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling as my brother still tapped his foot anxiously. He must have noticed my hesitation as he grabbed my hand and gave it a light squeeze. “Happy Birthday Mel.”  Another minute passed as we waited for the crowd to settle down. It was now 11:50. “We will now prepare for the shifting ceremony. Malcolm, if you could please go behind the partition.” My father gestured to a changing area a little further down the stage. My brother nodded, giving my hand one final squeeze before bounding off and disappearing behind the screen. It would take him a few minutes to shift for the run as it was his first time. I waited on stage as I began to hear the familiar sounds of bones cracking into place. I looked over at my father, who had moved closer to my brother as he needed to talk him through his shift. His eyes glazed over and panic set in my chest. Who was mind linking him during the ceremony?  Suddenly there was chaos breaking through the crowd along with angry growls. My father grabbed me by the arm, shoving me behind the partition with my brother. Malcolms gray wolf with green eyes met my hazel ones. “Shift” My father commanded, immediately making him shift back to his human form. “Take your sister to safety.” He said as he opened a small trap door that led under the stage. My brother nodded but our dad had already turned away and was shifting to his large gray wolf. I was frozen in place. What was happening? Wasn’t this supposed to be a good day? Were rogues attacking? My brother pulled me down through the passageway, breaking me from my thoughts. Above us, I could make out the noises of fighting, breaking bones and loud growls coming from the town center. I listened closely, searching the sounds for anything familiar but, it was all a mess of noise that was becoming fainter by the moment. “Malcolm, what is going on?” I knew he got the pack link from my father. He ignored me though and kept moving more quickly down the tunnel. “Malcolm please! You are going too fast, I can’t keep up.” I snatched my hand back from him. He gave me a stern glare I had only seen on our fathers' face before. He grabbed my hand again and basically dragged me down the tunnel. We were getting closer to the end and I saw a door. I wondered if it led back to the Pack house?  Just as my brother was reaching for the knob, we heard a loud growl from behind us. My brother moved quicker, opening the door and attempting to push me through it. I peeked over my shoulder and met the yellow eyes of a dark brown wolf. I gasped as my brother moved me behind him just as the wolf lunged at me. Gashes covered his chest where the wolf's paws had made contact.  I held my brother as the yellow-eyed wolf changed back to his human form, a sickly grin on his face. “Ah what luck, the Alphas children.” He said as he took a step towards us. I noticed a chain around his neck that held a small vial. He grasped it as he pulled the stopper off the top. I took another look at my brother's bleeding form.  “Now sleep!” the man commanded as he tossed the contents of the vial over us, the liquid burning my skin momentarily before darkness started to take over, that evil grin the last thing I saw before losing consciousness.