ALPHA'S TIME

Chapter 1 – Skye

The sun had just begun to rise, turning the sky into this magical canvas, with hues of yellow, orange, and pink. Skye Lycus loved the sunrise and sunset because of this vibrant display of colours, especially on a clear day like this. Skye never missed out on her daily run. She would soon be nineteen years old. As the daughter of the alpha of the moon crest pack, she needed to be strong and lead her pack when her father handed over the responsibility of the pack to her. Skye had a lean physique, olive skin with light brown hair and eyes the colour of melted chocolate. She was already deemed a capable leader by her pack members. From a young age, she had bravely fought battles alongside her pack warriors, against rogues and was always ready to protect her pack territory and it’s people.

Skye’s wolf, Silver, akin to her name, was a beautiful silver white wolf, that looked elegant and graceful but was as dangerous, as she was beautiful. Silver wanted to run further, but Skye decided it was time to return. “Silver, we need to get back soon. I will be having breakfast with my dad” she said through the link they shared. Silver hesitantly agreed and turned around, heading towards the packhouse.

Skye shifted back to human form and picked up her clothes that she had hidden in some bushes and quickly put them on, before heading into the pack house for the breakfast meeting with her father.

The pack house was a large, three storeyed building. The common area on the ground floor included a dining room, recreational area and a ballroom for official banquets and functions. The first storey housed all the offices of the Alpha and Beta as well as conference rooms. The top floor had apartments belonging to the Alpha and Beta families. The rest of the pack resided in houses which dotted the pack territory, close to the main pack house.

“Good morning, dad” Skye said as she entered her father’s office. Alpha Ralph Lycus was a towering man with greying hair. He had chocolate-brown eyes, just like Skye. “Good morning,” he said with a warm smile, which was something Skye looked forward to every day. “Come in and take a seat. I have some matters to discuss with you.” Skye immediately sensed the underlying seriousness in his voice. She quickly sat across the big teak table, curious about what her father was going to tell her.

“ Skye, I have a mission for you.” Alpha Lycus said, in a serious tone. “I have received reports from our warriors about some rogue activity in the nearby human town of Mooncrest Lake. You will need to go and find out about this. Kurt and Maya will go along with you as well.” He said, referring to her best friend Maya and her twin brother Kurt, who were Beta Shaw’s children. Both Maya and Kurt were the same age as her, and they had grown up together. “The three of you will be staying at the pack’s townhouse for a few days, and you shall report any findings directly to me,” the Alpha said. “ However, you are not to engage in any way with the rogues or do anything which will make the townspeople suspicious,” he added. “Yes, Alpha” Skye nodded. “I need the three of you to be safe. Am I clear?” “Yes, dad” Skye said as she took in the excitement of her first official mission. “Let’s have breakfast, dad. I’m starving,” she told her father excitedly. “ Me too,” chuckled her dad and enveloped her a big bear hug.

Skye was the Alpha’s only child. She had lost her mother to rogues when she was little. However, she always tried her best to be strong for the sake of her father, who was devastated after his mate’s death. Skye kept herself so busy with helping her father handle pack affairs that she didn’t think about finding her mate. She believed that her fated mate would appear someday if they were destined to meet. Skye quickly finished breakfast and started packing, as they were to leave the next morning. She rubbed the crescent-shaped scar on her left arm, as it had been tingling for a few days. Skye had a feeling that there was something big that was going to happen soon. “Don’t worry; I’m here,” Silver told her reassuringly. “I know that you’re always there for me, Silver, but I just have a weird feeling about this. My mark seems to be tingling as well, and you know that happens before any big incident takes place. My mark was red and inflamed a few days before my mother was killed by rogues." Skye said worriedly. “I pray to the moon goddess that the mission goes well,” Skye said with a sigh as she proceeded to finish packing.