Vera looked about her in the hope that someone would remember she existed still. Her father had been the only person who had showered her with unconditional love and now he was dead. It was a good death, defending his pack from rogues. But that did not change the fact that Vera's future was plunged into uncertainty. As the daughter of the martyred Alpha she should take up his place as the pack's leader. However she was only fifteen and yet to shift. It was true that some wolves found their animal quite early, much before the slated time but her father had told her that their family was unique. Their blood was so pure that they would get their wolves only on their sixteenth birthday which was still two months away. They couldn't leave a pack as important as Silvershine in the hands of a human, which was exactly what she was till the slated date. Neither was it feasible to allow the pack to be run by a teenager. So it was decided by the elders of the pack that her cousin Samson would take up the mantle left by his uncle. Vera did not mind. Samson had been the beta and had helped her father run the pack for a very long time. She knew that when her mother died five years ago her father had become catatonic for over a year. It was Samson who took care of her and the pack. His mate Layla was a kind woman who looked upon her as her daughter. She didn't mind leaving the leadership to them.
All of them stood in the burial grounds which were basically a system of caves where the werewolf's remains were kept till they were accepted by nature. The caves led to the centre of a dormant volcano that led to hot springs used for the coronation of the alpha. The pack had travelled for two days to reach this part of the forest. As she stood before the elders to relinquish her claim on the alpha position Samson looked with kind eyes upon her.
"Elder mason, can I not serve as Alpha till her wolf is trained?" Samson pleaded. He was still loyal to her father, loyal to their pack.
"For the benefit of the pack it is advised that not only Vera leave the position of the Alpha due to her lack of animal spirit and experience but also that she leave the pack in itself so that there is not interference caused with the running of the pack once her animal does make her presence known." elder Mason spoke.
"I am not leaving anywhere. Silvershine is my home and that is where I will be. I can take up a warrior position and if my spirit is too weak or uncooperative I shall simply become a breeder. But I shall not leave." Vera whined.
Samson agreed to her. "Silvershine belongs to Xavier and his daughter. I cannot make her a rogue like this just to maintain peace among the pack members." he thundered in his menacing timbre. The tone however did not phase the elder who was used to Xavier's temper burst especially after he had lost his mate to a plague that affected several breeders of the pack.
"Ah. You must think of the pack first. Vera, you are a child of Silvershine. However you cannot remain here for long. Your spirit will wish to take up the alpha position despite her inexperience and not only will it cause distension among pack members but it will also weaken the pack and leave us open to more rogue attacks. Do you wish to make us vulnerable to the very threat your father gave his life to vanquish?"
The words of elder Mason came as a cold burst on the rising passion of her heart. He was right. She could not be responsible for making her pack weak. "Where will I go?" she asked in a weak voice.
"Tomorrow, as Samson takes his oath as the Alpha of the pack, alpha's of all the nearby packs are being invited along with all eligible males. From them you shall choose your mate and thus your new home." elder Mason answered.
"Mate?" Vera exclaimed. "I am only fifteen. I haven't met my spirit. How will I distinguish my mate?" she asked.
"You only need your spirit to distinguish your destined mate. That practice, you must know is out of date now. Choose someone you are compatible with. Most wolves nowadays don't wait to find their destined mate and as soon as you give yourself to your chosen wolf your destiny bond is undone and your choice becomes your destiny." the elder explained.
"But I am still fifteen." she emphasizes.
"It is not a real issue. There will be many young wolves coming tomorrow. The elders of all nearby pack have been informed. You will have many wolves coming who have received their spirit at twelve or thirteen. You might find a good friend in them." he suggested.
Vera nodded. She knew that her parents were not destined mates. That is the reason she had a father growing up. If they were destined mates he would have died as soon as she did. That did not mean he did not love her. The loss he suffered was evident in how he behaved in her absence. He had become exceedingly rash and uncaring except for her. He only cared about her. That is what made him such a wonderful father. That is what made him such a menacing alpha. She hoped Samson would be a kind and caring alpha as her father was when her mother was around. She agreed to this entire system of arranged mating if that would bring peace to her pack, her family.
It had been less than twenty four hours since her father's burial and Vera was already wishing that it was her who had died instead. Elder Mason was right about the fact that many young wolves accompanied the alphas of the nearby packs. They were either alphas in training or very important part of the pack. The youngest one was Flavio and he was thirteen. He had received his spirit when he was nine. He was already battle hardened but still maintained a bit of decency to talk with Vera. The other wolves only wanted to mate with her. In the past day she has had enough of groping and sniffing. She was tired of being manhandled by strangers. To everyone present in the pack house she was a fair game because her pack wanted her mated off as soon as possible. Flavio had already found his mate but that mate was the alpha's daughter. So for everyone in his pack he was single and ready to mingle. That didn't matter though because Leah was actually Flavio's destined mate. She was older than him by a couple of years but the magic didn't care about that. Leah must be of the same age as Vera but the Luminosity pack rarely mixed with the Silvershine pack.
Vera realized how much of a diplomatic opportunity this meeting actually was. There were alphas and dignitaries from every pack around. Even the Bloodmoon pack, the King's pack had made its presence known. The alpha of the Bloodmoon pack, the werewolf King, was kept in a separate building for the safety of everyone around. Everyone knew him as the Beast. Vera only had a glimpse of him when she was a child but he was almost seven feet tall and that also in his human form. She had heard rumours of the hideous beast that he was with his patchy fur and blood red eyes. One should not forget the fact that his canines protruded outside his mouth like that of saber tooth tigers. He was fabled to reach lengths of almost ten foot in his wolf form. Everyone feared him and not just because of his size but also because of his diet and temper. His mother was an Ancient and had found her destined mate in his father. That led to an unholy alliance where he was conceived. If legends are right that happened seven hundred years ago. With time Gregorio became not just a legend but also a god among the werewolves. He was the final judge on everything that deals with the werewolf world, just as Belshazzar was the final word on the paranormal world outside the forest. Vera hoped that she never crossed the path of the werewolf god because as much as she was loath to admit she was scared of him and his deep purple eyes.
"What are you thinking of?" Flavio asked her, bringing her out of the thoughts.
"Do you know that the Beast is attending this get together. He is in the hut outside the river." Vera informed him.
"Yes our alpha told us to avoid the river. He doesn't want us getting hurt," Flavio replied.
"Why would the beast hurt you?" Vera asked confused. Werewolves do not harm one another unless they are rogues or in a state of war.
"He is a lone wolf for seven hundred years. The only reason he is not a rogue is because he is a hybrid, an immortal hybrid. But no one can be too sure of when they snap. Also he is a blood drinker. He only drinks the blood of animals but I don't know how he does that. Even when in our animal form and hunting live prey wolves only consume the flesh after bleeding them out. The blood makes us sick, deranged, wild. But that blood not only sustains him but makes him stronger. No wonder people fear him."
The mention of a blood drinker made Vera shiver. She had heard that sometimes rogues drank blood and it made them lose their mind. How could an alpha do the same thing and keep sane. Perhaps he was not sane and that is why he was kept at a distance. Maybe the Bloodmoon pack was not strong enough to displace someone of Ancient blood.
"Have you seen his wolf?" Vera asked intrigued. The size of the wolf determines a werewolf's strength.
"He doesn't have a wolf. When he changes it is a mutant creature that will take away your sleep for a year. He is hideous and he is a beast. Avoid the river, Vera, even if it is the last thing you do." Flavio warned.
Vera shuddered visibly. Of course she would avoid the beast. She wasn't even a complete werewolf yet.
"So what are you doing this evening?" she asked. It was not as much idle chatter but there were to be a range of events in which all the teenage wolves were to participate to prove themselves worthy of Vera's hand.
"It doesn't really matter. I am not participating in any of the fights because if I get killed Leah dies. I am not taking that risk just for a show. But what I shall be doing is the martial arts display, that also in my human form. It is going to be impressive." he boasted. Vera was sure that it would be everything he imagined it to be. She knew that she wasn't anything special and all this display of bravery for the sake of impressing her seemed pointless. But there was very little that she could do to discourage all that was happening.
"You do realize what you have to do once the winner is declared right?" Flavio asked, concerned about the girl he had grown fond of as a sister in the past couple of days.
" I am a big girl. I know exactly what I have to do and it is better for everyone. I am an alpha's daughter and have been trained to put my pack first. My people will always come first for me and they need this." she proudly stated.
"They don't need it. Your council just doesn't want a female alpha. That is all." Flavio argued.
"No, they just don't need a newbie alpha. They want someone more equipped to handle the pack. That is all. And I will be a good mate. You will see." she challenged. With a flip of her hair Vera walked back towards the pack house, ready to deal with whatever the future held for her.