"If you don't get a mate after the annual ceremony, I will have your younger brother take over." Dad slams his fist on the desk. He has been going on and on about it for a while. An Alpha without a Luna is considered weak. My wolf has been yearning for one for decades; he refuses to eat and growls a lot.
"I will be happy to be a substitute Father." Allen smiles. The bastard. He found his mate, Lily, when he turned eighteen a few months ago. Lily is the daughter of an Alpha in the neighboring pack---MoonSpace---and that was considered a good match.
"I'm sure Alpha Josh will find his mate in no time." My beta, Jack answers before I do. I had run out of excuses to give. There was a time I had my hopes high, I had visited all the wise wizards and ended up with no result. Both my beta and gamma are mateless, but it doesn't pose a threat to their line of duty.
"Your mom would have loved for you to have a mate, son." Dad ruffles his grey hair. He isn't getting any younger. Technically, werewolves age slower than humans. He looks younger than an average human but losing his mate did a number on him. His eyes were reddish almost all the time, he was secretly mourning her. I had spied on him a lot of times to know that he misses her dearly.
I sit on the cushion adjacent to the desk where my dad majestically sits with Allen by his side. These two are always like this. I wonder if Lily is okay with it; he spends more days with Dad than with her.
"Alpha. There are a few rogues at the border." Roy barges in. He pauses midway. He seems to sense the tension in the room; his eyes flicker to my dad, then to m,e, and back to my dad.
I smoothen my brown three-piece suit and proceed to follow him out. Jack follows as well. With these two by my side, we have managed to keep the pack safe. No rogue dares to come into our territory without consequence. We show no mercy at all.
Foklores has viewed werewolves as beings with the ability to communicate with their wolves, but it's far from that. A werewolf senses mood changes in his wolf, but he can't communicate with them, at least not by conversing.
My wolf is getting agitated by the second. I can feel his anguish. He hates it when someone encroaches on our territory. It drives him mad.
We pass by a group of soldiers guarding the border. A young soldier who was transferred a few years ago bows when he spots us.
"Alpha." He salutes. I admire his enthusiasm. Soldiers who have failed to serve the pack are made omegas due to their inefficiency. I can sense his fear. He doesn't want to end up like them, completely isolated from the rest of the pack members.
"Two men were supported at midnight, wandering about," Jack tells me.
"Why are you informing me now?" I raise an eyebrow. Pack duties are a top priority. Nothing to be neglected, no matter the day, the time, or the location. One has to be present for it.
"You seemed busy back there." Roy rubs the back of his neck. A sign that my dad has intervened yet again. He always complains that I overwork. Yet everything I do is for the betterment of the pack and he knows it.
I clench my jaws. "Take me to them."
The scrawny-looking soldier eagerly agrees. He led us to the security office, a small building that was located at the edge of the jungle---separating the rest of the border and the mainland.
Inside, there are two men. So emaciated I cringe at the sight of them. Their clothes are tattered, they have bruises all over their bodies, and they stink. The younger-looking one has stubble worth a few months.
The old man gesticulates with his thin arms. "I'm sorry. We were hunting last night, and we have no intention of trespassing."
Roy moves to wack him but I stop him. I have no strength to deal with either of them. It's spring and the best temperament a werewolf could ever ask for. Numerous events, including the Annual Ceremony, are hosted.
"Is that all?" I rub my five o'clock shadow. I haven't shaved it yet; I have been so focused on pack work--overlooking monthly spending, building new houses, hospitals, and stations, and generally making sure no one sets the pack house on fire---and I have hardly any time to go home. I live in the West wing of the pack house with the whole floor to myself.
"I--" the younger one begins. They were tied to a chair that was kept at the center of the square-shaped room. It has two civilian cameras--more and we will be breaking off the contract. Having a camera beyond the border is a hassle in itself.
The young soldier, whose name I learned to be Alan, attempts to keep the old man calm by offering him a glass of water. He jerks the ropes, binding his legs backward,d, making it harder for any of them to move. Roy taps his legs impatiently.
Jack looks amused, he finds almost anything hilarious.
"Alpha, what should we do about this?" He motions to the two men bounded by a chair each facing different directions.
"Which pack do you belong to?" I figured a negotiation would do. I have so many connections with Alphas, and if I could, I would take them back to their homes. It's the best I could offer. I could be throwing them in the dungeon with the rest of the rule breakers. Entering into foreign territory is a big felony.
"We were Omegas." They chorus.
According to the State Constitution, an Omega can seize to be one if they violate the rules of a pack. Most Alphas banish Omegas for menial reasons. So I need not to inquire about it.
"Take them to the dungeon." They pose a threat to my pack. I need to do the right thing. Jack shakes his head in disapproval, but I don't try to explain myself. The law must abide by, no matter the situation. Compassion isn't an option; you show too much, and you lose your touch in no time.
"No. We can make you an Omega here." Allen's voice echoed. My head jerks in his direction. He stands by the door and hands Akimbo. He has one of those stupid grins that made him get scott-free when we were kids. The corny bastard.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I bellowed. Mateless or not, I won't let him have his way. My wolf feels the same because he growls. If I were to have it his way, Allen would be squirming in the air with my hands on his throat.
"Send them to the dungeon." I snarl at my Beta and Gamma. Alan looks scared, he clenches his fist to his side.
With the help of Alan, Josh and Roy led the two away. Allen scoffs. He might try and seem tough but he is nothing compared to me.
After all, I'm a born Alpha, and I will be one till the day I die. Not even Allen can take that privilege away from me.