Your Silver Bullets Won't Save You Now

“Ma’am, we’re ready for you.”

I nodded, grabbed my jumper and stood up. Turning slowly, I eyed the wolf stood before me. His head was bowed slightly as a sign of respect. They were already treating me as Alpha, even though the ceremony wasn’t done yet.

I wiped my eyes one last time, hoping vaguely that it wouldn’t look like I’d been crying too much. I was morbidly aware that in the next tent across from mine, my Father’s body lay, wrapped in a richly decorated sheet. We would bury him when the moon was at the fullest, but first I was to officially become the Alpha.

The pack doctor, reckoned that he’d had a sudden heart attack and that there was nothing that could be done. I wasn’t convinced, I knew my father and I know wolves. Heart attacks in wolves are extremely rare, our hearts are stronger than the average humans, because of the massive strain we put them under during shifting.

It just didn’t make sense and it was making me paranoid and making me wonder if the Vampires were closer than we realised. Maybe the enemy were among us. I just didn’t know. But something, call it women’s intuition or pure survival instinct, but something was telling me that there was something wrong; something incredibly wrong.

Under the circumstances, it had been decided that I would be named alpha and then not marry Feher until the next Crescent moon, which gave me 14 days. Little did he know that I wouldn’t be marrying him at all.

In the few hours I’d had, I tried to probe people to find out what they’d heard and if my father had told anyone else that I didn’t’ have to marry Feher, but so far, no one seemed to have heard anything. But I hadn’t given up hope yet.

“Let’s go.” I told the wolf, who stood opening the tent for me. I walked out and headed towards where the pack had gathered around a huge bonfire, that was burning brightly.

The wolves all sat around in a large circle, their hands laid on their knees, their legs crossed. They growled lowly and I could feel their wolves bubbling away under the surface.

A large amount of power circulated around me as I joined the circle and sat down, the oldest in our pack walking around us, scattering dust whilst mumbling some ancient ritual.

Through the flames I could see Feher’s eyes. He was watching me intently, a certain amount of smugness in them. He thought he’d won. He had no idea.

“On this full moon, we welcome our new Alpha, to obey and abide by, to lead us to victory in these dark times. Alpha Carta, rise and lead us on the first hunt as a new and stronger pack.

The Alpha is dead, long live the Alpha.” The other wolves repeated his last sentence, as I stood up and growled, instincts taking over and skin turned to fur, finger nails to claws.

I howled to the sky and turned, running into the forest, my ears pulled back and my eyes strained as I searched the night for my prey. Behind me the pack moved across the land like a wave, a unified dance that ghosted through the shadows and shafts of moonlight.

I’m Alpha. I’ve actually become Alpha.

But I knew I’d have to fight to keep it.

Because just behind me, running close to my tail was Feher, and I knew that he was hot on my heels.

He wanted the power and I had a cold, dreading feeling that he would do anything to get it.

Maybe my Father had told someone that I didn’t have to marry Feher.

Maybe he’d told Feher.