The Dance of Wolves

“Mom, Dad. I finally shifted into my wolf!” I declare proudly, my Captain Obvious cape invisibly flapping in the wind behind me as I whoosh into the house.

Dad shakes his head and pulls bits of leaves from my hair and clothes, “You have fifteen minutes to shower, dress and then come down quickly, your mom’s got breakfast ready. You can tell us all about it at the table.” I head upstairs to my room to do just that.

I tell them everything from the exhilaration of running to the thrill of hunting down and capturing my prey. They nod their heads knowingly; Dad savors his steak and eggs while mom sips her coffee. I leave out just one little detail because I’m trying to figure out how to tell them I have a she-wolf. Just as we finish breakfast, I hear a knock at the door. My parents don’t seem surprised we have a visitor as my dad gets up to open it. It was the Alpha and Luna.

The Alpha and Luna came to our house, I can’t believe it. I’m in awe, I have a sudden urge to lay flat on my stomach with arms outstretched as I beg them to step on me. Seriously, I wonder about the protocol, do I bow or kneel? My parents do neither so I follow their lead. It occurs to me that I was told to take a quick shower and re-dress so I would be ready for this visit.

Don’t judge me. Wouldn’t anyone be amazed if the governor and his wife stopped by for a chat with a working-class citizen? I mean we’re pack members, but my family members are all Omegas. We’re the lowest rung on the hierarchy because we’re too weak to fight, we exist to support the others in our version of living the dream. I actually like it that way,

I don’t like to draw attention, I’d rather just fade into the background–free from anyone’s expectations and free from the heavy responsibility of leadership or pack protection.

Our Alpha and Luna are pretty well-known, they travel to negotiate trade agreements and alliances with other packs, but we pack members don’t make ourselves known except through the Gatherings--a huge gala for three or more packs designed for us to find our mates.

Anyway, I’ve never seen them up close, so this is a first for me. Alpha Khalan is an intimidating 6 ft 7 mass of muscle, with a strong, military bearing that commands all before him to ‘obey’ but he also has surprisingly soft eyes that finish his unspoken order with ‘so I can keep you safe’. Yeah, Joshua has a ways to go if he wants to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Luna Hestia is tall for a woman. She has a natural beauty that doesn’t need a lot of make-up. She wears a simple olive maxi dress and her hair was drawn up into a tawny bun with wisps of silver locks slipping out the sides. She has a huggable figure, soft and round in all the right places. An aura of quiet inner strength surrounds her. She smiles warmly when I catch her eye and pull out a chair for her.

Before I can ask the question, Alpha Khalan says, “I sensed your wolf has matured and you’re able to shift. Congratulations! I’m here to take your oath and bond you to the pack as Aksal instead of the Williams’ son.”

Oh! I’m sure my eyes were wide with surprise. I assumed the bonding ceremony was more formal. In the back of my mind, Alma stirs awake to participate and witness our oath. “I, Aksal Williams, submit to you as my Alpha and Luna. I promise to follow pack rules, support our pack members and make my pack as proud to have me as I am proud to be part of it.”

“I, Alpha Khalan, accept you into The Covert.”

Something inside me clicked and I could suddenly feel myself link to all my pack members. They welcome me warmly and congratulate me on my shift. Alma wags her tail excitedly, her happiness is contagious. I’m smiling ear to ear.

Alpha Khalan continued, “I also came to talk to you and your parents about warrior training.”

Aaand just like that my smile falls flat.

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Author’s note: Please support this story! I’m entering this March Fantasy writing contest, so I’m uploading the rest of this work. I can always write another and try out my weekly chapter update experiment again.

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