FULL NOVELXO Chapter 1 Get them to the cells!
Today, we graduate high school! It has been a wild ride..and I, for one, am happy it’s over. Alex and Baron aren’t as glad! Their glory days as the premier quarterback and linebacker stars of the football team has ended. Their days of competing for the attention of the skanky cheerleaders is over.. and I get it.. I do! Girls literally throwing themselves at both boys like slabs of beef on butcher day.. but Damn! Just nasty!
I’m standing on the stage..accepting my art award for the sculpture I did of my mother…it’s a bust of her head.. the left side is Momma’s face, while the right side is Arielle. Her violet eyes shining from the face of the bust. I carved it in white marble..signifying the significance of my mother’s importance to the wolf species! It will stand in the foyer of the castle, after today. Granddad and Grandmom want it to be the focal piece of the kingdom! And I am so proud of myself. It took nearly two years to complete and won several awards in the art world.
As our names are called, our families embarrass us by screaming and shouting out our names.. our three younger siblings are loudest. Momma and Daddy had Aiden eight years ago.. and when she got pregnant with Daniella and Gabriella three years ago, she was shocked! I was ecstatic to have sisters! While Alex was simply grossed out to discover our parents still had sex! Baron’s parents had Delilah nine years ago..and she is the spitting image of Aunt Celia. With Uncle Cody’s temperament.. thank Goddess! Aunt Celia has a true Irish Temper! She’s always throwing shit. I learned to duck..like a pro!
The ceremony was over and our mortarboards tossed…we all headed to the pack house to celebrate. We all changed into swimsuits.. I put shorts and a tank on over mine, and we headed to the lake at the southern edge of the borders. We share the lake with the Harvest Moon pack.. and they are allies, though we seldom see any of them. The Alpha is Kendrick Drake. He ascended five years ago, when his father passed after a series of rogue uprisings that affected a lot of us. He was only 16, at the time and he is friends with Alex..to a degree. Mostly, his time has been spent building his pack back up.. recruiting members..training his warriors. He seldom attends any parties.. or leaves his pack for anything other than business. He’s apparently a just and fair Alpha.. although he is called reclusive.
We had a big bonfire going..the guys were grilling burgers and hot dogs. Momma had sent potato and macaroni salads and baked beans! Daddy actually let us have beer for the party.. which surprised us! Baron ran at me and threw me over his shoulders..running for the lake.. he lifted me over his head and chucked me toward the middle. Fucker! I came up spitting lake water just as he cannonballed off the rope swing..landing beside me!
Alexander yelled at him “Baron..quit fucking off and come help cook! Slacker!” And I laughed “Oooh Beta! You’re in trouble.. I see mountains of paperwork in your future!” And laughed as I swam away. I watched how the girls just formed a huge circle around the guys..it was so funny! You can practically see them all praying the Goddess makes one of them their mate! What most people don’t realize..as royals, we sense our mates more easily and earlier than others. And, if any of those girls were mates to Alex or Baron, the boys would already know. They aren’t above sowing oats though! Now, that… I don’t get. I have saved all my firsts for my mate! I only want him!
The party is in full swing.. our music is blaring..the girls are dancing and trying to get Alex and Baron’s attention. Corey.. Alex’s Gamma walks over to me handing me a beer..and sat down beside me. I laugh and ask “what happened to your face?” He looks puzzled “What you mean? My face is fine” I said “Sure it is! Did you doze off in the sun again?” He shrugs and I laugh harder “You have sunglass rings around your eyes..Again! Dumbass!” He laughs and says “Beats being a smartass!” Then he says “Race ya to the island!” And takes off running!
I chase after him yelling “Cheater!” As he hits the water two seconds before me! I am swimming full out and finally catch him just before I hit sand! We walk up the bank, as I huff “All of you are so uselessly tall! Your entire body outpaces me by a full length before I can even begin to paddle” He cracks up “Being tall is extremely useful! YOU are uselessly short! You use magic to get coffee cups from the cabinet!” And I flick my hand..sending him to the top of the oak tree!
I bring him down after he threatens to tell Momma…..again! I smirk “You’re such a tattletale!” And he responds it’s only because I’m always putting him..in trees..or closets..or under the veranda. I protest “That’s the first time I have done anything to you this year!” He laughs “Yeah! This year..and it’s only May” I smile…”Fair enough!”
I was enjoying the peace and quiet when I heard it.. “Corey.. listen? Hear that? Paws.. lots of them! I link Alex.. 🐺 Alex..I hear the thunder of paws.. coming from the south. At least 50 wolves! Alert the pack.. Corey and I are headed back and we both hit the lake…swimming like mad. We reached Alex and Baron just as the wolves broke the treeline! Rogues!
They didn’t stop.. kept barreling our direction, as the four of us got ready to fight. Alex had ordered everyone but us back to the pack house and had alerted Daddy and Uncle Cody. We watched the rogue wolves begin to circle the lake towards us, just as we saw four wolves break the treeline behind the rogues. Then it came together in my head.. Harvest Moon was chasing them.. herding them to the lake. Daddy reached us with twenty warriors and we leapt into the fight. A rogue wolf lunged at me and I spun out.. kicking him in the head. I followed it with an elbow into his ribs and grabbed his tail..spinning, I threw him into a tree..where he fell to the ground.
The rogues were down..or they had run off. Daddy was pissed. He yelled across the lake “Kendrick! Don’t chase your trash to our side of the borders! Take care of it over there!” Kendrick… the huge black wolf, I’m assuming, just turned his back and sauntered off. Daddy muttered “Asshole” and hugged me close “You did good, princess! I am so proud!” And I preened under his praise. Yeah! I’m a daddy’s girl! Then he said “Clean this up! Any survivors..get them to the cells!”