LUKA'S POV

"Name the packs within a 500 mile radius." I look up to my father and repress a sigh.

"Blood moon, New moon and Blue moon." He shoots me a look and I correct myself. "Alpha." He continues to stride around the room with his head held high. I love my father but I can't stand these lessons. They're so boring.

"Name the top reigning Alpha's and their heirs." I sit up straighter and rack my brain for the answers.

"Blood moon pack, Alpha Joshua, his son Thomas will be the new Alpha in four years." He smirks.

"Good."

"New moon pack, Alpha Keenan, his son Tobias will be the new Alpha in... in," Aww shoot I can't remember. Father stops mid stride and frowns. Darn it... ok let me think. I am ten and he is three years younger than me. If I am going to be Alpha when I'm eighteen that's eight years from now...so.

"Oh! Tobias will be the new Alpha in eleven years." Father nods and continues his stride.

"Blue moon pack, Alpha Wren, his daughter Wynona will be the new Alpha in six years."

"Excellent pup. Now let's discuss pack borders, and then we will review general pack law." I groan and he's in my face within the second.

"I don't think you understand what you just did... because if you did know what just slipped out of your mouth then you know what is going to happen next." I visibly gulp and stand for my punishment. Father circles me menacingly before his eyes go dark. He growls low and I feel the hairs on the back of my neck raise.

"Prepare to be punished pup." My body begins to shake and I feel the wind around me 'swoosh' as my father ends up behind me. His hands grip my sides and I yelp. Before I can blink he has me on the floor bursting with laughter as he tickles the living daylights out of me.

"Ok dad! Ok I give!" He hovers over me with a big smile on his face before he offers to help me up.

"Alright pup let's get back to work." I shake off my giggles and punch his leg.

"I won't give in next time!" He shakes his head and sits at his desk.

Two days after my first shift I was released from the medical room in the pack infirmary. Naal was the first one to greet me with congratulations. He said it was so cool that I finally got my wolf and that he wanted private lessons on control and strength when he shifts. There were a few other pack members that congratulated me as well, including Beta Dave and Gamma Jo. It was nice to feel officially welcomed in the pack. Many members tested the strength of my mindlink by speaking to me through it. It was hard to get used to at first but it took me about an hour to master it. Though I'm still learning how to put up walls around my mind. Father says it's important that an Alpha can guard his mind; the pack doesn't need to know everything.

We've been doing "Alpha lessons" for almost a month now. It sucks because school is almost over and the weather is really nice and I want to play outside but instead I'm stuck here. It helps to know that when Naal shifts he will have his own lessons to go through too so I won't be the only one going through this torture.

"Where is our pack located?"

"Ohio State, Alpha."

"What is our land expanse?"

"Approximately 203.30 miles, Alpha."

"Our borders?"

"According to the human maps we are located between Akron, Ohio and Newark Ohio, Alpha." He smiles and nods.

"Who is our closest neighbouring pack?"

"That is Blood Moon pack, lead by Alpha Joshua, Alpha."

"What are the top ranks in a pack?"

"Alpha, Beta and Gamma, Elders are ranked highly but not above the Alpha."

"Top ranks for fighters?"

"Enforcers are the protectors, Warriors are the fighters and Trackers are the scouts. Those are the top ranks."

"State the general pack laws pertaining to packs alone." I refuse the urge to roll my eyes and respond.

"The pack must follow its Alpha. The pack must be ordinal. The pack must respect its Alpha. The pack must contribute equally. The pack must know its role. The pack must stick together. If the pack is to live amongst the human world they must keep their true identity secret. If the pack lives amongst the human world shifting is only permitted at night within pack borders. The pack must not interact with humans other than business conduct. The pack is only allowed two human informants; if they produce children the pack must educate them on the ways of pack life. Mating with humans is permitted if the human can be trusted. Trust the pack." I take a deep breath and watch my father nod.

"State the general pack laws pertaining to Alphas."

"Alphas are the head of the pack; Without the Alpha the pack will fall. If a pack is without an Alpha the elders will control the pack. Alphas are chosen through genetics. If the Alpha cannot produce an heir the next reigning Alpha will be chosen by the elders. Alphas must respect the wishes of the elders. There is no prejudice between male and female Alphas, as long as they prove their worth. Alphas must chose a worthy mate; if the mate is not deemed worthy by the elders the Alpha must accept. The next reigning Alpha is chosen on his/her 18th birthday. In the death of an Alpha, the Luna must control the pack with permission from the elders. The Alpha must protect its pack. The Alpha must control his/her wolf. The Alpha is in no position to dictate a pack. The Alpha is to be fair. The Alpha is the strength." When I finish that sentence I shudder. That is a lot of responsibility on one person's shoulders.

"I know what you're thinking pup but it's not as bad as it seems. And it gets a lot easier when you have your mate and Beta by your side. At least you have one of the two right now." I smile at the thought of Naal helping me through tough situations. He's the perfect Beta for sure.

"Alright what next?" His eyes shine at my question and he stands up.

"Next we start training." My eyes widen.

"Really?" He nods his head yes but a stern look comes over his face.

"But listen to me pup, we will be training in our human forms." I'm about to protest but I stop when he closes his eyes, a tell-tale sign he's about to get annoyed. "As great as it is being blessed with a wolf we must never forget that the majority of our time is spent in this form." He gestures to himself and I begin to understand.

"There will be many times when you won't have the time, the ability or even the space to shift and you will have to defend yourself and your pack in your human form. That is what is important.

Understand?"

"I understand." He smiles gently and opens the door of his office.

"Let's get to work."

****

Six hours later and I feel like passing out. We didn't work on physical combat as much; instead he geared our focus towards stealth and speed. Now that I have my wolf my physical abilities have advanced greatly but getting used to using those abilities is a different matter. It's a struggle trying to hold back the shift especially since my wolf wants to be free, badly.

"Pup are you ok?" I look up to my father and push my sweat-soaked hair out of my eyes.

"Yeah I'm fine, it's just hard getting used to the strength." He laughs lightly.

"Don't worry I completely understand. My first shift was torture. I was out for a week and a half and couldn't shift again for a week on top of that. It was brutal. We were all so surprised that you recuperated so quickly. How do you feel?" I shrug and collapse onto the grass.

"I feel tired, but very alive. My wolf keeps my senses on alert all the time. It's weird."

"You'll get used to it." I try to sit up but my arms give out on me.

"Yeah I'm sure." We both laugh and I hear the back door opening. Her scent smells like lemons and cookies. "Hey mom!" I say with my eyes closed. I hear her gasp and chuckle to myself. Having a wolf is awesome.

"You never cease to amaze me Luka." She hovers over me and I feel a cooling sensation as her body blocks the sun.

"Are you hungry?" I nod my head and open my eyes slowly. Her hair is high on her head and she's wearing her "Mother Cooks Best" apron. The scent of cookies is strong, so she must have finished baking some. At the thought of cookies my wolf jumps up, in turn making me jump as well.

"Did you bake your famous cookies?" A big smile stretches across her face that make her eyes crinkle at the corner.

"You bet I did. Come inside and have some lunch, it's already four in the afternoon. Your father's overworked you enough." I take a step towards her and my legs wobble. I really need to learn how to adjust to this properly.

"Take your time kid, your wolf can't give you all the strength." He laughs at me and heads into the kitchen. Mom waits by my side as I take a deep breath and try to walk again. Surprisingly it's easier this time and I only stumble once. When we get inside I smell so many things at once. The cookies have a sweet aroma, while the ham, turkey, bacon, salami and cheese sandwiches have a salty smell. There's some fruit close to rotting in the fridge and the some leftover macaroni pie burning in the bottom of the oven. This is amazing.

"Can you guys smell all of that?" I said taking a deep whiff. My father chuckles while my mother takes out the macaroni pie.

"You'll learn to control it sweetie." Mom says placing the pie on the cooling rack. I frown and sit at the table.

"You guys are no fun." I say as my frown turns into a pout. My parents share a look before dad speeds behind me and blindfolds me. My senses heighten even more and I can hear them moving around the kitchen. And then I smell it. And man does it stink.

"What is this?" Mom asks from a distance. The scent becomes stronger until I can practically taste it. I gag and rear my head back.

"It smells like dad's dirty socks." A bellow of laughter is the answer.

"Very good son. How about this?" A sweeter smell comes to my senses and I inhale slowly. It smells almost like...

"Flowers? No wait it's... mom's Gardenias!" I hear some clapping and they continue to test my senses. I only get two wrong but it's so much fun to test! I'm pretty sure I can guess any scent they give me but then one scent throws me off. My nostrils flare and my canines elongate.

"Son are you ok?" My wolf growls from within I and I can feel the growl rising in my throat.

"What is that?" I ask as the scent gets stronger. It's foreign to me and it sets my wolf on edge. The scent is putrid and dank but strong enough to alert my wolf. I rip the blindfold off and run out of the kitchen.

The shift invokes faster than I can blink and I am running through the forest to that peculiar scent. The closer I get to a stream the stronger the scent is and when I happen upon a pup my wolf growls. My father is right behind me in wolf form and he eyes down the pup as well.

"It's a rogue dad, what do we do?" I ask him through the mindlink. He growls at the pup catching its attention.

"Where are you from?" He roars at the pup but it isn't shaken. It just turns around and continues to drink from the stream. My father growls louder but it doesn't move. I figure it's because he doesn't know what my father is saying because he isn't a part of our link. So I choose to growl and the sound that comes out of my mouth literally makes the birds fly from the trees. My father looks towards me with eyes wide before he focuses on the pup again. This time the pup turns back towards us with its tail hidden beneath its legs. The pup shifted and a little boy stood before us.

"My name is Henry. I do not know my last name because I was not given one. I don't know if I have a pack... I don't know much. I think I am ten but I cannot remember. I just ran here because I was thirsty. Do not kill. I will leave." He's very scrawny and has big brown eyes. I felt remorse for the poor boy and almost let my guard down before he shifted again and lunged at me.

His claws and canines were bared and he was ready to kill. I haven't had the chance to learn how to fight in my wolf form but my wolf took control and kicked him back. He fell back for a few seconds before he lunged at me again, getting a good swipe to my shoulder. My wolf jumps on him and pushes him to the ground with a paw on his head. Forcing him to submit but the rogue wouldn't give. I tried to think of other options but in the end my wolf had more control than I and he went straight for the pup's neck, pulling out flesh and causing him to bleed out to death.

A part of me knew that I should have been shaking-no quaking in fear of what I had just done. The very conscious part of my mind kept repeating to me that I had just killed a rogue for the first time and as much as I tried to process the horrors of my actions, I felt oddly at peace. It was probably just my wolf who was growling in appreciation at his first kill, I'm sure once I take control once again I will probably have nightmares.

"PUP! CAN YOU HEAR ME?ARE YOU OK?" My head snaps towards my father and I realize I must have been putting a wall around my mind. I can see the concern in his eyes and I nod my head. His body visibly relaxes and I notice that we aren't alone anymore. Beta Dave and Gamma Jo are here along with Naal's parents.

"I want this area searched. No one gets rest until I am told just how this pup was able to get into our territory and attack my son. Your future Alpha! I want every part of our terrain searched and I want it done now!" The wolves all growl in agreement and begin to run off in different directions. My wolf pushes against my will to search for anymore trespassers as well but I keep my strength and refuse.

"Father what do we do now?" His large black head looks over to me and he circles me slowly, most likely looking for any injuries.

"Are you ok? Are you hurt?" He brushes his snout against my rib and I lean into the touch.

"I'm ok father. He got me in my shoulder but I can still stand so I guess it's-" Just mentioning the injury awakens the pain and I fall forward. Father is right beside me to help me up.

"How are you Luka? Mentally? Don't let your wolf speak for you." I put my weight on him and snort.

"I feel like I should be scared or disgusted but I only feel pity for the rogue. Is that bad?" His snout pushes against my side and he snorts as well.

"You are growing into your role as Alpha quite well pup. Let's get you to the infirmary. Don't shift back just yet; the injuries could be worse in human form." I nod my head in agreement and we slowly walk towards the pack infirmary.

Three more wolves come to the scene to take the rogue's body away and the bow their head in acknowledgement. It doesn't take us long to get to the infirmary and the pack Doctor Ewan is waiting at the door patiently.

"Alpha, Luka, it is good to see you again, though I was hoping it could be under better circumstances." My father growls and licks my shoulder.

"He was hurt Ewan, do what you must." Father backs away and I limp towards the doctor. He smiles at me sadly and runs a hand through my fur.

"Aren't you a wonder hm? You're quite big for a pup, young Alpha. Come let me have a look." He circles me and finds the gash easily.

"Hm it doesn't look too deep, but I will advise against shifting just to be safe. Come inside I will clean and stitch your wound." I follow him in the infirmary slowly. Behind me I can hear my mother rushing towards father. I feel the moment he shifts back to his human form. It's surreal.

"You can lie here young Alpha. I will be quick." I lie next to a bed and Doctor Ewan begins his work. He pours some terrible smelling liquid into my wound and I growl in response.

"Don't give me that boy. You need to heal and as great as having your wolf can be you're still maturing so you won't heal as fast." He continues with the liquid and I huff. Outside I can hear my mother protesting about my safety and wanting to come in and see if I'm safe.

"Mom I'm ok. Doesn't worry Doctor Ewan will be done soon." I tell her through the mindlink. I hear her gasp outside.

"Of course my sweetheart. You were so brave going against that rogue on your own. I am so proud of you."

"Thank you mom." I close the mindlink and begin to drift off.

"Ah ah ah! Don't fall asleep on me yet young Alpha. I'm almost done." I feel a little tug and hear a 'snip'.

"There you go. Try to stand." I follow his orders and stand slowly. The pain is still there but it is slowly fading.

"Thank you Doctor Ewan. You're the best!" He smiles at me and pats my fur.

"You can shift back now if you'd like." I nod my head and relax my mind. I've never tried to shift back into human form before so I don't know what to do. Doctor Ewan senses my distress and chuckles lightly.

"It's ok young Alpha I understand. Do this, think of your human body. Think about the way it feels, the way it looks, even the way it smells. Just continue to focus on your human form ok?" I nod my head and do as I'm told. I think about my hands and toes, my brown hair and hazel eyes and I think about my legs and arms. And then I feel the shift. It starts with my face and slowly recedes to the rest of my body till I am panting on the ground, my shoulder still in pain. Everything feels itchy and hot and sticky.

"Great job young Alpha! Can you stand?" I open my eyes and look at the doctor with a grimace.

"M-my b-body feels so w-weird." I say as I shake uncontrollably. He smiles down at me and helps me up.

"You'll learn to get used to it." It takes me a few seconds to focus but I get control over my body and stand up straight.

"Did I mention you're the best?" Doctor Ewan clasps my back lightly and laughs.

"Thank you Luka. Now there are some clothes in bin to your right. Put those on before you leave." He turns away and heads into his office. He's such a cool guy. I always wondered why he never took a mate. I sigh and grab some shorts and a baggy t-shirt from the bin. Opening the door I see my parents, Willow, Naal and his parents and Beta Dave all talking. Willow sees me first and runs to give me a hug.

"Luka you're like a superhero now!" I smile down at her and ruffle her hair.

"Thanks Willow." She continues to hold my side as I walk to the others. Mom pulls me in for a hug but is cautious of my shoulder.

"Stop growing up so fast Luka. I can't take it." I smile into her stomach and hug her back.

"I'll try mom." She pulls back to get a good look at me before smiling and standing back. Naal walks over to me and pokes my injured shoulder.

"How much does it hurt?" He asks smiling. I frown and punch him in the shoulder. He stumbles back, because of the strength having my wolf gives me, and sticks his tongue out at me. "Ok fine I get it." We both laugh.

"Pup how do you feel?" I look over to my father and give him a small smile.

"I'm ok. Just really tired." My stomach growls and my face goes red. "And a little hungry." Everyone laughs and we walk to the house. When we get in mom has to re-warm the macaroni pie and hands everyone a sandwich to eat in waiting. Naal pulls me into the living room with a concerned look on his face.

"How was it?" I catch on to what he's saying and sit on the couch. He sits next to me and waits.

"It was... exhausting and exciting. It all happened so fast and yet I felt like I didn't do anything at all. My wolf just took over and... Well... He killed the pup. The guy didn't look much older than you or me and yet I still killed him. It's so... weird." Naal nods his head and frowns.

"Don't beat up on yourself Luka you did what you thought was best. You had to protect yourself. The rogue was crazy to attack you. I just..." He looks away and remains quiet.

"What's wrong?" He looks back me slowly but then casts his eyes down.

"I don't mean to overstep my boundaries but... why didn't your father help you?" I sit back in shock. That's a very good question. Why didn't he help me?

"I-I don't know." We both sit in silence thinking about the answer to that question. It isn't long before Willow comes in and pulls on my shorts.

"Come on Luka. Food's ready." Naal and I get up and follow her into the dining room. Everyone is already seated at the table waiting for us, so we take our seats and begin to eat. It's nice to have company for dinner but I can't stop thinking about what Naal asked. It's a simple question and yet I have no answer to it. I have no idea why my own father wouldn't help me. He was right beside me when the rogue lunged for me. He could have stopped him. He could have protected me and yet he didn't. He didn't do anything at all!

'Bang!'

The table goes quiet and everyone looks towards me. I don't realize I've hit my fist against the table.

"Is there something wrong Luka?" My father asks. I look towards him and hold in a growl.

"Can I be excused?" I ask through clenched teeth. He nods his head and I dash from the table. Running straight up to my room I slam the door. I don't know how or why I became so angry so quickly but I feel like exploding. I want to hit something really hard and then I want to run away and kill-

"Sweetheart?" Mom opens the door slowly and peaks in. "What's wrong?" I look towards her and all of a sudden I feel like crying.

"Why didn't he help me? Why did he just stand there? I could have died!" I run into her arms and cry while she holds me tight.

"Shh it's ok sweetie. Your father will explain I promise you. But I want you to know he would NEVER let anything bad happen to you if he didn't know you were safe. Trust him ok?" I nod my head and she continues to coddle me. I rest my head on her stomach and shut the rest of the world out. There's no one who can comfort me as well as my mom. She's the best mom in the world.

"Luka? Kiera?" I hear my father's voice and pull back from mom. She looks down at me and smiles softly.

"Remember what I said ok?" I nod and she turns to father. "We're here love." His footsteps become louder till I can see him. He looks at me with sadness and nods at mom.

"Do you want to talk here?"He asks quietly. I go to sit on my bed and he follows. Mom closes the door behind her and we both sit together in silence.

"You must be mad at me." He says looking at his hands. I shake my head and kick out my feet.

"I'm not mad, I'm just confused." Nodding father turns to me.

"You know I would never let any harm come to you right?" I point to my shoulder and he chuckles.

"You have to have at least one battle scar for the ladies son." I look down at my shoulder and then back up to him.

"Good point. But it did hurt." I say rubbing it softly. He sighs.

"Yeah well you will get scars far worse than that one trust me. You needed to learn pain and self-dependence. I can't always be there to protect you pup. I wanted you to fight your own battles and you did." I look down at the floor and frown.

"I get it but... he could have killed me." Tears gather in my eyes and father pulls me into his side.

"I would never let that happen Luka. I knew from the moment we encountered him that he would be no match for you. Although you don't have much training with your wolf as of yet, I knew he would guide you throughout the fight." I sigh and slump against him.

"Is it always this tiring to be an Alpha?" Father sighs as well.

"It depends on the day kid. Now are we ok?" I look up to him and nod.

"We're great dad." He smiles and kisses the top of my head.

"You are going to make an amazing Alpha one day Luka. I am very proud of you."

"Thanks dad."

"Get some rest pup we have more lessons tomorrow." He gets up and walks to the door.

"But dad it's Saturday." He laughs and opens the door.

"Fine we will do two hours of lessons and the rest of the day is yours fair?" I nod. "Good now shower up and be careful of your stitches. Goodnight Luka."

"Night dad." He closes the door and I smile. I am going to be an amazing Alpha one day and if dad believes that then it has to be true.