Why does literally every werewolf book I pick up on here have these? There are a few things about this particular dynamic that bother me:

1. Real wolves do not have a strict social order.

The study that suggested this was performed in the 1970s, using unrelated individuals who were placed together in captivity. More recent studies have shown that wolves are far more cooperative and social, and their pack dynamics are a lot more complicated than just having an 'alpha' and a bunch of subordinates. The absolute ubiquitousness of this trope is really starting to bother me.

It reminds me of people who own pet shepherd/husky mixes and then tell me that they're their half-wolf's 'alpha' and that's why it listens so well while it jumps on strangers and tugs on the leash (yes, this has really happened).

2. It limits the interactions the characters can have

I've seen it done well a couple times (Unleashed is a good example), but in 95% of cases it turns into all the other subordinate wolves doing whatever the Alpha says 'cause he's the Alpha. I don't particularly enjoy this dynamic, it's weird, and it doesn't make any sense to me. Why are werewolves always predicted as living in these weird tribelike 'pack' structures and not literally any other social structure?

3. You stole it from Twilight

I realize Twilight wasn't the first book to use this trope but it's the most popular. Can't we steal from anywhere else? Literally anywhere else other than Twilight, for shit's sake? Really?

Just a note on this intersession chapter. I can be won over into liking it, and I can forgive it most times I see it which is why most books haven't been knocked for it yet, but I'd REALLY like to see a werewolf book that contains literally any other dynamic.