The Pack's Alpha

Yorick

"Happy Birthday!"

The crowd of family, pack members, and neighboring Alphas all wish me a happy birthday.

"You've got this," Wendy, my sister, says in my ear before stepping away from me. I just told her my plans for this coming year. I intend to announce it to my father and brother, Connor, the current Alpha, tonight.

"Yorick!" my youngest sister, Yvonne, says as she runs over. She's part of the second set of twins that my parents had. She's thirteen but she launches herself into my arms, confident that I'll catch her. As the youngest, she's right. None of us have ever dropped her.

"Unh!" I grunt. "You're getting a bit too old for that, Vonny," I tell her.

"Quirin never complains," she says, referencing my older sister's mate. Now that he and Kennedy have found their way together, he's quickly becoming the 'favorite' brother for my youngest brother and sister.

"Quirin has a pack of pups that are constantly crawling all over him, so what's one more," I say as I put her back on her feet.

"You used to be fun, Yorick," she says, sticking her tongue out at me.

"I still love you, Big Bro," Yana says, hugging me. "Happy birthday!"

I go around the room, saying hello to my family, my friends, Alpha Quirin, Alpha Henry, his father, Alpha Harold, and several others from his pack who originally came from ours.

I get quite a few offers from she-wolves on ways I can spend the rest of my birthday, all of which I politely decline.

When everyone is having a good time, Connor approaches me.

"So, have you finally decided to agree to my offer?" he asks me, handing me a drink as we look out over the partiers.

"Actually, I won't be accepting your offer, brother," I say, pulling out my acceptance letter.

He frowns and his frown only deepens as he reads the letter.

"Dad! Did you know about this?" he asks, holding up my letter.

"What is it?" my father asks, walking over with Kennedy's daughters Kaylee and Kendra, who are hanging on him. Those two will most likely end up at the Warrior Academy one day. They're both very much like their father and even at two years old, these girls love nothing more than to spar and spar hard. Considering they're half of Kennedy's quads, you'd think all four were the same, but no. The other two are just like Kennedy; sweet, quiet, and studious.

Connor hands my father my acceptance letter as I harass my nieces, getting them to swat and punch at me while they hold on to my father.

"Yorick? When did you apply?" my father asks me.

"About six months ago."

"And you never said anything?" Connor asks, looking hurt.

"Connor, you've always known your path. You always knew the pack would be yours. I'm an Alpha with no pack..."

"You have THIS pack! I need you," he says.

"No, you don't. You've made a space for me and maybe Wade will be happy to accept it when he's older, but I'm too much like you and Dad. I need to make my way in this world, Connor. I don't want a handout from you. I want to know that wherever I end up, I did it on my own merits, by proving myself."

"You never had to prove yourself to me, Yorick. I know who you are. I trust you, I love you, and I want you to remain part of this pack," Connor says sadly.

"And I love you for that, but I have to do this for me," I tell him just as Quirin comes up and expertly swings his daughters off my father's back and onto his.

"What's going on?" he asks.

My father hands Quirin the letter and looks at me.

"Are you sure about this son?"

"I've never been more sure of anything, Dad."

I look at Quirin. "This is impressive, Yorick. It's not easy to get into the Academy. I think they only accept, what, twenty applicants every year?" He looks at my brother. "I'm sure Connor isn't going to agree with me, but I get it. And I think everyone should be proud of you for doing this. Just being accepted at the Academy is an accomplishment. I never told anyone, but I applied when I was seventeen. I was turned down."

"What? Are you serious?" I ask.

"I am," he says. Quirin is one of the strongest Alphas I've ever met. Dad and Connor and even Henry are strong Alphas, but Quirin has had to scrape for everything he's accomplished in his life, and it's made him more ruthless than anyone in my family or Henry's. It makes him a stronger fighter, in my opinion.

Connor looks at me a moment, then turns to the group. "Attention everyone! I have an announcement to make!"

The room goes quiet, and he looks at me. "My brother has been accepted at the Warrior Academy!"

Everyone in the room begins to cheer. I see the shock on my mother's face and several others as Connor waves for quiet.

"I won't say that I'm not disappointed that he's leaving us and I hope like hell that he'll return when he's done with school. But I couldn't be more proud of my little brother," he says, raising his glass. "To Yorick!"

"To Yorick!" everyone says.

I spend the rest of the evening talking to everyone about the Academy. I let Connor know that I only have a few weeks before I have to leave.

Over those weeks, I pack my bags, making sure that I don't leave anything undone before I go.

When it's finally time for me to leave, my entire family comes to say goodbye. I feel my throat tighten as I say my goodbyes to everyone one at a time, finally hugging my mother, who is teary-eyed but trying to hide it.

Last, but not least, I say goodbye to Wendy.

"Remember your promise," I say to her.

"You remember yours. I'll keep my promise if you keep yours," she says.

"Deal."

Then I get in my car, honk my horn and drive off, excited to be heading to a new chapter of my life and possibly a completely different life than the one I've been leading up until now.

?Cyra

"What do you mean you've been accepted at the Warrior Academy?" my father, Alpha Arden, demands.

Behind him, leaning against the wall, his face set in an unemotional mask, is my intended mate, Alpha Stellan. I found out nearly six months ago that my father created what is called an Alliance Bond with Alpha Stellan's father. In order to solidify the alliance between our two packs, they wrote up an agreement dictating that I would be mated to Alpha Stellan and become his Luna.

Because our packs have been in an alliance, I've known Alpha Stellan for years. It's not that he's not a nice man or a good man, I'm sure he is. But when I turned eighteen last week, I realized that he also isn't my fated mate. That would have made things simpler. But I wasn't surprised. Stellan is nice enough, I've just never been enamored with him the way other women are. I don't care that he's an Alpha, probably because I'm one too. What I do care about is that my choice to find my fated mate has been taken away from me by my own father, no less.

So, in an act of rebellion, I applied to the Warrior Academy six months ago. I didn't expect to be accepted. Only twenty wolves are accepted each year, and this year, I am one of them.

"It's simple, father. I applied to the Academy, and I was accepted," I say patiently.

"You don't need to be a strong warrior. You have Stellan for that. You just need to be a good Luna and give him heirs."

"Yes, because that's all a mate bond is to you, isn't it father? Having an obedient Luna who pushes out babies!" I say getting angry.

"Having the right Luna is the most important thing for an Alpha," he growls.

"Then perhaps Stellan should look for his fated mate since we all know I'm not her!" I say, getting to my feet and shouting back at my father.

"Let her go," Stellan says quietly.

"What?" I say, turning toward him.

He pushes off the wall with the elegance of an Alpha. There's really nothing wrong with him. He's attractive, as all Alphas are, with blond hair and green eyes. He's just ... bland. He's boring. I need excitement in my life. I expect that, like my father, Stellan will want a quiet Luna who gives him an heir. After that, I'm pretty sure that he'll just ignore me.

I'm confident that's what my father would have done with my mother if she hadn't died in childbirth.

"Everyone knows that the Warrior Academy is elite simply because they only let a handful of students in every year. You have to have the right credentials, the right background, the ability to show that you can maintain your position among the other elites in the packs, and you also have to show that you're an intelligent thinker. The few warriors I know that have come out of the Academy are some of the strongest, smartest fighters I've ever met. Even the ones who aren't Alphas fight like they are. You going to the Academy will only make our pack stronger when you return. I had hoped that we could complete our marking and mating ceremony this weekend, but if you're leaving, our wolves would struggle to be apart for so long," Stellan says.

'I wouldn't struggle,' Rina, my wolf, says. She's not any happier about this arranged mate bond than I am. She, like me, has always wanted her fated mate. My parents weren't fated mates and from everything I've heard about them, there was no love between them. I sometimes wonder if my mother died just so she could get out of her crummy life.

Stellan walks over and strokes his fingers down my cheek. I force myself to hold still and not yank away from his touch.

"Thank you, Stellan. I know you didn't ask for this mate bond any more than I did, but I also know that taking your place as Alpha is important to you. It's only one year. Many Alphas wait longer than that to find their fated mate. I'm sure one year will only make our bond stronger," I say.

'Or at least give us time to figure out what we can do to get out of this mess,' Rina says in our mind space.

'Maybe he'll find his fated mate while we're away,' I tell her.

'Do you think he'd accept her?' she says, doubtfully.

'Probably not,' I sigh, fighting to hold still as Stellan leans in for a kiss. He presses his lips to mine but there's nothing - no spark, no excitement, no love ... just dewy lips pressing against mine.

"When do you leave?" he asks when he pulls back.

"Two weeks."

"Then we can spend some time together before you go. I'll return home today as planned, but I'll come back this weekend and we can spend time together before you leave."

"Thank you for understanding," I tell him.

"It's a good thing one of us does," my father growls. "One year, Cyra, that's it."

I hold his gaze while both men walk out of the room, then I let my shoulders slump.

'You heard him, Rina. One year. We have one year to figure out what the hell we're going to do!'

I avoid my father over the next two weeks as much as possible, spending my time packing to be gone for a year and seeing Stellan on the weekends.

He tried to convince me to at least seal our bond with sex, but I declined, saying that Rina would struggle with the distance if we did. In reality, the thought of sleeping with Stellan doesn't excite me any more than his chaste kisses do. I imagine that we'll take off our own clothes, climb into bed, he'll roll on top of me, slide it in, pump a few times, then roll off me and fall asleep.

What I need is a man who will press me against the wall, nip at my lip and demand entrance to my mouth. A man who will fight for dominance and win. A man who will bend me over a desk and take me from behind because he can't go another minute without being inside me. A man who will take me outside, covering my mouth with his hand while he thrusts into me so he can muffle my cries of pleasure because we're close enough for others to hear us.

Rina begins purring in my mind. 'Yes, that's EXACTLY what we need.'

When it's finally time for me to leave, I say goodbye to my father, who at least made sure to pay for the Academy for the year and put enough money in my account to ensure that I wouldn't want for anything this year.

Stellan gave me another one of his chaste kisses, telling me he'd come visit me once I was settled at the Academy and then I got in my car, waving as I drove off.

It wasn't until I left our pack lands that I felt like I could finally breathe for the first time since I found out that I was basically being gifted to Alpha Stellan as his Luna.

I rolled down my windows, turned up the radio, and let my new-found, if temporary, freedom roll over me.

Hours later, I arrive at the Academy in a rush of excitement. There are people EVERYWHERE! Or at least it feels like they're everywhere. People are in various stages of checking in and unloading their cars. There are people standing around guiding newbies like me to find where we're supposed to be. It's organized chaos.

I pull up and give the person directing cars my name.

"Alpha Cyra, your check in station is right over there. Park anywhere you can find a spot, check in, get unpacked, then go park your car in the designated area. Your check in person will tell you where that is," he says, marking me off on his tablet and walking to the car behind me.

I find a spot and park, going to the check in table I was directed to. I get my room assignment, key, parking spot, syllabus, class schedule, and a map of the campus. It's a small campus with only three buildings; dormitories, workout room and sparring center, and classrooms.

Here, being an Alpha doesn't give you any special privileges, other than probably being prioritized on the entrance list. All underclassmen are on the first floor. I go back to my car and grab as many bags as I can carry before walking inside the dormitories. There's no differentiation between males and females at the Academy. They don't admit based on gender at all. It's solely based on your essay, your educational scores, your experience, and your future goals. I lied a bit about my future goals, but no one here needs to know that.

The moment I step foot inside the dormitories, my heart drops. Rina stands up in my head, instantly alert.

Oh no. What are the fucking odds?

I breathe in a deep breath of his fresh, clean, bamboo scent.

When I open my eyes, I see him standing in the hallway. I don't know how I know it's him, other than the intensity of his gaze on mine.

He growls possessively and in three steps, he has me pressed against the wall of the dormitory, his mouth taking mine in the most dominant, possessive kiss I've ever experienced in my life.

Yorick

I smelled her exotic scent. Or more accurately, Thad had smelled her and nearly threw me to the floor trying to get out of our room to find her. She has a rich, earthy scent with hints of leather and smoke that should smell masculine, but on her, it smells exotic, almost like amber or musk.

When I finally see her, she looks just as exotic as she smells. She has long auburn-colored hair and blue-grey eyes. And under her enticing, exotic scent, is the scent of Alpha. She's perfect.

Thad hadn't given me a moment to even say hi before he had her pressed against the wall, kissing her and demanding that she give him what he wanted. Her.

I'll admit, I got lost in the kiss. Her scent, her taste, the feel of her arms sliding around my body all made it impossible for me to pull away. Until she pushed me away.

I stepped back, panting as people moved around us, giving us looks like we are acting crazy on the first day, and it doesn't bode well for us.

"I'm sorry. I lost control of Thad. I didn't even introduce myself,' I say to her.

"It's fine. That's fine," she says, pulling her bags over her shoulder and moving to step around me.

"I'll help you," I say, grabbing the bags off one of her shoulders.

"That's not necessary," she says, trying to tug her bags back.

I growl softly at her. "And yet, I will carry them for you. I'm Yorick, by the way."

"Alas, poor Yorick. Are you a man of infinite jest?" she asks me, loosely quoting Shakespeare.

"You know your literature," I say, smiling. I love an intelligent woman. My family is filled with them. "I believe you'll find me to be a fellow of most excellent fancy," I say, continuing the quote. "And what is your name, mate?"

"Cyra," she says simply.

"Cyra. What an unusual, beautiful name," I say. "It means noblewoman, right?" I ask her.

"I prefer the easier translation of throne. I don't sit on it, I AM the throne," she says, making me smile.

"And what does a throne hope to achieve here in the Warrior Academy," I ask.

She stops at a door and turns to face me. "To become the best, the highest-ranking warrior in the werewolf community."

"That's a very aggressive statement considering how elite this school is," I say.

She shrugs, reaching out to take her bags from me.

"And yet, that is my goal. It was nice to meet you Yorick. I'm sure I'll see you around. Hopefully you won't end up six feet under as your namesake implies," she says, opening her door and stepping in.

Before she can close the door in my face, I put my foot in the doorway.

"Are you really just going to walk away from me?" I ask her, feeling hurt that she's not as excited by our mate bond as I am.

She sighs, as if I'm asking a lot of her to give me her time.

"No, you're right. We should get this over with now. Do come in," she says, opening the door.

Get this over with? If she thinks I'm going to rush our marking and mating, she is sorely mistaken.

I step into the room, and she drops her bags on the bed then turns to me, pushing her hair out of her face.

"I, Alpha Cyra Teymoori, reject you, Alpha Yorick ... what's your last name?"

"Hill," I growl. Thad is howling in my head at her instant rejection of us.

"I, Alpha Cyra Teymoori, reject you, Alpha Yorick Hill as my mate and Alpha," she says, looking at me expectantly, as if she didn't just rip my heart out of my chest and stomp on it while I stood by helplessly.

I step up to her, taking her chin in my hand.

"I, Alpha Yorick Hill, reject your ridiculous rejection. But I do want to know why? Why would you reject me when you don't even know me?" I growl.

She looks shocked, like she thought that I would accept her rejection when she hasn't even given me or our mate bond a chance.

She pulls her face out of my hand. "We cannot be mated," she says, not looking at me.

"And yet we are. Do you really think you know better than the Moon Goddess herself," I growl.

I watch as sadness flashes across her face and just as quickly, she schools her features into a mask of indifference.

"It isn't about the Moon Goddess," she says.

"Then please, do tell me, what is it about?" I ask, still hurt enough to let my anger bleed into my tone.

She looks away, taking a deep breath, then turns back to me.

"My father entered into an alliance bond one year ago."

I begin shaking my head. I know exactly what an alliance bond is, and I also know that if she's here as a first year, that she was underage when the deal was made, meaning that her father was never willing to give her a chance to find her fated mate, to find me.

"I should have already been marked and mated, but I applied here instead. You need to accept my rejection. There is no future for me except the one that my father created. Without it, the packs will go to war..."

"I don't fucking care! Your father had no right..." I yell. Thad is snarling in my head, ready to go kill her father and her betrothed so he can have her.

"In that, we agree, but it doesn't change anything. I have been promised to another Alpha. You need to accept my rejection and give yourself a chance to find a second chance mate."

"I don't want a second chance mate. I want you! I refuse to walk away from this. There has to be a solution, one that you and I can agree on," I say.

"There isn't, Yorick. In one year, I will be mated to another Alpha. And if you don't accept my rejection before then, you will feel pain much worse than you would feel now, if you would just accept this," she says, her eyes filling with tears.

She's breaking my heart. I'm furious with her father. So incredibly angry that he did this to her and to me, but more than that, I can see that she doesn't want this. She doesn't want the arranged bond that her father has created for her.

I step up to her, sliding my hand into her hair. My hand lights up with the most incredible tingling feeling, and it spreads up my arm and into my heart.

"You're right about one thing. We have one year. We have one year to figure this out. Don't reject me yet. Get to know me. Let's talk about our options. We'll find a way. I come from a family that believes in the mate bond above all things. You are the woman for me. No other woman will ever be enough for me, because she'll never be you," I tell her honestly, swiping a tear that falls from her eyes.

"Give me the year," I say, putting my forehead against hers. "Please."

"Yorick..." she pleads, the tears beginning to fall freely.

"Please, Cyra, give me the year," I whisper.

She nods in agreement, and I lean forward, taking her mouth in a much gentler, but no less dominant, kiss.