AXEL
~When you create something new, youâre breaking traditionâwhich is an act of defiance.~
We stared at each other, circling, eyeing the other one up. Reign and Sawyer stood to the side, ready to pounce when needed.
Without warning, Samson shifted into his wolf, his mud-brown hair sprouting all over his body, his clothes ripping to shreds. In wolf form, he towered over me.
I looked back at Reign in panic. ~This isnât what we planned.~
Samson took my brief distraction as an opportunity to lunge at me, pinning me to the ground, his teeth threatening to rip my throat out.
I tried to hold his jaw away from my neck as I squirmed underneath him.
I could hear everyone shouting encouragement, willing me to do something to fight back. Samson was frothing at the mouth, his claws digging into my chest.
I let out a scream as they pierced my skin. My hold on his jaws lacked, and he snapped at my throat.
My vision went red, and my wolf ripped through my skin. My sudden shift and change in form knocked Samson off my chest.
I stood across from him, my six-foot frame now standing in wolf form. I snarled, circling him, snapping at his side when he got too close.
He was adamant about killing me; that much was pretty damn obvious. I didnât have as much experience fighting in wolf form as I admittedly should have, but I was going to have to wing it.
~This dickhead cannot win.~
I lunged at Samson, swiping his side with my sharp claws. He let out a howl as I made contact. Sawyer walked around us still in human form. His movement distracted me.
Samson made his move. I whipped out of his way at the last second, kicking out with my back legs. He hurtled into the castle wall, hitting it with a loud thud.
He shook his head, snarling, drool dripping from his jaws, his eyes watching me furiously. I snarled at him, egging him on.
I glanced at Reign, silently asking her to take Sawyer out to avoid any more distractions.
Thankfully she got my hint. Taking off at a run, she leapt into the air, landing on Sawyer, her fist making contact with his jaw. She pummeled him to the ground, knocking him out.
Samson let out a bloodcurdling growl and went for her. She dodged him at the ultimate last second, making even my heart stop briefly.
I lunged at Samson, my jaws gripping his back legs. I shook my head, lifting him off the ground.
His body turned back on itself as he whipped around, biting my ear. I yelped, dropping him. Reign shifted, her white wolf standing out against the backdrop of the sky.
The sun was setting, casting a blood-red glow across the orange and yellow. ~Seems fitting.~
She knocked me out of the way, taking over the fight, as was her plan.
~Should I allow her to carry through?~
~Does this mean I am weak?~
~Iâm the first born.~
~I should be alpha.~
And yet it didnât feel right. An alpha should only be alpha if he is called to do so. Otherwise, he wonât be able to lead properly. As long as the people recognize him as their alpha, he has control.
But leadership comes from a calling, not from the people.
The wrong person in that position could do so much damage to the pack.
Reignâs snarls snapped me back to what was happening in front of me. Her aura screamed dominance even more so than mine, not just royalty as we all have, but alpha.
I glanced around at the other alphas watching. I saw respect and acceptance in their eyes. They recognized her as an alpha. ~So be it.~
I lunged forward to make one last attempt at taking Samson out. Reign knocked me out of the way again, growling over her shoulder as she did so.
She turned back on Samson and leapt. Within seconds she had him pinned to the ground. Her fur stood on edge as her claws dug into his chest. She began glowing, her fur shining a brilliant white.
She clutched his throat in her jaws, just barely holding it so as not to pierce it. She let out a growl that made even my knees buckle. Samson struggled in her grip, attempting and failing to buck her off him. She growled again, louder this time.
Many pack members standing watching knelt in submission. Still, Samson struggled under her grip, reciprocating her growl.
I didnât need to be in human form to know the conversation that was currently happening.
She didnât want to kill him; she wanted him to submit. ~And he wouldnât.~
Samsonâs mother stepped forward, tears rolling down her cheeks. She begged, âPlease, Samson, just submit. Please.â
Letting out an ear-splitting roar, he kicked Reign off him and spun around to face her as she landed on her feet.
I stood beside her, a rumbling building in my chest, warning him. He would die.
~Submit~,I urged him silently.
One look at his eyes and I knew he was too far gone, a wild wolf. There was no way he was going to back down.
Sawyer regained consciousness, and I turned on him. One swipe of my claws had him back on the ground. I snapped my jaws at him, warning him to stay down.
He stood up slowly but stepped back, his eyes to the ground, not meeting my stare.
~Even he knows theyâve lost.~
Reign and Samson swiped at each other again, standing on their hind legs, their front paws leaving claw marks on each other.
Reign got the upper hand yet again and pinned him. This time her snarl could be heard for miles. My knees buckled, and I bowed. Beside me, Sawyer followed suit.
~Thereâs no denying it.~
~She is alpha.~
Samson fought back the same as before. This time Reign didnât give him a second chance to knock her off him.
He had his chance to submit, and he had shown everyone he would rather die than submit to herâ¦or anyone.
She wrapped her jaws around his throat and jerked her head, ripping it out. Samson died instantly, his struggle stopping immediately.
His mother fell to her knees, her sobs ringing through the silence.
The sound of cracking bones beside me indicated that Sawyer was shifting back. I followed suit. Members of the pack approached us with robes to allow us a moment of dignity on such a somber occasion.
~A good wolf lost.~
Reign stepped back, blood covering the white fur on her chest. She looked around at the pack, everyone on their knees bowing their necks, showing respect to their newest alpha.
Her gaze met mine, and I also bowed my head. She nodded in response.
Our family knelt at her feet, all bar Pops, who, as king, just showed his neck briefly. A sign of acceptance from the highest of alphas.
Still in wolf form, Reign let out a sad, somber howl, a sign of mourning to his family at a good life gone.
Her snout pointing up at the moon that was rising, she howled again. A couple of members of the pack shifted and followed suit.
For a few moments, the only sounds that could be heard throughout the grounds were the sad howls of wolves.
His parents knelt over his body, clutching him to them tightly, their foreheads resting together as they mourned the loss of their eldest son.
Reign shifted back into human form. Diego wrapped a robe around her. While wolves are not shy about showing their bodies before or after shifting, there were many out-of-town wolves here.
âI didnât want to,â she whispered, standing over him and his family. They looked up at her, remaining silent. âI tried to get him to submit, but he wouldnât. Iâm sorry for your loss.â
They nodded and bowed their heads. The father more reluctantly than the mother, I noticed, but I said nothing.
I looked over at my family, a feeling of guilt rising. I was sure they would be furious that I allowed Reign to be in such a position in the first place.
Mom approached me first, her expression softening as she got closer.
âYour father and I discussed many times over the years whether you would be alpha or not. You chose wisely, Axel. No one is angry at you. It is clear to everyone Reign is born to do thisâ
I nodded silently, not trusting myself to speak.
Reign was born to do this.
Sometimes being the first born doesnât always mean youâre the right fit for alpha.
Today Reign broke tradition and did the unthinkable.
She is the first female alpha in history.