Rise of an Alpha Female (Two Moons Book 1) Read online

  Rise of an Alpha Female

  -book #1 of the Two Moons series-

  A.C. Gruptay

  Copyright

  Rise of an Alpha Female

  Copyright © 2019 A.C. Gruptay

  All rights reserved. No parts of this book may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or otherwise, including storage and retrieval systems, without explicit written consent from the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief pages in his review.

  Contents

  Chapter 1 - Origins

  Chapter 2 - Expectations

  Chapter 3 - Primings

  Chapter 4 - First Adventures

  Chapter 5 - Negotiations

  Chapter 6 - Confrontations

  Chapter 7 - Revelations

  Chapter 8 - Miscalculations

  Chapter 9 - New Beginnings

  Chapter 10 - Clashings

  Chapter 11 - Changes

  Chapter 12 - Consequences

  Chapter 13 - Complications

  Chapter 14 - Realizations

  Chapter 15 - Surprises

  Chapter 16 - Second chances

  Chapter 17 - Homecomings and politics

  Chapter 18 - Fights for rights

  Chapter 19 - Clarifications

  Chapter 20 - Rectifications

  Chapter 21 - Answers and endings

  Chapter 1 - Origins

  Jena Abbyline Rork is the first daughter of Alpha Magnus Rork of the Oasis Pack.

  "Abbyline! Take the pitcher and bring water to your father! He is in his office."

  "Yes, mother!" The nine-year-old comes running. She takes the clay pitcher and runs off to fill it.

  On her way back, she balances it on her head, her steps gently flowing and delicate, the movement of her hands adjusting her balance almost imperceivable.

  Of course, she did not start that way. The grace of a cat on a little wolf before even being able to shift was achieved after dozens of hours of determined practice. The pride of a child wishing to impress fills her, remembering the first time she learned about balance.

  "For you to stand on your own two feet in the face of adversity, balance is paramount. It must be infallible. So get your weighted headgear and put it on, we're doing rope crossings today. Over mud. Anyone dirty at the end of the day wins 15 more laps around the training ground," the Master at Arms told the young wannabe warriors. That day, she had sneaked off to see the older kids train, 'the teens' as the adults would call them.

  She can't help but chuckle remembering their groans.

  I mean what's the big deal? Even I can do it! Just need to work on it lots! Granted the rope I set on the ground didn't have a mud puddle underneath and wasn't suspended but I'm using a water pitcher! And you can't just tie a pitcher on top of your head like they do with their oversized equipment!

  As if to test her inner claims, a couple of slightly older boys run past, following what appears to be a brownish desert rat. In their hustle, one of them nudges the already encumbered Jena, just enough for her to lose balance, the pitcher shattering to pieces on the hard rocky surface under her feet.

  Damn it! Guess I'm not infallible yet.

  Water is scarce in the Southern Calla Region. Uncontaminated water that is. Few springs remain untainted, always contained deep within a pack's territory. The strongest warriors belong to those packs that have a clean water source at their disposal.

  She freezes. Of course, her father just happened to be coming her way at that precise moment.

  "Jena, come here," he calls without raising his voice.

  "Yes, father but it's not my fault. Two boys were running and..."

  "Jena honey, you are a big girl now. There is no punishment if you tell me what we say about water."

  "Water is scarce. Water is life. Respect the water."

  "Very good, honey! Can you now tell me what you could have done differently, so the water didn't spill over?"

  "Pay attention to my surroundings. Always be alert. Like a warrior. Like you, daddy!"

  "That's my perfect little girl. I think if you were a little older and under warrior training, you would have easily dodged those boys even if you weren't paying attention. Would you like to become a warrior one day?"

  "Oh, could I father? Would I really be allowed? I would very much like that! I could be your right-hand man then. I mean woman." She grins widely at him.

  "I see. Good to know! I'm sure you will make a fine warrior one day. Now what about that water, is there a third way in which the water stayed in the pitcher?"

  "Yes, father. The third way to preserve the water is the one neither you nor I thought about. There is always one more solution to a problem."

  "Indeed. Now pick up the shards, and be on your way. I'll see you and your mother at dinner. Love you, honey!"

  "Love you too, daddy!"

  There are many unfortunate poor souls that do not have a pure water source within their territory. And some lack the alternative resources to even afford trading for fresh water. For them, the only alternative remains using dew collectors, but the process is inefficient and time-consuming. And the taste is foul.

  As if that wasn't enough, the dew still has traces of contaminants in it. A lot less than the oceans or open lakes, so it's drinkable, but take a wolf raised on dew and compare it to one with access to clean water, and the differences are undeniable. Size, speed, stamina, even things like the sense of smell and hearing are vastly different.

  That is the Techno War's legacy - nothing electrical and no technology of any kind survives. Not that it matters anymore. Only the elders remember that time, and even then it is from stories they heard, in turn, from their own elders when they were but pups.

  Later that day, Jena quietly stalks towards the dining room, trying to surprise her father. But as she gets closer, she can hear her parents arguing.

  "She is a child, for God's sake! A girl even! You cannot be serious! Warrior training? Are you that desperate for an heir? We can keep trying, have a baby boy, and then you can train him to be the next Alpha."

  "It's been nine years, love. Something is not working. Maybe I'm too old. And I need to think of the future."

  "What about her future? She needs to be a child first! I'll find you a good woman, a concubine, young and fertile so she can..." her voice trembles as she says the words.

  "NO! I will never touch another woman! You are my soulmate, love! I want nobody but you! We will keep trying, but I already asked her, and she agreed. The pack needs this, we need this, and she needs this."

  "But why not a future mate to become her Alpha, our pack's Alpha?"

  "Do you happen to know when he will appear? And what kind of person he will be? Will you entrust our pack, our daughter's life and yours to an outsider? Cause I will not. She starts first thing next week. I have work to do!" He says leaving the house in a hurry and slamming the door on the way out.

  "Mommy? Is everything OK? Is daddy upset with me?"

  "No, of course not, honey, he loves you very much!"

  "Is he upset with you? Cause I will go and yell at him if he is!"

  "My brave little princess! Your father just wants to keep us safe. Sit down and eat. I heard you start warrior training on the first day of next month. Are you excited?"

  "Ahhamhmh," she answers, mouth full of food.

  ***

  Time passes and training is not exactly what little Jena thought it would be.

  "Why are you crying, princess? What happened?"

  "They're mean to me, mommy!"

  "Who is mean to you, love?"

  "Everyone in training!"

  "Even the Mas
ter at Arms?"

  "Him too, but at least he's mean to everyone! But all the other kids just laugh at me and say mean things!"

  "Really? Like what?"

  "Like 'you're only here because your dad is the Alpha, so you get special treatment'! Or they call me a midget, and shorty, and baby and daddy's girl. Nobody calls me by my name!" She says through the sobs.

  "Oh, my little Abbyline!"

  "We all started at the same time, and everyone made friends but me! They say I'm weak!"

  "And are you?"

  "I don't know. Maybe?"

  "Did the Master at Arms ever say you are weak?"

  "No. And he picks on me the least! But I think that makes the other kids hate me!"

  "How old are you, honey?"

  "You know! I'm 10!"

  "And how old is the youngest girl in your training group?"

  "Well, I just said I'm 10!"

  "No, cutey. Other than you?" Her mother asks playing with Jena's hair soothingly.

  "I guess there's Janice who is 12, but she is big for her age. And the others are all 13 years old."

  "And the boys?"

  "They're all 13."

  "So do you think a 12 or 13-year-old has a bigger body than you?"

  "Of course!"

  "So technically speaking, when they call you with those diminutive words, are they - and don't think about them being mean for a moment - are they right?"

  "Yes? I guess? But I don't like it!"

  "I have one solution for you. I talk to your father and pull you out until you get older," her mother says knowingly.

  "NO!"

  "Oh? Do you have another idea?"

  "I don't want to quit! Daddy calls me his little warrior. I don't want him to stop calling me that!"

  "So why is it ok for your father to call you little? And it seems you even like it?"

  "Because he is not mean!"

  "So why do you think the children say those things to you in a mean way? The words are true, but why are they mean?"

  "I don't kno-hoo-hoooooowww!" Jena starts crying loudly again, and her mother picks her up, placing her on her lap.

  "Are you the best at something in class?"

  "All of the balancing exercises. And I'm pretty good at running too, though not the fastest."

  "So envy could be one reason why the others are mean?"

  "I guess. But it's their fault they don't practice! I've been practicing even before I started going there!"

  "You mean all the time I found all those broken water pitchers?"

  "You knew?"

  "Why do you think they kept getting replaced and your father never said anything? You know how he is about the wise use..."

  "...of our resources," both Jena and her mother say in a thickened voice and burst out laughing.

  "So they are envious of your results because they don't practice on their own. What can you do about it?"

  "Nothing. I mean I guess I could ignore them. I am rather small compared to the others."

  "And on the other side? Are you the weakest at some things?"

  "Yeah. The power exercises. I'm not as strong as the others. I can't throw the weighted balls as far, and I can't even lift the sand sacks. I have to drag them. Nobody wants to be on my team!"

  "And what does the Master at Arms say about it?"

  "Well, he drops to one knee, grabs me by the shoulders and asks..."

  "Did you do your best?" Her mother asks in a low, dragged voice - a rather good imitation of the man.

  "Wow! Exactly like that! How did you know? Can you do it again?"

  "Did you do your best?"

  "Aahahahaha! That is so funny! But really, how did you know?"

  "Well, I trained with him too! Granted I was a little older than you."

  "And so I answer him 'yes,' and then he says 'Good. Do better next time,' then he moves on to the other kids. And I've tried practicing, I really did, but those things are really heavy!"

  "Are you getting any better at it?"

  "A little. Why?"

  "So you are the best at some things, and you are the worst at others but you are improving. Are you happy with your progress?"

  "I guess."

  "Well, I am very happy with your progress! But maybe some of the other children are afraid you could become better than them?"

  "Maybe. But I'd have to grow and catch up I think. But they'll grow too! I'm never catching up!!!"

  "Before you cry again, our bodies can only grow for so long. After that and even during the growth period, you can further improve yourself by training. You will definitely catch up. Maybe you just need more time to practice while your body grows?"

  "How much time? The year is about to end!"

  "So? Are you in a hurry? When do people graduate from warrior training?"

  "When the Master at Arms says they're ready. Usually between 19 and 21."

  "So the training takes how long?"

  "Most start at 13 so between six and nine years?"

  "Good. How old will you be next year?"

  "11."

  "Would you do better next year at the same exercises which you find kind of hard now?"

  "I'm sure I would!"

  "And would you mind terribly if you were to do next year with a new group of children?"

  "Well, no. I don't particularly like any of them right now. And maybe I could make some friends if I start with new kids!"

  "But for that to happen you'd have to..."

  "To?"

  "Think about it."

  "Umm... do the year again? But that would mean I failed, right?"

  "In whose eyes? I would not think that. Neither would your father. Because you do not give up, you just pr..."

  "Practice more! I could say this entire year was a practice year!"

  "Do you value the opinion of your classmates?"

  "Neah, they are just envious or afraid I think."

  Her mother only smiles.

  "And the Master at Arms will be happy if I do my best, no matter what year I'm at! And if I need to, I'll take more practice years later until I'm the best! And I'm definitely graduating at 19 and no latter!"

  "How could you not with all that practice?"

  Her mother hugs her tightly, and they both laugh and giggle appreciatively at the joke and Jena's new found determination.

  ***

  Nine years have passed since Jena first joined the warrior training program, and although struggling in the beginning, enduring the looks of her fellow trainees and the mockery of the other she-wolves, Jena now eagerly awaits her graduation. In two months' time, she will be able to leave her pack's territory and start searching for her mate in the other packs.

  Her intense physical training starting a few years earlier than most boys join the warrior path also triggered her first shift, years before it would normally happen. She has been with her wolf for five summers now, a constant encouragement in the back of her mind, or her front when they felt like switching places.

  Her progress has gotten her the respect of her peers as she is the only female warrior to ever qualify for a brawler role.

  The other few and far between girls that decide to actively protect their pack become field healers, working in a support role or at most qualify as scouts.

  The she-wolves in the pack no longer dare to say anything to or about her, but with the fear comes isolation, the exceptions being few and the fingers on one hand too many to count them with.

  As if being the Alpha's daughter isn't enough. Where am I ever going to find someone brave enough to stand up to me and by my side? I hope the Moon Sisters have a strong soulmate ready for me.

  "Hello? You OK hun'?" Hannah asks, concern obvious on her face, as Jena's best friend takes note of her.

  "Huh? What?"

  "Your right hand is twitching, and your left has gone white squeezing on that piece of equipment. I'm positive you are about to break it."

  "Oh, yeah! Sorry. It's nothing."

&n
bsp; "Riiight! You had that look on your face. You know I can tell."

  "Fine! I was excited about graduating. No big deal."

  "That was not excitement, Jen. That was concern. You wanna tell me or should I keep guessing until your eyes give away the fact I'm right?"

  "You're not about to let this go, are you?"

  Hannah raises an eyebrow.

  "Of course you aren't. Fine! I'm worried about finding my mate. I'm worried about him not liking the fact that I'm a brawler, that I'm not girly enough or that..."

  "No guy is going to like a girl that can kick his ass?"

  Jena looks up in alarm at her friend, her eyes wide.

  "S...so you heard them too?" She asks, her voice trembling.

  "Those bitches are just envious they couldn't come close to you with a 10 feet pole. You look better, you're faster, stronger and really can kick every guy's ass if you wanted to. At least those in our training group. I guess I need to have a word with those girls again. I haven't punched out teeth in a while," Hannah ends with an angry closing of her fist.

  "Don't worry about it! I was just doing one of the sense strengthening techniques, the one about going through each of the senses one by one with maximum focus. They just happened to say it when I was doing the hearing part. I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to hear them otherwise."

  "And that's one of the reasons you are better than most at anything related to our training and becoming protectors of the pack. You work so damn hard at it! And if they can't respect that, I need to jam some respect into them in large portions. I think I'll write 'RES' on my right fist and 'PECT' on my left."

  "Hannah stop!" Jena says with a smile, cheered up by her friend's warrior attitude. "You know there's four of them and I'll have to come to your rescue!"

  "Counting on it!" Hannah says with a grin. "Which means victory is assured, and then I can give them lots of respect while they're down."

  "You'd kick them when they're down?"

  "Hey, I need to practice my healing skills! How can I practice if they don't have any injuries?"

  "They won't let you go near them after that!"

  "Why are you assuming they'll be conscious?"

  "By the Moons, you're the worst!" Jena says grinning back, clearly not meaning it. "You're a great friend, Han! Thanks for that!"