Rise of the Alpha (The Rise Series Book 1) Read online

  drive out of the way unnecessarily.

  The Alphas stayed behind, along with the four warriors Liam had given me. They got down on one knee, bowing their heads.

  “Alpha,” they said in unison.

  I laughed nervously. “Stand up, there’s no need to bow. What are your names? I know Nathan.” I pointed to him as he smiled and stood. His eyes glistened with emotion for a second before he blinked and it disappeared, the cool and calculated expression returning.

  The man kneeling next to him had dark hair and a warm smile on his face. He stood,

  introducing himself. He wore a white shirt and simple jeans that hugged his thighs. His feet were covered by boots. “My name is Eric; it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  The other two looked similar to Nathan, except one had blonde hair and the other had

  brown hair. They wore identical jeans but a red and green shirt and black converses. “I am Elias, and this is my brother Tristan. We are Nathan’s siblings, don’t worry about training the Warriors, that’s our duty.”

  That was relieving. I knew nothing of the sort so I would be right next to them in that category.

  Liam stepped up next to me, replying, “These are some of my best men; they will serve

  you well. Now, who will you appoint as Beta and Gamma?”

  The structure of the pack always consists of: The Alpha, the leader. The Beta, the

  second in command and the Gamma, the third in command. The pack cannot run successfully without the three. The Beta and Gamma assist the Alpha in leading, while the Beta oversees border patrols and housing, the Gamma controls the household needs and any food arrangements. The warriors work under the Alpha, Beta and Gamma. They’re higher than the Omega but their authority stops at the Gamma, they’re enforcers. There are also healers and the lowest rank, the Omegas. The Omegas do the cooking, cleaning and run errands and are free to do as they please as long as their assignments are done.

  I thought about it for a second. I had an obvious choice in the matter of both positions. “I

  choose Nathan as my Beta, and Eric my Gamma. Elias and Tristan, I assume you two will have the afternoon patrol ready by the time my meeting is over? I’ll accompany you.”

  Again, in unison, they said, “Yes, Alpha.”

  They all started to leave, but I stopped Nathan, saying, “Nathan, I would like you to join

  us for the meeting if you will.”

  He nodded, following us as we headed into the house.

  I looked around for a moment, dismissing myself from the group as we made our way into

  the kitchen, in search of grandpa. He was nowhere in sight. I walked to his room, it was across from mine, gently opening his door.

  He was curled up on his bed, on top of the covers, clenching Grandma’s pillow to his

  chest. Her scent overwhelmed me when I opened the door. He was sound asleep and facing towards me—tears fell down his face even in his sleep.

  It broke my heart.

  Quietly closing it behind me, I headed back to the kitchen to join the meeting.

  I took a seat next to my Beta, when Liam spoke first. “Since we’re on your territory, Dahlia, you can lead this meeting.”

  I nodded, thinking of how to begin. “Well, thank you for coming together for this

  meeting. As you are aware, my grandmother has been taken. We searched the area she was last in, but the perpetrator left no evidence, no clues, and we have no idea who he is. He did, I assume…” I got up and grabbed the box from the counter, pouring the evidence onto the table. “Leave this lovely little box for me. When my grandfather saw these items, he rushed out to find her. Obviously, someone broke into my house and stole personal items from my Grandma to get at me and him. We need to increase patrols and search everywhere. I want no stone left unturned.”

  They nodded, Liam adding, “I also suggest you keep an eye on your grandfather. It has been known that if your mate is away for too long, it starts to drain your life force. His whole demeanor is different and she’s only been gone a few hours. He has been distant since she’s been gone, so I’m hoping you can get through to him.”

  I nodded in agreement. “I will do that. I would like a healer or two to come in and check on his condition every two weeks if that is possible, to cover everything. I’m sure my pack of rogues don’t have the training or education to assess his condition. I cannot afford to make any mistakes now. Is there anything I can do to get the pack to trust me? Even if I don’t have my wolf yet?”

  The Alphas shook their heads.

  Rowan spoke up from his silence, where he sat across from me. “There isn’t anything we can do for that I’m afraid. Only you can get them to trust you by proving you can shift, hopefully, the sooner the better. If you don’t shift by the third full moon of being in the posi- tion of Alpha, you must give up your position, even if you were chosen by the Gods. That’s just the laws of our people.”

  I didn’t object. I knew there had to be some kind of condition. “That’s not a problem. For now, let’s hurry up and find that bastard who took my grandmother.”

  WE GATHERED IN the living room of my grandfather’s house.

  Our patrol consisted of Nathan, Tristan, Olivia, one of my female warriors, and me. The

  afternoon was uneventful, but we had a chance to mark everything where we were patrolling.

  Sweat dripped down my face, as one of the Omega’s handed me a wet towel.

  “Thank you.” I smiled, turning back to the group seated on the loveseats, as she walked

  back into the other room to get everyone a drink. “The other patrol should be here shortly.”

  They nodded, taking their drinks from the Omega as she returned to the kitchen once

  again.

  I started on mine, slowly, when a knock came from the door. Before I had a chance to open it, Nathan got up to answer it.

  It was Elias and the evening patrol.

  “Good evening, come on in.” I greeted them with a smile.

  Nathan opened the door further, they walked in, taking chairs from the kitchen to sit in the

  living room with us.

  He closed the door returning to his seat, before I finished my water.

  The Omega returned to the living room, asking, “Are any of you thirsty? Can I get you

  anything?”

  When they shook their heads, I began, “Now, let's go over the last patrol’s marked

  territory. I want everyone, each rotation, to give a report of everything they’ve covered and what they found, if they found anything. This makes it so everyone is on the same page and no one is confused.”

  I grabbed the map from the seat next to me, opening it and laying it on the floor for

  everyone to see. I pointed to the area my patrol had marked, about thirty miles from where we sat.

  I ran my finger down the map as I spoke. “We marked from here to here. I would like you

  guys to go a little further than we did. To the west from where our patrol ended. Keep an eye

  out for anything suspicious. I need everyone in top shape for patrols. Make sure you all get

  enough sleep and three meals a day.”

  “What are we looking for?” Raven, the female warrior from Elias’s group asked,

  curiously.

  “Well, anything we can use to track down my grandmother’s kidnapper. But if you get

  into a confrontation, you are to contact me immediately. If I am unavailable, contact Nathan or Eric.” I said.

  I turned to Nathan, my facial expression pleading.

  He nodded, continued, “They will inform the Alpha of your position. I cannot stress this

  enough, do not confront the enemy head-on. Assess the situation and report every-thing. We don’t want anyone hurt.”

  They nodded, agreeing.

  “All right, you guys be careful,” I told them, taking out a copy of the territory map.

  Everyone started to head out.
>
  Before closing the door behind them, I handed the map to Elias.

  “Make sure everyone stays safe. I want a report first thing in the morning.”

  Elias bowed his head. “Yes, Alpha, we’ll be fine. You get some rest. Be sure to check on your grandfather.”

  I nodded, thanking him as I closed the door behind him.

  I took a deep breath, exhaling. Everything would be fine… it had to be.

  In the kitchen, I checked the time—9:30 p.m.

  My stomach growled, but my mind was preoccupied.

  Eva suddenly started pacing back and forth in my head, she was restless and causing me to get a headache.

  “What’s up, Eva?” I said, rummaging through the fridge for some- thing to eat.

  Her voice was shaky, panic rising. Something is wrong! Go check on Grandpa right now!

  I slammed the refrigerator door shut, causing some glass jars on top of it to fall and shatter all over the place.

  Up the stairs, taking them two at a time, I burst into my grandfa- ther’s room, breaking down the door in the process.

  My eyes widened; tears flooded my face. Inside, the room was covered in blood.

  Grandpa had tried to end his life, but by the looks of it, he had failed. I was horrified. He lay in the bathroom, blood everywhere around him.

  I rushed to his side, quickly mind-linking Nathan, while I checked for a pulse. Thank

  the Gods, he was alive. Barely. Nathan! It’s an emergency! Contact Liam and his team of healers. I need them at my house now! I shouted—it had to come across harsh to get the point of urgency. Pack mind-links only worked within a certain perimeter, so trying to use it to communicate with my grandmother was pointless.

  Immediately, Nathan responded. Yes, Alpha. Don’t do anything extreme please. Do what you can to help, but try not to freak out.

  I grabbed the medical bag from my room. Back in his bathroom, I examined his wounds. He had cuts on his wrists, in addition to the one on his throat. That one had already started to close, but he was still unconscious.

  I fumbled with the butterfly bandages, trying to steady my shaking hands.

  I kept dropping them, letting out a frustrated sigh, as the sound of rushed footsteps entered

  the house and moved through the kitchen and up the stairs.

  Trying to apply the bandages still, I never allowed my gaze to leave my grandfather.

  When applying the bandages failed, the hushed voices came closer when I felt a pair of

  steady arms pull me from my grandfather.

  I try to push them away, fighting with all the might I could muster. My arms wouldn’t

  move; they wouldn’t budge. My sobs rang through the room.

  “Dahlia! Stop! I have to move you so the healers can get in and take care of your

  grandfather.” Liam’s calm voice settled me in a little. He tightened his grip on me, before taking me into the other room and away from the chaos.

  I elbowed him in the side, causing him to grunt and to release me. “Don’t touch me. I need

  to get some air. I feel like I’m about to explode.” I felt bad for just up and racing off into the forest, especially after Liam tried to calm me down, but I had to get away before they saw me break down. I was the Alpha. They couldn’t see me like this.

  I didn’t know how long I’d been running, but I didn’t stop. I just kept going, wherever my feet took me.

  It was so dark I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. The silence was deafening. I had the average hearing of a human, for right now, so I was practically useless.

  “Damn it, I’m such an idiot,” I muttered to myself, as I slowed my pace, suddenly feeling creeped out. There was nothing and no one here, so it was strange.

  A loud snap of a stick sounded from behind me, making me stop and suck in the breath I was about to release.

  “You’re not alone, little Alpha,” came the sound of a gruff and ragged voice.

  Eyes wide, I whipped around, only to be greeted with a pair of red orbs a few feet away.

  Fear struck me, and so did a pair of sharp claws, barely grazing my side when the last thing I remembered was blacking out.

  NATHAN

  SOMETHING WASN’T RIGHT. I had left to go check on the patrols when I felt a strange presence deep in the forest. My wolf, Hendrix, had awoken and was growling and whining at the same time.

  “What’s up, buddy?” I mentally asked him, as I quickly caught onto Dahlia’s sweet scent. It led me into the forest and my heart dropped. She was in trouble. I just knew it. She didn’t have her wolf yet, so she was almost defenseless.

  I picked up my speed, rapidly shifting into my wolf—the pain of the shift nonexistent as

  I felt the bones rearrange and my face turn into a snout. Fur sprouted everywhere, and where my nails had been, now sprung long, black and sharp claws.

  I snarled, my vision quickly adjusting to the darkness. I wove through trees and jumped

  over bushes, as my Alpha’s scent filled my nose and boggled my mind.

  Something happened, she’s hurt. I smelt the blood before realizing I was coming up too fast. I slowed slightly, digging my paws into the soft earth and trying to make myself stop.

  I burst into the area Dahlia was in, surveying it. Nothing was out of the ordinary, except the strange smell of dying flesh and a pungent body odor. I wrinkled my nose, only to realize Dahlia was on the ground.

  I shifted back, ignoring the fact that I was naked, immediately at her side.

  “Dahlia,” I muttered, gently running my hands over her body to check for injuries. There

  was a slight cut to her side, the blood lightly pooling beside her. The tangy and rustic smell filled my nose, but I shook my head to ease it a bit. She also had a large bump on the side of her head. She needed to be home, resting.

  When she didn’t respond, I knew she had fainted.

  I growled, huffing before gently moving her onto her back while placing one arm under

  her knees, the other behind her head.

  Picking her up, I sighed, turning back to her house.

  Thank the Gods I found her. If I hadn't, who knows how long she could’ve been out here.

  CHAPTER 3

  DAHLIA

  MY HEAD POUNDED when I woke up.

  My eyes fluttered open; the light that leaked through the window shades was bright, causing me to strain my eyelids. I covered them with my arm before slowly sitting up. My side burned, as I gently placed a hand onto a pair of bandages. That was odd, everything about this whole situation was odd.

  I took a deep breath, examining my bed. Oddly, my sheets and clothing were covered in dirt and leaves. I could feel the tangles in my hair. I smelled of the woods, but that wasn’t the strangest part of this whole thing.

  When I looked toward the door, there was Nathan leaning against the wall, softly snoring. He had his elbow propped against the dresser with a pillow underneath, his head in his hand.

  I pulled the blankets from my legs, throwing them over the edge of the bed.

  I hissed as pain radiated from my knee, which was bloody and cut, without realizing I said it too loudly waking Nathan. “Shit.”

  Nathan jumped to his feet and hurried to my side. “Hey, don’t move too much. You hurt yourself last night when you passed out. Do you remember anything?”

  I gave him a look of confusion. Last night? I passed out last night? “What do you mean I

  passed out?”

  He sighed, sitting next to me on the bed and shrugging his shoul- ders. “Well, I had a

  feeling. It was about an hour after making sure your grandfather was in the hospital and was being taken care of, I felt the need to come back here to check on you. When I got here, you weren’t here. So, I followed your scent and found you outside of our territory. When I found you, you were passed out and your knee was scraped pretty badly. There were claw marks on your side, so I bandaged them for you.”

  I thought for a mom
ent, trying to remember anything from the night before. “I remember

  going out last night to get some air, but nothing else after that. It’s all fuzzy.”

  His voice deepened, his eyes meeting mine, and concern flashed in those rich green orbs.

  “Don’t hurt yourself trying to remember. It’s fine. We’ll know eventually. So, don’t worry about it.”

  He stood, holding out his hands for me. “Now, go wash up. I’m going to make us some

  breakfast.”

  I nodded, smiling timidly while trying not to make my headache worse, before taking his

  hands.

  On my feet, I was a little woozy but found my balance easily, slowly making my way to

  the closet as he headed out of my room.

  “Oh,” I said, causing him to stop at the door before turning to raise an eyebrow when he

  looked at me.

  “Yeah?”

  I blushed, my gaze moving to the floor while his eyes burned into me. “Thank you for

  finding me. I appreciate it.”

  He smiled, and that simple action made me smile in return, as he closed the door. “Don’t

  worry about it, Alpha,” he muttered before he headed down the stairs.

  I picked out a pair of blue jean shorts and a black tank top from my closet before heading

  into the bathroom. While blow-drying my hair, a knock on the door disrupted my thoughts.

  It was Nathan; his sandalwood scent filled the air as I inhaled deeply while turning off the blow-dryer and setting it onto the counter. “Yes?” I said, opening the door.

  His gaze trailed over me, as he gave a half smile before returning his eyes to mine. “I’ve got breakfast ready, Alpha.”

  I rolled my eyes, scowling. “Call me Dahlia when we’re alone, no reason to be formal.”

  He chuckled, running a hand through his blonde hair. “Sorry, Dahlia.” Nathan had

  cleaned up and now wore a red t-shirt and blue jeans, his hair ruffled. There was a huge smile on his face when he noticed me checking him out before he winked at me.

  I looked away, hiding my embarrassment. “All right, I’m almost done. I’ll be right