Wolves of Jupiter: Rise of the White Wolf

The air around the Pack is gloomier than usual today, but I have never felt more alive.

Everybody is mourning, walking around with lowered heads and sunken eyes. But I walk around with my chin high in the sky and my ears at full alert.

I should probably be mourning. Reef's death might be a form of vengeance for my mother, but Xander's accession would be a nightmare for me, and most of the members of this Pack, but I would worry about that later.

The Eclipse Pack has been in my family for generations. Passing down the Alpha title from one dead predecessor to a chosen, amongst their usually numerous, child.

Twenty-five years ago, the moon goddess had made such a choice. And the most unlikely amongst the children of Alpha Triton, 'the Great Black Wolf', was chosen.

Callisto was just a girl amongst eight brothers, and the youngest at that, yet, the moon goddess chose her, the moon goddess blessed her with the red eyes and made her the Alpha of the Pack.

Her accession was heavily frowned upon, and challenged. Callisto had to prove herself in the most ruthless of ways - killing all eight of her brothers. That bloody duel came to be known as the 'Duel of the Kindred'.

Callisto was named 'the Red Wolf' afterwards. Many argued that it was due to her physical appearance, but all who knew the truth, knew that it was because of the blood she spilled - her own blood.

Eleven years after Callisto vanquished her brothers in a duel, the Mimas clan rose against her, right after winning her trust. They stabbed her in the back, dethroning her and stealing her Alpha position.

Reef Mimas, the man who had driven the knife through Callisto's heart became the Alpha after his great knavery.

Reef wasn't accepted by the peaceful and loyal Eclipse Pack, so he instigated his authority through tyranny and force. He had kept me, Crescent, alive for devious reasons, for reasons that would only serve to feed his endless ego - well, there is an end now, since he's dead.

He kept me alive to shame the once powerful Ganymede family. Kept me as a form of trophy to his treachery. But now my sole aim in this world is to make the Mimas suffer for what they have done to my family - anyway possible.

My ears twitch and turn to the side, it's picking up sounds. Mimas had made me one of the lowest in the Pack - an Omega.

He did that to humiliate me, making sure that I walked around with my tails and ears sticking out, and hanging in the air, if that's the little punishment that would affirm my breathing, I would take it without complaint.

"Poor Crescent."

The first voice penetrated my turned ear.

"She would probably suffer even more now that Xander is Alpha."

That was a voice from another woman.

"Xander might want to make her his play thing-"

I stop listening at this point. I want to revel in the death of Reef, I won't let the prospect of an even more tyrannous, obsessive ruler spoil that for me.

I keep walking through the pack. Everybody around me avoided me, as per usual, they always did that since Reef never wanted me to associate with the Pack members.

He was probably scared of me rallying the Pack members against him. Stupid if he thought that, because that prospect never once appeared in my 100 ways to kill Reef schemes.

The Pack members are too weak, too volatile and too submissive to fit into any of my devious plans.

Suddenly, someone shoved me hard in the shoulder. Sending me rolling in the dirt.

"Grrrrr," a murderous growl escapes from deep within my throat.

"Arrgggg," whoever it was growled back.

I raise my head to look at the face of a warrior in transformation. His, otherwise, humanly face is hairy and deformed - flatter than befits a human, but just right for a transforming werewolf - his teeth were jagged and in full display.

I jump on all fours, looking up at him from my depleted height. My nails crawl out, stabbing into the muddy ground and my silver hair gains thickness.

Reef might have made me an Omega, but that did nothing in corrupting my pure alpha-spawn blood. I'm still stronger than most of them in this Pack. And what better opportunity do I have than this to test my strength?

I see some of his bones move and reform as he progress into further transformation. I remain in my own state, tail stiff, ears erect, claws protruding and eyes a pitch black pit - compliments of being a Ganymede.

Fear flashes in his golden eyes, but he makes a stand. It's been over a decade since a Ganymede was seen in action, our uniqueness is, of course, now lost on them.

I make to spring up at him, to tear open his face. I make to bring him down to the same muddy ground that he had shoved me into, to send a bloody farewell gift to dear motherfucking Reef. But a strong hand clamps down on my nape, holding me in place.

The grip was painful, but did I welp? No. Showing weakness is definitely not something I enjoy participating in.

The warrior immediately goes back to his human state, a fear greater than the one I had seen in his face crumbling him to one knee.

"Alpha!" he utters the word with unnecessary stress and he bows his head low. Very low.

My eyes roll, returning back to its natural blue colour. My claws recede back into their sheath, and my heightened senses are dulled. My ears, falling and tail wagging - unintentionally.

Raising my head, my blue eyes meet a set of glowing red.

He got the eyes?

Xander has a menacing smirk playing on his face. His teeth and other features remain normal, all he was doing was showing off the red eyes. The eyes that I thought none of the Mimas would ever acquire.

"Someone's being a gritty wolf," he drawl.

I jerk my body to remind him of his hold on my neck. He releases me, and I scrawl backwards.

Xander got the Alpha's red eyes, Reef never had that, what he had was more of a distortion of the colour. The moon goddess had blessed Xander. Fuck you, goddess.

"She was walking around with her ears erect, and her tails wagging," the warrior hastily stakes his claim.

"Leave," Xander growled, and the man ran away, tail between his legs - literally.

Gingerly, Xander approached me, looking down at me where I sat in the mud. He oozed a certain power, one that hasn't been there before.

"Happy, ayy?" he asked, squatting in front of me. "Today is a somewhat joyous day for the both of us," he smirks. "Reef's gone," he leans closer to me, whispering in my ear. "There is nobody to separate us anymore."

I'm not sure what happened, but, one minute, I was on the floor, breathing in Xander's nauseating scent. Then, the next, I shoved him away, got on my feet, and ran away from him.

He didn't come after me. He could have, if he wanted, but he didn't. All he did was remain on the floor and laugh, the sound foreboding.