The Alpha and Her King

Chapter One

Piper’s POV

Age 14

It was the night before my fourteenth birthday, and I was out with my friends, Clair and Gracie. We snuck out of the house in the middle of the night, not waking up mom and dad. We wanted to go swimming at the waterfall in the moonlight, but dad wouldn’t allow us to. He said that it is too dangerous and the rogues have been sneaking into the pack. Even though my parents took care of the rogue problem when I was a baby, there is a new group that has formed and has been attacking the packs in the area.

Dad has been trying to take care of it, but it seems like they keep coming back. He has his best trackers out to find their home pack, but they keep eluding Franco and Andrea. So, to keep everyone safe, dad implemented a curfew for everyone, ten for minors and midnight for adults, and increased the patrols around the borders.

You are wondering who my dad is. He is Greg Salyers, the Alpha of Mountain Moon Pack. We are an hour north of Sacramento, in northern California. My mom, Tovi, is the Luna and the Chosen One in the war with the Demon King, Darius Hamilton. She killed him when I was almost four and our life has been peaceful since then.

I am the oldest out of eight kids. There are four girls and four boys. Since I am the oldest, I am next in line to become the Alpha of the pack, unless I am mated to an Alpha in another pack. Then, my brothers, Lykeon and Julian, would take over.

“Come on, Piper, we need to get through the clearing before the next patrol comes through,” Clair hissed at me, taking me out of my thoughts.

“I’m coming. I was thinking of something,” I whispered back at her. We heard a twig snap, so the three of us hid behind some bushes. We saw two warriors come out of the woods and into the clearing. They stopped in the middle, looking around.

“Piper, I can smell your scent. You can come out now,” one of them yelled. s**t! It’s Uncle Abe. He’s going to tell dad we were out here after curfew. I looked at Clair and Gracie. We slowly came out of our hiding spot and walked up to Abe and Oscar, one of dad’s trusted warriors. “What are you doing out here? It is not safe,” Abe growled at me, looking pissed that we are out here.

“We wanted to go swimming at the waterfall before my birthday officially hits in a half hour,” I explained to him, looking down at my feet.

“You know it is dangerous, especially having the daughters of the Alpha and Beta out here. The three of you get back to the house now,” he ordered.

“Please, Uncle Abe, let us go swimming for a half hour and then we will go back,” I pleaded with him. He looked at me, linking Oscar about what to do.

“Fine, but we are going to stay close. You have a half hour and then you go back to the house. I will not tell your dad about this, knowing that your birthday is in a half hour.” YES! He normally lets me have my way.

“Thank you, Uncle Abe!” I cried, throwing my arms around his neck.

We ran the rest of the way to the waterfall, with Abe and Oscar behind us. When we got there, we took off our clothes, having our swimsuits on underneath. I jumped into the water, enjoying the warm water. Clair and Gracie jumped in after me and we spent the next half hour splashing each other, with Abe and Oscar standing close by.

When our time was up, we quickly got dressed and headed back to the house, with Abe and Oscar behind us. We were giggling and talking when suddenly I heard a voice in my head.

“Happy birthday, Piper!” I stopped dead in my tracks.

“What is wrong, Pip?” Clair asked, looking confused.

“I just heard a voice in my head,” I answered her, looking at the four of them.

“That can’t be possible! You are only fourteen and too young to get your wolf,” Abe told me.

“Yes, it is possible. I am your wolf, Venus,” the voice answered back in my head.

“Abe, it is my wolf. Her name is Venus!” I told everyone. They all gasped.

“Piper, let’s get you back to the house. Sorry, but I will have to wake your parents up so they would know that you got your wolf. Can you shift?” Abe told me, with shock on his face.

“Venus, can I shift yet?” I asked my wolf.

“Not until the next full moon. It is coming in a few days,” Venus explained to me.

“She said I can’t shift yet, not until the full moon in a few days,” I told Abe.

“Ok, let’s get you three back to the house and your parents can figure it out,” Abe ordered, and we ran the rest of the way to the packhouse. When we got there, Abe escorted us upstairs and put in his code to let us into our suite. Mom and Nana were sitting in the kitchen, drinking a cup of tea.

“Where were you girls at?” mom asked, coming up to us. “And why are you wet and with Abe?” She gave me a stern look, telling me I am in deep trouble.

“We snuck out to go swimming at the waterfall and ran into Uncle Abe and Oscar in the clearing before the waterfall. Abe wanted us to come back, but I convinced him to let us swim for a half hour before coming back here,” I explained to her.

“Piper Francesca Salyers, we will discuss this later. Now, the three of you get to your room and I don’t want to hear another peep from all of you for the rest of the night.” Mom stood there, pointing towards the hallway. Clair and Gracie headed to my room. I stood there with Abe, wanting to tell her.

“Actually, Tovi, we need to talk to you about something. There was no trouble, but something did happened,” Abe explained to her.

“What is it?” she asked, sighing.

“Mom, I got my wolf tonight,” I told her. She sat back down on her stool, looking surprised.

“Is that even possible? Nana?” she asked, looking at Nana.

“With her coming from a strong Alpha bloodline, it can happen. Your great-grandfather got his when he was her age,” Nana explained.

“So, what does that mean?” I asked her, sitting on the stool next to her.

“That means you will be a powerful leader when the time comes. Your great-great-grandfather was a great Alpha, and the pack was very strong because of his leadership skills.”

“But the pack is already strong, Nana. How can I make it any stronger?” I asked her.

“That is for you to decide when you get older. Right now, enjoy your middle and high school years and you can worry about it when you are ready to take over the pack,” mom told me. She is right. I should just worry about being a teenager right now and spending time with my friends. “Have you shifted yet?” she asked me.

“No, Venus told me I won’t be able to shift until the full moon,” I explained to her.

“So, your wolf’s name is Venus? That is cool. Winter is going nuts in my head, wanting to meet her,” mom said. “But until then, we will celebrate your birthday and your first shift, and after that, I will ground you for a couple of weeks for sneaking out. I will not tell your father about you sneaking out, so let’s keep this our secret.” She looked at Uncle Abe when she said that. “I do not want your dad worried about you being out this late past curfew and putting bars on your window and balcony.” I giggled, knowing dad would do that to my room. I agreed with her terms, wanting to celebrate my birthday with my friends and family.

It was after one before we got to bed and I tossed and turned all night, wondering what Venus would look like. I needed to get the sleep because in the morning, I will get up at five in the morning to train in the teen class that dad had set up, fourteen and older. Since I was four, I have been lightly training, learning defensive moves, and working with Sienna and Marguerite with my powers. The morning is going to be torture for me.

My alarm wakes me up at five and I grudgingly got up to get ready. Clair and Gracie are lucky and don’t have to start their training yet. While they both slept, I brushed my teeth, put my hair up in a messy bun, and got dressed in shorts and a sports bra. I met mom and dad in the kitchen and we headed down to the training grounds.

I got with the teen group, and Uncle Abe was leading the class. He received a promotion to Delta upon turning eighteen, and he is one of our best warriors. He had us run five miles in our human form, then he taught us different fighting positions to take down our opponents. After an hour, we split into pairs to spar, and Jaron, the most popular boy in my class and the son of our head Delta, was my partner.

“Well, well, isn’t the pack princess?” he smirked. “Are you finally learning to fight like the rest of us instead of sitting on the sidelines looking pretty?” I would sit on the sidelines so I could learn the moves that Abe teaches, so when I finally joined the class, I knew what to do. Lykeon would train with me in the afternoons on the moves I learned by watching. “Don’t worry, princess, I won’t break one of your nails or mess up your hair.” I wanted to take him down. Snarling at him, I wanted to attack him right now, but I’ve learned to have patience, letting my opponent strike first. I flinched at him and he lunged at me, trying to grab my waist. Moving to the side, I grabbed his arm and flipped him over my back. He laid there on the ground, stunned.

“How the hell did you learn that so fast? This is your first class,” he stuttered, trying to get up.

“Remember, asshole, I am the daughter of the Alpha. I didn’t sit there on the sidelines to look pretty. I sat there to learn the moves. Now, get your cocky ass up!” I ordered, taking my stance. He stood up and loosen up his shoulders.

“Ok, if you want to play dirty, let’s play dirty,” he said, throwing a punch towards my face. I ducked and punch him in the ribs, hearing them crack. “Ah, you b***h!” he winced, holding his side. He tried again with his other arm, but he missed and I got him on the other side.

“Give up yet?” I asked him. He growled and lunged at me again, trying to tackle me to the ground. I dropped and swept my leg out, sweeping his legs out from underneath him. He landed face first in the dirt and rolled over. Taking the advantage, I jumped on him and repeatedly punched him in the face.

“PIPER! THAT IS ENOUGH!” Abe yelled. He ran up to us and pulled me off Jaron, then helped him up to his feet. “Rebecca, could you please help him to the hospital to get checked out? Piper, with me.” He did not look happy. We walked away from the snickering group as Rebecca helped Jaron to the hospital.

“What were you thinking? Be careful with these guys because they don’t have their wolf yet and can’t heal as fast as you and me,” he lectured me.

“He was getting cocky, calling me princess and telling me he would be careful so I wouldn’t break a nail. I just had to bring him down a few notches. He was getting too big for his britches,” I explained to him.

“Still, you need to be careful,” he warned me. Looking at the group, he yelled at them. “Training is over for the day. Everyone go home!” He ordered, and the class cheered. Dad looked over at us, not looking thrilled. Abe got a link, and I knew it was dad. “Your dad asked what was going on and I told him you beat the s**t out of Jaron. Have you told him yet about your wolf?”

“No, not yet. I was going to tell him after breakfast, with mom there to keep him calm,” I told him.

“When you tell him, I would suggest that you tell him you get trained by Meghan from now on. You are too powerful for the teen group,” he suggested. “Now, let’s get some breakfast. I could eat a horse.” I giggled, and he put his arm around me.