The Ruthless She Wolf

~(1)~

Anessa

The thought was shaken from my mind as I wiped a few tears from my eyes, I wasn't crying, I wasn't going to cry, not today.

Today was the day, after a long dreadful twelve years, I become Alpha of the Barbaric Shadows Pack as I am of eligible age to take over the Cade reign.

Twelve years ago I wasn't like this, I had no worries, I was an innocent girl but that night changed me, I am constantly told that I embody the perfect vision of the most brutal warrior, the perfect leader of the pack ever since that tragic day.

A smile erupted on my face as I continued on my run in my human form at nine in the morning, something I always do to get ready for the days activities, I guess you can call me a morning person.

"Ness! Breakfast is ready!" Kyle beckons as I turn around and go at warp speed back to the pack house where I am greeted with the grumpy morning faces of my two best friends, Kyle and Brian.

"Good morning sour wolves." I laugh as they both scoff in my direction whilst I take a plate burdened with eggs and bacon and sat next in between them.

"I have no idea how you do this every morning Ness. It's a struggle just to get up off of by bed but here you are running for three hours." Kyle shakes his head.

"I don't now either, I guess it's how I think about what we have to do today and it's a way to be physically fit, you can't have a lousy Alpha but you can have a lousy Beta and Gamma."

"Hey!" They both push my shoulder with pouts on their faces.

"I am not a lousy Beta! If anything it's Brian that's lousy, he keeps staring at you during practices, I still don't know how he has more abs than me." I laughed at Kyle's response.

"Hey! I can't help it okay. She is beautiful, I just get side tract." First thing to come out of his mouth is a compliment, how typical.

"B, how many times do I have to tell you, you will find your mate, it's just not me." I looked sympathetically at him as he smiled.

"Well until then, I will keep giving  showering you with compliments  because you think you are not beautiful when you are and you don't need a goddamn mate to tell you that." I almost choked on my eggs.

"I don't need a mate. I am strong enough as is and plus I have you two who are much more put together than a mate could ever be." I take another bite of my food when they awed at my true statement.

Time has passed since I entered the kitchen and had a few laughs here and there with them, it's almost twelve.

"Ness, it's almost time to get ready for the ceremony, you better get up there." Kyle grabbed his plate and mine and placed it in the sink and began washing the dishes.

"Yeah lockness monster, you better go!" Brian put his plate in the sink and ran out of the room before I could pounce on him for calling me that terrible nickname.

I walk upstairs to my room, the white two piece dress still there as I laid it out this morning.

After a short shower session, I put my dress on, and styled my hair into a bun, the necessary attire for any woman undergoing the branding ceremony.

I sat on my bed, the tiredness from my run slowly entering my body making me sigh.

My hands sift underneath my pillow then I grab a hold of him, a twelve year old photo of my late brother, Liam. Tears threatened to fall from my eyes as today I was to take his place but truly, no one could ever take his place.

"This is for you Li, it's always been for you. I just can't help but feel wrong for doing this mom."

"He would be proud of you Anessa. It wasn't your fault, it was never your fault." My mother stepped out from the doorway and joined me on my bed where she rubbed my back in little circles.

"Come on, everyone is already gathered in the forest, everything is set up, we just need our future Alpha." She grabbed my shoulders and engulfed me in a hug.

"Thank you mom."

She pulled me outside as the bright one o' clock morning sun began to disappear from the thick cover of trees.

The heart of the forest, the heart of the Barbaric Shadows Pack, anything sacred was to happen here, it's of long tradition that the branding ceremony is to happen here, plus it's the only place large enough to hold at least six hundred of us with new borns on the way.

"Twelve years ago," my father's voice, the current Alpha silenced the large crowd of people, "we lost an Alpha but today, we gain one, my daughter, Anessa Cade. She went through training that every seven year old did but she did it at the age of six, she has come a long way, she has graduated from dolls to weaponry and I couldn't possibly be more proud."

He looked towards me and clapped, "My daughter is not Liam Cade but indeed, she has made an unforgettable name for herself and deserves nothing less than the respect and trust the pack would give to him so please welcome to the stage, Anessa Marie Cade."

I stepped onto the stage, everything I have ever prepared for has been for this moment of my life, there is no backing out now.

"The sacred pot burns with sticks and coal, however, as tradition when a new Alpha is to be branded, the pack's blood is to be brewed as well so the Alpha may have a strong connection with all of you, just one thing is missing." He grabs a knife and slits his finger and lets a drop of blood burn in the fire.

It's flames burn high as the branding rod is incandescent, ready to let the mark of my pack burn into my flesh.

"It's incandescence is bonded with the pack, this is our unity, everything we stand for. I Alpha Darius Anthony Cade withdraw my Alpha status and now, I pronounce you Anessa Marie Cade as Alpha of the Barbaric Shadows. "

The branding stick is pushed into the skin of my hip as my skirt is pulled down slightly and the mark burns through.

The candles are blown out by the mouths of the pack when I step up to the podium, ready to make my speech.

"As my role of Alpha, I promise to always put the pack first, I promise to defy all your expectations of the best Alpha and most importantly, I promise to be the best Alpha I could be."

My speech although short and sweet, earned cheers from the six hundred pack members. This was it, the time to howl, the time where they howl with me.

My vocal chords sound, a harsh roar erupts from my throat as they join me.

...

Anessa was in all her glory, her heart beat quickening at the spur of the moment. She closed her eyes as she took deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself, she proved successful.

Her eyes open as they glow a sliver colour, this drew attention from the others for this was different from the normal Alpha colour which was of a golden hue, close to the colour of sunshine almost.

She stepped down from the podium, her eyes still the glowing silver as they stared into the eyes of her mother's rheumy ones.

Finally, everything was coming true.