Chapter 1

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Nicola's POV

Deep breath in, slow breath out...

I look through my scope at the circular target 350 yards down range and pause as I let the last of the air out of my lungs. Steadying the crosshairs on the center, I slowly squeeze the trigger.

*BANG*

I stare at bullet hole in the paper that's a half inch high and an inch left.

"Come on Nic my grandma has better aim than that!" Cameron says as he smirks down at me.

"Oh screw you Cam, I want to see you hit the target for once." I say back and load another bullet into the chamber as I try to suppress a grin.

Cameron Garrison has been one of my closest friends ever since I joined the ECHO Pack. This is the most exclusive pack in the world, led by the alpha king himself, and the majority is made up of top elite warriors, the best packs have to offer. Wolves from all over submit applications and try out for the chance to be accepted into the pack, but less than 10% actually get in. Everyone here though has some trace of Lycan blood, making them stronger and faster than the normal werewolf. It's one of the requirements before being accepted. Some of these warriors have been in the pack for over 50 years, making their knowledge, experience, and skill level incomparable. Though I do have Lycan bloodlines, I didn't apply to fight. I did it for a chance to work in one of the greatest high-end labs and with the most advanced technology money has to offer. In turn, I got accepted and now support the weapons division.

While each of us have to go through "basic training" to be selected into the pack, I probably wouldn't be the person you'd ask to have your back in a bar fight. I know enough to get myself out of a sticky situation, but that's only because I've been in the pack for a few years and it's pretty much a requirement to learn basic hand to hand.

*BANG*

I fist pump the air and then proceed to flick Cameron off as I look at my perfect shot. Bullet hole straight through the center.

He just laughs at me as he shakes his head and walks away.

"Nicola!"

"Yes sir?" I respond as the Beta, Kane Betters, approaches me.

"How are the new guns coming along?"

"Great! We ended up switching the metal from regular carbon steel to titanium. This means that we've managed to drop the weight by 18% without sacrificing-"

"Good" he cuts me off in my overly excited ramble "and we're still on for tomorrow at 0800 to introduce them into the training program with the warriors?"

"Yes, of course." I nod.

"Great."

Kane has always been short and to the point ever since I got here, but I don't take it personally. He's like that with everyone besides his mate. He wants what's best for ECHO, no excuses. He's really not a bad guy, he just doesn't have time for normal nonsense since he has enough on his plate as Beta.

The ECHO pack belongs solely to the alpha king and is responsible for protecting the security and safety of the entire werewolf species. Once in a while, a group will ship out to one of the packs to handle internal conflicts but other than that ECHO hasn't had the need to go to war since it's been established.

More than 80 years ago the world was a terrible place for a wolf, as they were hunted, captured, and tortured. Children were stolen in the middle of the night and sold into slavery by the fae. Entire packs were slaughtered and wiped off the map. Numbers slowly dwindled until out of 31 packs, only 12 remained. Then the day came when one of the Alphas stepped up to put an end to our torture. Zander Knight.

Zander united the remaining 12 packs to fight against the fae. The battle between the two kingdoms was a brutal and bloody one, and after 8 long months of constant battle, Zander and the fae king, Jullian, finally faced off on the battle field. Fae against Wolf. The whole world seems to stop and stare as the two fought. Everyone knew that only one man would walk away from this and the event was going to change history.

Zander killed Jullian by ripping out his throat and claiming victory over the war. Since then, the fae and werewolves have lived apart from one another, and while there isn't complete peace, there's no longer the death and fear there once was. Zander took the throne as the Alpha King over all the wolves while Jullian's heir, Rand, became the new fae king. Zander later established the ECHO pack so that if history repeated itself, we would be ready.

Stories have been told that after the war Zander went crazy and locked himself in the castle to prepare for the next war. Some say he gave up fighting completely and went away to live in solitude. The truth is that no one really knows where he is or what he looks like since he hasn't been seen for over 100 years. He could be dead for all we know, but I don't think that's the case. Every once in a while, someone will hear the beta and gamma whisper about him to each other, but they never disclose much. Trust me, people have tried to ask questions and it doesn't go well.

There are rumors about him. About what he looks like, where he is, his personality. Most say he has jet black hair and grey eyes with a scar down the side of his face from his fight with Jullian. That he's strong and powerful, twice the size of all the other alphas since he's the closest pure blood Lycan that still exists today. Some believe he was never given a fated mate since he has no Luna and all this time without one has made him go crazy and that's why he hides away. For him to still be alive it makes sense, since wolves stop aging at 25 until they've met their mate. There's no way he'd still be around if he had one, no matter how much Lycan blood he has. Some even say believe there actually is no alpha, that he died a long time ago and the pack is just being run by the beta and gamma, but I think that rumor is complete bullshit.

I know he's around; I can feel it. There's always a hum of power that runs through the air and strengthens us all as a pack. Many are disgruntled that the king hasn't been seen in so long and assume he no longer cares about his pack. I don't understand why he would remain hidden, but I also don't think it's a question we'll ever see get answered. But if he truly hasn't found his mate then why wouldn't he be out trying to find her? Maybe he has gone crazy.

He's got to be close to 100 years old and most find their mate at 22, though the ones with Lycan blood sometimes take longer. I haven't found my mate yet but I'm still only 25. Plus, I have plenty to keep me busy so not finding him yet isn't too big of a deal. Well at least it isn't a big deal to me. My wolf on the other hand seems to be growing irritated and I's starting to show.

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