The late summer breeze, unusually hot and dry for Montana, washed over me, bending the tall grass. Mixed with the scent of lavender and lilac, my father's musky scent hit me, followed by the sound of his heavy footfalls. I’d shifted back to human after a run in the woods, and my skin still tingled; my wolf close to the surface.
Smiling, I sat up and turned toward him. "Hello, Father."
The moment I saw his somber expression, my heart tumbled into my stomach. "What's wrong?" Without waiting for an answer, I sprang to my feet and sent out my alpha heir power, trying to sense if anyone in the pack had been mortally injured or killed.
Nothing felt out of the ordinary, so why did he look so … stricken? "Father?"
He plastered on a fake smile, but the expression never touched his eyes. "The alpha king has called for you. It’s time."
My gaze dropped to the stiff white paper in his hand. Embossed lettering danced on the page, moving in golden swirls, and there was no mistaking the logo: a capital A above an island, its snow-capped tip surrounded by rippling waves. We all knew that symbol at the top of the paper, an official declaration from the alpha king. I tried to steady my breathing while my heart made an attempt to escape my chest.
"Already?"
Swallowing the lump at the back of my throat, I blinked, determined not to cry. Tears were not befitting an alpha's daughter. No one wanted a leader whose first instinct was emotion. I needed to be strong for me and my pack.
But before I could stop myself, words tumbled out: "I thought I had another year at home."
"So did I," my father said, his nostrils flaring. His eyes blazed with emotion. Was it fear? Rage? As quickly as I saw it, he reined it in. Of course, a shifter must control their feelings at all times lest they lose themselves to their animal instinct. "But you're of age."
He extended the letter as if he couldn't stand to touch it any longer, and a sob formed in my throat.
These mountains, this blue sky, the trees covering our land … the pain of leaving home tore through me. I was born of this place, connected to the earth here like all of our pack. To go to Alpha Island, to leave my pack … the thought made my stomach churn. I wouldn’t be permitted to see or speak to anyone from home for four years, only letters—and only if I could find someone to bring them here, to the mortal realm where our pack was exiled. Judging by the frequency of visitors, the odds didn’t fall in my favor.
I yanked the paper from his hand, angry with the injustice of the system. "They don't even like our clan. We all know it! I hate that we have to play by their rules.”
My father frowned at my outburst. "It is the way of the alpha, and our pack needs you to lead. Without training your magic, you won’t be ready to take over when I die.”
I grimaced, knowing the other option. Those who refused the summons to Alpha Island were sentenced to death, traitors to their pack and their alpha heir blood. One hundred percent not going to happen.
My father cleared his throat. "The pack will need a strong leader when I'm gone. You must train. Show the other packs we have sufficient power to deserve their respect."
I wanted to protest or pout, but at nineteen winters old, and as the alpha's daughter, I needed to act like I had my crap together.
So I took a deep breath, shoving my emotions away to deal with later, and nodded. "I'll make Crescent Clan proud."
He opened his arms, and it took me an awkward moment before I understood the gesture. My father was not one for unnecessary affection. He taught me to be strong, to never show weakness unless it served a purpose. While I struggled at times with adhering to his strict doctrine, having him fold me into a stiff hug meant this was a big deal for him. As his arms wrapped around me, I felt the lump in my throat grow. Peering up, I looked into his eyes, the same pale blue as mine—the only part of him I'd inherited. Only, my eyes burned with unshed tears while his glittered like crystal, hard and sharp.