Dear readers, in my werewolf tale, the existence of werewolves is known by human. In fact my heroine, Juliana Macon; who we met in 'You Can't Deny Your Wolf, grew up in the human world.
Julie never saw herself as a werewolf, and planned to live her life as a human, but Luna had other plans for her.
After a series of events, she discovered her birthright as the heir to the Alpha-ship of her late father's pack.
Once she recovered from the shock of learning how much of a 'Were' she was, she decided she would use the platform an Alpha has. She would enlighten, inspire, and instruct female 'Were' to resist the mating pull, and live, love, and mate on their terms.
But once again Luna stepped in and asked more of her. She chose her to lead the entire southeastern strain of the 'Were' nation into more enlightened times.
Here's the rub; In order to fulfill her destiny, it is on her to fight her way to the top of the Southeastern 'Were' Council.
In this episode Julie goes camping with other Werewolf Alphas on the Council. That catch is, they run, hunt, and sleep in a den in the woods while they're in their wolf."
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The Council was comprised of the Alphas from the eighteen largest, and or wealthiest packs in the Southeast. Its missions had been to maintain peace between the packs, and to ensure that traditional standards and values were practiced within them. It also had the power to exile an Alpha and to dish out capital punishment.
Perhaps the Council's most important job was to help the poorer packs survive. There were more small packs of supernatural creatures than there were large ones scattered around the states. Some of the dues collected by the Council from the wealthy packs were used to help small, poor packs survive.
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Here's the problem; for decades the Council had been under the control of Alpha Gene Wolfe of the Texas Aggie pack. He came from Texas oil money, that he used to buy the support of the Alphas in what was known as his posse. He also used threats and intimidation against the remaining packs to get enough votes to elect one of his henchmen as Chair.
He would have taken the position himself, but for one issue, the chairman of the council had to work, and Alpha Wolfe's perception of himself was incompatible with that.
He was cursed with a disorder called crazy; this caused him to see himself as a deity, therefore he believed he was descended from Edymion, Luna's lover in Ancient Greece.
As such he preferred to spend his time writing science fiction, listening to classical music, watching gangster movies, drinking expensive wine, and sparring with his Omegas.
If that's not too weird for you, keep reading.
He believed his essence existed in four other Alphas, and he'd used is wealth to buy their loyalty. As a result the late Alpha Huck Finn of the Mississippi Rebel pack, Alpha Thom Sawyers of the Mississippi River pack, Alpha Ron Scopes of the Tennessee Volunteer pack, and Alpha Darius Rucker of the South Carolina Gamecock pack, had formed a cabal that controlled the Council.
However Alpha Finn was dead and Alpha Wolfe now had a problem.
According to the word on the Shaman street, Julie was Luna's chosen one, and all the Alphas in the southeastern part of the country had heard the news from the shaman in their packs.
According to the tale the Shaman told, Luna sent an angel to take out Alpha Finn because he was bad to the bone, bat crap crazy, evil incarnate, and kookoo for coco puffs. Those were his good qualities; therefore Luna didn't want Julie to have to deal with him.
Not surprisingly, Alpha Wolfe saw Julie as a threat to his power, and so she along with her pack had to be shown its place.
His plan was to have some of the mercenary wolves on his payroll attack the Gum Swamp Creek pack, and he'd expose the beautiful young female Alpha for the fraud she was, himself.
Afterwards he would reassert his control over the Southeastern 'Were' Council. Then he would choose a new mate for his daughter, Alpha Becky Thatcher.
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For those of you who've read 'one-week-in-Lunas realm', you know that Becky Thatcher is the widow of Alpha Huck Finn, and she's also Alpha Wolfe's daughter.
Alpha Finn had been Alpha Wolfe's top lieutenant. He ran the drug, weapons, and female sex-trade business for Alpha Wolfe. In exchange for his loyalty Alpha Wolfe allowed Becky to be kidnapped and force mated to Alpha Finn before she knew who he was. Afterwards Alpha Finn used his authority to command that she must not tell anyone what happened to her.
I know it shocking, but yes, Alpha Wolfe named his daughter Becky Thatcher.
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On the Thursday before the Alpha's retreat.
Angel and Darby were sitting with Julie in her office while watching their pack mates on a monitor as they walked throughout the security zone. They were testing the sensors and detectors to ensure each of them worked.