The Perfect Alpha

Looking back I was still shocked that my blood not only killed off the many poisons and viruses that were introduced but rapidly replaced and grew stronger. As if every attack only made my body develop more immunities. While Mom and Dad were thrilled that I could not be killed, technically, it also meant that I was far different from anyone else.

To insure that I would be immune, Dad and I decided to allow myself to be infected by many of the most common ones. Jesse provided a few of the more exotic poisons that Vampire's and Witches used. I sat in a Pack Infirmary for almost a month before I was considered healthy and immune to most everything. It was painful and I felt gross from all the sweating while my body adjusted and adapted to the various poisons. I had lost track of time during that month and realized my 18th Birthday would be tomorrow. My Animal was terribly excited and eager to be known to everyone. I had my doubts, if the what the Agent said was true, it was a good chance I was not a Wolf. I could be anything.

The Agent had to know something more, with determination I walked to the cells where he was housed. During their examination they had found two tracking devices. One Implanted under the skin on his thigh and another shoved up his ass. Are these people for real?

I walked up and looked over at him and sat down at the Chair that was outside his cage. I remained emotionless and stared at him. He tried to ignore me, but that didn't last long and so he started making crude and some lewd comments, still no reaction from me. He went back and forth from ignoring me to yelling and back again.

"Alright.. stop staring you are creeping me out. What the hell do you want?" he finally asked in a defeated sigh. I smiled inwardly, the video cameras would record everything and most likely was being watched by my Dad even as I was sitting here.

"Tomorrow I shift for the first time. I was wondering if you could give me a heads up on what I could expect." I replied evenly. My Animal seemed most amused by this.

"I really don't know what it is. I have my own theories though." he admitted. When I made no sound and just stared he waved his hands in defeat, "Alright stop that.."

"First of all Wolves are pack hunters. They have stamina for long runs and given a descent chance they can take down most anything that invades." he explained and I nodded my head.

"They would be no good for what was being planned. With out a pack behind them a single wolf can be brought down, their strength isn't enough. Their ability at stealth is moderate at best." he explained and while I hated to admit it, he was right.

"A Bear would be out, most are lumbering brutes at best. And Birds, well while good for scouting, their ability to fight makes them unusable." he said and shrugged. I nodded in agreement with that assessment as well.

"Now a Feline, they are good as a Pride or as a Loner. They are silent predators. A few are capable of speeds that exceed the Wolves, but they can't hold it for very long. Most are good ambush type killers, waiting in the dark for their target and dropping on them when least expected. They also have an enormous amount of patience, they can wait hours for the perfect strike." he explained and smiled lightly.

"Now imagine what would happen if you took each cats best abilities and combined them into a single cat. " he mused softly.

"Are you saying they did that to me?" I asked.

"I am only theorizing, all I know is with the technology they have, what they accomplished, would it really be so far fetched?" he asked in return, "Imagine dropping such a person near a pack. They slip inside the pack, capable of hiding their scent, fading into the shadows, they slip into each open window, each door and with a quick swipe of claw or dagger, each pack, clan, coven and pride is eliminated with very little effort from the assassin." I stood up and moved from the cells and back towards the Pack House. I had noticed after I turned 15 that while everyone else growled a lot. I rumbled and when I was angry I didn't growl loud like everyone else, I roared like thunder rolling through the hills. Everyone sounded a little different from each other and most just seem to take it in stride when it came to me.

I looked inside and felt the presence, "Are you a cat?" I asked and felt her humor at the question I was asking, like it should have been obvious and I was being thick headed. I should probably prepare my family for this, it was going to be a hell of a shock and no clue how the packs would react once the news was out.

"You think you will be a cat of some kind." my Dad informed me as I barely walked in the door and closed it. Mom and Josh, my brother, both sat on the couch. Mom's raven black hair and lightly tanned skin was offset by her Ice Blue Eyes. Josh was a mirror imaged except he got Dad's deep brown eyes. I have Dad's hair and don't ask me to explain how Deep Brown hair grows out to blond highlights. He keeps his hair shorter so the blond doesn't show, I let mine grow long and I am always asked how I died my hair in such intricate patterns. I did get my Mom's Ice Blue eyes, but my natural tan is a deeper brown with reddish highlights. We are roughly 80 percent Native American, Sioux. But we keep apart from them because of what we are, Lycan.

"You heard the jack ass, he does make a compelling argument." I replied and sighed aloud.

"I am not cleaning out your cat box!" Josh chimed in only to get a growl from Dad, a rumble from me and a swat to the back of his head by Mom.

"Problem is what will the Council say, what is the pack going to think?" I said aloud after flipping off my Brother in an unladylike manner. He just snickered which got him a second swat to the back of his head and I got a glare from my Mom for getting caught up in Josh's games.

"Well the second part we deal with now." Dad decided and I heard him call for a pack meeting this very instant. The few who could not show up, would know what was happening through the pack link as Dad left it open for everyone to hear and see what was happening.

Our family walked out to the fire pit, it had ample room for everyone to sit comfortably. While songs were sang, stories told and like this even pack meetings. Dad stepped up on the slightly elevated stage, followed by Mom, myself and Josh. It was based on rank. We all sat and waited while the pack moved up and sat down around the pit. Logs and rocks worn with time were used as seats, even the ground was sat on with no discomfort.

"As you all know the Government has been running around causing trouble with our kind and with the Vampires. It seems that not only did they change Raven's DNA to a hybrid of Were and Vampire, it seems just as likely they may have changed her animal to something other then Wolf." he was explaining. The sudden rush of words and growls became too much and my Dad growled so loud and with so much force the ground shook slightly. Everyone fell to silence in an instant.

"We can't loose our next Alpha!" a voice cried out.

"We are not loosing her. We have had many different Weres come through here, we have always helped where and when we could. If she does shift to something other then Wolf, she will still be part of our Pack." Dad called out.

"But how can a none Wolf be Alpha to a pack of Wolves?" another voice asked.

"Does your Wolf lead you or do you lead yourself through your day to day jobs and duties?" Chris called out. Everyone was silent. "My Wolf and I work together to get things done, but he does not lead me, I do." he growled at them as he paced the ground before the stage while Dad let him continue. "Raven is cut from the same cloth her Dad is, I would follow his leadership any day. And when the time comes, if I am called on. I will follow Raven with the same devotion to duty as ever." he called out followed by a growing cheer.

"I will follow Raven any where." a voice said as the girl who'd been raped by Killian stood forward. "Wolf, Bear, Bird or Cat, she has earned my loyalty, along with many of you, if you have any Honor." I smiled at her and nodded even as she blushed and sat by several other Omega's who hugged her gently.

"Tomorrow night will be Raven's first shift, and we will all find out what her animal is to call." Dad informed them all. They smiled and I heard many voicing they would attend for moral support. I was too exhausted to just hang out so I went to my room, showered and went to bed. The next morning it was business as usual, several hours of training and observing. Then after a shower the pack celebrated my birthday with me. It was wonderful with all the music, the dancing and well wishers.

Several hours later, I was led by my Mother to where I would have my first shift. The ground was covered with plastic and blankets on top of that as well. The first shift for most can take up to four hours, for an Alpha it can go up to eight to ten hours, many Alpha's die in the process. It is why so few are around. They burn with fever, bones remold one by one, it is Nature's test to see if you are strong enough, if you are worthy of being called an Alpha. Alpha's like Mom and Dad, having only half the True Alpha power don't get hit so hard during the first shift. Of the True Alpha's only half survive the shift.

"Remember try to breath through the pain." Mom was saying for the hundredth time.

"Yes, Mom, geez you make it sound like I'm giving birth." I replied with a grin.

"In a sense you are, you are giving your Animal, your other half, life." She said softly and smiled at me. I had never really thought of it like that before, inside my Animal was pacing around and seeming quite pleased by it all.

After the Agent had been found, Dad put on more strict measures. Today alone two more were found and dealt with before they could radio anyone. Dad had Chris equip everyone of the patrols with infrared scopes. Even the cameras around the compound were scanning heat signatures and matching against a Weres higher body heat.

I laid on the blankets wearing my sports bra and tight shorts, wanted to be sure I wouldn't be naked afterwards. Laying there I waited as the full moon rose higher in the night sky. Soon I felt the heat rise in my body as aches like I had never felt before began to rip through the muscles. Water was offered through a straw, while more water was generously poured over my body. It kept me cool for a while then a bone shifted and moved while I gritted my teeth.

"Do not try to tough it out, my love." Dad said quietly, "It doesn't help, cry out with the pain, it will allow the pain to flow through you instead of ripping through." he explained. I nodded and screamed as another bone shifted and formed. I tried to breath through the pain, screamed through the pain and even cried through it. Hands caressed, poured water over me and offered water to drink. I am sure most of it helped in one way or another.

Then my back popped like a machine gun with the trigger held down and I screamed until I was horse. My voice cracked through the sobs and more water was poured and offered to me. My eyes burned and I thought I was going blind.

"My eyes.. oh gods I am blind!" I cried out in fear. I felt hands gently lift my lids and a blinding light hit them and hissed in pain.

"It is your animals eyes, and they are so beautiful." Mom whispered causing me to relax. The Hours went by and several times I may have passed out from the pain only to awaken to more pain. Then I felt my face change as bones shifted and reformed, my teeth sharpened and elongated. And fur began to sprout over my body while my limbs shifted to their final transformation.

"Everyone back up, let her have room." Dad called out even as I stood up slowly and wondered why the pain had stopped. I realized I was not quit right and looked down at paws covered in deep black fur that looked sleek. I look towards my Family and friends while they smiled.

"She's a Black Panther." Josh whispered in awe. I looked at myself again and in my movements stumbled until I was sitting on my butt.

"You will get use to it Raven, for now allow your beautiful cat room to enjoy the new life." Mom said with no small amount of pride in her voice. For a cat I assumed I would be smaller or maybe on par with a Wolf. But as I stood there making comparisons I realized I was in fact close to the height and size of the average horse.

"Are Were Panthers always this big?" Chris asked curiously.

"No, they are not." a voice said and everyone looked to see Jesse watching.

"Most are about a third of that size, even their Pride Alphas do not get that size." he said as he gently offered his hand for my cat to get his scent, afterwards she rubbed her head against his hand and purred as he scratched around her ears. When she started purring I rolled my eyes at her, "Hussy, just giving in to an ear rub."

Afterwards everyone who could shift went on a nice run, I learned from my cat how to place one paw in front of the other. We helped to catch and kill a deer. And then made our way home to the Pack House, shifting to human, while not very comfortable, was much faster. For the next week Dad had me work out, going on runs, shifting every few minutes to get use to it and to help make it smoother. By the end of the week I could shift with no pain at all and do it from one step to the next in mid air. I also figured out how to hide my scent and could blend in with the shadows and never made a sound. Even in my human form I began to move silently with out even trying. The only question was, how was the Council going to respond...