White Rose Pack (Chapter-2)

Colin was looking out over the group that was training. The group of teenagers had just turned sixteen and that meant that they had to start basic training. In his pack everyone went through basic training. Every wolf should know how to at least defend them self if the situation called for it. Not all of them went on to be full-fledged warriors in the guard, that decision was left to the individual after the basic training was done. Colin was happy with the progress the teenagers had done but despite of that he shouted.

“Come on, step it up you pathetic mutts, a pack of pups could take you down.” That received some growling from the group and was answered with a deeper growl from him. Fighting spirit was good, but they needed to know their place. His beta, Mateo, came up to him.

“Alpha Aries has just entered pack territory, alpha” Mateo said. Colin nodded.

“Jason, takeover” Colin shouted at his gamma as he turned around and headed back to the packhouse along with Mateo. Alpha Aries had called the previous day asking for a meeting, saying it was important and that he would bring a guest. That had Colin’s curiosity going. His old friend wasn’t usually so secretive. As they reached the pack house Colin could see alpha Aries’ car coming down the road towards them. As the car stopped, three men got out. Alpha Aries, his beta Oscar, and an unknown man. The unknown man was small for a werewolf and well above 60 years of age. His hair was grey and started to thin on the top. He was wearing a grey suit that made him look colourless. Colin took a couple of steps to close the distance, extending his hand to alpha Aries and smiling.

“Aries, nice to see you” Colin said shaking the older alpha’s hand friendly.

“Colin, good to see you and thank you for agreeing to let us visit on such short notice” alpha Aries said. “Let me introduce you to my guest. Colin this is Cernack, Cernack this is Alpha Colin, alpha of the Black Moon pack” Aries continued. The older man bowed his head toward Colin as a sign of respect and Colin acknowledged the greeting.

“I am sorry to say that we are in a bit of a hurry. Could we go inside and talk, in private?” Aries continued, making sure he emphasised the last part. This really peaked Colin’s interest. Aries had never asked him to exclude his beta from a discussion. But Colin knew his old friend well enough to know that if the request was made, it was for a good reason. So, he nodded.

“Mateo why don’t you and Oscar go and raid the fridge” he told his beta and at the same time indicating for the two other men to follow him. He led them to his office, that was located on the fourth floor of the pack house.

’Fourth floor is off bound to everyone.’ He mind-linked to the pack, knowing they would obey him. He showed his guest inside. His office was decorated in a mix of different nuances of chocolate brown. The hardwood floors where a light oak, the walls a deep chocolate brown and the furniture were made with dark wood and the upholstery a cream colour. In the office there was a conference table furthest in. One of its short sides were facing a large window overlooking the training grounds. In the other end of the room, Colin’s desk was facing the door and two guest chairs was facing the desk. Between the desk and the conference table were a small sitting group and on the opposite wall some bookshelves.

Colin closed the door and took his place behind the desk, indicating to the others to sit in the chairs opposite him.

“I have to admit that you have me intrigued with this secrecy Aries. What can I do for you?” he said to get the conversation started. To his surprise it was the small man, Cernack, that answered him.

“Have you heard of the Withe Rose pack alpha?” the man asked. Colin took a minute to think about it. He had no memory of a pack by that name, and it was a strange name for a pack. Not a traditional one, if he had heard of it he was sure he would remember it.

“No, I can’t say that I have” he answered. The two men opposite him looked at each other.

“Because of the way you became alpha, so suddenly and so young, there are things that your father never got around to tell you.” Alpha Aries started. “I didn’t know if it was my place to say anything, so I kept quiet. But now we need your help, so I need to tell you the history of that pack and I am giving you my word as your friend and as an alpha, that what I’m about to tell you is the truth” Aries continued. Colin nodded; he was too surprised by the conversation to do anything else.

“The story starts at the beginning, the beginning of everything. When the gods created our world, and everything in it, they let the magic that is in everything flow freely. Everyone could use the magic, humans, werewolves, fay, vampires, everyone had access to the power. All races lived together and though there were scuffles, mostly there was peace.” Aries started and Colin looked at him, questioning why he started telling bedtime stories for pups.

“But power can turn men and beasts greedy, you know this from experience. And magic is an absolute power. After living in peace for a long-time people started to use magic in a way it was never intended to. They used it to harm others, to bend others to their will, to enslave those who weren’t as skilled in magic as themselves. When the gods saw this, they knew that magic had to be limited. They couldn’t remove it from the world, it is a part of everything, it is a base for life itself. Therefore, they constrained it, limited it. The different species all got handed their own limits. Vampires have everlasting life and has magic abilities for hearing and smelling. Humans can draw magic from their surroundings, that’s how witches first came to be. And we, we use magic to transform, to connect to our inner wolf and with our packs. When the gods did this it was a huge change in the world, and everyone was scared and felt the absence of the magic. The removal of magic was painful, it ripped through the core of every living being. But there were one, one pure of heart and soul that was beloved by all the gods. Her name was Katiyan, and the gods could not cause her the pain of losing her magic. They shielded her from the change, they left her intact and through her magic flowed freely as before. When Katiyan saw what had happened to the world she cried and begged the gods to change it back. But they would not. In the desperation and the hurt that was the world, the different races started to fight each other. Chaos was upon the world once again. The gods then gathered all the races, and they brought forward Katiyan. They gave her the title The Beloved One and tasked her to keep the balance between the races. She was named protector of magic. To help her the gods selected a few of each of the races to form as a council to her. It was the best of each race that were selected and because the werewolves couldn’t be without a pack, the council was named the Withe Rose pack. And so, the Wite Rose pack was created and Katiyan and her people started to try to find a balance in the world. When she grew old, her daughter took her place and so it continued generation after generation. The Beloved One was the one that brokered the peace between humans and the magic races. It was she that made it possible for us to go into hiding from the humans. She has done many extraordinary things during the centuries. But there has always been those that have opposed her. They think her title holds too much power, that her power of magic is too strong and should not exist in this world. We call them the Order and they are a constant threat to the world as we know it.” Alpha Aries finished his story. Colin was stunned.

“Okay” Colin said after a few minutes, trying to digest the information. “So why are you telling me this?” he asked.

“Because, 17 years ago the Order almost succeeded. They murdered the Beloved One, her family and their pack. But what they didn’t know was that their daughter escaped. She took on the role as the latest Beloved One and we have been moving her around to different packs, nests, and covens for the past 17 years. Never letting her stay more than thirteen months in the same place.” Cernack said.

“Okay” Colin added that information to the rest.

“Colin, she is with my pack now. We have had the pleasure to host her, and we would love nothing more than to keep her with us. But the thirteen months are almost up. We need somewhere for her to stay. Somewhere safe.” Aries said. Colin looked at him and he finally got the unasked question.

“You want her to stay here?” he asked.

“Yes, but there are things you need to know before you answer” Aries said and started to fill Colin in on the situation.