Amelia

THERE was nothing worse than having to count out pennies from your supposed safety jar just to check if you can still live through the week. The pile of bills was barely enough and as I finally counted the coins left, I knew I had to be a cheapskate for the next seven days.

Sighing, I put back all the money inside the container and placed it back below my bed. I stood up when I heard a knock on my door. I walked over and saw there was a big brown box outside. I looked to my left and saw a man walking away. Must have been the delivery guy I contracted earlier. This was the reason why I was counting pennies.

The small apartment I owned seemed to mock me as I tried to push in the second-hand fridge I got from the garage sale earlier. For some reason, the building I was staying in didn’t want to replace the broken fridge that was already acting up when I moved here.

I heaved out a sigh of relief when the box finally got in my room. It was the smallest unit they offered. Everything was already in the whole room which includes the supposed bedroom and the kitchen. I wouldn’t want to move as this was the cheapest rate I could get in an area where I was close with enough number of wolves to appease my own. As wolves are pack animals, I had to be around those to connect with a community.

Sighing I pushed the box to the side and quickly wore my jacket. I was in a hurry as I was to help out in the Carson house today. I woke up early just so I could go and have the fridge picked up. I grabbed my bag and got out of the apartment.

My room was on the second floor so it was a quick jog to reach the ground floor. The Carson’s house was just maybe 15 minutes of walk from where I live. They were a rich family so their house was farther away from the town and into the less populated area.

I passed by the usual shops and I checked my phone to see if I had any calls from my boss. I knew Mr. Randall was also going to be in the Carson’s so the diner where I worked was closed for the whole day.

“Sorry,” I immediately said as I stumbled back when someone passing by hit my shoulder.

“Watch it, Castell.”

I looked up and saw it was Benjamin. His father, the Beta, owned the biggest and only car repair shop in the town. Unlike his father who has always been nice to me, Benjamin was an absolute nightmare.

I just mumbled another apology then continued walking. Clutching the jacket, I shivered as the cold wind drifted in my direction. It was getting colder and colder these past few days and it was also getting harder to survive with a broken thermostat in my room, just another broken part of my apartment that the landlord was not going to fix.

When I glanced up, I saw the pathway that led to the Carson’s house. It was actually more like a mansion with how huge it was. The white house with its always pristine white paint stood just a few meters away from the high gates that were currently open.

I saw some people in the yard carting boxes from a car. I walked to the side where I usually get in. I entered the side door that led to the kitchen and saw a few people were already busy with the food preparation.

“Hurry up, Castell,” Mr. Randall ordered when he saw me.

I immediately removed my jacket and placed my bag with it on the side. I walked over to the sink and washed my hand to start working on the food. Fortunately for all of us working there, the food was already prepared and all we had to do was set them up in the Carson’s kitchenware so they looked better.

We moved synchronically around the kitchen as we were co-workers in Mr. Randall’s diner. The gathering was going to start in the afternoon and we finished just in time as Melissa, the former Alpha’s sister, came into the kitchen. She was wearing a black dress that showed her mourning. She told us we were supposed to start putting the food outside.

Hurriedly, we moved out the kitchen containers to the living room where the party was going to happen. Our former Alpha, Joshua Carson, passed away a week ago and with no heir to take the title, the Beta has been assuming the position. But yesterday, everyone was invited back to the Carson’s house as there would be an announcement regarding the vacant Alpha position.

I passed by the stairway and saw Beta Vincent talking with Melissa. They stopped when they noticed me so I immediately looked down and went back to the kitchen. We continued to move the food and then settled in the living room where a lot of wolves were already waiting and mingling with the rest.

I could feel the tension inside the room. It has been seven days since Alpha Joshua has passed and having Beta Vincent as the head of the pack was not making anyone feel at ease. It was still more comforting to know that an Alpha-blooded wolf has taken the Alpha position.

The murmur of conversation died down when Beta Vincent came into view and stood at the base of the stairway. I saw his son, Benjamin, standing on his left.

“Good afternoon, everyone,” Beta Vincent greeted us. “Thank you for coming here today.”

A few voices sounded out their response. Beta Vincent was much easier to talk to compared to Alpha Joshua. The former Alpha was a domineering man who I found very intimidating.

“I’ve asked you all here today to announce what will happen to the current vacant Alpha position. We all know it’s not good for a pack to be without an Alpha for so long. I cannot take this position any longer so me and Delta Harrison have decided to finally call on the next heir to lead Cold Mountains,” Beta Vincent continued.

I could almost hear the anticipation from everyone around the room. Even though not everyone from the pack attended, mostly all the families have sent representatives to be here today.

I saw that Delta Harrison was standing in the doorway from the kitchen. His eyes wandered around the room and stopped when he saw me staring at him. I immediately avoided his gaze and looked back at Beta Vincent.

“Tomorrow, the new Alpha will arrive,” Beta Vincent said, eliciting whispers from the crowd.

Throughout the week, there have been speculations of who would take on the Alpha positions but none of them were confirmed. Working in the diner made it so easy to listen to people talk without them knowing or bothering to hide what they were talking about.

“His trip going here will take around two days so he won’t be meeting everyone tomorrow but once he has arrived, we will set a date for the formal introduction,” Beta Vincent said. rip

“Who is it?” Mr. Randall asked.

I looked at him just as everyone’s eyes moved in his direction. Mr. Randall and Beta Vincent were close friends so it was not a shock that he would be the one to ask that in front of so many people and not mind about the wolf rank.

Beta Vincent let out a deep breath. “Tomorrow, Michael Black will arrive in Cold Mountains.”

At the mention of that name, the whispers started again. I guess one of the most popular speculations that circulated around town was for Michael Black to take the Alpha position; although most of the older wolves did not like that theory.

Michael Black is Alpha Joshua’s first-born son and his only son- his only child to be exact. Alpha Joshua had a relationship with a woman, not his mate before meeting the Luna and that resulted in a son. But when he met Luna Briar, he decided to leave the woman and the child to be with his mate.

Everybody knew Alpha Joshua had a son outside the mate bond. He acknowledged the child but never actually acted as a father towards him. It was not common for wolves, especially Alphas, to have children not with their mates so Alpha Joshua’s mistake put a big gray cloud above him in the werewolf community.

But now that he has died and with no true heir with his Luna, wolves from Cold Mountains are getting restless. I looked at Beta Vincent and saw the worry on his face as well. No one from here knew Michael Black. He grew up with his mother. And now hundreds of wolves are depending on him to be the Alpha.

Cold Mountains now has to blindly trust a man we have never laid eyes on before.