The onset of another five year period always came with the migration of the birds. That evening they were scattered in the sky. Telling the supernatural community that the moonstone was up for grabs. For the past two seasons it had belonged to the Red Crescent pack headed by Kai’s father Arnold white. That evening he was on his death bed where he had lain for three months fighting through the injuries he had incurred in the last standoff with the vampires a war in which he lost his best warriors. The pack was weak even though they were entitled to protection from one of the four Alphas who would have won the moonstone challenge, none of them would ever match their Alpha.

Arnold was not healing. They had tried everything, every magical trick there was to initiate healing but nothing was working. With the season for top prize coming his pack was worried. They were always waiting by the alpha’s chambers to hear the good news every time Kai and his mum Kate the Luna of the pack with whom his father had fought and won many battles came out. All they got were sad faces. They would crawl back to their houses, tears in their eyes looking desperate but still they would come the next day. Their hope replenished, hoping for the best again.

“Kai?” he called out coughing lightly.

“Kai! Your dad wants to see you!” a happy Kate said.

Kai was at the door talking to the pack members trying to calm down their fears when his mother called. They all relaxed a little bit when they heard her. That day was better. He at least uttered a word. It was progress. Kai dashed towards the bedroom almost knocking his mother down.

“Am here dad, talk to me” he begged.

There was no word from him. He was lying on his back his eyes shut, his whole body bandaged. Kai turned to face his mum. Was she playing pranks on him? It was the worst of time to do that and stooping that low was atypical for his mum.

“I swear he called your name”, Kate defended herself holding his arm, “Come on Arnold talk to us. Your son is here”

He coughed again this time straining to even breathe. Kate looked at her son.

“Told you”

“Dad, you will be fine. Don’t worry I will take care of you” assured Kai.

He had been training the whole of his life to be an Alpha. Everyone knew he was capable of taking care of the pack. With his mother by his side it was a walk in the park. Only one thing was holding him back. He had no mate. He could not represent them in the league of Alphas and bring the moonstone back to its rightful place, its home for the past decade, the Red Crescent pack.

“Kai my son”, he tried to sit up but he couldn’t.

The mother and son duo supported him back to his earlier position.

“Dad you don’t have to seat up”

“I can son...am feeling better but I can see the end” Arnold said opening his eyes.

They were sad and happy at the same time. It was hard to tell the dominant emotion they were portraying.

“Don’t talk like that come on look at me, Clyde is looking for something to help you. He has not stopped looking since you got injured”, Kate said.

Clyde was the beta of the pack. He also sustained injuries but his were minor and they had healed up quickly and he was back on his feet knocking on every door he knew to find a cure for his Alpha. They had not seen him in months but wherever he was they were sure he was fine and one day he would show up with the answer to their problems and reignite their joy.

“There is no hope for me”, he took a long uninterrupted pause, “The league is upon us I can feel the birds, the air, everything changes when it comes. And you Kai will have to fight for us. The rest of us. I mean those who will live long enough like I said am dying”

“No dad, it’s a month or two away you will be healed by then”

He smiled, “And how do you expect to pull that off?”

“Clyde is getting close to the cure. He will be here with it dad. Last time we talked he was closing in on a lead”

“Enough!” he growled a spark of red hot in his eyes.

Poor Arnold had lost his wolf abilities. Even his senses were more humanlike.

“Take Note, train hard son. Be real and get a Luna or there is no hope for this pack and all other packs. You will have a target on your back because you will be dealing with strong unknown, powerful and invisible forces. Don’t trust anyone apart from your mother”, He coughed continuously and started shaking.

“Doctor!”

The doctor came in running.

“What’s happening? Tell me he is alright!” Kai shouted.

“Give me some space or he will never be okay” said the doctor pushing both of them away.

Arnold was convulsing, white milky foam coming from his mouth, his eyes were white and wide open.

******

Alpha Elliot was getting ready for the league. After two failed attempts he was sure the upcoming competition was his to win. With Arnold lying on his deathbed he had less competition also having made a deal with the two other Alphas. Alpha Dylan of the eastside pack and Alpha Wayne of the crescent pack. They had agreed to work together and knock Arnold’s pack off the monopoly of the having the moonstone. That evening he was resting in the pack house reading a book on meditation. He was girthing up for the purity of the heart part of the competition. It was always the hardest for most when it came to strength he was not that bad in his forties he was so strong. The door was knocked before it flew open.

“Sir, Dylan and Wayne are here to see you” one of the guards said.

“Let them in” he said without looking him.

Wayne and Dylan came in. And they were very talkative, Elliot had to put his book away.

“My friends!” Elliot said happily getting up to meet them.

He gave them both a brotherly hug.

“Look who is reading”, Mocked Wayne taking the nearby red two-seater coach.

The room was painted red and yellow in alternating walls making it look colorful. In the middle was a red mat on which a well vanished table rested with a potted plant on it. Elliot’s chair was comfy, red too with a footrest. Behind it was a big shelf of books with different kinds of best sellers, mixed genres it was hard to tell what his favorite collection was. From “Reign of the Hybrid: Ruler of Adversity” to “His unmatched Affection” to “The last Alpha female; sequel to the reign of the hybrid” and so many more including “The billionaire’s Baby Mama”. Hanging just above the ceiling was a fan bringing that comfortable reading feeling, with a window showing the cool forest and bringing in the breeze.

“I have to prepare you know” Elliot said taking his seat

Dylan joined Wayne at the coach. He seemed less talkative all of a sudden.

“What’s up with him?” Elliot finally asked pointing at Wayne with a nod.

“Dude what’s up with you?” Dylan repeated the question.

“Am good” Wayne answered shortly going back to scrolling on his phone.

“He is good” Dylan said, “Anyway back to you, how far are you with the training you got to take this thing Arnold is no more” He added.

The statement captured Wayne’s attention.

“Is he dead?” Wayne asked surprised and happy at the same time.

“Ooh so he speaks” Mocked Elliot walking to the fridge at the dining area, “Seriously is he dead?” He asked grabbing three bottle of beer and an opener at a small shelf.

“No I mean he can’t survive that”

“What do you mean he can’t survive that?” Wayne asked surprised.

Elliot gave everyone their bottles. He opened his and passed the opener to Dylan. Wayne’s question had led to a random silence. In the partnership he always felt left out and it was getting under his skin. It was like he was not a member of the team anymore. A team they had built for almost five damn years. It hurt.

“Is there something you guys are not telling me?” Wayne finally asked breaking the silence.

“Here we go again, I thought you left the paranoid Wayne at home?” Asked Dylan.

He was the fun one among the three. The most talkative, he gave them those funny nicknames and made fun of them. And they couldn’t hate him.

“Come on tell the guy why you are sure Arnold won’t survive” Elliot said staring at Dylan.

“Thank you E” Wayne said enthusiastically.

“Let’s just say I have an inside man, for his own safety I should be the only one who knows him” Dylan said taking a long sip of his beer.

“Satisfied?” Elliot asked.

“Not that I have an option but let’s be real, there is Kai you guys are underestimating him” Wayne said.

Elliot and Dylan both burst into laughter. They were lost in the moment to an extent they did the cheers move. Wayne was left confused. Another example of being left out of a group he had been part of for close to five years. At the core of his mind he was having second thoughts. His pack deserved the much coveted moonstone as much as other packs did besides he was not sure if the two were going to give up the moonstone to him once they had their runs.

“How funny is this, I can’t seem to understand why you two are laughing” Wayne said forcing a smile.

“Buddy, Kai doesn’t even have a mate yet”

“Besides Clyde might as well decide to be the Alpha of the pack, which will make it hard for us” Dylan added.

“Who knows maybe he got a mate and kept her a secret, they call it strategy of war my friends” Wayne said confidently.

His statement caught their attention for the first time in a long time. Was their dumb friend becoming smart? Did he know something they didn’t know? Dylan was the first one to ask.

“Buddy what are you not telling us?”

“Spill it out”

Wayne adjusted himself. It was fun to have all eyes on him.

“Are you guys asking for my opinion or Intel?” He asked putting his empty bottle on the table.

“Of course man what the fuck do you think we are trying to do here? We are a team remember?”

“Okay, don’t worry he doesn’t have a mate I get it”

Both of them groaned in disappointment relaxing on their backs. It was a false alarm.

They spent the rest of the evening plotting on how to win. The three had agreed to put their long time pack rivalries behind them to dethrone Arnold and his pack. And even though none of them trusted the other as long as the cracks in their relationship were not visible the relationship was going to hold. Among the three, Alpha Elliot was the only one to ever come closer to winning it. After losing to Owen once and Owen losing to Arnold twice in a row. He had fought hard to reclaim the honor of his pack and after trying on his own countless times he realized why do the heavy-lifting when he could use the others as a ladder on his way to the top? Alpha Dylan was only doing it to settle a score with a vampire convent part of his secret deal with Elliot was helping him exterminate the vampire convent on the face of the earth. Decollate all of them as for Alpha Wayne. No one really understood him. His pack was the smallest and weakest of the five. He needed them more than they did. But did he? Did Wayne really need the two Alphas who from the start were showing signs of using him? In a competition where people relied on strength, he was approaching it with wits.